The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, November 29, 1896, Page 16

VY. squandering a few shillings yow g 2 might fairly satisfy yourself § whether M. FErnest Bazin, the French engineer, who bas just copstructed a packet on rollers, is a dreamer or a ge- nius. Two things are necessary for the experiment, says James: W. Smith in the Strand Magazine—a sizable tank of water and alarge tin button, or wheel, hollow inside and sharp atthe edge. The latter might eost two or three shillings to make. The water can be found in the family bath. Now for the experiment. First put| your wheel in the tank. It will floatin an upriglit position, with about one-third of its bulk in the water. Now give it sudden twirl with the fingers, and be care- | i not to push it forward. You will find | that the wheel will continue to revolve | for some time and will remsdin in the same | spot in the water. Now give the wheel a | forward movement, but do not. twirl it, | and you'will notice that, like the keel of | an ordimary toy boat, it will toss the | water in° front and leave a wake behind. It will show no tendency to revolve, and uddenly aiter it has advanced a nce through the water. The e of the experiment will give you a shock of deiighted surprise. By skillfal manipulation, give to the wheel at one and the same time a twirl and a push forward. The wheel will dash atross the tank in.the twinkling of an eve, and the water w emain aimost unruffied. Some e ago 1na magnificent work- shop in Levallois-Perret, a northern su- burb of Paris, those simple experiments | were performed by M. Ernest Bazin befarcl acrowd of French engineering experts, and among them were numbered some of the most i eminent admirals of the French Naturally there were scoffers in the tit is said that these remained to pray—ior the successful application to ocean navigation of a great principle in- volved in the simple manipulation of a holiow wheel upon water. The lesson which tue experts drew from the ex- periments was the same lesson that M. Bazin bad drawn years before - when, after a long series of naval inventions, his attention had been turned to the problem of increased speed at the least cost upon the ocean. ‘His experiments told him that for the propulsion of a boat on rollers he. could not depend simply on- the revolution of the wheels, but would have to unite the rev ing movement with ‘a movement forward, ] fact that the water re- mained undisturbed when he united the inovements showed that h a sharp-| edzed roller the friction ordinarily met within a geel was reduced a!most to a winimum, and that as friction is one of #he great hindranees to speed upon the ocean: there was a probability that a steamship constructed on wheels, and in accordance with the principles shown in the experiments, would revolutionize ocean navigation. M. Bazin lately told me in Paris that if he nad nad enough money he would bave constructed his ocean steamship out- ‘right.” The enormous cost, however, of such an undertaking compelled him to be | necessary for great speed. /. sove e wsoe was accordingly made, and is a beautiful piece of work. It restsin a large tank at Levallois, and in, itself it is a complete answer to the often - made com- ment that a roller-boat must be an ugly and rickety contrivance. - From the side of the tauk, where one gets a com- plete view of the wheels, one is immedi- ately struck with the oddity of its appear- ance, but a glance along the deck from the end of the boat shows little that is different from the deck of an Atlantic “liner.” The front view, with the deck extending oyer' the open waier, reminds ons of a New York ferry-boat, and the rollers are very similar to the paddle- wheel boxes of a penny steamer on the Thames. The staterooms, bridge and funnels enforce this simiiarity. The model is one-twenty-fifth the size of t' e projected *liner,” which wiil te over 390 feet long. It shows eight wheels, four on each side, and, like the disk with which M. Ba they are convex in form with smooth sur- faces. Such a form can offer but little resist- ance to the wind, while under the decks, | which are to be constructed with powerful girders, the head winds will have an open in made his original experimenis, | (4 WHEELS o each pair of wheels—su pplied the power toturn the wheels. When the power was turned on the screw began to move with rapidity and the wheels moved slowly, but in a moment or two the boat began to move through the tank at surprising speed. Then in order to exhibit the conduct