St. Paul daily globe., 1888-06-17

that he hadn't been out on the streets
or gone among his friends in open
daylight since leap year began.
SHOOTS WHlRLPOOLS.
Robert Flack and His Proposed
Fourth of July Fun.
Syracuse Letter.
"Ain't / afraid to try it? Well, l
guess not. I'll go through them rapids
in jiffy, and show the world that Syra-
cuse can produce something else beside
solar salt and shoutin' politicians"
Robert William Flack was the man,
and it was of his contemplated trip
through the whirlpool below Niagara
falls on the Fourth of July that he
spoke. Mr.. Flack is thirty-nine years
old. and the India ink designs in his
hands and arms indicate that he saw
salt water before he came to
Syracuse, and that it wasn't
pumped out of wells either. He served
four years before the mast in the
English service, and two of these were
in the navy. For several years he has
cherished the idea of constructing
boat that would safely ride the whirl-
pool rapids and at the same time prove
its utility as life-saving boat worth
adopting by the nation. His later eX-
periments have been conducted at his
home, No. SO Apple street, in this city,
and when he let few friends into the
secret that his boat was completed and
that he intended to give it the great
trial Oh the Fourth of July the news
quickly spread and hundreds called to
see the novel craft and get look at the
r. Il sx,{n Gn1 4aly l.,
in his hand for the chance of gaining
fame and fortune.
1t is an -odd-looking craft that Mr..
Flack has built, and the idea of shoot
ing the rapids in this open boat would
not strike any one but the inventor
favorably. He expresses no dread of
the ordeal. however, and says he GER
tainly will celebrate the birthday of the
land of his adoption by riding upright
through the rapids in which other brave
men have lost their lives for their dar-
ing. The Phantom, as Mr.. Flack calls
his craft, has straight keel fifteen
feet long, with four feet and nine
inches beam, and a depth of thirty
four inches at stem and stern.
The keel is an oak plank two by six
aside from the wrought iron shoe ex-
tending its entire length and weighing
forty-siX pounds. This iron is five
eighths by one and one-half inches, and
extends back to protect the wheel and
rudder fl ON rocks.
The wheel is of small dimensions and
is set between the oak rudder and the
stern of the boat. The blades, which
are of brass, are riveted to the center to
enable changing for larger OF smaller,
as is found expedient after the first
trial. A shaft from the propeller runs
to the cockpit, where it is revolved by
system of gearing connected with two
cranks handled much as a carpenter
manipulates boring machine.
Straps are provided to faSten the boat
man securely, so that no matter how
many somersaults the Phantom may
take she will find Robert William stick
ing to her, ready to work the cranks
whenever right side up. Nearly all the
space of the boat is inclosed and COW
cred with decks, both fore and aft, but
there are no air chambers. Flack says
these are liable to be crushed in on one
side or the other, when the craft would
become lop-sided and overturn. In
stead of air he has invented compost
ton much lighter than cork, water
proof, and fastened securely through
the inclosed parts of the boat, serving
UOGu dS CuSLlOllS dliu IOI UuOydIlCys
The rudder is worked by cords pass
ng from the cockpit through the boat,
one for each side and so arranged that
they can be readily made fast in any po-
sition, leaving the boatman free to ply
the wheel with both hands. Including
all, the craft will not weigh more than
500 pounds.
The Phantom has not been built
merely for the purpose of shooting the
whirlpool, but to use as lifeboat, and
Mr.. Flack says he wants to test it few
times in the whirlpool to show what it
will do. Among its features as life
boat are loops of cord fastened to each
side, to which shipwrecked people may
cling till taken in. The inventor esti-
mates that one man with the appliance
can do more than a half dozen men in
| the ordinary lifeboat.
| q Mr.. Flack has had some experience in
| shipwrecks and says he has built his
boat with a practical knowledge of what
| is wanted for such emergencies.
81 was Shipwrecked twice." he said
| "Tne first time was only seventeen
years old. / had run away from. home
| and shipped on the Elizabeth. Every
| thing went well till our return across
| the German ocean from a Russian port
but when off the Flambro headlight the
heavy sea washed me from the yard
arm The snow was falling in binding
storm, aud though was seen to 60 over
no effort was made to stop or lower
a boat or life-saver. was fully dressed
|. but struck out after the ship through
the heavy sea and falling snow, Fol
four hours swan. Ny arms and leg:
| were numb with cold, and it was foul
hours before the captain happened tt
sight me with his glass.
s"That boy is swimming yet," HI
said. The ship was hove to and life
boat picked me up. That was the last
knew for thlrty-six hours. The othel
time was wrecked with the whole crew
by a drunken pilot running us onto ;
coral reef while making Alexandria il
Egypt"