Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1880-02-12
MR.. RICHARDSON.
His Merits as a Fast Sailing Craft Com
pared with Capt. Boyton's.

HIS Merits as Fast Sailing Craft Con
pared with Capt. Boyton's.
From the New York Times:
When Capt. Boyton was cruising i
European waters, it was pointed out tina
though he was sea worthy, he was yer
slow. He was merely u sailing Graf
with an auxiliary paddle. The amount Q
canvass which he spread was necessaril
small, because he could not handle larg
sails with any celebrity, and even witt
both his jib and mainsail set, and a fresl
breeze on his quarter, he could not ge
more than two miles an hour out of him
self. in calm, he was, of course, en-
tirely dependent on his paddle. 1t is wei
known that the paddle has been supersed
ed by the screw in ocean navigation, for th,
reason that it is more costly and give
less speed for the same amount of horse
power. Capt. Boyton's paddle was un
worldly of truly scientific age. In tn,
most favorable circumstances, it gave hin
a speed of not more than mile an hour
and it took up a great deal of room
Three -iourths of his deck surface was oc
cupied by the paddle when in motion, ant
his carrying capacity was correspondence
small. That he selected the paddle ii
preference to the screw was undoubtedly
Il grave error, and 1T IS certain that as d
paddle'person he can never be run at q
profit.
Mr.. VIM. II. Richardson, of Mobile, has
evidently studied Capt. Boyton, and has
made an improvement upon him. In
model, Mr.. Richardson is much better
adapted for speed than his predecessor.
The latter has a remarkable breadth of
beam, and his counter was full and
clumsy. Mr.. Richardson on the contrary,
is long, narrow, and beautifully modelled
at each extremity. That he would be as
dry IN a seaway as was Boyton is improb.
able, but that he would be buoyant and
safe is generally conceded.
Mr. Richardson has wisely discarded the
paddle, and is furnished only with sufi-
cient sail to steady him and assist the
working Of his engines. He depends for
propulsion entirely upon a four-bladed
screw, driven by irect-acting crank en-
gine set in motion by his hands and
feet. In order to increase his bloyancy
and to insure safety in a case of collision,
he ls tltted with an air'tight compartment
Immediately under his heart. In the wa.
ter he occupies the position OF an ordinary
swimmer, and can float for any length Of
time with out motion. In favorable cir.
cumstances his engine gives him speed
of six miles an hour. and he can make
very fair progress even against heavy
head sea.
1t is held by certain experienced build
ers that Mr.. Richardson is altogether too
lowin the water, and that as heis nat.bot.
toned and without any keel, he will
make a great deal OF lee-way. The criti-
clsm seems to be Just one. No one can
look at the woodcut of Mr.. Richardson
which was published in one of our scicn.
tltic journals, without seeing that he has
very little free-board. With the sea ON
the beam his low decks would be con-
stantly awash, and his trousers buckles
and the back buttons of his braces and
other running rigging would he liable to
be swept over board at any moment. So
long as the water can be kept out of his
interior, it will, Of course, do no ma.
terlal harm, but it must be con.
fessed that Capt. Boyton, with his
waistcoat.deck dry and comfortable in all
weather, has certainly an advantage over
Mr.. Richardson. lnregard to the absence
of keel, there is nothing to choose between
the two. Both must inevitably drift
badly, even when going ahead at full
speed. Mr.. Richardson ought 10 consider
The proprety of boiling false keel to |
limself, extending from his collar. button
1t least as far as the waistband OF his |
irousers. This would not only prevent
lim from drifting, but would keep his
lead up nicely to the wind, and would
hus be a very valuable improvement.
The superiority of Mr.. Richardson in
pecd will be so manifest that in time
he screw will eventually drive the Boyton
paddle from our rivers and seas. As the
screw can be driven at full
peed by the feet alone, leaving the hands
perfectly free, it is evident that fleet of
ailors fitted with screws will be of great
ervice in naval warfare. Drawing very
title water and requiring no coal, they
would supersede all other patterns of gun
'oats. A thousand OF them armed with
arbines could surround an enemy's frig-
tie, board it. and capture it in circum-
tances where an attack by old-faShloned
oats would be hopeless. For river expe.
itions, where gun-boats can not pene.
rate, these screw-sailors would be invalu.
bic. Presenting very small surface for
he enemy to aim at, and moving rapidly
nd noiselessly, they could penetrate far
nto the interior, and inhiCt a vast amount
t damage.
1t is not probable that the Richardson
crew persons will ever take the place Of
transatlantic steamers. They would re-
uire three or four weeks to make the
'assage from here to England, and it is
doubtful if they could carry a sufficient
uantity of provisions. Very pleasant
ruises could, however, be made in sum-
ner along our coast A party of ladies
nd gentlemen, fitted with light double
'laded screws could reach Newport from
his city in few hours, and enjoy all the
pleasures of Yachting without the labor
# setting off fireworks and playing whist.
Capt Boyton would do well to lay him
elf up for the winter, to have his paddle
AIKEN out of him, and to have it replaced
" Richardson screw. He will never be
S fast as Mr.. Richardson unless he is
enlightened out, and the lines of his bow
nd stern remodeled, but he will always
e dry, safe, and comfortable, and on
ONE routes where speed is not desired,
e will become a popular and paying