The New York herald., 1921-01-16
FLOATING PALACE
TCOSTLY MODERN
POWER HOUSEBOAT
Luxuriously Fitted and
Built for Speed and
Comfort.
REPLACING STEAM YACHT
Has Advantage of Requiring
Smaller Crew-The While
away Most Expensive.
REPLACING STEAM YACHT

1t may seem like a long jump from
the days when Cleopatra entertained
Marc Antony in a golden galley on
the Nile to a gasolene driven house
boat in the Everglades of Florida, still
there is a logical chain, and were it not
for the golden galley it is question
if Florida waters to-day would be the
home of countless houseboats that run
all the way from the costly craft of
the multimillionaire down to the little
boxes of the 30 white trash"
1t is rather an interesting chain.
. The Nile and Egypt was the original
home of the fouseboat. Not that the
Nile and Egypt ever saw whole vil=
lagos built upon boats as one finds in
China. Still the houseboat-the float
ing summer home of the leisure class
first seems to have been popular in
the home of the Pharaohs. One might
even say that Moses lived in the first
houseboat mentioned in history. Be
that as it may, the houseboat always
has been exceedingly popular on the
Nile.
In Egypt the houseboat is called
dahabiyah. The name, which is written
dahabiah, dahabeah, dahabiyeh, daha-
beeyah and dahabiya by various au-
thorites. is as old as the ancient king
dom of the Pharaohs. 1t comes from
Two Arab words meaning gold and
go" 1t evidently was given to the
craft, as the Mahommedan rulers of
Egypt had wonderful houseboats, COW
cred with ornamental gliding that made
them look like galleys 81 gold
Even to-day, there are dahabiyahs on
The Nile that are worth kings ransom.
The late Khedive of Egypt had one that
was a floating silver mine. The in
terror decorations were one mass of
silver and ivory and wondrous woods.
Probably. it was the most costly house
boat in the world. Certainly, 1t was in
its day, although there is a possibility
that some of the craft owned by Ameri
can multimillonaires more costly.
more luxurious. more beautiful, If not
more ornate than the one built for the
late ruler OF Egypt.
Egyptian Dnbabiynhs.
When tho British Empire first threw
q fathcrly arm over Egypt just after
the Suez Canal was built. the Anglo
Egyptian became Interested in the daha-
hiyah He discovered that it was ideal
living on the water during the heated
spell. The boat that he used was
barge. like craft that was towed by
mules. when towing was possible, and
fal a.
wide that towing was impossible. 1t
was a real floating home that varied in
cost, according 10 the poclletbook of the
owner
There was one strong resemblance in
all dahabiyahs. Their hulls were the
cheapest part It was in the interior
decorations that the craft differed Also
in the size and the type of the crew
The famous silver dahabiyah of the late
Khedive was manned entirely by
eunuchs. Others, of course, had more
conventional crews.
When the Anglo Egyptian returned
home he carried with him the idea of
the floating home. 1t was the real be-
ginning of the houseboat on the Thames
AS on the Nile, the houseboat on the
Thames is nothing more or less than a
ioating home. After being once moored it
seldom IL ever is moved. Year after
year the same craft are found in the
same spots along the River Thames
Regardless of the fact that there is
innumerable opportunity for houseboat-
ing in America, living on the water
never has been particularly popular on
this side of the Atlantic. True. there
has been a little bit of houseboating on
the st. Lawrence River in the vicinity Of
the Thousand Islands. on the Mississippi
and in few Of the landlocked harbors
or Long Island Sound. Also Florida has
had its share of floating homes.
The American temperament princi-
pally Is responsible for the former lack
Of interest in the houseboat. The aver
age American wants to be on the go
lf he owns boat he wants one that will
move. The idea OF being tied up at the
same mooring forever and aye, or having
70 depend upon tow rope to be moved
has never appealed to the American
Hachtsman. or course. there are excep-
tons. Still. in the main. American
VINO like to live on water, demand some
sort or craft that will move under its
own power from port to port.
lnere Is no questioning the fact that
mere is more comfort upon a house.
boat. in landlocked waters, than there
is on any other form OF craft. The
average houseboat has great beam and
sNSS uuusual CABIN space. AZ IL
rs OF shallow draught practically the en-
tire boat Is above the water line q AS a
result the interior OF the boat is big
light and airy and as comfortable as a
mousse on the shore. Again. the bip
beam makes n houseboat as steadv as
rock. and as IL generally finds an
anchorage in landlocled harbor the
ones on board seldom experience tbe
pitching and tossing that mark the
usual life on the bounding main
GasoIene Solves Problem.
The advent of the gasolene engine
solved the question OF houseboat pro-
pulsion. First Kicker was nut into
the old fashioned flat bottom scows
that are the popular conception OF n
houseboat At first the power was
only strong enough TO enable the boat
TO move from anchorage to anchorage
without the use of towlne. Tnciden-
tally. the moving was done only when
the waters were as placid ass mill
pond
AS greater power was put info house.
boats yachtsmen began to realize that it
was necessary to change the square
stems into the more conventional yacht
design. SO the naval architect designed
q boat that had all the comfort of a
houseboat, considerable speed and lines
OF real beauty. Such is the modern
houseboat. decided Improvement over
tho old form OF craft and one that 10
out and out American.