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Various Documents Donated by
Janette Horton

Comments from De Sallis Note Book
From the time of his Chairmanship of Fellows, Morton & Clayton Ltd.
 

DE SALLIS'S NOTEBOOK.
The. Waterways Museum has a series of De Sails's note-books from the time of his chairmanship of Fellows,
 Morton & Clayton Ltd. These notebooks have a number of referencesto Bolinder's engines. It is obvious
De Sallis took agreat personnel interest in these machines and on morethan one occasion visited Pollocks in
order to personally buy engines or discuss details of them. Using the boat numbers as listed in Alan Faulkner's
EMC history, numbers 1 to 26 excluding 3,18 & 20 wereoriginally fitted with the 15HP Model E engines although
by the late 1920's a replacement programme had been commencedscrapping these units and replacing them
with 20HP 3M's derated to 15HP.

After the building of Lindola (3) as a single motorin 1913 using a 1 OHF E type engine, two others followed
Quail and Ravern in 1916/17. It appears that from a commercialpoint of view horse boats were still preferred to
singlemotors for in 1925 their engines were replaced with 15HP NE's. Although Bolinder's had introduced- the
NE type in 1921 there was a two year pause in FMC's motor boat building programme after Seagull and it was
not until April 1925 that they started installing the NE 15HP. This unit wasinstalled in boats number 27 to 56
inclusive. FMC were quicker in changing to the BM type. Introduced in 1925 these were installed from 1926 and
powered all future motor boats. The 'Best Engine for The World' replaced FMC's steam power over the period
1915 to 1927, examples of all three types therefore being installed in these craft on con-version.
De Sallis was very aware that money in both fuel and lubricating oil and maintenance costs were significantly
affected by running -he engines above their rated speed and through maladjustment of the lubricator pumps.
In December 1931 he interviewed Mr McGill of Pollocks on the subject of lubrication usage with the following
results.

E Type 15 BHP
Total lubricating oil = 6% of fuel oil consumed and.noted fuel consumption as 0.6 gal/hr developing full power.
Gardner owners watch out. This is 0.36 Ib/bhp hr a consumption no similar powered modern oil engine can
match! BM's are more ecconomical. So when quoting this figure to owners of other engines if any disbelief is shown just say ",Mr De Sallis states this and therefore no doubt can beaccepted!
( 0.55/0.60 Ib/bhp hr is hand writen on the bottom of the sheet as an actual consumption but not signed)

NE & BM Type 15 BHP
Total lubricating oil = 4-5% of fuel oil consumed. These figures for total lubricating oil includes thrust
bearing and oil can usage. Significantly it was stated that the bottom end should always have a good throw.
The FMC oil allowance was 5 gallons per 3 return trips to London. Unfortunately De Sallis does not state the
starting point but if we assume the minimum journey of Braunstonto Uxbridge this gives -100 miles per gallon
and a fuel consumption of 5 mpg. Now, whilst I recognize that owners of ex FMC engines
(De Sallis statements, I suppose can only be given as guidance for non FMC engines) never run them near
 FMC's rated speeds in the normal single motor situation travelling light and therefore the oil consumption as
a percentage of fuel used will be higher can anyone approach these figures?

Looking through my own records 'France's' pup averages 6.25% on a nominal running speed of 360 rev/min.
So what is FMC's rated speed for a BM 15Hp? De Sallis is quite clear. Pollocks rated them at 15BHP at 450 rev/min. FMC's normal practice was 440 rev/min. This was achieved by accurately setting the fuel pump stroke
and careful matching of the blades to prevent the engine being capable of exceeding 440 rev/min. Again as
with the lub oil I have every confidence that ex FMC 15HF units as now installed are matched to blades which
 enable this requirement to bemet!

I hear the cry it depends on. how the fuel pump stroke is set. Quite right. So you know what comes next,
De Sallis says for Bolinder Engine Timing and this must refer to BM15's. Remove crankcase door, set piston
at top dead centre. Turn engine 2^ inches on circumference of flywheel which is the point where fuel
injection should start. Set fuel pump quadrant at running position (usually about 8 nicks down from top) and
adjust pecker of fuel pump so that it just touches pump end. Lift pecker over fuel pump at the same time
turning flywheel in running direction and the overlap of pecker over fuel pump should be 2.75 mm.
A further check on engine performance is that according to a letter from Pollocks on 2Sept31 the 15BHP BM
type has a Maximum compression pressure of 150 psi. Maximum initial pressure of 270 psi.

