Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-27
The First in the Line of Ocean Grew.
hounds
EXHIBITED IN THE NATIONAL MUSEUM
Stevens Little Boat That Aston
ished Old New Workers.
PROGR ESS IN THE ART


country's mile stones in mechanical pro-
gress has within a few weeks been donated
to the National Museum. This is the first
twin-screw propeller steamboat which ever
navigated the waters of any country. built
and successfully run by John Stevens of
Hoboken. N. j.. In 1904.
Having been exhibited at the worlds fair.
where 1t was a central figure in the marine
exhibit Of the Transportation building, 1t is
installed in the section of transportation
and engineering Of the museum, the gift Of
the Hoboken Ferry Company. in whose Gus
tody it has remained for many years, and
now it stands alongside John Bull" the
father Of American locomotives, a congenial
mate. the other parent Of steam transpor-
tation In America. Thurston, in his famous
work on the steam engine. says there Is a
suspicion among scientists that steam power
was used for marine traffic in the DAYS of
Homer, one thousand years before Christ,
and quotes this translation from the
Odyssey"
I'VE use not helm. nor helmsmen. Our tall
ships
Have souls. and pillow. with Reason. up the
deeps.
All Cities countries, know, and where they
Through pillows glide. yelled in obscuring
mist,
Nor fear they rocks. nor dangers on the
way"
We learn also from the same scientist
that. although steam transportation was
rot In vogue while Rome fiourished this
paddle wheel was used to propel vessels.
and that Claudius Condex took his army
across from Italy to Sicily in boats Fro
PEELED with paddle wheels. turned by oxen.
The Spaniards claim that In the harbor OF
Barcelona. in 1543 a vessel built by one
Blasco de Guray was driven by steam. In
America other vain attempts were made by
Henry in 176O. Miller. Taylor and Sym
mington in 17Ss. and Morey in 1870. while
the immortal Fulton. although an Ameri-
can. went to France and made his debut in
the inventive world by building a steam
boat. which travelled on the river Seine in
1903
Stevens Propeller the First.
All Of these attempts were made with the
paddle wheel. and although Fitch, in 1857.
Cnsuccessfuliy experfmentef WITH the screw
propeller. and although 1t was patented in
England by Lyttleton, In 1874. and Shor-
ter. in 1874. both of whom worked 1t with
manual labor. 1.-The steam screw propellers
of Col. John Stevens, in operation on the
Hudson river from 1902 to 1906 were the
first to navigate the waters of any coun-
try"-Quoting an article on 1.-The first steam
screw propeller boats" published in the
Stevens Institute Indicator" April, 1893.
The Chinese, who gave us our compass.
gun powder and many other necessities.
may be said to have been the designers Of
the form of the screw propeller. In the
celestial kingdom for centuries the 'scull"
wheel resembling that Of the modern
wind mill. placed under the water against
the current, has been used in mills, and
m
the Moorish invasion, and in America be-
fore the revolution, 1t was this form Of
water wheel which first attracted John
Stevens to the screw propeller. AS early as
1919 he made experiments. but" as he
said, failed of success from the tneff1ciency
of the power In the engine"
In 1872 he built flat-bottomed boat.
twenty-five feet long and five or six feet
wide. in which he placed a small rotary
engine. with a multi-tubuiar boiler the
first ever made). driving a single propeller.
which he described as having wings like
those of the arms of a wind mill" This
little boat was put on the Hudson in the
summer of 1902 and was used until the
following winter. running at a rate Of four
miles an hour. In 1893, in conjunction
with Livingston and Roosevelt, he aban-
doned the rotary and tried the reciprocity.
non-condensing engine, also with multi
| tubular boiler. But in the trial Of this on
the Hudson the boiler gave way, thus end
ing another year of experiment.
Not suffering encouragement to conquer
him, by the following year another boat
| was made. and this is the one which Is new
| to be seen in this city. 1t was a success.
From a description published by Francis B.
Stevens. grandson Of the great inventor, we
learn that in this later craft the Watt
design of reciprocating rotative engine was
used. THE cylinder was four and half
inches in diameter and nine-inch stroke
the beam was omitted; the BOILER two feet
long. fifteen inches wide. twelve inches
high, consisted of eighty-one tubes. eac Oh
one inch in diameter. the boat was twenty
| five feet long and five feet wide. This was
| tried In May, 1904. and had a velocity Of
| four miles an hour. After having made
repeated trials with her his son undertook
to cross from Hoboken to New York when.
unfortunately. as the boat nearly reached
| the wharf the steam pipe gave way. having
been put on with soft solder. This boiler
being damaged the next one was construct
ed with the tubes placed vertically. The
| engine was kept going for a fortnight or
| three weeks the boat making excursions
up and down the (Hudson) river. For a
| short distance 1t is said. the boat would go
| at rate Of not less than seven or eight
miles an hour"
The Single Form.
Finding in his previous experiments that
| the single propeller had tendency to give
the boat a rotating motion, he placed in this
| two screw propellers on the ends Of rods
protrudng through the stern. on either side
! OF the Keel, WIucn was the nrSt conception
Of the system now universally used by the
| ship builders Of today. From a letter to DR.
Robert Hare Of Philadelphia, which was
| written by John Stevens In 1905, and which
his grandson, Mr.. Francis b. Stevens, pub
| fishes in his work on The First Screw Pro.
| peller Boats We quote follows: In
| deed, it Is absolutely necessary to have al
| least two (propellers), revolving in opposite
| directions. to prevent the tendency to rota
| ton which a single wheel gives to the boat D
| In describing the propelers he says they
| have number of arms, with wings like
those of a wind mill or smoke jack. These
arms are made capable of ready adjustment
| SO that the most advantageous obliquity OF
| their angle may be attained after a few
| trials. The principle of an Oblique stroke Is
| the same here as in the scull but the con-
! tinuity of movement in the wings gives
| them greatly the advantage over the alter.
nation in the SOULS. both in the loss Of time
| and the resistance of the fluid in the change
| of motion; besides that, this change Of mo.
ton must give the boat a wriggling move.
ment and it has also a tendency to elevate
and depress the stern of the boat.
OF the experiments with this little craft
DIR. Renwick, in the Historical Magazine
| No. g.. vol. 2. says: THE first time ever
| heard of an attempt to use steam for pro.
! polling vessels was from a classmate OF
| mine He had, in the summer of 1903, seer
! an experiment on the Passaic river, which
he stated to have been directed by John
! Stevens of Hoboken. In the month Of May
| 1904. / went to walk in the Battery New
York city,. AS we entered the gate from