The Portland daily press., 1895-05-01
THE HARBOR SIDE.
Description of the Beautiful Ether
Launch.

Launch.
She Slid Into the Water Yesterday-Mr.
Twombly Says That the John p. Lowell
nancialIy-First Lobsters from Nova
Scotia-New Treasurer For the Long
shoremen-Other Items.
| There has been little or no wind for
several days, and from SO to 20 coasting
vessels have been delayed in the harbor.
At about O'Clock yesterday afternoon
the gentle southwest breeze changed to
strong east wind in about 10 minutes.
This WAS just what was wanted and the
| harbor was well cleared of vessels before
midnight.
At p.m., Mr.. WI. Twombly's new
ether launch. the longest launch for her
beam ever built in Maine, was launched
at Hard Pine slip in the presence of
several hundred interested spectators.
| When she was launched there were on
board, Mr.. Tw ON bly,, Miss Minnie Spruin,
| for whom it was named, her two sisters,
Misses Maud and Cleo Spruin, Mrs. Carl
Sparrow, Mr.. Carl Weber and Mrs. Stella
bennett.
The launching was accomplished with
out any mishap, and the new and move
boat made beautiful appearance in the
water. She was towed around to the
Yacht Club float She will make nota-
BILE addition to the clubs fleet.
DESCRIPTION OF THE ETHER
LAUNCH MINNIE S.
The launch is thirty feet long, 5 1-2 feet
beam, 2 feet, 10 inches deep amid sh ips
and draws 28 inches of water at the stern.
Her frame is built of solid white oak
throughout, she is planked with l-2 inch
seasoned white pine, her decks are
made up in sections of white pine and
mahogany. Her lockers are finished in
cypress mahogany and white pine
| Her propeller is "a inches in diameter,
AZ inches pitch, and turns 500 revolutions
per minute. She is upholstered in heavy
crushed furniture plush throughout and
is stuffed with the best of hair. Her
compound engine and 90 horse power
double marine generator invented and
designed By Mr.. Twombly. The engine
consists of two cylinders high and low
pressure arranged fore-and-aft. The
cylinders are 1-2 and inches in dame
ter respectively with six inch stroke and
at pressure of $50 lbs. per square inch
will develop 10 horse power. The engine
is of fore-and-aft compound type and
was built by Henry R.StIckney.
| The generator consists of two separate
coils of copper pipe contained inside a
double jacket which consists of an inner
| jacket of sheet iron and an outer Jacket
of nickle copper and brass with layer
| of asbestos 1-2 inch thick between. The
coils are supplied with ether by two
separate pumps run by the engine and
both empty into one steam chest, which
supplies the engine with gas. This coil is
heated bysa new type of burner invent
ed by Mr.. Twomhly which burns either
naptha' or kerosene oil, and is practically
nolseless with no smoke cr disagreeable
smell, ana can be regulated to give any
amount of heat required. The machin-
cry is automatic in all it's details; it is
impossible for an explosion or accident
of any kind as the pressure cannot get
above $50 lbs. in the generator.
The surplus gas above that pressure
escapes into the cond enser. In open ating
the machinery works as follows; just
in front of the engine there are tN water
| tight bulkheads containing an ether res
erYoir which holds about 40 lbs of sui
| phuric ether. The water is admitted
| from the sea and entirely surrounds
this tank, keeping the contents at low
temperature; the ether is fed from this
tank by force pumps run by the engine
iuto the generator, where it is heated by
| burning naptha or oil and converted
| into gas. The gas obtained is then used
| to run the engine, after which it escapes
into series of pipes underneath the
boat, and then by it's contact with the
cold surface of the pipe is converted back
into liquid ether and pumped again
started. This forms continuous closed
circuit which is sealed up perfectly tight,
thus using the same ether over and over
again without loss, the cost of running
being simply in the consumption of oil
or naphtha which is used for fuel, and as
ether boils at 95 degrees Fahrenheit, this
| is comparatively small. A great many
people suppose that ether is burned,
which is entirely erroneous, as no ether
| is burned or consumed in any way. The
whole machinery complete, pumps, en-
gine, generator, etc., weighs about 500
lbs, and at forced pressure will develop
about IS horse power. 1t is expected to
realize speed from twelve to fourteen
miles per hour; the fastest boat proba-
bly, in New England of this length will
run nine miles per hour. The advantage
in speed here claimed will result from
the lightness of the machinery and de.
sign of the boat.
The construction of this boat was be-
gun about the 1st of February, and it is
stated by men competent to judge tina