of the model in rough weather the water was stirred up until the waves reached the level of the deck. Yet the boat rode steadily, and showed that passengers would get little motion in a stormy sea. It may be said in passing that when the *‘liner’’ is constructed it will be without a rudder, and that the steering power will be given by a column of water ejected from the stern by means of a pump. By this means the vessel, instead of being re- tarded by the resistance of an ordinary rudder, will be advantageously assisted by the water thrown out at the stern. So much for the pretty model at Leval- lois. Not only on account of the cost, but owing to the fact that Paris is on a very narrow and shallow river, it was mani- festly impossible for the inyentor to con- struct at the French capital a trans Atlantic steamer. It was therefore decided to build the smaller boat with six wheels, just large enough to go through the locks of the Seine, and at Rouen, where the river is wide aud deep and shipyards plen- tiful, to put in engines and heavy ma- chinery and prepare the boat finklly for | its maiden trip from Havre to London. It took some time at first to find an estab- lishment in Paris where such a unique boat could be construcied with dispatch and with & willing co-operation between inventor and maker, but in the old estat- lishment of Cail, on the banks of the Seine, af Eaint-Denis, about five miles from Paris, the right place was work was begun. While the m yrmidons of the Call'Works are putting the inventor’s idea into shape found and passage. The formation of the decksin and the enormous wheels in skeleton form world, and magazines in all languages regarding the “bateau rouleur,” were pictures and mementos 4.mnuiu:xe::x with the inciden! career in science. One of ih:sx:’ii!:v‘easnsepresenu the Em- peror Napoleon 1(I and the Empress vis- iting the works of the inventor in 1866. Another represents MacMabon at the Maritime Exposition of 1875 st_u{!yxn%’n curiously constructed boat exhibited by M. Bazin; and still another shows the King and Queen of the Belgians at the Brussels Exposition of 1876 interrogating the. inventor about his different works. In a far-off corner of one of the walls hung a long metal chain which hed been dredged out of the Neva by onme of M. Bazin’s dredgers, and above X it was a photograph of the late Uzar of Russia, who had sent the photograph with the chain and his . compliments. When I asked the inventor for permission 1o reproduce some of his mementos, be re- fused. “They are of no interest,” hesaid, “and mean little except to me.” Then, with ereat modesty, he added, “They are souvenirs of the past.”” It would be impossible to cntnlo;ms»nll the notable inventions of this interesting “‘past.”” They are the direct resultofa love for things maritime nurtured by a vouthful study of science and a long serv- ice on the Indian Ocean. They include an apparatus for indicating the distance traveled by vessels, an hydraulic rudder, a submarine electric light, a dredging ma- ciiine, a long-distance projectile and a hy- drostatic coffee-pot. The last two inventions on the list show that M. Bazin has not confined himself exclusively to inventions of a naval nature, but has touched upon all things. | An ingenious muchine for spinning hemp brought him years ago the Cross of the Legion of Honor, and the roller-steamship will probably put him among the Stepben- sons and Watts who nave given spur to the progress of the world. It is the long record of success that has lent weight to the project of a roller-boat, and has drawn the experts to Levallois to see. Let usnow go back to the banks of the Seine to witness the launching of the Ern- esi Bazin—the name already given to this queer structure, which looks more like a gizantic playtbing, or a Brobdingnagiun trolley, than a plain, everyday steamboat. The inventor said i¢ waslike the bottom of a tramcar with a shed over it, and possibly thisis the better simile. Butphotographs throw light on places which words weakly describe, and the accompanying illustra- the model shows an enormous carrving capacity. This is naturally a desidera- um, for in the fast ocean steamships of to-day very little freight is carried, on ac- count of the space occnvied by the fuel When the “liner’” is built, M. Bazin hopes to show that he can attain a greater speed than is now attained, with a less expenditure cf fuel, and that, in consequence, a great deal of the space occupied by coal will be given over to merchandise. To the experts