The evening world., 1909-02-17
American Motor Boats Are
Superior to All Others Is
Claim of Californian Who
Is Now Engaged in Busi-
ness in Siam.

YY1T ANDERING around the Mo-
" tor Boat Show l CHANGED
" to meet an old college
chum. This isn't merely an express
sion-he really was an old college
chum. We went to the University
OF California together and competed
on the same athletic teams.
When first saw him he was curl
ously inspecting a motor slapped
him on the back and We shook hands.
What on earth are you doing here?"
I asked
why" he said, IT Just took n run
across from Slam. I'm over there
trading on the rivers, you know. We
have been using all sorts OF boats.
There are two or three Americans and
q lot OF English. The English traders
got in some English launches. and two
years ago came over to the show here
and bought lot OF fast motor boats.
The first people up the rivers get the
trade, you know, shipped over thirty
nine seml.speed boats, and lost most
Of them in typhoon on the China
coast. That was a terror. | saw one
steamer, picked up without soul on
board. deserted by crew and passengers,
that didn't have stick standing above
the deck line. Even the iron bulwarks
were torn of at the deck line by the
force OF the water. We collected the
insurance on the lost boats, and the
few we shipped through on another
steamer went to work on the rivers.
We made the English look sick They
couldn't compete with Us. and the tricks
horse laugh. But this year they're
bringing over lot Of crack English
boats and they think they have us
trimmed. That's why I'm here. ! al
ways believed that American machinery
can beat the world. I'm going TO get
. few Of the best up-to-date American
boats and run rings around them owe:
there In Slam"
It's a pretty good Indication Of the
superiority OF American boats and mo-
tors when man comes half way around
the world TO get them In preference 20
the products Of England and France and
italy. A man whose fortunes depend
upon superior speed and navigating
ability can't afford to make mistakes.
CuNNY what little things in the
r. line OF invention make a mans
fortune! An idle country drug
clerk rolled some paper strips and coated
them with paratfne wax. He substl-
tuted them for straws at the soda foun-
tain. They were all right. He patented
his invention. To-day he's a multi
millionaire. In the Motor Boat Show
there are scores Of devices Just as in
senious as this. For instance one man
with quick mind has adapted Maxlm's
"silencer little device that abso-
lutely s!lences the explosion OF rifle
cartrldge-and has used the same prin-
clple In a muffler for a gasoline engine.
There is simple tube Of iron with
spiral partition inside II. The exhausted
gases blow out through the spiral with
out what the gas engine men dread
back pressure-and escapes without
oven puff.
Another man found that by adding
little round dome to u small brass whis-
tie he could produce q melOlious roar
as far.reachlng as the below OF 4 great
steam whistle. In other devices a few
coils Of wire and bits OF steel turned
over few times produce an amazing
quantity Of electricity, A boat is driven
by both water and air propelers, break
ing worlds speed records
Ano:he" man has applied hydraulic
pressure to solid blocks q the finest
steel, and such tremendous pressure that
the steel flows Ike soft putty into all
sorts OF odd shapes .nolow tanks. for
instance.
They're very scientific In France and
Germany and England, but Judging
from what I've noticed in the Garden
America can give some Of the older
countries cards and spades,