The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-01-05
Great Speed Claimed for
An Electric Boat.
II is the Invention of a Citizen
of Providence.
Fourteen Pr0pellers are to Be Used
In This Novel Craft. -

really marvellous speed Is promised by
the inventor has been constructed in
this city. II Is distinct novelty In very
many respects. and, IL rs successful as its
promoters confidently expect, will scarce
ly fail to play some havoc with modern
shipbuilding methods. Its promoters are
planning TO build a vessel 2lO feet long,
which is to have IA propellers, six placed
forward to draw II through the water,
and eight astern IS pusber'--the arrange
ment, OF course, being seven on each side.
A speed OF 40 knots an hour is conh-
IDENTIFY expected. The bost is designed
for passenger traffic in NarragansTtt Bay,
ostepsibly, but its real purpose is a prac-
tical demonstration of O system which the
projectors hope TO SO applied to naval
vessels In the near future.
lhe president Of the company that will
build this boat is Richard Is. Psinton, a
| nsturaiized Englishman. Though his
company Is located at Providence, he
lives at Wi.lamsport. Pa, where he was
seen yesterday by reporter.
81 have perfected vessel with DeaYlv
doubl, the speed Of vessels prop,llsd by
steam." said Mr.. Painton yesterday. can
ocean liner Of this = tern can cross the
Atlantic In three days; q cruiser 81 j ilarly
equipped will have spec of 30 knot an
hour. Steam propulsion can only drive
these great armored monsters Is to 2l
knots an hour under the most favorable
conditions, and tie extreme limit of
marine achievement py old met hoas seems
TO have been reached. Added speed must
be attained by the use OF ele,tri iiy.
THAT object has bfen accomplished,
and l an Offering the COVE nmeLt an op-
portunity N profit by nv invention.
am an Eng,ishman by birth, but am
naturallzed American titiz n, and feel Ii
my cuty to give my adopted country
tho brs. benefit CT my invention. If the
American Congress does not ses tit to
take advantage CT tie opportunity thst Is
presented, ] will then feel free to look for
a market among the crest powers of Eu-
rope, az did Hctchkiss, Maxim, GatliGg
ard ether inventors who were turned
away from America and forced 10 seek n
markct elsewhere for inventions which
were aiterward adopted In this country
upon the pigment of vastly larger sums
than were ori .nslly asked.
"One great source Of complaint with
the Navy Department has tsen the in
suiii.iency OF room OF men, armamc mt,
coal and provisions. Tie machinery nec-
esssry to rropel these great ocean fort
fesses occupies such Urge smount of
sp1oe that there is prac.i,ll y no rt ON
Tor anything cisa. The mi ke ( fro
tbs furnaces an st n pipes, he madd :
Ing hissihg OF I ST. am aad tie inctsmLt |
vitrition and shCcts resulting from tho |
1re1chin. of the heavy shafts gnd the !!
s'raining OF TIE mechanism make life |
alomst unsndurnble and convert the ves-
iels into veritabls helis. They are tor
ture priso.s from which there Is no
escape.
1.-The new electric otors will have
gretily enlarged power over steam. In
stead OF the enormous eighty ton shafts,
extending from the middl, of tho ship to
the stern, the eleciricsi plant will have
from IA to 10 screw propellers. ranging
along the sidos Of the vessel, rs well as
.wo Of ingenious CO.. struction at the
stern. Thcse propellers are operated from
switchboard. They csn be opersted
'ingly or oil together at the will of the
nan at the keys. Escn propeller ioa
machine by itself, and the disabling of
me or more has no effect whatever on
he others.
"Whon the entire complsne mt of pro-
'el'ers Is ip action there Is no more noise
han would CONS from Inc action OF n fly
Y heel. There is no j,r caused by the hor-
zontal motion; no excessive heat from
team piping; the long shafts are done
way with ana the terrific straining Of |
ne engines and shafts wnen alternately
ubmerged ana raised sloft by the pitch
ng of the vessel in heavy seas, is avo voi6ed.
"fho engines that generate the power
re- not mechanically connected with the
ropeIlers, ~ 10 now the case in steam
essels, bot the power Is transmitted by
Isc.ric wires direct to motors built on
ropeller shsfts. The machinery Is sim
Lefty itself. No betting or coupling 10
'quired. Inc proptllcrs ell work direct,
nd, as before noted, they can be operated
n gly or together. IL some break down,
rosa that are left can do tina work. IL ,
ould not bs posi- ole for all TO be dis
oled us is so often tbc case with vessels
luipl cd by steam, leaving them founder
" for days at the mercy of the elements.
"from 1873 to 156 revolutions Of the
rev a minute is about the limit OF q
am power. There 10 practically n limit {
the speed Of a screw operated by elec- I
icity. Eighteen hundred revolutions q J
mute and higher have been reached by
sss motors 10 practices G5o to 500 revo-
tions minute can be safely depended
ION. 81
'In large cruiser OF say 1000 horse G
wer the transmission Of powcr by steam G
'uld be at the cxpen,e OF about 80 per "
Mt. loss or 5000 horse power. whereas by :
'ctricity the loss would be only about =
per cent. or 20)0 Horsepower, which is
'aving over steam Of 46OO horse power. -
lie will reduce tho coal consumption IL