Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-12-24

BY WIN. B. LAUB, JR.

BY WIN. B. LAUB, JR.
The marine observer at Cape Henry has
reported the good ship 1911 and says that
she will dock next Sunday night. All
we'll and good; her schedule is only at
fault every four years, so there's no
doubling the time of arrival as advised.
A great season locally, as well as through
out the entire country, and one that will
not soon be forgotten when the remark
able advance in designing and invention
is considered; but the question upper
most in the mind of every yachtsman is.
What will 1912 bring forth?" One thing
without question is the fifty-nile speed
boat. Up to this time the engine designer
has necessarily been far behind the naval
architect for the simple reason that the
gasoline is by many years the Junior
of the boat but with the experience
gained thus far behind him the power
plant manufacturer should deliver the
goods before next summer. The racing
boat is this far ahead of its motive
power: Hulls are designed to travel at
the rate of from fifty to sixty-6ve miles
an hour or better. and the engine is vet
to be made that will stand up long enough
to- make this speed possible. There are
several notable examples of this theory
which put up credible performances last
summer. but which are yet to hit their
pace for want of the real thing in gaso-
lene-driven machinery. Two new types
will appear before the first real motor
boat race is pulled off next year, one, the
sliding-port. four-cycle engine, and the
other a turbine machine which will soon
be on tie market. The latter engine will
weigh about lilo of a pound per horse
power. and if successful may revolution
ize motor boat racing.
< = X
The speed boat Viva was shipped to
New York last Tuesday to join a team
of Blackton racers en- rolfte to Jackson
yille Fla. Commodore j. Stuart Black
ton will enter the Mosquito, Vita and
Viva in the spring races at Jacksonville
next month. The Viva has been COM
pietely overhauled and put in fine con-
dition for this event, and 1t is sincerely
hoped that she hits her stride, if only for
the reason that she is a local product.
Northern yachtsmen think that we are
q set of back numbers down here on the
Potomac. with none of their progressive
ness nor enthusiasm, and a few victories
for the Viva would pull Washington into
the limelight
The motor boat world is loudly acclaim
ing the new surface propeller speed boat
Viper ", recently perfected and sue
cessfully -demonstrated, and which has
filled a long-felt want There are hun
dreds of localities where there are miles
and miles of water, but where the bottom
is in close communion with the surface
and grass monopolizes most of the wet
ness. All kinds of wheels have been IN
vented some with a sissors-like fore edge
to the blades to cut the grass as 1t pass
ed and some where the leading edge
slanted around SO that the grass would
slip off; but neither was complete sue
cess and the propellers would roll up into
a ball like spaghetti on fork. Viper
Nv is so extremely simple that a man
xx-l,O l,o fOr
grown bay at his front door wants to
kick himself to think that his brain was
so sluggish that he did not fall to the
| idea In the Viper. with her 22A rect OF
length. and total. width of ) feet inches,
over the spray hoods. is installed %
horsepower Ferro motor, with set of
gears running in oil attached to the en-
CINE shafts SO that two propellers turning
| In opposite directions are driven by IT,
| These shafts run aft inside OF the boat,
and through stuffing boxes in the tran
| som there are also stern bearings TO
carry propellerS that are extra large IN
| is in the water. the other two turning in
| the air. The rudders, long metal plates.
are hinged at their forward ends and act
/ like fin on a fish,
slide bolt across the stern, pushing
| on whichever rudder is desired, is worked
| by a ratchet controlled by means of a
| light shaft and gears from the steering
wheel. This leaves the boats bottom ab-
| solutely clean and clear, with neither
rudder post nor propeller strut to draw
excessive water, and the propeliers dip
but twelve inches below the surface.
| There is no shaft to bend when you
run aground. no leaky shaft log, no tilier
rope. sleeves or similar gear. The Viper
| is an example of what the application
/ of brains and new ideas can accomplish
| in solving old riddles. The grass and
water boat is here
| Hydropianes will race as separate
| class at the Monaco meet, which viii
be held April l to II next. The Prince
! of Monaco will open the exhibition the
| list: the I'd and 4th will be devoted to
the launching and trials, and racing will
begin the 9Th. The prize money amounts
| TO about $4,000
| The January elections will be the first
business for the new year at the Capital
Yacht Club and there is much specula-
ton as to who will be nominated for the
| offices of commodore and vice comma
dore.
OF course, the younger element want.
| to see one of it's set in the CHAIR anC
| insists that he be sailboat man anc
| that the vice commodore be repre-
| sentative power boatist. But the older
| members of the club, who realize ina,
the organization is more In need OF
a representative business man to handle
its affairs than sportsman, are
greatly in favor of nominating former
Vice Commodore Frank T. Rawlings
Mr. Rawlings is man who has always
had the interests of the club at heart
as he has demonstrated on several &C.
casions and though he doesn't own a
cruising or racing boat OF any de-
scription that should have nothing to
do with giving the Office to him or to any
other well known and influential mem
Der who can carry future plans OF the