Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1907-08-29

French experiments with gliding
boats, for attaining high speed by
sweeping over the surface of the
water have received much advertising
fer several years past. But it now ap-
pears that DR.. 2eter Cooper Hewitt,
the well-known inventor of the
Cooper-Hewitt mercury vapor lamp,
has been quite as successful in this
field Of experiment as any Of the
FrenchmeD. Note was recently made
that he had been experimenting
along this line, but fuller details of
his remarkable boat are now at hand.
1t seems, however, that the American
inventor was led to experiment with
the hydrOplane through his interest in
the greater problem Of aerial naViga-
ton. He believes that the same gen.
eral laws govern the action Of an aero
plane that govern a hydroplane, the
main difference being in the density
of the two fui | mediums, the air
being about 800 times lighter than
the water. Experiments can much
more easily be made on the water
than in the air, and Mr.. Hewitt there
fore undertook to test some Of his
ideas in a hydrplane boat which, with
it's gasoline motor was entirely of
his own design and construction.
The difficulty in propeIling an or
binary boat through the water at high
speed is that the resistance increases
as the cube of the speed. AS a result
in order to double the speed Of an or
binary boat it is necessary to multiply
The horsepower eight times. But the
gliding boat which rests upon series
Of horizontal or almost horizontal
fms or planes upon which it rises as
it's speed increases, naturally meets
much less resistance in going over
smooth water The possibilities Of
craft of this sort are not yet clear but
it is Mr., Hewitts belief that he has
attained a speed of 80 miles an
hour in his first experimental craft
from which it is reasonable to suppose
that further experiments will result
in still higher speed. Mr. Hewitts
boat consists of a light mahogany
hull with a rounded bow and stern,
which is suspended from within a
strong rectangular framework of
heavy steel tubing Within the hull,
but firmly mounted upon a subframe
connected with the outer frame is an
eight cylinder gasoline motor. The
exact horsepower Of this motor is un-
certain since it has not been tested
Moo nnph NJ tho n1tpva
vertical trussed sheet steel frames
project downward and carry sets of
hydToplanes, which are terraced like
a flight of steps, the uppermOst planes
of each pair being connected together
across under the boat by a horizontal
strip. Four larger planes are placed
with their forward edges about on
level with the bottom of the boat and
project outward several feet from it's
side. The propeller is placed at the
forward end of the boat on the bottom
of a long vertical shaft which projects
downward through the hull and which
is inclOsed in a suitable tubular cas-
ing. AS soon as the boat is started at
a rapid speed it begins to rise until
the large planes IeaVe the water ana
lhe null ltSeIt Is ehIlreiy raised ABOVE
the waters surface IL then runs on
the four sets Of lower planes at high
speed ana without any colllmoIloh
except "neh the upper planes nap
pen TO SIrlke d wave III Whlch case
lhe spray IS thrown 'lolenuy against
the null In future DoaIs II VIII prop