The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-10-07

SUBMARINE BOAT GYMNoTE.

the WE'LL nown Nordenfelt. A OBLIGATION
saving ing" in case Of sRipwrecks. While vet an.
other distinct form II the electrically lighted
M 0 SS Se by sp MoT Te e
OF providing shore life-saying corps and light
ships with such appliances is growing In favor.
CANAL BOAT PROPULSION.
Turn now to another Geld in which electricity
is begianing 20 make its influence felt, that of
canal boat propulsion. The questions to be dealt
with hsrs are very different from those s1ccnn,
fostsred an entirely separate group Of electrical
inventions. The Importance Of the canal as a
disputed. hut has steadily dwindl.d. In 1850.
there were In this country tss miles Of
OF which / .s5S miles had been Absn:
doned. OF the remainder large proportion did
mot pay h, G rtss an 2" same
imal power was generally used the struggle Mas
hopeless ns between a horse line and
steam railroad. With the adoption Of electric
power, however, such canals might become once
again great highways of traffic. ans~ ering the
trolley roads now do for great deal Of suburban
travel. The problem has been much the same
canal. and where the chang. Z, electrical power
has been hoped for not less anxiously than here.
The experiments on the Erie Canal. 80 intslIi,
nethods are nSw offered for sdoptlon. 1t may be
divisible under two distinct heads and that
these cover Ave subdivisions. The canal boat
u l
PEELED OF pulled Independently Of the shore. In
the experiments conducted last year at kocbes-
.a r I with two e1s"tre no aa driving
dishpan scrrw. and these motors were fed
with N current from an oserhsad trolley
ming trolley wheel contact. ard afterward by
means q an overrnnning trolley. In this in
steAm propeller OF tug, and open TO the same Oh
iections as TO the washing OF the canal walls.
M 5. VI. Gear OF Buffalo has invented a plan
Of making the trolley contact and wire laterslly
movable, While Mt = H. I9nss OF Newark has
The next variation consists In the utilization
OF a submerged rable or chain towing This IL
rope. and was tried ON the Erie with the GOV
Clinton. but was discontinued As Objectionable
Which AP thus msEss It's slow way on along s In
France a method has been employed recently on
the seine OF mAgnstizlnk the drum oyer which q
method, Is said TO work satisfactorily. On the
bourEogne Canal in France an electric motor s
used 70 resolye the drum that engages with the
submerged chain. and this motor takes current
from trolley circuit along the canal, Water
power furnishes the prime energy for this inter-
esting plant.
From the submerged cable chain TO a rack
eral methods Of the rack description. Mr.. y. u.
Otis OF Nonkers places a rack along the canal
bank and hasa motor on the boat driving pin
Ion, Of which the teeth mesh into the rack. An
Their plan Is Ia place the rack or rail either over
the canal boat or along the canal bed or elsa 10
with the rack. and thus prupel the boat, In the
next group III methods close approx imatiOn Is
made 10 the cable car system "a familiar On
Bruad Say, New York and other famous streets.
A stationary motor or engine operates All rndless
eAble system. and Ia this the boats hook ON. The
best example of this method Is the saint Maur
aud saint Maurice Canals ia France, where this
~ stem has bern applied by MN, OrlOle and Levy.
IL II obvious that In such work. and In all where
the poWer " applied from the shore, there is IA
minimum Of wash. and hence the possibility
OF higher speed, rhls Is one Of the strong argu-
lle ulaQ of motor loco mot laulake
where the motor simply takes the place Of the
mule. Ia the earlier forms OF Ibis plan a steam
locomotive was used, hut this neoessiiated a
very solid structure along the canal. and made
the use Of the lEGIk for other methods dif1cult
Mr.. T. ID. Davis OF Syracuse has devised plan
OF laying a narrow gauge rail track On each
hank Of the canal and moving the boats In tOws
AZ four ar ak each by means OF = small motor
trolley wire. The plan OF Mr.. Richard Lamb ID
apparently much more feasible, and has been sue
csssfully tried On the Raritan Canal at Trenton