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38 - MARINE REVIEW [Jan. 21. AUTOMOBILE LAUNCH, SPEED 20.6 MILES. [Bult by Gas Engine & Power Co. and Charles L. Seabury & Co. Consolidated, Morris Heights, N. ¥. ¥ Some Novelties in Marine Construction. The Gas Engine & Power Co. and Charles L. Seabury & Co., Consolidated, Morris Heights, New York, are leaders in the con- struction of pleasure craft and may, therefore, be usually de- pended upon for innovations. The latest development in which the company has been especially successful, and which has won the keenest attention of naval architects, is the so-called "auto boat," or high-speed launch with gasoline power. It marks a decided development of speed with small craft and seems to be coming into general favor. At any rate it permits one to tear through the water at a terrific rate for a moderate original expenditure and a modest one for maintenance. These craft are to the water what the automobile is to the land. There is no particularly dis- tinguishing feature of the hull, which is built very light, compara- tively narrow, and usually on the model of the torpedo boat, with fiat stern. The particular one illustrated in this issue is 40 ft. lenge, 5 it. beam, had to be introduced in this craft. Numerous boats of the sec- tional type have been constructed, some of considerable size, but with the intention of providing for one handling and to be as- sembled where the facilities of ship yards and ship builders would be available.. There are no such facilities in the Philippines and moreover the war department wanted a boat that could be put into commission on short notice and wherever the transport hap- pened to be. These conditions necessitated further development of the sectional boat to make it practical of assembling with the, members afloat or when put overboard separately by the ship's derrick. The war department issued a call for bids, stipulating the requirements and leaving it with the bidders or builders to make their own plans "and specifications and to rely on their own ingenuity to fulfill the contract. The proposal of the Gas Engine & Power Co. and Charles L. Seabury & Co., Consolidated, was accepted. The boat and has a draught of about 9 in. She is single-planked -- with cedar and built without keel. 'Butternut was - used in finishing \j -- the cockpit. The greatest in- terest centers in the engines. They are built of mini- mum weight and driven much fast- er than in regular service, making from 600 to 900 revolutions pey has been construct- ed accordingly and with every evi- dence of her com- plete success. At <" first thought the \ problem would . . not seem difficult \ . but with deeper ' study of the tech- nical features a number of _ per- plexities develop. The different members or sec- tions, with their varying size and weight, and the minute. The en- gine is known as the Round-trip (very significa nt and excellent weight of the equipment they . Carry, Must-=natir- ally have: different displacement when name for an auto- ' mobile boat) and is built ins. two models. They are of the four-cycle pattern exploding in each cylinder at every other revolution. Each cylinder is cast in one piece without flanges and the piston is inserted from the bottom. The engines have a perfected water circulation, admitting the cold water at the top where the heat becomes highest and draining it off through the exhaust pipe. The models are known as A and B. In the model B the frame is one of the built-up or stanchion form, while in the smaller engines, or model A, it is cast with the base. In the model B there is a mechanical exhaust valve and suction inlet.valve. Ignition is made by jump-spark system, with special plug, commutator and vibrator, designed by the company and made for this particular line of work. The propeller is reversed by the planetary gear clutch connected with the motor bed. This launch is said to have attained a speed of 20.6 miles, using a 22-in. wheel at 900 revolutions. The company has also lately constructed a sectional boat for the army department, which is, in its way, a decided novelty. This vessel has just been launched and is named the Pontonier. It was built to meet a necessity confronting the war department in the Philippines. Improved facilities were needed for the hand- ling of men, provisions and munitions from the army transports. A tender which could be taken aboard and transported bodily would have insufficient capacity, and the need for a larger boat 'was responsible for the idea of building one in sections--proving again that necessity is the mother of invention. Of course sec- tional craft are common and there would be nothing worth while in this one were it merely a sectional boat. Certain new features PONTONIER AFTER SECTIONS HAVE BEEN JOINED. [ Built by the Gas Engine & Power Co., and Charles L, Seabury & Cv Consolidated, Morris Heights, V. ¥. put afloat and be brought to a com- mon water line be- fore attaching to each other. They must be quickly assembled and under great difficulty at times when the sea is rough; they must also have sufficient strength to at once become capable of operation and to stand the strain of the waves with their own weight. Follow- ing are some details of the boat: The length over all is 80 ft., beam 18 ft; and dratight.3 ft. 6 in. A light draught is essential as the greatest advantage would be realized in the use of the boat for embarking and debarking men and munitions in waters which would not be navigable for ves- sels of great draught. With a full load the displacement will be 72 tons, on which the draught is calculated. She is of steel! construction entire, with angle frames and stringers, girder or plate keel and keelsons inside, and plating of 1% in. ship: steel, with lapjoints With the steel deck each member becomes wat- er tight or box-like in form: The bow section is comparatively short, .carrying derrick and the anchor equipment, with chain and store-lockers' inside. The quarter section, or that next the bow section, serves both as a hold for cargo and as quarters for the crew. In fact it will berth twenty-men if required. The third: section carries the boilers, the coal bunkers and a portion of the water storage. The coal capacity will be 13 tons, giving a liberal running radius. On the top of this third section is also fitted a pilot house, portable, with or without which the vessel may be operated. The section next aft the boiler, or the fourth section, will carry the driving power intact, that is the two en- gines (for she will have two), their shafts and the propellers, thus keeping them in perfect alignment and without danger of