The wonders of modern mechanismA résumé of recent progress in mechanical, physical, and engineering science . the Edinburgh International Exhibition in1890. Four forty-foot boats plied there during the season,carrying as high as two thousand five hundred passengersin a day, at a four-cent fare. In these launches the seatswere run around the sides, so that forty passengers couldbe accommodated. The accumulators were arranged underthe seats, so as to give ballast to the craft. The Electric Launch and Navigation Company of XewYork bought the franchise for navigating the Expositionwater-ways at Ch
The wonders of modern mechanismA résumé of recent progress in mechanical, physical, and engineering science . the Edinburgh International Exhibition in1890. Four forty-foot boats plied there during the season,carrying as high as two thousand five hundred passengersin a day, at a four-cent fare. In these launches the seatswere run around the sides, so that forty passengers couldbe accommodated. The accumulators were arranged underthe seats, so as to give ballast to the craft. The Electric Launch and Navigation Company of XewYork bought the franchise for navigating the Expositionwater-ways at Chicago, and ran fifty thirty-six-foot boatsthere through the season, carrying about one million ])as-sengers, mostly on three-mile trips, at a cost of a fractionunder six cents per mile per boat. The receipts were closeto half a million dollars, and, as the boats cost less thanone hundred and fifty thousand dollars and were afterwardssold for about half that sum, it will be seen that, Avitlioperating expenses of only fifteen thousand dollars, therewas a good margin for some one to make a profit. Fig. ELECTRIC LAUNCH. The illustration shows one of these boats in little propeller is driven by a shaft directly connectedto the motor in the bottom of the boat, the thrust-bearingbeing fitted with friction-balls, like a bicycle-wheel. The ELECTRIC PLEASURE-BOATS. 89 motors were four horse-power, and were arranged for fourspeeds. Sixty-six accumulator cells of one hundred andfifty ampere hours capacity were used, the charging re-quiring from four to seven hours, according to the strengthof current used, and being done entirely at night. Thecost of charging the batteries was about fifty-five cents aday. The method of charging was simply to run the boatinto a slip at the charging station and connect the accumu-lators with wires to a dynamo. A small steering-wheelwas placed forward, and this, with a lever-switch forturning the current on and off, completed the operatingm
Size: 3315px × 754px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, booksubjectmachinery, booksubjectmechanicalengi
