Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-10-10
. ruE ELECTRIC BOAT VOLTA.
The Iascst Outcome or Electrical
Sctcnce-Ifs first Trip.


says when Mr.. T. X. Champion, In 1891,
first conr cctCd Dover aud Calais electrical
Is by means oi submarine cable II Is far
i,cm probable that either he or those With
wbom he was associated In the enterprise
had The most remote idea that thirty.iiyc
years later the route Of the electric cOnduc-
tor, lying many iaihOms below on the bot
tom of The English Channel. would
lc lrayCrsCd on the surface by q vessel
pIorCllCd by The same agency as TINT
they were then employing 10 transmit
messages from shore 10 shore. Yet, so u
is, and The great strides which electrical
science has made since that time have rem
dercd possible to. day tha; which even few
years since would have been secuted a.
chimeTical- pamely, a voyage across The
channel from Dover TO CslaIS and back per.
formed by an Clcctrically.driyen boat With
out any hitch or hindrance whatever. This
VOYAGE OF about fifty miles out and in was
made on Monday last by the electric boat
Volta. ~ recorded by us yesterday. But,
although this vessel has been The first 10
accomplish this feat, she Is moi the
trst boat propelled by electricity. Three
years snd q balf ago-uamely, on March
1S, 1888, We noticed the launch Electricity.
which was the first boat on this principle.
She wss irou-buf, TWENTY-FIVE feet long by
five feet beam and was'iitted with battery
OF forty cells aud 4 Siemens dynamo,
through which her screw was driven. In
1881 q woodruff screw launch, the Aus
tralia. Of about the same dimensions as the
Electricity, was constructed and fitted with
the improved electric motor OF Mr.. A.
Reckenzaun. Later on screw launch p
feet long. 4 icci6 inches beam, belonging 10
the Vernon torpedo ship, was fitted with
electrical machinery by Mr.. Reckzlun.
The example set 10y the Government
in the case OF the Vernon was followed by
The DGke Of Bedford, who had 2iXj feet
beam launch, which was attached 10 bis
Yacht NOTtbumOris, fitted with q Reckon
zauu motor. The latest example OF an
elcCtric-bOat prior 10 the Volta is afforded
10y q steel launch built by Mes'rs. IarrOw d
Co. during the present year for the torpedo
service in the Italian navy. This boat is
36 feet long by feet inches beam, and Is
propelled by a screw driven by duplex
ReckCDZaun motor. She is made on The
measured mile s.43 miles per hour, and Is
now in regular service al Spezzn. In each
case the electric current is stored in bat
terry composed Of The Electric.PoweT and
storage Company cells.
in The present direction Il the Volta, which
is ,teeLbuilt; measures thiriy-seyen feet
long. BY six feet ten inches beam, and i,
fitted with battery Of siXly-oue cells,
made by the Elcctric.Power and Storage
Contrary, and duplex Reckenz Iun
electric motOr-tbat is, two motors
carried on one driying-,baft. BY mems
OF this motor The speed can be varied With
OFT affecting the accum'la tors, three speed,
leing btIlnablc-Damcly, slow, medium,
and fast. FOI the low sp ed the motors are
coupled in series, for the medium speed
one motor only is used, while for the maxi
mum sped the two motors are used n
uaTallel-that il. they are both worked at
high pressure. Another important feature
Is that all th Sc specimens are produced
and the vessel started and stopped by means
q one switch only, having one handle, thus
reducing the control OF the speed OF the
boat 10 the simplest terms. There is sepa
rate switch for reversing the motion OF the
motors from head TO stern and Cjce CerSa,
and this is done by simply reversing the
current through the armature without in-
terfcring with the field magnets, and requi-
ring only two brushes to effect the operation,
which brushes are never moved. The motors,
W bich ale placed well aft, directly over the
keel. measure together feet 10 inches long
ly foot inches wide and l2t inches high
over all. They weigh $50 pounds, and de-
velop maximum OF 1G.hOrse power on
the brake. The Volta Is propelled by a
tbrce-bladed screw 90 inches in diameter
and II inches pitch, coupled direct to the
motor shaft. The propelling machinery,
which was made by Messrs. Stephens,
Smith 4 Co., OF Millwall, makes about 500
revolutions per minute at the slow speed,
and about 1000 revolutions per minute al
full speed. The storage cells weigh about
two tons. and are arranged along the keeI
OF thevessel beneath wood decking.
The battery OF the VOLTA was charged by
DYNAMO on shore at Dover, the electro
motive force at starting being 100 volts al
2S amperes. She passed the pierhead a
Dover at 10:4l A. 81, and made the pier
hi ad at Calais at 1892 =. NJ, the run having
thus occupied three hours and tiity-on,
minutes. she carried on board Genera
| Brine, X. f., Mr.. ReckenZaun, Mr. stevens
| and several scientific gentlemen, making
with the crew, ten persons in all. The
Volta did not take the direct route, having
gone somewhat of her course when near
ing the French coast. She was pro
nelled at slow speed 600 revolutions pc
minutt), in order TO economic the curren
and insure IFS lasting the whole run, speed
not being 30 much an object rs TO demon
state the practicability Of vessel maxim:
such voyage by electricity. On testin!
the battery at Calais no difference whateye
was found, the cells still showing twenty
eight AMI eres, as at starting. The progres
Of the Loaf through the water was yer.
smooth and nOiseleSs, 20 much so that, a
stated ly us yesterday, sleeping game
! was captured by hand as the boat was paSSin
| il, and was conveyed back TO Dover. on tn
return journey, which was run at SLOW
,pecd. Calais pierhead was passed at 81
L. NJ. ard Dover pierhead made at 7:S
L. NJ, being hours % minutes for tn
iun-or q total OF hours ii minutes EN-
ployed in travelling the double journey
exclusive OF the stoppage at Calais Tn
current remained constant at % am
peres UP TO Z. NJ, but at 6 z. NJ
II was found 10 have dropped I,
%, another ampere being lost befor,
Dover was reached. An excellent margin
Of power, however, still remained, and til,
last balf.mile was run at the high speed, tn
motors and screws making 1000 revolu
lions Fer minute. TIE praclicability O
electrical propulsion was thus successful,
demonstrated, and the way doubtless pave(
for the further application OF the principle
in the direction indicated by the class o
craft to which il had previously been sp
Piled.