The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1919-03-27
propeller fairly shrieked like sirer

propeller fairly shrieked like siren.
But the Curtiss engine stood the strain
better than any marine engine woVe
ever used. The airplane engine Is much
lighter in build. and I believe In the
future all marine enginess will be bullt
on airplane motor lines. and much
lighter than the old types.
Liberty Motors "Tandem."
Our power plant in Miss America
will DO two Liberty motors. Ihis Is
our first attempt 10 use two engines
in this way. They will be installed
tandem; that is, with one engine IN
front of the other. and the shafts or
both going to a gear box where the
power will bc transmitted 10 single
shaft and propeller. These two Lid
erty motors, built in the Packard plant,
will weigh 800 pounds and will develop
900 horse power al 5000 revolutions.
The manager Of the plant has assured
mo that at 1000 revolutions these
motors can be run throughout racing
season without danger Of breakdown:
"Of. course we will gear the propeller
shaft UP so that the propeller VIII
turn over 5000 revolutions to the EN-
gines 1000. Our old racing engines
Fan from l,75O to $500 revolutions
minute. With the Liberty motors in
Sailed tandem we will have Il new aa-
vantage. Usually speed boat motors
take up all the space in the cockpI';
We will have room to walk around
them, to make any small adjustments
or repairs necessary while running
Besides this, Miss America will be
twenty-six feet long. with no overhang'
or six feet longer than the boat We
made all the worlds records with. TINS
added length is going to mako MISS
A1tt in
and our chief trouble has been the
terrific pounding We got from the jump
ing Of small boats. Why, after the rLst
cup race l was in bed for several days
bruised and hammered worse than any
prizefghter you ever saw. and Kho"
Jay was no better of. We had lot or
racing in rough seas. Miss Minneapolis
WAS bounded until she was timber. and
Miss Detroit II. was strained ana
wracked so that when We pulled her
out we found that her whole bottom
was q mass Of bristly nails that hau
been broken off and had worked out
until she looked as il she needed Il
shave. / don't know how the boat hc1d
together to finish, but she did, ana
made corking time. too. Miss America
is roine to have the benefit Of every
thing we have learned with the other
fast boats. She will be built with
heavier nails Of steel instead Of copper,
and braced 80 that she'll never WracR
out Of shape.
Under the conditions Of the Harms
worth Cur race, reliability is big
thing. because a boat failing 10 finish
in one race can't race again. We have
MANNED for reliability. Suppose one
engine breaks down. Our gear oox Is
so arranged that We could cut one en-
overheard
want to-and run on the other with
enough power to finish in good style.
One OF the rules of the race IS THAT
every boat must be able TO reverse and
20 backward at a speed OF al least
four miles an hour
THE rule doesn't specify how quick
" you have TO be ready 10 reverse. 10
reverse the. English boat Maple Leaf
". they had to take out the gear box
! and install another with reverse gear
that they carried in the boat. This
operation took about an hour. but they
could do 1t. That rule is q joke for Il
racing boat. Of course; but we will have
4 practical way of reversing that will
work q little more quickly. We Will
carry an extra shaft and propeller. 50
that we can make. repairs and finish Z
race even if We are damaged BY StrM-
| ing driftwood.
eS Miles An Hour, Peralaps.
"As for speed, Miss America will
| make, I'd rather wait for q test than
| make predictions. The fastest suS-
! tanned speed on record WAS when !
drove Miss Detroit II over ten-nile
| course at a rate slightly better than
! s!xty-fivc miles an hour. We expect to
go faster in England. I wouldn't worry
! if the English defender could make 10
! miles an hour. If snc does We'll go
| faster. Theoretically, Nc should be able
! to do eight y-fivc miles an hour. Chris
Smiths calculations for this hui! end
the two Liberty motors, allowing for the