Unforetunately De Sallis's notes on blades are less clear. In December 1929 he records the latest type B3 as
now -in use as - Diameter 1' 9"  Pitch 1' 3 3/4"  Blade area 216 sq in. and later entries as Diameter 2' 1" 15HP
19" 9HP

As the 9HP was not used until 1932 and- the E type lOHP's had been replaced in 1925 this 21" blade appears to
"be for BM 15HP's then being installed but it would require a very course pitch to adsorb 15hp at 450 rev/min.
The specification issued to Pollock's for the supply of engines was -as follows:-
20HP Bolinder Engines complete to standard specification to end of thrust shaft, but without sleeve coupling.
Engines set to develop 15BHP at 450 rev/min. Between 1929 and 1951 the prices for individual engines
varied between £175 and £180.

On 30July 52 a new type of engine was ordered at a cost of £116-5-0. This was a 12HP unit set to develop 9HP.
It followed an order 18 days previously for the first of a new type of motor boat for working as a single unit, the
boat was of course 'Bream'. The hull of coppered steel was built by W J Yarwood. Price £340-0-0. Ordered
12July32. Delivered Saltley 15Dec52. Significant variations were made to this boat over the paired motors.
The shaft was set 2" lower. So beware owners of ex single motors, 15HP engines will not set correctly in
these boats*. The smaller engine enabled a shorter engine hole to be used, the stowage being 2' 2" longer
than 15HP motors, the respective lengths of stowage on a 15 and horse boatbeing 45' 6" and 50' 6".

The draft was also reduced. In light condition but with fuel on it was forward 7" and aft 2'2" whilst 'Ibex'
light was 9" and 2' 4" respectively. The standard size fuel tank of 4' 6" x 10" x 4' 6" was installed as was the
header tank 2' 0" x 10" x 1'. Some of the 15HP boats were fitted with a larger 4' 6" x 1' 3" x 4' 10" tank. Talking
with the only boatman I know who regularly ran Pup's he considers that "when he had fine tuned them" they
used as much fuel as a single motor as a 15HP with butty so they needed a similar sized tank'.

De Sallis accompanied Bream on a propeller trial trip from Sampson Rd Wharf to Knowle top lock. The load
was 20 tons 5cwt which gave 12" dryside, the draft amidships being 3' 03/4". The engine speed was measured
at various points of the journey being recorded as:- Revolutions
At Small Heath 536 per minute
At Ucocks Green 537
At 12.35 pm between Yardiey Tunnel wharf and Catherine de Barnes Wharf 525
Maximum number of revolutions recorded 560 between Catherine de Barnes wharf and Knowie top lock.
He noted the propeller pitch must be altered so as to run at 500 rev/min.
 

The area of the propeller (the 3 blades) after final alteration was 192 sq in. on a diameter of 181/4".
Unfortunately the pitch is not stated-. The average speed "between Sampson Rd Wharf and Knowle top was
calculated as a very precise 3.075 mph, surprisingly low, especially when remembering the GUCC pairs were
advertised with a top speed of 6 knots on 18 hhp. De Sallis says little more in his notebooks about
Bolinder's although the following snippets may be of interest, An accident is recorded concerning the Motor
Boat Robin, E type engine.
Engine smashed up at Brentford l6July29 by being allowed to run away. Crank case replaced from old E type
engine just scrapped. Colonel NE type engine cylinder had worn 0,5 mm in 7yrs.
Mr McGill stated in 10Dec31 the rebore should be when wear reaches 3% of cylinder diameter.

Finally to end these notes a mystery item headed:-
Bolinder 50HP Fuel Pump Setting. 4mm Pump. Stroke, Pecker 12.5mm from edge of table with
quadrant up to normal running position equals 3 degrees before TDC.

Why is De Sallis making a note on a 50HP engine, and it must be a single on that pump stroke?
I have visions of a tug "between say London and Uxbridge for towing wide boats. Well it would be a rather
nice exhaust beat. But then Bolinder's did not produce a BM type in a 50HP. Derated 60 would be at 312
rev/min or a derated 75 at 200 rev/min. Very nice sound!

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