gathered round the tank at Levallois the experiment’s with the sin- gle wheel were interesting, but the actual working of the model gave rise to the highest hopes in the Ffench- breast. The motive power was obtained from dynamos. DESIGN OF THE STEAMER ON WHEELS, are bringing the Parisians from far and wide to gaze at the shed and its cumbrous conten's, let us turn for a moment to the inventor Bazin, and see what manner of man he is. Wpen I first met him in his | home in the Rue Guillaume Tell in Paris I was surprised to find him not a man of 30 or 35—an ace which, for some reason or other, we olten attribute to in- ventors with great untried ideas— but a man of 60 or thereabouts, with iron gray hair.- Bur M. Bazin does not show his age; he talks with great rapidity and moves as actively as a man of 20. In face he is very, like the late Napoleon, with a tuft of grayish beard on his chinand a spiendid forehead. Benind bim the in- | ventor has left a fine record, and around tions will tell in a second just how the ‘“ioller-boat” looked ‘‘before and after” it feit the thrill of life along its six keeis. For it is evident that éach rolier is a keel in itsell. But tbe photo- graphs give little idea of the immense crowd thaf lined tne banks of Saint-Denis on August 19—what a French writer has called *a red-letter day in the history of France.” There were fully 20,000 people present at the launching, and gmung those were ad- mirals and naval officers, and newspaper men in all languages. The boat slid off the ways as easily as 1f it had had a year's practice, and, after a slight slum in the water, settled gracéfully and successfully THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, NOVEMBER' 29, 1896. reconsidered their arguments, and con- cluded that, aiter all, there might be some- thing in those sharp and hollow wheels. The launching was the first real evi- dence that the boat was not a dream, and aithough one man said, ““Wait until the trial trip!” the majority of spectators were fairly convinced that the outlook for ultimate success on the Channel was bright. For some weeks after the launching the roller-boat lay in front ot the Cail Worksin St. Denis. During this time the flooring was the tank, showed that the model would ride lightly on a turbulent sea. He also showed that the boat was practically un- sinkable. , He puilled out plugs in two of the wheels and the water rushed in imme- diately. . When the water,'moreover, bad risen 1o a certain height in the roller, the wheel turned round and brought the hole Where the plug had been to the top. In case of an accident to one of the rollers 1t would therefore be plainly possibla to repair damages in a very convenient fashion. In order to make plain the more laid across theiron deck-frame, the lighter | abstruse argument that there 1s littie fric- macinery was put in place and the interior of the rollers, which through the little openings at the top look very like the interior framework of two big umbrellas, was firmly strengthened. About the mid- dle of September the boat was towed to Rouen, where it was quickly changed in appearance from a mere platform cn Wheels into a most imposing craft. For the benefit of those who understand things when they are expressed in cold numbers a few facts may not be out of place. The platform is about 126 feet long and about 40 feet wide. Each wheel has a diameter of slightly over-32 feet and its greatest width is 10 fect. The wheels are covered with piate about a quar:er of an inch thick. The boat weighs 230 tons. The screw is moved by a machine of 550 horsepower, and each pair of wheels, a¢ in the Levallois moael, is rotated by an en- gine of fiity horsepower, making, for the three pairs, a force of 150. As may be seen from the end view, reproduced frem the original drawing by M. Bazin, and let to me by the Revue Encyclopedique of s, the rollers turn upon their own axes. ‘The pesition of the screw is also shown, and the cross-section on the same page chows the position of - the 1udder, the ar- rangement of the machinery, the cabins, engine-room and ventilators. The com- pactness of the total arrangement is striking, and nothing that experience has proved needful has been omitted in the construction. When the news was first spread abroad that a boat on wheels had.been success- fully faunched, there was great doubt as to what ‘‘wheels” meant. Some said that they were lLittle, and others said they were big. Some szid that ‘they were totally submerged; others that they rested cn the