Pleasantville weekly press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1890-1911, 1911-07-05
Capt. Bartlett S Birthday
Prominent Resident and Inventor Is 81,
Hale and Hearty

| Monday last was the eighty-second
birthday anniversary of one of Pleasant
ville's Oldest, best known and most high
| ly esteemed citizens, Captain George
Bartlett For SO years the Captain fol-
lowed the sea, during which time he took
numerous long voyages, including TWEEN
ty-two to Greenland and the icy noun
tains for the Pennsylvania Salt Manu-
featuring Company, carrying mineral
called 'Kryolite'. He had two children
born at sea, and has two buried in Chi
ma. Capt. Bartlett has been married
forty-fve years and with his wife re-
sides at 40 E. Railroad avenue They
have two living children. viz: Prof.
George Bartlett, General Secretary Y. NJ.
c. A. of Pennsylvania Railroad at pres
ent located at Ocean City, and Mr.. Ed
ward Bartlett, of Camden, in the employ
of the Bell Telephone Company. Capt.
Bartlett speaks French, Spanish and
Portuguese as fuently as English. Eigh-
teen years ago he settled in Pleasant
vile, and has been largely interested in
the upbuilding of the town. He is a
large real estate owner and is one of
those big hearted men that it is plea
sure to meet.
Captain Bartlett recently invented an
automobile boat to speed through the
water over the snow and ice, and has
high hopes that his novel craft will be
the means of carrying explorers to the
North Pole. Differing from some other
inventors, he does not surround his de-
vice with mystery, and is entirely. will
ing that the world should know some
thing about it.
His amphibious craft is thirty five
feet in length, with six feet beam and
seven feet depth in the hold. 1t has one
mast forward, of length sufficient for a
big spread of canvas and gasoline en-
gine of twenty horsepower The after
broad rims and paddles of sharp iron.
This boat, Captain Bartlett says, cas-
lily surmounts snow, ice or sand at an
angle of thirty-five degrees, and over
land or snow maintains the speed of
four or five miles an hour without trou-
BILE. When in the water with sail spread
and gasoline power it approximates
eight miles an hour. The forward
wheels can be worked to steer the boat
by land or on the water
+ Captain Bartlett holds an English
masters certificate. He has rounded the
world several times as master of some
fine vessels. His experience gained from
his many voyages to the ice north and
south caused him to take lively inter
est in the Peary- Cook North Pole con-
troversy. Out OF this interest, he ex
plains, was born the desire to draft some
aba, +r,t ho+
sess the strength to cope successfully
with all the obstacles of Arctic travel,
and at the same time be speedy enough
to travel to the North Pole within rea-
sonable time
The captain says: Il never believed
that DR., Cook reached the North Pole
and the fact that he made such a claim
stamped him as faker, because Cooks
lack of education in practical navigation
was apparent. Any man could frame up
set Of observations that would bear
close scrutiny and yet deceive. | do not
believe the North Pole has yet been
reached, nor do | believe that such
journey can be accomplished In open
boats or by sledge, because of the ex-
treme cold which one would have to en-
uulC iOl buE sEfrid III biduSiI-
'sSuch boat as have designed gould
start from the north of Greenland in lat.
itude 81 and easily reach the North Pole
in ten days. without constant outside
exposure to the weather The necessary
navigation and observation instruments
would surely be better protected in the
inclosed cabin. rendering them less liable
to any variations caused by exposure.
Return could be made by way Of Alaska.
"A boat of this design and tonnage
could carry all the scientific parapherna-
liza, together with provisions and gaso-
line to last two or three months, WHICH
would be more than enough time for the
accomplishment of this great project.
This boat, from it's construction and
from the fact that it works equally well
on land or water, would be an invalua-
BILE aid in the life-saving service.
"a two-masted schooner of eighty
tons, constructed for Arctic navigation,
could easily carry the sailing automobile
boat on deck. A schooner of that di
mensions could find narrow passages
through opened foes and could take ad
vantage of them with more safety than
a large steamer like the Roosevelt"