Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-09-13
! "A sss.a -
OUR LOCAL LAUNCHES,



For several Years psst q fleet of
SMALL out swift ana safe pleasure
launches, using steam OF naptha OR
gasoline power. has been aceu mulat-
lag on the river frontage OF the tri-
cities. Today they are quite nu-
merous-more numerous than mot
people know OF or suppose. The
Drenrort Democrat has BEEN LOOK
lug into he subject and as u Gomez
oueuce presents n descriptive sr,i-
Gle OF the nuu, Der owned ~ Rock Isl
and. Moline and Davenport. 1t re-
fers by name to 81 ia all. aud this Is
woa, i. said Of those belonging in
Rock Island:
The Lucre,ia. owned by d Roy
Bowlby. Of r cS Island, is % feet
long, nth u 5 foot Sinh beam. IL
l. equipped with Il tue 6-huree po er.
MICS ei-p'nted engine. uade by the
company. of Grand Rapids. Mich
IL is lie ana steady rnnaer. Tue
engine develops seven miles Al hour
up stream TIE hu1. which is OF
hard wood finish, with n,ckel-p d I'd
ratings fore and aft, was manufac-
;ured by the Truscott Boat MAUI
Occurring company, of ST. Joseph,
| Mich. The launch is :uroisheI with
leather cushions, filed with cork 10
answer As lite preservers. Il was
first put in the water in 1893. spd
WAS the FIRST launch in the three
cities. IL can be steered from he
bow or side. The deck is hard wood
and the whole boat is tinely finished
Mr.. Bowlby went to Lake La C~osse
in his launch ia 1925. and q trip To
Mu-cs,ine is an old thing with him
dis boat rs aucnored between Eigh-
seenth and Nineteenth streets in D
boat house S2xltl feet.
Nv. Il kuDem MS launch Barney
of Rock Island, has length of &c
feet, inches and q beam Of 6 feet.
IL has twin cylinder, gasoline en-
gine. developing 4-horse power. L.
Is igniteh BY hot valve instead Of
by au electric spark, taking gasoline
direct without q corporater. The
engine was made by Mr.. Kuneman
after the Williams aud Schott model
1t we gh- 673 pounds. IL is singh
handed boat, the pilot wheel bel, z
on the same frame as the engine, en-
aiding the operator TO SIT at the
wheel ana guide the entire launch
Mr.. Kuneman built the launch him
self, working mornings and even
ings on IL for Is months. The paint
ing and ornanenGing was done by
Mrs. kuncman. 1t will carry ID per
sons and crew. 1t has speed OF
was from Rock Island TO Citation in
nine hours. returning in four hours
and half It's anchorage il 1t the
head Of the Rock Island slough
"Fhe gasoline launch Ihler. OF
Rock leland, owned by Phil Nit hell
Edward G. D-nkmsrn ard Fcsn X
Mix'er, is 223 by So foot craft. L.
has 4-horse power Monitor engine
!. made by the Monitor Engine and
P"wer company. CT Grand Rapids,
Mich and Is capable OF eight miles
an hour. Tne steering wheel is In
the bow. The huh has hard wood
tinish. and ha- nickle plated rsilingr
fore and aft. 1t Was man ufactured by
the rru>cott company. OF ST. Joseph.
Mich. The ldler won first prize in
the regatta held last year. from tue
lJss, Alice and Lucr eta The race
-,sfted at the ferry landing in Rock
I-iapd and ended a. the first d an a.
Offer mau's island.
The stenm launch. A.s'qnta. OF
Rock Island, owned by T. IL Bein, is
&c feet long with foot beam. It
has 4-horsa power upright. high
pres ure. pon-condensing engine
III boiler is an upright one. butt
by grippe & Murry. If Davenport
Everything else was made by Mr..
bein. The launch has speed Of
seven miles an hour. II is tn oppn
launch equipped with all the neces-
sary requirements of the law. This
is The bats third season. Is steer
ing wheel is in the starbos,d side,
back IT the boilers. The law per-
mits it to carry ~ passengers, but i,
has plenty OF room for half doz
en- more. Next year the owner in
tends replacing IFS present engine
with g compound one, which will
greatly increase its speed.
: "Cbarles McHugh, of Rock Island,
! has speedy launch named Ethel
II is 22a feet long with a 5! foo,
beam. 1t has 4-horse power Moni-
: tor gasoline engine. The speed OF
the Ethel is eight miles an hour. II
will carry IL passengers. The hull
resem bles that Of the Idler aud was
made by the same com psny. MIR.
|, Mchugh came into possession OF the
, launch in August 1897.