All About Inventions and Discoveries
The Romance of modern scientific and mechanical Achievements

2o6 All About Inventions was brought back to the works, and certain modifica- tions were made. The next trial was no more suc- cessful—that is, so far as the speed attained was con- cerned. It seemed as if the turbine were doomed to failure as a rival to the reciprocating engine upon the seas. Propellers of varying form and design were used and subjected to searching tests. These trials were spread over a period of two years, during which time 31 sea speed tests were carried out. But it seemed impossible to squeeze more than 19} knots out of the tiny craft. During this period a vast volume of new know- ledge was being acquired. It must be remembered that this was all pioneer work. The inventor had to find out things as he progressed, and when baffled he had to discover the source of the difficulty and its remedy. Such work in connection with the pro- pulsion of ships is long and tedious. Each difficulty as it cropped up was probed scientifically, so that a conclusive reason for this or that might be forth- coming. The accumulation of knowledge during these two years proved of incalculable value. Had the inventor achieved success at the first attempt the majority, if not all, of the problems which he was forced to negotiate would have had to have been settled in later years. At last, upon the conclusion of a particularly searching scientific investigation concerning the pro- peller—experiments which have contributed very materially to the science of ship propulsion—the inventor came to the conclusion that a single tur- bine, propeller-shaft, and propellers would never meet the situation. In this manner the speed could