The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-02-06
THIS BOAT ROLLS ON THE SEA.
A. KNAPP SECURES CAPITAL TO
BUILD 4 BARREL SHIP.

Now RuiIding "A New ship 800 Feet
Long and Dc Feet High-HOw 1t
VIII BE NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. of Its
Iptcrior-No More Seasickness.
Tremendous speed Possibilities.
The Inventor Defends the Princi-
pies of His Boat.
New York, Feb. 3.-Last year the world
was amused, then perplexed, then aston
ished at the effort of Frederick A. Knapp.
a daring Canadian inventor, to navigate
a huge boat. which rolled on the sea like
a barrel. The initial trip Of the expert
mental boat convinced a number OF capl-
talists that Mr.. Knapp invention would
revoIutionize the science of navigation
and now. with thousands of dollars at
his command, the inventor is letting con-
tracts for the construction of the first
Knapp Roller boat. 1t will enter into
active competition with steam and sail
vessels of the present type for the worlds
water traffic. The big cylinder will be
finished and launched at the beginning of
next summer.
The success of the first full-sized roller
boat, the initial steps in the building of
which are now occupying the attention
of Mr.. Knapp and his associates in Chi
cago, will mean a complete and sweeping
revolution of all deep water transporta-
ton. If this pioneer roller achieves no
greater speed than that made by the crude
model which has been operated in Toron-
to bay, the crafts now blowing the in
land seas may read their orders to tie up
In permanent quarters, for the carrying
capacity of the roller boat is immensely
greater on the same draught than that of
the prevailing type of vessel, while the
power required to propel it is far less.
Odd Appearance.
To form a correct mental image of the
roller boat, picture a huge barrel or cyl
inder 500 feet long, 96 feet in diameter and
"a feet from the hollow core to the outer
surface. This is constructed of boiler
plate so riveted as to be air-tight. 1t has
an inner, an outer and a middle skin,
these tubes being held at proper distances
from one another by circular partitions
forming air-tight compartments which
make the boat unsuitable.
Not only is this great barrel the shell of
the boat, but il is also its propeller-the
wheel which gives the craft its actual
travelling capacity. Think Of a boat with
a paddle wheel 500 feet broad and Sc feet
IN diameterl But the term paddle wheel
is not strictly applicable in this case, for
the roller boat has neither screw nor pad
dies. The 4-inch Trails running from end
to end OF the outside of the cylinder are
better described as cogs which set into
the water and enable the roller to roll
forward over the sea instead of merely
11ryfr,
slve action of the cylinder is similar to
that of the broad tired wheels of a country
traction engine pulling its way up hill.
the cogs with which the tires are crossed
biting into the roadway and giving foot
hold and pulling power.
Inside the Great Barrel.
Within the tunnel or core of this hollow
cylinder is suspended the boat proper, or
the portion carrying the passengers, crew.
cargo and engines. The cylinder revolves
around this inner cradle, the latter al
ways remaining level. Only at the points
where the spider work. of the cylinder
projects down 10 the Journals" or huge
hollow steel axles by which the central
section of the boat is suspended, does
the frame work of the roller come in
contact with the hanging or non-rotat-
ing part of the craft. The suspended in
terror is divided into three lengths, two
long sections separated by a short one.
The short central section of the inner
cradle contains the engines, one end sec
ton the first-class and the other the sec
ond-class passengers. The passage from
one to another of these sections is through
the hollow journal" which Is a part
of the non-rotating life center of the boat.
AS these steel axles, in a roller boat for
ocean service, are bored by tunnels ten
feet in diameter, IL will be seen that they
are ample for carrying all the electric
lighting cables, telegraph and telephone
wires. heating tubes, etc, and for afford
ing a passageway. The steering is done
by rudder "drags" at each end operated
from bridge suspended outside the boat.
How the Power Is Applied.
A knotty problem in the construction of
this boat was the application of the power
by which the outside cylinder is reVolved.
This Is accomplished by a battery of three
engines having a long, upward stroke the
pistons being attached to "cranks" of the
big driving shaft. The points on the cir
Gle of the shaft at which the pistons APP
ply the power are equidstant from each
other, or 40 degrees apart. At each end
of the driving shaft is a powerful cog
wheel fitting into the cogs of the cylinder s
bearings, or more properly into an inter-
nal "spur gear rigidly connected with the
solid bulkhead of the cylinder
Above the suspended cradle of the boat
is an arched ceiling hiding from view the
interior of the revolving cylinder over
head. Light and air are freely admitted
at the open ends. Only the ends of the
cradle are, of course, in the least exposed
to sea and weather and the fact that the
bottom of the suspended section of the
boat is high above the reach of the fiercest
storm waves Is calculated TO inspire in
the future passengers of this craft a feel
ing of complete security As there will
be no swaying or pitching motion the in
ventor promises entire exemption from sea
sickness Rocking or swaying is prevent
ed by the perfect equilibrium of the sus-
pended body and the great length of the
craft, together with the fact that il rolls
over the water 'broadside on" allows lit
tie opportunity for end-to-end pitching.
Tremendous Speed Possibilities.
The problem OF the speed which the rol.
Ter boat will be able to show is an inter
esting one, certain to provoke a wide range
of comment from nautical men and engi-
neers Regarding this point the inventor
says
If the freight boat which we shah put
f~t tsgfI