The Indianapolis journal., 1896-03-23
SIX MILES A MINUTE
BOAT DESIGNED TO CROSS THE At
LANTIC IN EIGHT HOURS.
James Gresham, Cousin of Late VAL
Wonderful Submarine Craft.

New York Recorder.
If the vessel which has been invented by
James Gresham the Brooklyn manufacturer.
proves able to accomplish what the inventor
intends II shall. New Workers will be able to
have breakfast in this city and dinner the
same day in London. If the ambition Of the
inventor of the boat is gratified. the famous
submarine craft told of in Jules Verne's
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea"
will be nowhere. The boat invented by Mr..
Gresham, when 1t is completed, will. 1t is
claimed. complete a voyage over the ocean
in little more than eight hours. which
means going at the rate of something over
$50 miles an hour. or about six miles a min
ute- The Empire State express is able to
make a little more tnan a mile a minute.
Mr.. Greshams craft will go about seven
times as fast as the express; that is, pro-
viding the claims made for it prove true.
Ocean steamships make the voyage from here
to Liverpool in from six to eight days: the
boat of the Brooklyn inventor will, then. be
able TO cross and recross about sixteen times
while they are making one passage.
Mr.. Gresham is a cousin of the late Walter
O. Gresham, who was Secretary Of State.
He is prominent in Brooklyn politics. having
been nominated for Congress, but being de-
feated by ex-Mayor David A. Boody He is
chemist or note. and is well known in
business circles, being a manufacturer OF
paints and oils at 200 Sixth street, Brooklyn.
AS an inventor he has made a reputation for
himsef- Some years ago he invented sub
marine torpedo boat TO be steered by means
of electric wires running from the shore, or
from a man-of-war. The Russian govern
ment placed itself in communication with
him after the invention had been perfected,
and shortly after purchased the invention
Other inventions have been patented by him.
all Of them Of more or less importance.
trNrn np Il.
one in which he has taken the most inter-
| est. For months he has been at work upon
It, and to-day he has the satisfaction of
and that he is in fair way to astonish
the, entire world The boat is constructed
| and designed upon a mechanical theory,
when is as astonishing as IL is difficult to
| explain
The model is at present at the factory
| of the inventor. When one of Mr.. Gresham's s
employees showed it to a Recorder reporter
| yesterday there was revealed a polished
cylinder made of steel. about thirty inches
in length and eight inches In diameter, and
/ tapering in somewhat blunt curves to each
| end Around the cylinder, from one end to
| the other, ruEs thin steel fiange, fastened
| spirally, so that il encircles the cylinder
! about three complete turns. AS the cylinder
| revolves upon its axis the fiange has an
| effect on the water in which the cylinder
| floats like that of a screw propeller; that
is, in revolving IL pushes back against the
| water so that the cylinder is forced for
ward. The force with which the cylinder is
propelled in this manner is great
At each end Of the cylinder rises a bent
| tube, one and one-quarter OF an inch in
| diameter and six inches long. These tubes
| are open at the tops, and Just below the
| tops are encircled by miniature coming
| towers. At one end Of the cylinder is a steel
rudder, attached TO heavy steel keel hang
| ing below the cylinder. The upright tubes
| rise from each end of the cylinders axis.
| They are joined to an inner cylinder with
| bearings, where the upright tubes join II.
| The outer flange cylinder revolves, while
wonderful as 1t may seem. the inner cyiin-
inner cyinSer are cIoc and b, bnt
| as patents on the boat are pending. the
inventor does not are to make the internal
arrangements OF the boat public yet. Run
| ming into the upright tubes are wires at
| tached to an electric battery and connected
| with the mechanism inside
The model which Mr.. Gresham has con-
| structed has been thoroughly tested in
| ponds. and in a specially constructed tank
The tests. he says, have been all that
could be desired. and in all the boat at.
tained phenomenal rate of speed. Guided
| by electric wires IL went from one end OF
the tank to the other-a distance of Ga
feet in seven seconds.
| 1t will probably be only question of a
| short time when the Inventor will build boat
after the lines of the model which will enable
| the public to see that his labors have not
| been in vain When the boat Is completed
IL is safe to say that ii will be the most
wonderful affair of its kind ever put into
the water.
In talking Of the boat recently. Mr.. Gresh-
am said that II he constructed vessel one
| nunureQ rect an lenStn Sne WOulu De dDit
| 10 carry one hundred men. These men. he
| said would be carried In the inner shell
| which would remain absolutely without mo-
| ton. The cylinder of the outside would re-
| vove with greater rapidity than the screw
of an ocean steamship, and the spiral fange
would drive the vessel forward at an enor-
| nous rate of speed.
1T seems almost Incredible" said the In
| ventor, ''but L would not say that the At
| lantic could not be crossed in eight hours
| The boat will go faster under water. Mr.
| Gresham stated. because the entire f1ange Is
| then submerged. When the boat is under
| water the persons who are in il will be sup
piled with breathing material by means OF
liquefied air. carried to them by arrange
| ment which will be included in the patent.
Mr.. Gresham explained that the model
| when tested. made absolutely no commotior
in the water and left no wake.
A feature of the boat is according to the
inventor. that 1t will be impossible for IT tc
| become grounded. Should IL strike bottom
| ii will at once worm itself free again.
Mr. Gresham's application for a patent ir
the United States has been accepted, ne
says. and as soon as he gets an answer from
applications for patents in Spain. Grea,
| Britain. Portugal. France, Germany and
| Russia he will perfect his patent rights ir
this country He believes that the craft will
be. especially. adapted for mai-carrying pur.
| poses.