Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1844-11-23

We extract the following from the U. 8.
Gazette, and append a letter which has been
handed to us, upon the experiment made Tor in
Producing Steam Boats upon our Canals. 1t is
much 10 be desired that some more rapid method
Of travelling in our inland navigation, should
be discovered; and as the introduction Of the
Steam Engine is the only apparent means of a
pleasure in submitting the details to the pub
lie.
An Improved section Canal Boat.
Mr.. Gllmer Converse, Of Columbia, Pa. sub
mit,ed to our view yesterday model Of mpro
we'd Section Canal Boat, on the invention and
perfection OF which he has bestowed much men
al labor and bodily trouble and which he very
justly thinks, is well adapted to accomplish
the following desiroble objects. Frst-a capn.
city to show much larger tonnage in the same
space now used by Section Canal Boats. Sc.
condy- great decrease in the dead weight of
the boat and trucks Third-the capablity of
carrying passengers with the comforts afforded
by first class cars in the same boat that carries
| freight, or the capabtlity to make the boat, Ell.
ther in whole or IN part, passenger or q
freight boat-Four,h an increase in speed by
a just adoption Of paddle wheels moved by
steam power, and moved in such manner that
no swell will or can be created in the wake OF
the boat sufficient to injure the banks of the
Canal in consequence OF their motion.
To accomplish these ends, he has cons,ruc
! ted Canal Boat with triple floating hull, OF
the common lcngth-say eighty two.feet-and
thirteen feet wide. Forty eight feet of the deck
of thls boat is left vacant to receive SIX portable
car bodies, each eight feet vide and twelve feet
long-the remainder being occupied by the
stern cabin, steam engine and wheelhouse.
These car bodies when placed upon the trucks,
show breadth of only eight feet-no greater
width than that being able to be run on the
railway. When lifted from the trucks, howe.
yer, they are placed with their length across
the boat--one foot of the breadth of the deck
being lost in build ng upa buwark to hold then,
IN their proper position and thus in space u
sixty feet in length (the usual space of slowags
of common Section Canal BoaO gain q
stowage room, III consequence of the increase
in width, is had OF full six hundred and fifty Gu
bic feet over the stowage room of common
Section Canal Boat. This gain in stowage i.
peculiar to this boat; ; tor the Common Sectiona
Boat is only eight feet wide, and is necessari
" built so heavy and strong to resist straninE
that much room is lost, and it is an additona
I Il
that there is a saving in dead weight of at leas
1000 pounds in each boat. The ordinary sec
rion boat weighs about 2i000 pounds, and W
und arstnod there are one hundred of them o
the State Works which, upon m average, max
sixteen trips during the year, and IT is easy t
ascertain by comparison, how much the Stat
would gain in tolls in the course Of year.
boats were used which carried more freigl
with less dead weight besides the saving il
the wear aul tear ofthe railway,
I The arrangement of these detached car be
dies, is such tnat the number requisite to loa
the boat makes train, consisting otthrce truck.
seventy two feet long.-Part of the car bode
, may be fitted mp for passengers and part ia
u
! the separation between them i perfect. Ifa
n are passenger cars, they NAV when on the boa
e be thrown into one long saloon, or detached
as to afford ample state rooms for families, Wi,
, sufficient room TO stow baggage. etc
r We have sald that The boat has triple hDa
= ing hull, hut it would be more proper to sa,
o that the deck rests upon three separate cano
= shape hulls, with spaces between them near
I equal TO their own width At the bow of N
l boat and projecting down into the water b.
tween the outer and inner huIs, are two pa,
G die wheels connected with and moved by s'ca
v engine Of six horse pnw"r, placed upon IL
i deck just in the rear. The movement of III
o boat will cause a swell in the water which in
,, mediutely meets the wheels, and the only bod
/, OF water that receives sufficient impetus To q,
e nrrale waves, must pass along the entire lrngl
q of the boat between the ourcr and inner hull
Z hrfpre il can spread toward the banks, by who
q time, aud the deadening power OF the ruddr
r. lis force will have been almost entirely spen
| The speed of the boat Will be about six n.
ID per hour aud 1t is safely calculated that
l. means oi this Improvement, the passage fro
l. This city to Pittsburg, may readily be made
re siriy hours. The present timo for the .ja
rs line is cighiy;t6ur hours,
in We believe that we have stated the peculia
" tiles of this invention, and as il seems to us
,l good one, we invite 10 il the attention o. tho
Of who are interested in Inland Tansporlatio
III