New-York tribune., 1874-03-14


her performances be ever so good Perhaps most of
the members of the Commission thought the boat to
be so great departure from the ordinary canal boat
both IN model and weight, that they could not give
1t the award This matter referred to the AttOr
ney-Generai. the Hon. Daniel Pratt, who gave an
opinion, that if the Commissioners believed from the
performance of the boat Baxter that If her machin-
cry was applied to an ordinary boat it would make
that boat comply with the conditions Of the law,
then the improved model of the Baxter would be
reason for ruling that boat out of the competition.
The reasoning of the Attorney General appeared TO
be conclusive TO some members of the C0mmi sion,
who had before entertained strong doubts Ou the
point.
After the consideration Of the Attorney Generals
OPINION, the question was put in the form of resO-
luton att1nng that at the trial exhibition the boat
William Baxter did prove that the devices aud mt
cninery thereon. If applied TO the present canal
boats. would prOpel them at the rate Of three miles
an hour IN the canals, carrying 2O0 tons Of cargo:
and do this at less cost per mile than such boaFs can
he moved by animal power. There were eight Com
mlssioneFs present, and the vote stood our for the
resolution and four against II. Thus by tie vote
the resolution failed to pass. Then another res0lu-
ton was offered directly proposing to award the
prize 10 VIM. Baxter. This failed, receiving three
votes, and five being given against 1t; and then the
Commission unanimously agreed to ask tue LesislL-
turc To pass "A law.
PERFORMANCES or THE VIM, NEWMAN.
1t is necessary to the history of this whole matter
to say that steam canal boat the William Newman.
had in the year 1872 made the three round trips re-
quircd by the Commission and had performed second
only to the William Baxter. This boat had changed
owners late in the Summer Of 1878, and had become
the property of Clpt ID. i. DObbins of Buffalo NJ I.
At the test exhibition this boat had on her pro
peller that proved not large enough, and for that
reason had to be run very fast, and Capt. D0DblnS
claims that salt water had been put on the coal ne
had purchased at Syracuse while it lay on the dock
during the night before the trial The boat OILY
nrHn tla rata nf y mil nor Nj
water. and consumed very large quantity OF coal
SO at the trial exhibition this boat failed to comply
with leading conditions of the law.
At Utica the propeller was taken oil and property
proportional one put on and the shaft WIS length
ened sixteen inches, Thus sending tho propeller 80
much further back from the boat ana into more
solid water. Some other but minor improvements
made In the machinery, and the Doat continued
the trip eastward. Mr.. Greene, the Engineer of the
Commission went with this boat and tested her per-
formances and reported 90 the Commission thai after
| the Improvements made at Utica she dld make tie
three miles per hour and more, using only 80 pohnds
Of coal per mile and earning the cargo, aud more,
required by the law. Ia shOI that alter the trial
| exhibition this boats performance were such as
brought her record mp to the requirements OF the
law. But having failed at the test exhibition, could
/ the Commission act upon subsequent performances
/ with changed machinery, however wei tho acts
may have been estdbl shed by the obSelNatlOnS 0l
! their own engineer, This question WAS submitted
! to the Atomey-GeueTal, and he decided that. hay-
ing failed at the t1ai, her performances aIter III
! could not be acted upon by the Commission. lhIS
ruled the w m. Newman out, ana i'It tuc DdAlcI as
! the only boat which had at the trial, and IN the
manner required by the law, made the time, carrying
the cargo with the economy required by the law IN
| this condition OF things some of the Commissioners
thought it their duty vote to give the whole Prize
! to NJ Baxter but The majority thought otherwise.
Cant Dobbins's boat VIM Newman, though ruled
out did prove that the present canal boats could
| be propelled three miles an hour, carrying 900 tons
of cargo by steam power at less cost per mile than
they could be dawn by animal pOweri l0r the New
man is able 10 carry 220 tons, and weighs abont as
much and has very nearly the model OF an ordinary
! canal boat. Her machinery consists OF an ordinary
marine horizontal tubular boiler and an Ordinary
vertical high pressure engine, having an adjustable
cutoff, SO as 70 use the steam expauSlyely. WIN
such machinery applied to screw propeller II dld
| the work Now if, as was generally conceded, MI.
Baxter had better boiler 10 make steam ana pet
ter engine TO transmit the power to the propeller,
could there be any doubt that the Baxter machinery
applied TO an ordinary canal boat would make II per-
form as well did Capt. D0bbnSs! Certainly more
fuel would be burned per mile in driving the Ora-
rily modelled boat than the Baxter or the City New
York would require hut still the consumption of
fuel cOnld not be great 10 pounds 10 tAe Inel as
was used on the Newman.
ADVANTAGES FROM THE NEW STEAMBOATS,.
Mr. Baxter's plan embraces the whole question,
and first provides the best boat TO do the work re-
quired; then the best boiler to make steam;
then the best en- gne to that steam, and finally
propeller or propeers, having the correct pitch 20
give the desired speed Of boat with the right speed
of wheel Thus he appears tO nave done more than
the law called for in improving the boat as well As
making the best known arrangement OF tue parts OF
his machinery.
What advantage does the State derive from the
successful introduction ofsteam on the canals Steam
drives the boats twice fast aS animals can draw
them and passes boats through the locks III half the
time horse boats can be passed. Thus the capacity
of the canals is doubled and their present power to
transport tine crops OF the West, which on the Erie
Canal may be 100000 tons IN season, Is raised To
100000 without cost to the state; ana many less
holts will DO the business Thus a vast amount
of private capital will be saved Or, stated in an
other way, much less capital will receive the reward
before paid Ia the large capital employed.
Can steam canal boats do the work at less cost
than horse boats This question beng answered IN
the Affirmative, it certainly follow that more bqSi
ness will seek the canals For the time being les
sened onehalf and the cost on,iderably leSsened,
the Gain would appear to be certain.
Mr. Baxter, on his boat Baxter. under his own
personal supervision, consumed less than 10 pounds
of coal per mile on the trial exhibition. This IS less
fuel than will ordinarily he used To be safe call
the consumption of coal - pounds per mlle ana as
sine that only ten round trips from Buffalo to New
York and back will be made IN a season OF seven
months. This assumes seven days taken each tine
over the route and three days detention at each
end of the trip; III all twenty days, when, multi
Piled by ten makes 20 days, leaving ten days mar
gin. Probably when business shall he well SYSTEM
atized eleven twelve trps may be made III season.
but let the estimate he safe foundations Inc
distance by canal and river from Buffalo To New
York City Is so nearly 800 miles that it VIII be SO
called in the following estimate OF cost OF trahspOr-
tation by Baxter canal steamboats,.
COST POWER FOR ONE SEASON.
25 pounds coal per mllo 10CO0 miles,
makes l2j tons at sj..................... s62o w
Chief engineers wages ard board az slo
per month for seven months. hs........-..... 525 U
Assistant engineers wages aud board aJ
S6j per month FOR seven mJnths....---.-. 403 W
OH, waste, &C., for season OF seven months,
per 1n s'oo' oo,' 3Co 90
Repairs of machinery aud sinking fund, l2t
per cent. 81" w
Total cost OF power for one season OF -
seven months ................... s23SD %
Which l. for one mle twenty-thrce cents aud eight
mills
COST OTHER THAN FOR POWER.
CAPTAIN S50,per Mouth for seven months. $3.50 OO
. wheelsn,eu at SIS each per MONTH seven