The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-12-08


Model-snow Sailors to Carry the
Mails in the Far West-Kites as q
Motive Power for Skaters-Tobog-
gan Adapted to Level Overland Nav.
igation.
(CopWi0ht)
NEW YORK, Dec. THE annual advent
of Jack Frost is at hand, and with the
spreading of his white mantle over the
earth, and his hard, glistening crust upon
the water, the bob-sleds. skates and tobog-
gans are brought out once more.
For those who are fond of novelties,
there is the Danish skate sail, which con-
sists of a small light sail, measuring about
9 feet long by 2 feet wide, which is spread
upon light rods crossed at the back of the
skater and fastened to belt round his
body. An enthusiast recently adapted this
principle TO pair of large roller skates,
specially designed to run on railroad
track, and with fair wind skated or sailed
from Milwaukee to Chicago in less than
four hours.
PROGRESS IN ICE BOAT ARCHITECTURE.
The ice yacht is another device which has
become almost national institution, and
one that other countries do not seem TO I'M
derstand, unless they are shown one in the
act of sailing. The design of an ice boat,
known as the 1886 model, was deemed the
very hight of perfection, and when its speed
was found to reach fifty miles an hour,
under extraordinarily favorable circum-
stances, it seemed as If the utmost possible
excellence had been reached at a single
stride. This was not so, however; such
high speed could only be obtained in
very strong winds, and as the amount OF
resistance required corresponding amount
of heavineSs in structure, which tended to
make these record-breaking boats very
slow in an ordinary breeze, the brains of
our builders and inventors were devoted to
the task of getting the highest rate of speed
cut of a ten-knot breeze rather than break
ing the record obtained In favorable gale
The difference between these is like the
record of a skater on a circular track
and one with the wind behind him. The
latter breaks the record, but the former
wins the race, and that is the aim Of the
ice yachtsman
Several ideas have been tried with more
or less success; the skate blades have been
ground on different patterns from the old
straight-edged blade, and instead of the
under surface which runs on the ice being
perfectly fiat ii has been hollow ground,
that is to say, the center OF the blade has
been more or less cut away, leaving the
outer edges sharper and harder, SO as to di-
minish the lee way in reaching, which, of
course, increases the speed just so much.
Hitherto the sloop rig has been the popu-
lar style, and it is yet believed by experts
to be the fastest and most satisfactory rig
known. This year new rig will be tried,
which will be productive of considerable
interest in ice yacht circles. 1t is a modif-
cation OF the latteen rig of the Mediter-
ranean feluccas, and the great advantages
claimed for it are that 1t gives a great
spread of unbroken canvas, is easier manipu-
lated than the three or four sails of the
sioop, and better still, brings the bulk of
the sail area and consequent resistance to
the wind right down to the very point which
modern sailing science proves to be most
productive OF high speed.
THE LATTEEN RIG.
The latteen rig consists of q stout mast
stepped In the ordinary way, and the sail is
spread upon huge gait, or boom, which
extends IN an arc from the bow of the yacht
up to the top of the mast and beyond, the
sail covering the whole space from stem to
stern. This rig one IF the fastest known
modern rigs as applied to ordinary sailing
craft, the felluccaS of the south of Europe
being proverbial for speed, and consider
able interest is felt as to the result when the
good properties of this rig are fully demon
strated. Jacob E. Buckhart, the Pough-
keepsie ice yacht expert, favors the sloop
rig against any other that may be intro
duced.
The ice boat is not a difficult thing to
make, and a modification of one that will
sail well may be made by any one who
knows anything of the carpenters art. The
rest is easy, as any blacksmith will give
estimates for set of three blades, and, in a
city, the hardware store will obtain quota
tions and goods from the makers. Take a
drygoods box, about five feet long and four
feet wide, and cut down to a depth of two
feet. Clamp the bottom and sides of the
box with pieces of iron, so as to make it
sufficiently strong to bear the strain that
will be put upon it. To the sides of the
box forwards attach two planks, which
meet at the points, TO form the bow. These
planks are shaved away so as to present an
upward slant at the apex. Underneath the
box, crosswise, attach a plank twenty feet
long with equal projections from the box
on each side. This plank should be nine
inches wide aud two inches i'll thickness.
Lengthwlse OF the box, at a point midway
between Its sides and at right angles to the
long plank, fasten another so that it extends
underneath the box backwards to form a
keel and projects from the box rear
wards eight inches. In this projection
cut hole in which to insert the sternpost:
at the base of this sternpost is fixed one of
the three skates, while the other two are
fastened at each end of the long plank.
These skates are the bases of support upon
which the craft rests. The sternpost is so
adjusted that when the rudder handle is
turned to port or starboard, the skate turns
also, and directs the course of the boat in
the same way as would be done by rudder.
The mast is stepped into a solid foot,
which rests upon long plank running
crosswise underneath the box, and this mast
is strengthened and steadied by passing
through second piece of planking placed
crosswise on top Of the box. The sail Is
simply the sail of a cat boat, only made
smaller and lighter to suit the boat. ANY
one with any knowledge of the carpenters
art and of the ordinary requirements of a
boat can make an ice yacht for compare
lively few dollars outside of the first cost of
the skates.
SNOW SAILING CRAFTS.
One of the most interesting sail inven-
tons of the past year is that of the snow
yacht, which is stated to be the product of
the brain of Kansas man. The ice Yacht
is designed to skim over the frozen surface
of lakes and rivers, but the snow has
hitherto proved an impossible expanse, with
the exception of the sleigh and the snow
shoes. By the application of this new idea,
however, the snow becomes equally under
the subsection of the sportsman in any dis
trict where there is enough of it and the
country is open enough for it to be undis-