New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-12-08

THE SPEED OF ICEBOATs TO BE sCIEN-
TIFICALLY MEASURED.

THE SPEED OF ICEBOATS TO BE SClEN-
TIFICALLY MEASURED.
Owners Of iceboats on the Hudson. at Orange
Lake and at Red Bank preparing their racers
for the winter contests Arrangements are no" on
foot TO measure the actual speed OF iceboats on all
points Of sailing This has never been scienthcaiy
done and the results will be interesting. Practical
Ice -boaters have known for at least thirty-hVe
years that an iceboat can, while sailing IN certain
directions travel much faster than the wind which
moves It. No observant person can Indulge IN ms
pastime without soon becoming assured OF th's
fact though people who do not put their opii'o"s
TO the test decline to believe 1t.
or course, scientific experiment alone can settle
the points which have for so many years oeeh
questioned by those who were inexperienced In the
sport and some difficulty has been found IN choos-
Ing a locality In which the sheet OF ice may he
adapted for all the required tests Inc course
should be free from those distractions to wnd pas
sage. such as houses. hills and trees which aHec'
sailing craft at great distances. The Hudson five,
courses are generally narrow, and when the wind
comes from either bank they are TOO SUBJECT 10
lus and reflections TO provide the most SAUSAGE
tory results and the courses at Orange Lake arc
not entirely free from similar drawbacks so that
one OF the bays on the Great Lakes has been Sc
lected for the tests. Some experts from neigh
boring meteorological observatory have consented
to supply the necessary instruments. and the own
ers Of various ceboats Will sail their craft over the
different courses.
Carefully measured mile courses Will be marked
off in different directions and a trustworthy ane-
mometer will record the wind velocities that the
best boat Is experiencing at the time. The fastest
iceboat OF the fleet will be sailed over all the DIFF
fcrert courses, the .engths Of which have been
accurately asccrtanod with surveyors instruments,
and there VIII be five tests. follows BY the
wind partly into the wind. with side or beam
wind. on a quarterly course. and also with the
breeze dead aft.
The time actually occupied In sailing these I'VE
courses viii be peculiarly small because with any
kind OF fresh breeze and fairly smooth ice the
craft will travel cacn of the mile courses 10 wind
ware in less than a minute and "A half The courses
TO leeWard will be slower and that when l.
"a lied dead before the wind will be the slowest
Of all because in this direction the iccbOat cannot
sail any faster than the wind itself In the wind
ward courses the craft does not lose the power Of
the breeze. and the huge lateen sail then retains
rectly before the wind the boat floats along so
lightly and with little drag OF friction that when
The boom Is wide off the wind wont straighten out
the sheets In other words. the boat. in this dlrec
lion may perhaps travel as fast the wind itself.
but not an inch faster. and the pace seems slow in
comparison with that which is enjoyed in the wind
ward lacking.
hoaters have been kept guessing. because they
could never ascertain the exact veiocltics Of the
winds they were sailing in. They could time their
boats over a measured mic. but the nearest anon
oreter has always been too far away 10 give them
accurate knowledge Of the wind speeds utilized.
CONSEQUENTLY they could never be sure ~ how
much faster than the wind their boats could travel