water and skimmed along it; and still others imagined that the wheels were ordinary paddles. Any doubt as to their exact nature has, we may venture to say, already been cleared up by the photographs in this article. But the doubts regarding the feasibility of the inventiog are still many. Wouldn’t the boat sink if struck? ‘Wouldn’t it toss wretchediy on the bosom of the deep? Wouldn’t it this, and wouldn’t it that? Well, a -few trips on the Channe! will be the best answer to theose questions. more than the distance from Havre io New York. 2 s This, so far as it can be Tid 6f techni- calities and confusing numerical caleula- tions, is the basis for .the vropitecy th we are on the eve of a great revolution in navigation. In 1895 the fleet - Lucinia cro-sed the Atlantic at the rate ©f.22 knots an hour, and® her sister ship, the Cam- pania, hag made 560 knots in one day. An average fast steamer rareiy, goes more than 20 knots an hour; although the tor- pedo-boat destroyer, Sokol, which ds said@ to be tae fastest steamer in the world; has 7 h it el AP e ] TP i 7l AFLOAT IN THE SEINE. tion or resistance in a revolving wheel, M. Bazin placed two wooden sticks on the surface of the tank and without turning the wheel gave it a forward movement against the obstruction. The bit of wood was forced back for a moment, but on account of the new fric- tion the wheel quickly stopped. The in- ventor revolved the wheel and sent it against the wood. The wheel passed over the cbstruction, which sank in the water, passed under the wheel and immediately returned to the surface, in almost the identical place. So far, indeed, as could be proved by the action of the model, every objection to the roller-boat was con- sidered as satisfactorily answered. It is, however, in the matter of speed that the boat may do wonders. Here, again, the arguments of M. Bazin, based upon practical experience and put forth with a pleasant modesty, seem flawless. The inventor does not claim for the boat a medium speed of over eighicen knots, or more than twenty knots when the engines are pushed, T ose who have studied the construction of the rollers and who know a little nayigation arithmetic say that the boat will be capable of thirty- two knots. By means of several experi- ments with the model the inventor ob- tained results which seem to show that the enthusiasts are correct in their ‘be- lief. A cord attached to a framework on six wheels was passed over a pulley, carrying a weight of 200 grammes. The boat was then putin position at the, end of the tank, and was drawn forward by the gradual fall of the weight at the end of the cord. “The passage across the tank occupied twenty-three seconds. Then, in addition to the propulsive movement given by the weight, the wheels were put into rotation by clockwork, and the boat went across the tank in eleven seconds. It Bas since been estimated—and for the moment a technical sentence is neces- sary—that when the correct corelation be- tween the propelling and rotary forces is established 60 per centof the movementin the wheel will be forward motion. Upon this basis, Admiral Couluombeaud, a sci- entific authority of the highest impor- tance, who has followed the theories and experiments of M, Bazin from the begin- ning, has stated that a boat with wheels made over 30 knots. But in the case of ocean liners such as are buift te-day a like speed wiill probably never be ob- tained., One authority has lately said that it costs thousands of pounds to add an extra half-knot on a fast steamer’s speed, and that the limit has probably even.now been reached. The power wasted.in over- coming the friction and resistance of the water is enormous; and as the horse- power needful to force a ship through the seas increases tremendously with every knot sought for, it is little to be marveled at that the.“roller-boat,”” with its asserted economy and quickness, has caught the attention of the world. . The promises held out stir the mind and move the pen with enthusiasm. The prospect that the present voyage between Queenstown or Southampton and New York may be cut down to four, and possi« bly three and a half days, makes the in- valid on the ocean ‘“liner’” raise his head in prayerful thanks. The business man sees that the success of the invention puts bim into communication with his cus- tomers more quickly than the merchants of Pheenicia could buve dreamed. The steamship companies, looking ‘at. it from a food standpoint, see that the say- ing ‘of @ hunared hours from Havre to New York means the saving of touns of eatables, and, in consequence, increased dividends. * The ‘*‘globe-trotter” - thrilis with the idea that the records of Phileas Fogg and Nellie Bly will be extinguished, and that Puck’s will be threatened. . The hopes of all are rosy, but in them there is a basis of vracticability. “Why should we not go faster? It is evolution. E For France the result is all-important. 