The Russellville Democrat., 1880-12-02
PETROLEUM vs. STEAM.
The Successful Trial of the Petroleum En- zine in the Yacht Mystery.
 poston Herald


 l The Successful Trial of the Petroleum En- zine in the Yacht Mystery.
 Boston Herald.
 The attention of nautical men of this city. as well as that of the mariners com | ing into and leaving this port during the past week, has been attracted to a we'll modelled, long, low, open yacht, which, without any visible motive power, glides through the water at a rate that gives many of the steam tugs hard chace to overhaul her. As she passes a vessel the crew rushes to the sides, and, peer ing over the bulwarks, conjecture as to what imparts sufficient motion to the boat to enable her to hold her own with well-known rapid sailing crafts. Not only from the vessels in the harbor, but also from the shore, the appearance of this strange looking craft, making her way along without an inch of canvas spread, and devoid of all usual parapher nalia, such as smokstacks, steampipes, etc., of steamer, has excited the com ment and speculation of all who have seen her. Many are the amusing re marks that her movements elicit. Once, while she was running up between the ferries, one of the passengers on ferry boat was overheard explaining the HYs- tery to one of his friends. He said that she was government torpedo boat en- gagged in experimenting with torpedoes, and then he entered into a long vivid description of how she could disappeaI q ease and make long trips under wafer to escape a pursuing foe. In fact, tae many conjectures of those who, for the first time gazed upon her would fill . large volume But at last the mystery was solved, and it was found that the boat was owned by the Brayton Petro- leum Engine Company, and propelled by one of their marine petroleum engines. She is B feet in length and feat beam, and was lately built for this company by East Boston parties. The motive power, which IS one of the company's marine engines of 10-horse power, is sufficient to enable the boat to make from eight to nine knots per hour against the tide in this harbor On Wednesday last Mir. Amos s. Stetsop, of South Abingdon, Mir. George B. Brayton, of Greenwich, R. l., Supt. c. L. Reyes, of the Nanasket Beach railroad, and several other prac- tical mechanics, made trial trip down the harbor in the new boat. During the trip, against it strong flood tide and fresh southeast breeze, the boat "log- ged" nearly eight and one-half knots notwithstanding the fact that the pro- peller screw used for the occasion, owing to the breakage of the one made for the boat, was about one-third larger than the power of the engine called for. The screw was of the iour-winged pattern, with pitch of 54 inches, while the screw nude for the engine, was three winged one of about 38 inches pitch. With this heavy screw the engine, at a pressure of 80 pounds, easily made 120 revolutions per minute, and performed it's work in an admirable manner. The novelty of the boat is the engine, which to describe technically would occupy too much spare. Suffice it to say that the motive power is contained in gas cylinder and air pump, place longtitudin- ally side by side. and connected to the same crank shaft. The power is origin ated by the combustion of petroleum oil in the gas cylinder which is supported by compressed air from receiver, in which 1t is kept at the desired pressure through the air pump, the speed of the engine being regulated by graduating the quan- tity of air introduced into the gas cylin- der from the air tank by ingeniously ar ranged machinery. The engine is capa- ble of about 150 revolutions per minute, and the main, or gas cylinder, is kept cool by water which circulates through one piston rod, the rod being hollow, and travelling over brass pipe. and piston rod. On the shaft is large spur wheel which, through the agenCy of set of crown and bevel wheels, drives tue propelling screw. The connection with the propeller shaft is one of the most ingenious features of the invention. The engine always moves in the same direction, and the motion of the screw either to drive the boat ahead or to back her is governed by two cog wheels, one of which when set in gear gives for ward motion and the other the reverse. These wheels are operated by friction crutches, governed and worked by air pressure from the reserve tank, and operated by lever in close proximity to the helmsman. The time occupied in starting, stopping or reversing the screw is only fraction of a second. The mo- tive power is obtained from petroleum, contained in small tank forward, which is ted automatically as required, the amount used beng about gallon for 10 hours constant running of the engine. All the labor required in running the en- zine is to ignite the petroleum at the epd of the gas cylinder, and, as in other engines, keeping the bearings well lubri- cated. The advantage claimed by the inventor for hls patent are the small ex. pense of running, the entire impcssi- biity of an explosion, and steadiness and reliability Of the power, combined with the great saving of room, by which the carry ing capacity of steamboais is increased, while the draft of water is diminished.