The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-04-24

1t finally picked on a young chap
who had a local reputation as a me
chanicaf genius. He gave IL enthu-
siastic greeting and. lodged 1t in his
brain.
why can't 7 build a boat that will
break all. speed records?" he mused
There isn't really any reason. You
can't find a smoother surface than the
water. Til make this boat SO 1t will
glide over instead OF cutting through
the water"
Building operations began at the
Ninth street wharves. The new craft
was between forty and fifty feet long
broad OF beam. the bottom shaped like
a flattened "v." It was forerun-
ner of the modern sea-sled. one OF
which made a speed OF eighty miles
an hour recently.
Thirty years ago. however. the
thing was q oke and crowds came
from all parts OF Washington and
creation over and to jeer and scott
The continual strain began to tell on
the inventor. He became eccentric
according to friends,
The momentous day came for choos-
ing the power plant. The fire CT
genius burned dimly. II at all. The
inventor chose two. opposed cylin-
der gasoline burning monstrosity, one
of the first built, which developed pos
sibly ten horsepower when II was
feeling good. which was seldom.
This coffee mill was to drive the
heavy fifty foot boat at a sped Of nj
least sixty miles an hour The glorious
day dawned-the craft was compile ted
'Csp'n. do you really expect that
motor to drive your scowT' asked a
Y 81 ca mboat engineer
Sure" said the Cap'n confidently.
I've got a new propeller, my own
invention. that'll do the trick. The
trouble with most propellers is that
they use half their energy showing
the water to the sides instead of to
the rear. where II counts for some
thing. Now my propeller is built
so that all the push is to the rear.
Sure. that motor will drive it, ex-
pect to make sixty miles an hour.
I'll bepdown in Florida in a couple
OF days"
PRESIDENT DECLINES.
The inventor. known to fame as
"Cap'n Rood"--no one ever heard OF
any first name-invited President
Mckinley to participate in the trial
trip. But the President declined. He
had a previous engagement.
One warm summer day She Cap'n
shaved off from the wharf. amidst
storm of jeers and cstcalls.
He cranked his fendish motor,
which sputtered. fired volley OF
salutes, and settled down to work
1t evidently wasn't feeling good that
day, for the craft moved of ma
jestically at a speed OF fully six
miles an hour. A leather-lunsed
river man on the wharf intimated
that the tide was washing the Csp'n
away. That was unkind. The boat
wasn't worried about tideD--it had
troubles OF its own. The final
breakdown came several hours later,
Just as the ark hove abreast OF
Eastern branch.
Three or four days later n party OF
Washingtonians set sail in a yacht
for fishing trip down river. Leav-
ing the city at sunset. they ran into
a storm when nearing Alexandria. In
the midst of the downpour, with light
ming darting around promiscuously
among the racing clouds, they came
across a strange craft, which appeared
suddenly through the inky darkness
A long-whiskered man was racing
up and down the deck in his night
shirt, heaving over anchors as he
went AS the sixth plunked oversize
the yacht skipper hailed the night
shirted spite. 1t was Cap'n Rood.
stop flinging those anchors over.
Cap'n," roared the skipper, "and well
give you a tow"
The Csp'n dashed the rain out of
his eyes and began hauling in
anchors.
RUNS CRAFT ASHORE.
The yacht towed Cap'n's craft sew .
eral miles down the river. Then the
storm died away and the yacht cast
on. disappearing in the murk. Csp'n
ran his craft ashore. Here he stayed
six months. Another tow took him
several miles further.
After two years. he arrived at Col
onial Beach, some go miles down the
Potomac. That wasn't a speed record
even for those days. At the beach
his craft was pulled up in Monroe
creek, behind the present resort. Sand
bars and patches of seaweed cut off