Year: 1873

Application ~ tho Eel Motion fOl


Driving Vessels.


From the New York Times.


A gentleman in Greenpoint last Sat.
urday afternoon exhibited to few in.
vited guests model boat propelled by
contrivance entirely new, at least
untried hitherto in its application to
steamboat propulsion. The model was
about two feet long, shaped like craft
intended rather for carrying freight
than for speed, resembling in it's lines
and proportions an ordinary coal barge.
The propelling contrivance is simply an
elongated rudder made of two flexi-
BILE slabs, which for practical
use will be made of short
and narrow pieces of wood,
fitting cloeely together and swung
from q straight piece that forms the
top edge of the rudder, leaving the
lower part to be acted upon by a
spirally-curved rod that revolves inside
of the rudder, imparting to it's flexible
sides the serpentine or eel.like motion
that drives the boat through the water,
by a principle of resistance similar to
that Of the ordinary screw propeller.
In the model with which the expert
ment was made on Saturday afternoon
the rudder or propeller was construct
ed of pieces of brass wire working close
together and hanging from the spine
or to edge. The fact that the rudder
is also the propeller does not interfere
in the least with its Office as
steering apparatus; in fact, the
combination appears to be on
advantageous one, and, although the
flexible sides were not submerged to
over one-fourth their depth, a very sat.
isfactory rate of speed was attained.
The power is applied in exactly the
same manner as in the screw propel
ler, viz: by longitudinal shaft, which
in this contrivance extends beyond the
stern of the vessel to the extreme end
and inside of the rudder, the' part in.
closed by the two flexible sidrs of the
rudder being, as before stated. spirally
bent. In the model, the machinery
consisted of simply the barrel
and fuse, spring, and chain
of q brass clock, the shaft be-
ing connected by means of miter
wheels. The inventor feels certain
that q very high rate of speed for boats
can be attained by this propeller. He
disclaims t1y designs on the canals,
simply aiming at the principle for
navigating shallow waters. The motion
of the two foot model through the
water was stately and very easy, just
like that of a large vessel, and with
sufficient motion to demonstrate effect
ually the success of the "eel motion {"
as the inventor calls it-for driving
boats-at least on q small scale-at q
fair rate of speed through tie water.
The only objection presented by the
experiment was the length of the rud
der, which is required to obtain the
wave motion. This same fault accom-
panied the first idea of the screw
propeller, but it was found by an &C.
cident, ana much to the surprise of the
inventor, that this great length was
superfluous, and that the screw when
reduced to a single helix, answered
the purpose better than when it pro.
jected long distance behind. So it
may turn out that short rudder will
answer as we'll as long one. This is
the first tine that the "eel motion ~
has been scientifically applied to the
propulsion of boats. It has in it's favor
the fact that the jarring ::reated by the
paddle wheel and the screw propeller
is entirely dispensed with, as there is
no beating on the water to cause it.
Whether the "eel motion" will be q
success as applied to large vessels, re-
mains to be seen.