The evening times., 1899-09-19

The Life-Saying Bureau of the Treasury
Department, after years of experiment try
ing to obtain lifeboat adapted to steam
propulsion, has at last succeeded in procur-
ing an engine that successfully operates the
boats through all kinds of rough seas, and
will take the place of the oar surfboats
along the coasts and on the Great Lakes.
The experiments made few days ago at
Marquette, Mich, were so successful that
Superintendent Kimball, of the Life-Saving
Board, will recommend TO the Board OF
Life Saving Appliances that the engines be
constituted part of the service Superin-
tendent Kimball and Lieut. Charles H. Nc
Lellan. life4saying inspector aaiong the
New Jersey coast, who made the expert
ments, are confident that the practical de-
vice has been found. asss. -.
In the experiment made at Marquette a
regulation lifeboat was used. The boat is
thirty-four feet in length and weighs four
tons. The material part of the test was to
determine whether or not the boat would
right itself While the gas engine occupied
space therein. Actual repeated experiments
demonstrated that the engine in no way in
terfered with the self-righting and self
bailing features of the Iifeboat and that ii
occupied space which has heretofore been
wasted.
When this part of the experiment was
concluded the boat was sent out to a point
eight miles from the shore, and covered the
distance in about forty-fve minutes. A
stiff gale was blowing at the time, but it
into NIT g
Under ordinary conditions the boat would
have been able to have covered the distance
in a much shorter time, while TO cover the
same distance by the old-time method
would have occupied three or four hours Of
time, or have occasioned the use of tug.
Lieutenant Mcclellan says that the value
of the gas engine in the life-saving service
cannot be estimated. He says it lows
the surfmen to accomplish a great deal
more work and in shorter time. Another
great advantage in having motive power Is
that the men are fresh when the wreck is
reached and can do great deal more
work. When they have to row out to
wreck they are almost exhausted, and it is
when the wreck is reached that they re-
quire ali the strength at their command.
1t is said that having power in the boat
is even superior to having the boat towel
out to the scene OF the wreck. as the tug
must take the boat out to the wreck and
allow it to drift down and this occasions
a loss of time A lifeboat supplied with
the gas engine can run along side the
wreck and much effective work can be
done in the time ordinarily lost in letting
the boat down alongside the wreck.
Another advantage is that the boat can
be turned more quickly. A twin screw
propeller has been adopted for the life
boat. complete C Gle on a twenty-five
foot radius can be made in minute and
fifteen seconds. The boat can also be re-
versed inside of twenty seconds.
Superintendent Kimball is greatly
pleased with the result of the tests and
says he will recommend the adoption of
the gas engine. He says it is a feature of
the service that has been desired for a
great many years. but up to the present
time no practicable engine could be found.
The engine used in the tests at Marquette
were made under direction. of Lieutenant
Mcclellan. The latter is now of-his- way
to New Jersey where he will make further
experiments and secure data TO present to
the Board of Life Saving Appliances when
ii meets in the spring. -a.t