Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1892-08-21
NAPHTHA LAUNCHES.
the REMARKABLE RAPID GROWTH
or THIS NOVEL CRAFT.

which up to the present they have been n,
designed are conoerned. Few inven- n
fions have been met with deeper preju- 4
dice against them and with quicker ac-
reptance at the same time. AT first 1,
everybody was afraid that they would q
explode. for naphtha in its various uses I,
has been on record as terrible destroyer y
In cases OF misapplication or improper Il
treatment. The method, however, by o
which naphtha is made to serve as . Il
fuel precludes any possibility Of expio- G
sion. That, ut least, is what the In d
ventor and the manufacturers say, and I
experience thus far has confirmed their
statement. That the yachting public /
generally has accepted this is evidenced 8
by the fact that nearly 600 naphtha I
launches are now in use, and that maa- 1
ufacturers are crowded with orders
months in advance.
The inventor of the naphtha motor 10
Mr.. August w Ofeidt. The launches
made under his invention, wherein
naphtha is the exclusive motive ma
terial, are not now in his control. for he
sold his inventors interest in the patent.
Mr.. Ofeldt was born IN Sweden about
fifty years ago, and he gained his scien-
fifie and mechanical education there
He came to this country twenty years
ago. Ii was while he was working with /
gasoline that the idea of utilizing naphtha
as motive agent occurred to him. That |
was ten years ago. and for five years he
studied and experimental before he con-
structed an engine that satisfied him
That engine is still la use In New York
waters. and generally appears at events
where naphtha launches are likely TO be.
1t Is set up in n small black boat that
looks as il It might once have been .
rowboat, and its narue. painted in con-
spicuous white letters, is The Original
No l."
When j. A. Bostwick, Clement Gould,
John J. Amory, Edward V. Cary. and
Others with capital took up the invention,
they began making boats specially de-
signed FOR the naphtha engine, and even
tually they acquired Mr. Ofeldt's interest
The inventor says that there is still room
for improvement in the engine. and that
he proposes some day to bring out one
that will open new era in pleasure navi-
cation, and possibly lead the way To the
use of naphtha in larger marine enter
prises.
At present naphtha launches are used
almost exclusively as yachts. though
there are ferries here and there over
which passengers are carried on them,
and some OF the larger steam yachts
have abandoned steam launches for
naphtha boats as tenders. People who
are not familiar with them are often as
tonished TO see trim little boat, with 8
bright brass funnel IN the extreme stern
scooting speedily about, emitting "A rapid
sputtering cough, but showing no sign
whatever Of smoke or oinders. The fun
mel is apparently all there is to the en-,
CINE, boiler or coal bin. IL the term may
be used
II one could look down at the bottom
Of the boat beside the base Of the fun
mel, one would see several small wheel
In complex arrangement, gauge,
pump handle, and ON a bar running
across the boat four cocks. That Is al
one could make out of il unless one wer
an expert mechanic and all one woul'
need to know about IL in order to rul
the boat, except that the supply tank 0
naphtha Ia under the forward deck, con
nected by pipes with the gauge. puml
and cocks. The celebrated inducemen
set forth by another concern might b
modified by the naphtha launch manu-
facturers into you turn the knob AM
we do the rest The amateur need
only TO know what will be the effect o
turning each cock and when to pump Il
order to DO captain, crew. stoker, en-
gineer and pilot OF his launch, for steer
ing also may be done at the engine. s.
simple Ia the task of looking after IL.
II takes five minutes to get up steam,
% use another misnomer, on naphth
launch. Then all that is necessary is :
work the pump stroke or two, apply
match TO an opening in the surface @
the funnel, turn cock, and let her &c
From that time the launch will go cor
tinuously for fifty hours Thon the SUI
ply win be exhausted. and the forwar
tank will have to be replenished. In
engine may be stopped at any instant D
shutting of the supply OF naphtha
which Is equivalent To turning out go
let, and the engineer may so home a
once, with no cleaning mp to do and n
fires to rake down.
These Launches are from eighteen {
fffy-three feet long. The draught yarie
from eighteen ID ItllftN -sABuL hASh1as -
20 ten persons may be carried safely l
the smallest boats. The most popula
style Of launch Il the twenty fve-footeI
In which there IL room for twenty passer
gers. Il costs fifteen cents an hour 10
the power necessary TO run boat OF TN
sixe.
A curious use to which naphtha 81
gines have been put recently Is as auxi
karies 20 sailboats There are five or 81
yachts on the sound. yawl rugged, tina
have naphtha engines aud screw wheels
They are 80 constructed that the whet
does not impede the progress Of the boat
and the power may be turned on. whe
once started, al an instants notice. tn
utility Of this device " apparent IN cas-
u Gains, when the engine viii ssfld uI
boat along ut SIX miles an hour. Tn
engine l. also used Ia putting about, thi
maneuver being accomplished with n
markable CELEBRITY when the power ls az
piled The speed Of ordinary naphth
launches Ia about seven miles an hou
with four-hsrse power engine. Som
launches with nx-horse power engine
have made recorded speed 81 ten stat
ute miles an hour. The speed might b
Increased by putting In engines OF Create
horse power, bet this would add 81 cor
adsrably TO tho expense that the mant
fActurers have not - yet deemed u al
ytsable TO construct such boats