The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-01-16
INGENIOUS BOATMEN.
Oregon StOneworkers Devise n Boat
That Pulls Itself Upstream.

In the October St. Nicholas Francis FL
lington Leupp describes an ingenious de-
vice by which certain Oregon stone-work-
ers save themselves deal of unnecessary
labor.
Doubtless nearly every boy with taste
for out-of-door sports, he says. has made
q boat which the wind or the current
would cause to feat over the surface of a
pond. / have seen some lads rig up RATS
On which they could themselves ride down
a swift-fowing creek; and knew one,
even, who was clever enough to build a
complete little steamboat. He could light
lamp under the little boiler, and the
steam would form, and the piston would
work, and the wheels would revolve, just
as in a big vessel that carries passengers
and freight. The trouble with all these
toy boats, however, is that they will go
only one way. Having made their trip,
they have to be toilsomely dragged back
by hand to be started again in the same
direction.
While travelling in Oregon. some time
ago. L discovered a boat which seemed to
me the most ingenious thing of its kind
l had ever seen. 1t was built by some
stone-workers to convey their stones from
the quarry we'll w toward the head OF a
small river, down to the mouth. The
stream is everywhere SO shallow that Ii
can be forded without danger; but II is
broken at intervals by stretches of rapids,
or rifles" as they are called in that
neighborhood. often extending as far as
15C feet. The men built a fiat-bottomed
boat, which they loaded with stone, and
it carried its cargo down the stream ad-
mrably. But then arose the problem,
how 20 get II back when il had been
emptied- IL was too heavy to haul I'D tne
stream by hand. Where the water was
comparatively smooth there was no
trouble, because one man could ride on
the scow and make his way along with a
paddle and a pole; but the difficulty was
to get il the rapids. The best of
boatmen could not hope to .propel it
against so powerful current. and uphill
at that.
How do you suppose they accomplished
the task, finally?
BY making the boat work it's own pas
sage.
They made two large paddle wheels
which they placed one on each side OF the
scow. and Joined them by thin but strong
piece of wood in the shape OF . cylinder
This turned with the wheels and served
the double purpose of an axle and wind
lass. Each end of the cylinder. near wners
il Joined the wheels. played in a socket
somewhat like the row lock used with an
oar. only stationary. and mounted IN me
top OF triangular truss To the cylind ~
was fastened a rope about 90 feet long
When the boat reached the bottom OF a
rapid il would be made fast TO the shore
Then the man in charge of the boat would
ford the stream and mount The oDD1rif.A
ana paying IL gradually cut as he walked
so as 10 keep IL always taut. At the head
of the rapid. or a trifie beyond he would
fasten the further END of the roDc 10 tree
The moorings of the boat would be ioose1
and tine current left 10 do the rest without
assistance. The paddle wheels. unable 10
resist the force of the water flowing
against their sunken blades. would slowly
revolye, and. OF course, every revolution Of
the wheels would cause the rope To wind
itself around the axle. With each turn OF
the rope the boat would necessarily be