The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1884-06-15
DEVICES FOR PROPULSION.
GONE QUEER INvEN1IONs ron BOATS
IN HALF A CENTURY.

InteTesteu u tnoy cOViO e00 mOu8tD Oh INC
many queer devices that have besn invented to
aid In tho navigation OF the 500. Tho improve.
ments In ships which have finally eliminated
in tho clipper steamship America. and tho
ocean 9reyhounds Oucgon aud Alaska. havo
been made. in many instances. bv men who
knew little or nothing Of seafsrinR matters.
Tho inventors have succeeded. In spite Of the
hctive opposition or the passive indifference OF
practical men, but In doing no they have sunk
a great deal Of money In experiments that
proved worthless or premature. Perhaps
after Nil the most singular feature OF tho
history Of steamboat improvement 10 not 40
much In the queer devices Of the inventors a.
in the lack Of attention which genuine i'm.
provements havc attracted. The first success.
ful American steamboat was built from designs
by John Fitch. q native Of Pennsylvania. who
WAS neither shipbuiIdsr nor sailor. and this
boat ran ~ passenger steamboat In the sum-
NOR Of 100 between Philadelphia aud Tron-
ton. making regular trips. but Htthe end Of the
season she WIS laid up. aud WAS not again used
because the margin Of profit was 50 small. It
was seventeen years thereafter before Fulton
made n success OF tho Olermont on the Hudson.
Not less singular than this long period in
which practical idea was dormant Is tho lack
Of attention that has boon siven tn one Of Full
toms inventions. In 1901 Fulton. who like
Fitch was Psnnsylvsnian. WINS at Brest ex-
perimenting with submarine boat The size
OF the boat Is not known. but she was sloop-
rigged: On July 8 no descended under water
a depth OF twenty-five feet He had three com
air DO discarded them and put IL a
hall in diameter. and found on the Oath that
the wndow gave satisfactory light. Two
BOAT BOAT Sailing rom tho pier short distance.
q dive in two minutes: with two men 70 turn
plunged under the water and started ahead.
In seven minutes he rosa to the surface. hpy,
time. When he went down a second time he
turned the boat around. backed It.
VIM sfa s ss:e'nd Gsv,ns placed rra' hasD'hs
tt!!ls ID viii eemSfssscd ~: At !. pressure
had been A. down one hour and forty minutes no
By is aid he rsma ned undor water four hours
and twenty MINUTES without ineonyenience
lsSs john ptGG0fH am III '. son q 8isssnder
Hamilton: rode In q stage from Ne, New York to
to the philadelphia Times that behind the
stage Fulton had snbmarine torpedo hitchsd
only advantage which the world has received
90 far from Shls expsTiment T. the interesting
Before Fitch f' suceesied i In making success
Of his steamboat that ran from Phila,lslphia to
~ steam. His engine had a stroke Of three
feet turned the shaft o. wheel 10. eighteen
ssis" 50 that each ssraEs Of tho rIston gave
:s!s said MI Fitch in is.sss Ssssa 6se ~ J.
q IL
act upon the paddles about ons;ltird q their
TSos s tho axis sppRs tho
fui application 81 paddle wheels On the sides
was 70 - lifted with two teeIs. He Intended
s " I. sdxs ' ah sns R.s .ns
%sss q 4: sn .ess II H. s s' . r.
h hour ~Sn els ies h spss sSdsa,ly Hnis
graduate, had in I7ss learned Of tho failures Of
oars. paddles. &C. were awkward In practice
nd n Prnsp hr h.
floats on an od-style lifting pump which he
boat. the lover part Of the chain being under
the water. When the wheels revoived tho floats
ran aft under water and tho boat WAS showed
In i7sl James Rumssy: a servant in Rich n;
VA bath h gu m %e sSs
plscsd i along he Eeoi q the boat. Hs under
partners finished the boat. and got speed Of
~ nsSF Sas 70 oHsf oSs
Paris to u friend. described u new method Of
Ia s, sh ss SaS II
or r.sil,er i Is thin piste. with It's edge an:
epsra i on ths. air rs q screw Does and may
b. literally said to screw tho vessel siong
would b. more eficctnai II below tie suriacs q
little more than three yssys a ss,s Fulton
paddle whssls on sash bow and on each quar-:
we're S turned By ritmans and lever 6ssmS from
an englps placed amidships.
osSa Se 70
two propellers built like the vanss Of q modern
sa IS :sas Ssr Isadh!ss sss Ssss sSss
seTSsns svs tx sh!s
after ona. Their blades were set q righ
angles 70 c8cn Otnef. 1u6 pIluClpl0 involved
In this Invention has aimee been successfully
applied to turbine water wheels, but 1t hal
naver been used In propelling = ship.
Another effort ip shis direction vas IN made cd. D.
propeller wheel similar to one OF those uset
BY Perkins on tho bow OF q canal boat. On JUL
TO- 1880. one OF these steamboats, arrived o
Syracuse; The same device WINS invented ant
attained WAS ak knots an haur. The historiar
records that this method Of propelling boat
was abandonsd because the wheel was In srea
Six yaars after Ericsson OF Sweden and Fran
els p. Smith. tho Hendon lEng:l farmer. hat
demonstrated the superiority Of the scrsM pr9
Hunter Of the United States Navy took out
means Of an ordinary screw revolved .hori
Lontally under the stern OF q ship. tho action o
the wheel forcing the water from beneath VI
against the Inclined stern Of the ship above Y
and thus driving the ship forward. emR!
was so successful that the Government built |
wooden sch0Oner Of thousand tons measure
ment. which i fitted with Hunter &, wheel Tn
total cost OF the vessel was el72,475 Sho 70
sembied tho new Government dssD~tch boo
Dolphin. In that she vas unable To- leave thu
yclSa 9ho vvoa fms Al nj n