1 Waile other nations have been making steady progress in the speed of their ves- sels that country has lagged behind. .- 1 There: are only twosgreat steamship corn- panies flying the French flag, and thé best boats on these lines have reached their limit of speed in eighteen knots. Urider these conditions Frenchmen have. Jost nove in the struggle for commerce. The appearance of M. Bazin h#s revived the hope in their mindsthat when the ro!ler- boat takes its place.in the ocean service the supremacy in commerce will belong to France. —_— content with a model,-ahd with i 4 € 3 on the piacid bosom of the Seine. Cries | But we may _hare recall : the experi- | 69.08 meters fn circumference, rgvo!ving Previous to the sixteénth century it was tims ) 2ok he pre- | One of these dynamos turned tI':e screw or h_xs_ rooms, which at the time of my first | of “Vive le Bazin!" mingled with cries of | ments made in the tank at Leval- | at the rate of twenty-four revolutions per customary for every physician in Europe iminary construction of a small roller- prop_euer and gave the boat its forward | visit were strewn with newspaper clip- | “Vive la France!” and the few whoex-|lois. At that time, .as we have | minute, would cover over thirty-twoknots | to wear a ring on his finger as an indica- boat for the Channel service. The model | motion, while four other dynamos—one to | pings, plies of letters from all purts of the | pected to see-the boat sink or topple over | said, M. Bazin, by stirring the water in |an hour; and in 100 hours would cover | tion of his profession. —+ - - S T was New Year's.day, when z little" boy of some 10 years of age, accom- .panied by au old servani-man, was - walking from Plenhoec to Dolmen, near Dinan. “The child was laughing and talk- ing alk the way, and he walked at sucha rate that the poor old servitor could scarcely keep up with him. It wad the young Viscount Herve de . Plenhoec, and"he was on his avay to the e chateau, of the Marquise du Dolmen to wish her a Happy New Yéar. He wasa handnonge lad, upright and straight as a dart, and his large, dark eyes had an hionest Jook 1n them that won all hearts. + Preséntly they came within sight of the oid manor-house, with its .tower and turrets, and the little Viscount bounded on in Jris hurry to arrive. Very uncere- moniously he rushed through the hall into the long, tapestry-hung drawing- room, which, with its huge, oid-fashioned furniture and high ceiling, looked like a corper of some cathedral. A stately loo! ing old lady was seated, and, indeed, almost buried in an immense armchair, while in the wide fireplace a cheeriul Jog- tire was crackling, ““Why, Herve, you must have risen early this morning to get here at this time,” ex- claimed the Marquise, looking admiringly at the handsome boy who had rushed in like 2 whirlwind. **Oh, grannie, and .I had learned such a piece of poetry to =ay to you, but—I am afraid I have forgotten every word of it, [ was in such a hurry to get here,” said Herve, ruefully. “Never mind, we'll Lave it another time,” said the indulgent old lady, “You shall see first how you like younpresents.” On a table near were tke said presents, some story-books, some games and—a cun,’ areal gun! Herve was nearly beside him- BY ALYS HALLARD .. seii with joy. For two long years he had wished fora gun, bat bis parents had al- ways been afraid of an accident and had refused to get him one. His large eyes lighted up with pride and delight as he bandled his precious treasure; and, oh, how he wished there were some enemy now before him that he could try his aim at once. Hervebelonged to a family in which all the men had been soidiers, and most of his ancestors had met their death on the battle-fieid. His grandfather had been [killed in the Crimean War, during the sieze of Sebastopol; and Herve had always deliznted in hearing tales of war. On his way home again that afternoon Herve kept admiring his precious gun. The old servitor was carryingall the other presents, but the boy could not trust his treasure to any other hands, and he kept pulling the trigger and delighling in the click it made as he loosed