The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1877-06-09

About three years ago, says the Balti-
more G0zette, an intelligent mechanic
Of Baltimore began to put into shape
some ideas he had concerning water as
as propelling power for vessels. He
believed that BY judicious manipulation
q boat could be propelled without a
wheel or screw. With an inventors
sublime faith in the correctness of his
theory, he gave his spare moments to
putting his ideas into practical form.
He built model and launched her in a
trough. He fired up" with kerosene
and raised steam to work his pump.
The experiment with the working mod
ell satisfied the inventor that he was on
the right track. But between that mod
ell and the trim little Alpha, which ran
down the bay on her trial yesterday,
there was a wide gulf of hope, disap-
pOintment, hard work, and expectation.
fAt O'Clock yesterday afternoon Mr..
George G. Caldwell, the inventor; Capt.
Jeremiah Cotterell, master; Mr.. John
Ahern, business agent; and Mr.. VIM.
Warren, who has aided Mr.. Caldwell,
went on board at the Long Dock, ac-
companied by representatives of the
press The Alpha is a Baltimore-built
boat, constructed on the tug-boat
model, and as neat a thing of the kind
as there is atloat. She is fOrty-three
feet in length, and has ten and half
feet of beam. She is furnished with one
sixteen horse power horizontal tubular
boiler, and No. Knowles pump. From
the pump to the stern are two lines of
pipe, which strike the water about three
lines run to the bow. The pump drives
through each pipe two and half finch
stream, which enters the water through
a s-inch nozzle. With sixty pounds of
steam the pump makes $50 strokes to
the minute, each stroke driving stream
into the body of water. This is all there
is about this wonderful device. And
yet, under all the disadvantages of a
trial trip, this was the device which yes
terday enabled the Alpha to make ten
knots an hour under sixty pounds pres
sure. There was not a ripple astern,
and no perceptible displacement of the
water, except the little made by the cut
ting of the bow. She was backed and
turned with perfect ease. To back the
boat the stream is driven through the
bow nozzles and the craft obeys on the
instant. If the boat were to spring
aleak, the pump would simply draw its
supply from the hold and go on with its
work. 1t is claimed that a vessel pro-
vided with this appliance could not sink
under ordinary leakage. For prudential
reasons there were no experiments in
this line yesterday. A remarkable
feature of the Caldwell continuance is
that the power which propels will also
steer. To accomplish this the MOBILES
are worked alternately from side to side,
using the streams as levers, on the
principle of the oar. There is
yet another use to which this device
can be applied. In case of fire on board
or about the docks, a line of hose is at
tached to the pump, and in a second
there is a floating steam engine which
at least holds its own with any thing on
wheels. The inventor claims that his
device can be profitably applied to any
vessel, although it is mainly intended
for canal service, where the demand is
for cheap propeller that will not wash
the banks. MIR. Caldwell declares that
both the first and after cost of his inven-
ton will be far less than that of any
thing now in use. The entire driving
apparatus is below, and no part of it
could be carried away by accident or de-
sign. The whole thing is so simple that
there is not much to get out of order,
and nothing that could not easily be re-
paired. The attempt of the British Gov
eminent in 1866 to apply water as
propelling power to vessels is the only
similar effort within our knowledge
The Water Witch was propelled by
streams forced out at the sides, rotary
fan supplying the power. The Water
Witch achieved a failure and retired
from business. Mr.. Calwell's invention
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