New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-04-12

MARINE AFFAIRS.

ANEW PADDLE FOR STEAMERS We were present,
yesterday, at trial trip d small scale, of minis
ture steamboat propelled by new fashioned paddle.
The inventor is Mr.. Walls, Of Danvie, in this
State, and the boat on which the experiment was
shown is open pleasure boat 81 feet in length be-
longing TO Capt, Upper, Of this CITY, On bosrd
tuch craft, Of course, an experiment designed TO
show the superiority of anew invention of this nature,
could not be of satisfactory and conclusive chsrac
ter as if performed on larger scale. The boat was
formerly run with ordinary ptdde-wheels, having
ten buckets TO a wheel. In the new wheel there
but Elk of the new.f4hloned pa56.s, yet the testi
uopy Of her owner is that the speed Of the boat is
Increased by them from quarter to a third. We
can offer opiI ion of the of the inventor,
Tor it is thing to be tested by experiment The
value of a new paddle cannot be determined on the
ty, but must be subjected to the test Of practical sp
plcation, not only a email but large scale. 1t
il difficult to explain the paddle with perfect
cleaIDess, without the aid of diagrams. Let the
reader imsgine an ordinary padde-b broken at
The ter and then confined by hiuge the two ends
bent forward the bow Of the boat at angle of
twenty five grees to the circular rim ~hch forms
the circumference of the wheel. The paddle will be,
he will perceive, in the form Of the letter V, and,
when in motion, is drawn with lis external sides
toward the water In propelling the boat. The
shape Of this paddle or, rather, psir Of paddles, is
not that of ordinary obloUg paddle board but it is
pointed at the Joined ends. Ii the reader gets the
rgbtjdea from what state, he viii that the
wheel revolves the paddles enter the water with the
sbsrp point downward. and leave the water n tic
sane wsy. In this manner they avoid the loss Of
power in the dead stroke of ordinary padd IS il
is submerged, and the lift of water as il comes out.
Tie value Of the invention is claimed 20 lie in this i'm
pIovement, as il brings nearly the whole power of
the engine directly upon the propelhog force. II il
a singular fact that while every other part of the
steam boat has undergone changes and mo iics,ons
since lie first invention the psdde alone rem aius IT.
tiouary snd without the least Improvement. Yet il
rs point 10 which ingenious men have devoted
much thought and inventive labor. Hundreds of
Thousands of dollsrs have been expended an
new paddls forms and in the Pstent-Ohce az Wash
ipgton nearly four hundred varieties are found, OF
which something more than fifty, we believe, have
been patented Bot nothing has yet be- found to take
the place of the old original paddle AS il was seen
upon the fret steamer and upon the first
boat, go far as We know, propelled by crank.
Whether the invention OF Mr.. Wallis Is to folow the
fate Of other attempts in the line time alone
determine. The wheel cert,inly moves through the
voter very smoothly and lie ms;its in this respect
are visible to every eye II il really possesses the
superior propeilipg power, we may expect that tie
value will soop be tested by experiments on = lar
asr scale.