The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1921-11-18
NOW COMES AMAN WITHA
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Inventor of System for the Transmission of Elec-
tricity' For Power to Water Craft
Visits Elizabeth City


inc visitor the other day in the
nerson Of William T. Donnel1y.
inventor of the Donnelly system
ior tie application of electricity
10 marine transportation. NJ
Donne1ly was on his way from
: New York City to Sanford, Fla,
on his own electrically propelled
Yacht, accompanied, by his own
floating electric genera attn e
plant He stopped in Elizabeth
CITY TO better faniliarize him
sell with the possibilities for a
plying his brand new transpor-
ta1ion scheme to the transporta-
ton needs OF Northeastern
North Carolina.
Mr. DonneIly has designed and built
vLe tr~r genuinely new thing in water
-rau>ToI tation' since Robert Fulton
built the first steam boat He has in
vented i self-propelled boat in which
10 space has to be provided for fuel,
wafer and bailer~ room. The boat is
propelled by electricity generated on
another boat and transmitted to the
barge by a flexible waterproof cable
Tie electric motor. driving the barge
-akss vp only a few cubic feet of room
md orlr one man is required to man
he boar.
The ponnelly system provides for
lie distribution of electricity for pro-
pul>ior to a convoy of boats. ships or
bargeS by a mother boat. How it
works i demonstrated in Mr.. Donnel-
lv'> cruise to Florida Many persons
N the Elizabeth City waterfront saw
trim little yacht followed by another
rim little watch gliding thru the wat
ar> of the Pasquotank the other day.
These yachts were 30 feet long. II feet
wide ard had a draught of only four
fpet. One was named DAWN" the
ether New Era One seemed to be
towing the other. but it wasn't. The
cable between the two yachts was not
tow line, but high power wire trans
-.sss,'E2 go ~e4t electric trent from
tie generating plant on the Dawn to
IN electric motor tucked away under
de pilot house of the New Era The
New Era" was travelling nine miles an
hour under it's own motor from electric
power transmitted thru that tiny cable.
Tie DonneIly system is an interest
.ng study for any one interested in
either electricity or marine transpor-
ration. An inspection of the New
IL oe
newspaper how a family of five may be
housed in comfort and travel on yacht
onIy 30 feet long and - feet wide.
With the usual power plant in such a
boat. there would hardly be room for
any one but the crew, and the noise
and odor from the engine in such a
small boat would be decidedly disagree
able. But there were William 7. Don
nelly. Mrs. Donnelly and three other
members of the Donnelly family having
lovely time of it on the New Era.
There was no engine room, no odor, no
noise ard no crew to crowd the pass
argers. The crew was on the DAWN
and if the owner desired to give orders
% the crew there was a telephone at
land thru which his orders were trans
A.itced. Incidentally the little craft
~arricd its own wireless telegraph and
-"lephone set and the other night all
=: board listened to a symphony con-
~~-t played in the city of Pittsburgh,
-Im!"ed> Of miles away.
Tire New Era has many appoint
.--nIr> and Super-comforts not found on
-i-- small yachts. 1t is heated by
..-.-ric;ty and the cooking is done by
--."T-icity. And because it has to car
" u water or fuel. there is plenty of
rna. for big ice box for the storage
= .~aviSion$.
ir- suppose something happened to
"L'awn' or the cable broke and no
-itv vas transmitted to the
Now Era:% That questions is an
-.. hy the fact that the New Era"
.-. .tagc batteries and these batter
cl,are:->- "I.i1a tie y2.sei *
- :alnt can -ravel at "a
..a miles az Eo.r for & pc
.os:~ g. the stored up en-
batteries. And % there YOU