Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1885-12-04
A NOVEL PROPELLER.
a Motor Which Win Drive Ships
Fifty Knots an Hour.
Biographical Sk Itch of q Great Inventor
His Latest Work a Propeller Which L.
to Work Like n Fish's Fin-Descrip-
tion Of the Invention.
IN. Y. SUM-

Old john Dougherty, OF this place,
writes Mount Union (Pa..) correspond
ent, is one OF the most notable characters
In the State. He is known to almost !
overy body in Central Psnusyl yania as
one who, in his day and gener ation. has /
done as much for the interests OF progress |
and civilization as any other man in the
commonwealth. He has made some high.
ly successful inventions, and it is safe to
sly that he W II hereafter take a front
rank among the national benefactors OF
! the age. A casual observer would little !
dream that the gu ct old gentleman who
daily strolls through these shady streets
once agitated the commercial circles Of
the State, ard still less would he DIRE am
that a project which may renovate the (
world is now evolving from this veners
able o d mans Lrain. Bat such is really
the fact
Mr.. Dougherty is of Irish parentage.
born In McVeytown in 1s 8, seventh
month and twenty fifth day." as he puts
it, adding facetiously that there is divin-
ity in odd numbers. Leaving McVey-
town in 1881, after receiving only an orr
dinary common-schoI education, Mr..
Dougherty engaged in grad ing the east
ern slope of the Allegheny Mountain for
the Portage Riilroad. While engaged in
the transportation business on this road
In 1885, he invented and introduced his
portable iron section boats, which proved
prodigious success, revolutioniz ed the
transportation business OF that day,
aud immensely increased the volume of
traffic and travel across the State. The
boats were run on the Pennsylvania Canal
from Philadelphia to Hollidaysbur :,
where they were taken apart and trans.
ported in sections across the Alleghenies
to Johnstown, and there put together
again and placed in the Conemaugh Canal
on the route to Pittsburgh To carry the
sections by rail different variety of car |
from any then in use was required, and
accordin .ly Mr.. Dou sherty promptly sup
piled the need by the invention of the
present eight wheel truck, and devised
inclined planes whereby the boats were
readily transferred to and from the cars.
In 1S40, during the Mexican war, the
| Unit d Stat Government sent a number
of similar sect. on boats from Pittsburgh
| TO Mexico fer the use of our armies on the
Rio GrInde. MIR. Dougherty was power
among the transportation companies in
those old days of the canal, and at one
time owned half the stock of the Reliance
Transportation Company. Once he made
$50 ,0O in two mon hs. He has acquired
many fortunes from his successful
schemes, but has lost almost as much on
projects that proved disastrous.
In 1913 Mr. Dougherty removed to
Mount Uuion and has lived there ever
sinca. He played an important, though
obscure, p TT in the Introduction aud ad-
vancement OF the present mammoth rail.
road industries of the ouatry. He is the
ma who first suggested the routs from
Piitsbur n to Philadelphia for the Penn.
sylvania Railroad. Ia 1857 he pointed
out the NJ ed of South Pennsylvania
railroad, and. obtaining charter for such
a road, assisted in keeping it alive until
V. nderbilt took hold OF the project. In
1851 he memorializ,d Congress on thu
sdbj=ct of a Northern Pacific railroad,
ard it was. doubtless. his paper that sug.
ees,ed tho idea on whicl the Cred Mo-
bilier scheme was bas ID. 1t was at Mr..
Dough ,rty's insigation and with his aid
that several mi lor ra!lroa Is of this State,
includ ns the East Broal Top AMI Shade
Gap Railroads, wers built.
Mr.. Duu herty has originated nuner.
GUS railroad schemes that have not as yet
been carr ed out. Time can only demon
strate whether there bs any wisdom in
them. In 1>65 an 1888 he agitated ths
road, to connect the National Capital
with the Canaias and to pass through
Chambersburg, Clearie.d and Bafa alo
with but tie tunneiin-.
Mr.. Dou sherty is now working reso-
Iut-ly to finish an invention be gun In
1871. This invention is the cherished
hope of his lie, and by it he expects to
revolutionize commerce and overturn ths
present system of screw aui paddle pro.
pellers. 1t consists Of propeller for all
classes of vessels so coltrived as to work
after the manner of a fish's fms 1t only
applies the power, which is to be fur
nishel by steam or electricity. The
boats are to be of iron, aud SO built as to
move either way without the necessity of
turning. Along the guards on each side
framework will hang, from each of
which two upri yhts will descend into the
water. On these uprigh;s are 10 be folded
paddles made of iron. Imagine two
plates of boiler iron connected with
hinges, an q fair idea Of the propellers is
gained. The frameworks on the guards
movs to aud fro on a truck, and are
worked by an engine As they go forward
the water drives thu two parts OF the
paddles together, causing little resistance;
as the frameworks go biCk tae water
IOTc6S Tie p6uUteS dpdTb uubu Iuey pre-
sent a broad surface which, driven
through the water, carries the boat along
with a rush. Such boat, Mr.. d Jug gher-
ty claims, will run at any speed desired,
but he 6xss the highest rate at fifty
miles an hour, at which speed he ex-
poets to take all the freight and pas
senger traffic of the country. Further
than this, the boats are to be 50 built that
they can be taken from the water and
, carried across the land on railways from
one warehouse to another. The models
OF the propeller are OF three kinds; one
} adapted to shoai water, another to deep
, water, and third suited equally wei to
either.
On the 9Th of November last Mr.. Dough.
erty and his SON made memorable trial
, TRIP with the propeller down the Juniata
River from Mount Union TO Newton Ham.
ilton Dam, O distance OF ten miles, in an
hour and q half. A fat measuring
; twelve by twenty feet, weigh ng
I twenty tons, much too heavy for
the engine employed, was fitted
with rude propellors contrived after Mr..
Dougherty's models. Going down the
4 river a e OF propeiiers adapted to shall
) low water was used; on returning in the
canal deep propellers were used, and in
spite of a strong adverse wind the fiat
made seven miles per hour The sIowness
of this speed he attributes to the imper-
! fection Of the appliances used on the oc.
casion He Is now arranging with en- !.
J gineers and capitalists with q view TO
farkir tpf n fnwantf0n. N