The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-08-31
PR0PELLlNG R0WBOATS.
Two Gentlemen of the Heights Who
Believe Oars Have Seen Their
Best Days.

Although II is far from probable that
ship building AS an industry on the
Heights will. during this & ensration OF
mauy others to come, work any great
revolution in commercial circles, still
there are Indications now that tend to
show the interest in boat quilting which
Is manifest iu the aid Fourth. The Gu
terprisc which exhibits Itself rs mainly
shown In the propelling force of the
boats.
The American inventive MUD ever.
inclines towards simplicity. A few
years ago on the Heights, near Palisade
avenue. there lived a genial mau and Que
OF general favor. known aa DIR. George
N. Tfbhlss. The professional gentleman
simplify consid erably the. nude of pro
pulsion of ro " boats. he considered the
style Of using oars too Iaborious and tedi-
1us. Accordingly, he devised a method
which, with its recent improvements and
various revisions. resulting from the
study aud experiments OF Mr.. Thomp-
son. will have a decided innovation In
the rowboat liue. Mr.. Thompson lives
at FRANKLIN street u Central avenue.
P:ovideace permitting, n other things
being equal. the boat will be launched In
q sheet of water near Fourtesnth street.
Hoboken, on Saturday afternoon. Mr..
Thompson expects to have with MIN in
u Dodt, WHICH Will ACCOMMODATE ABOUT
six persons. several engineers who ars In
terested In the scheme. The boat IL a far
bottom craft, of the ordinary style, with
q small Pinch keel. The paddles, which
are of the dimensions of coed sized shin
Rles, are plsced one at each side and work
In y slice which is cut from the
side OF the boat. By a useful arrange
the paddles are lifted after each reyo1u.
ton through The water, avoiding bask.
ward pressure. The propelling force ars
the legs of the man who chooses to
make the boat 20. He is perched
on a seat In the middle of the boat and
works the peddles III much the same way
as . bicycle is done, save that tho peddles
do not make u complete revolution. Il Is
anticipated that the boat will be 4 most
successful one. There is d brief expiAna-
ton OF the mechanism by DIR. Tiboles:-
1t is an elliptic propeller, the mechaui-
cal movement OF which apples &c the
propulsion of vessels. Tis path of the
paddle is an ellipse whoss longest diane
Ter Is horizontal, SO that the paddle or
proDsllor Is carried through n csrGain arc
OF greater or lesser magnitude according
to the dimensions of the parts. The
longest movement OF the paddle Is when
1t Is immersed, and the paddle or pro.
pellor, beiug always vertical. there il no
Splash. slip or loss Of p~ropulsive effect
arising from the obltque action"
Mr.. BLAISCH'S BOAT.
Another boat Is b.lug liked up by Mr..
Blsisch. of No. 90 Jeffsr<nn aveauA
Mr.. BiaIscn's boat VIII ne mads move
by the hands. Cranks Will be
-imiler to those employed on q child,s
veiocipsde. wnere che levers ara on tina
sides and are moved back wards aud fore
wards alternately.
Screw propellers will be used. the siz,
Iptfi - "a h t1f r yvAtva ipnhos .Mz no
of cogs and wheels 1t liz Thought that ths
working of the craft Will be- OF little dlti-
Guilty. Mr.. Blaisch will launch the boat
Ia the Morris Caual next week.