Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1873-03-10
N NAVIGATION.

LUG 0u0E IuAuo W tu0 SAIo VI NOW
York. OF 100000, to the inventor Of
the best method Of propelling canal
boats without the use Of animal power,
has attracted great attention through
out the country, and greatly stimulat-
ed invention. Many devices have been
projected, and large sums Of money
expended in the construction Of boats
and machinery to compete for the
Among the inventors Is p.
Rippingham, Of Virginia City, whose
device Is a couple Of peculiar move
able propellers. Whether there are
any others from the Pacific coast we
have not learned. but he Is the only
one from this State. During the last
year quite a number of boats with
newly invented p~ropelling devices OF
various kinds, actually entered for the
contest, and a portion Of them accom-
plishsd very gratifying results, indi-
eating that great progress has been
and can be made, toward solving the
problem Of cheap canal navigation.
A commission was appointed by the
New York Legislature, to attend to
and decide upon this matter, and at
Its first meeting, held In 1871, the fol-
lowing resolution was adopted:
Resolved, That for the purpose OF
carrying out the intent Of the law, this
commission will require, among tho
tests to be made, that the several COM
pstitors shall make not less than three
round trips, from New York aud Buff
falo or OIwego !; each boat to DO load
ed with not less than 200 tons Of cargo
each way; the trips to be commenced
as soon as any party Is ready. and all
completed In the least practicable
time. For tho purpose Of determining
the time consumed by each and all the
trips, the clearance must show the day
Of the month and time Of day that the
boat passes each collectors office ; GER
titled copies thereof to be furnished to
the commission.
At q subsequent meeting Of the CON-
mission, held at Albany on the 9TH Of
August, 1872, this resolution was mod
lied as follows:
Resolred, That boats maklcg three
rounds trips from Buffalo or Oswego
to the Hudson river and return, rs
heretofore required by this Commission
for the purpose Of determining the ate
of speed Of said boats, will not be re-
quired to continue the trips to New
York city. nor to carry more than l0O
tons of cargo going west, and that de-
auctions from the time consumed IN
navigating the canals will be made for
passing the locks. equal to twenty
hours for each round trip from Buffalo,
and proportional allowance will be
made II the trial Is from Oswego. In
case Of delays growing out OF oostruc-
tions to navigation, that are caused by
breaks In the canals or injuries to the
structures, or sunken boats, such as de-
tain boats drawn by horses, the time
lost will also be allowed for In COM
putting speed.
The report Of the Engineer Of the
Commission shows that the boats which
have made the best records did not
finish the preliminary trips required
until the menth of November, near the
close OF navigation, which terminated
on the 18th Of that month, leaving no
time nor opportunity for the further
tests aud trials under the personal su-
psrvision Of the Commissioners which
wero considered absolutely necessary
to justify a decision. Thus it appears
that the time allowed by the law. to
practically test and examine the In
yentions or devices offered, has not
been sufficient, and the Legislature has
accordingly extended the time for
another year, In order to give ample
time for the inventors experiments,
and for the Commissioners to decide.
In their last report to the Legisla-
ture the Commissioners give the fol-
lowing items:
The Delaware and Raritan canal,
has a width Of water surface Of 80 feet,
and an average depth Of nine feet ex-
cept over some culverts where It Is
ouly eight feet four inches deep. The
locks are 220 feet long aud "a feet
wide. These dimensions admit Of the
use of vessels that will carry 80O tons
of cargo. aud at various times large
boats have been constructed and used
on this canal, but John s. Hills, ESD,
Of Philadelphia, formerly superin-
tendent Of this canal, states that the
result Of his experience Is that a boat
ITO feet long and % feet wide was rs
large rs could be used with the great
est economy. Boats Of 40 feet In
length and carrying 500 tons, have
been tried; but on account Of the eX-
ira expense Of crew to meet the In
creased difficulty of management, were
not found to DO economical. The
largest horse boats plying upon this
canal, can carry $50 tons, but the av-
erage cargo that they do carry Is about
2l0 tons.