it. They had gone along some distance when Herve became aware that a little boy was foliowing them, and as he kept quite near all the time the little Viscount turned round at last and looked at him. He was a boy of about his own age, but very poorly clad; and the thin, sunken cheeks and the pale face told of hunger and suffering, while the dark eyes looked so wistfully at him that Herve said kindly: “What is it you want, Jittle boy 2"’ “Nothing; I was only looking at the gun,” replied the little lad abashed. “What’s your name?"” asked Herve. “Tanneguy,” replied the other child. “I live near to your house, and I oiten watch you riding on your pony.” And then, emboldened by Herve's kindly man- ner, the poor little fellow ventured to put one finger on the uhin*ng trigger of the marvelous treasure. 7 “It's one of my presents,’”” saia Herve; *isn’t it a fine one? Have you bad any | presents?” he asked. 1 The poor little fellow laughed hitterly. “Tlere's nobody to give me auyihing. My parents are dead.” Herve looked at all the parcels the old servant-man was carrying, and he said, eagerly: **Choose one of my presents, little boy.” T. e lad glanced at all the parcels indif- ferently, and then his eves went back to the one treasure, the coveted gun, and he shook his head. *“No; books and games wouldn’t be much use to me. Can Ilook at the gun? Can I hold it a minute?” Herve handed it to him, and ‘they all three walked along & littie way tozether, Tanueguy pressing the trigger and listen- ing with delight to the click, as Herve had done. The little Viscount looked very thoughtful, and then he said: “And you haven’t got a mother nor any one, and you haven’t bLad one present?” “No,” replied the his eyes still fixed on holding so carefully. Herve was silent again for a minute. He was having an inward struggle with himself; at last he said, impetuously, as tbough afraid of allowing himself to hesitate: *Little boy, you can keep my gun, be- cause you have not got & mother, or any one.” Tanneguy gazed at him speechless with astonishment and joy. His pale cheeks flashed and the tears came into his eyes, but he could not find any words with which to thank the little Viscount. Time passed by and Herve went away to college, but in the holidays he always saw Tanneguy, who was employed on a farm on the Plenhoec estate. “I have always kept the gun,” said Tanneguy, one day, to the young Viscount. “It was the cne happiness of my child- hood, and I shall never part with it.. It ever the day should come when you should have need of one, you can count on me’’'— and the young Breton’s voice vibrated with earnestness, so that Herve knew that these ‘were no vain words. 5 At the age of 18 the young Viscount entered the military school of Saint Cyr, deiermined as he was to embrace the career of his ancestors. Two years later the ter- rible war of '70 broke out, and Herve, with some of his comrades of Saint Cyr, was appointed officer in a regiment. No sooner did Tanneguy hear of this than he hastened to engage himself in the same regiment, and this poor young peasant, ignorant and uneducated as he was, proved himself a veritable hero. Their regiment helonged to the Army of the North, commanded by Faidherbe, and after every combat the two friends sought each other anxiously. In spite of his heroic efforts Faidherbe other, sorrowfully, the weapon he was was not able to prevent the advance of the enemy. Oun the 231 of December, 1870, at the battle of Pont-Noyelles, Tanneguy distingunished himself by his bravery, and was promoted on the battle-field, and Herve at the same time was appointed captain. On New Year’s day, 1871, they A, STRANGE = MEETING. were in camp near Arras, and were nearly worn out with fatigue and privations. “Captain,” said Tanneguy, “this time ten years ago was the day when you gave me the little gun; do you remember?" “Yes,” said Herve, smiling, as he re- membered his own childish delight on receiving the little weapon. *You gave me the only pleasure I ever had in my life,” said Tenneguy. Three days later the battle of Bapaume took place, and when it was growing dusk and the combat nearly over Tanneguy P loo¥ed round in search of the Captain de Plenhoec, knowing that he was sure to be found in the tnickest of the fight. Tanne- guy suddenly caugat sight of him strug- gling to rise from under his horse, which had just been shot dead, A Prussian was advancing toward Herve with his bavonet and his enemy and with a sword:thrust laid the Prussian dead before him. It was Tanneguy, who on seeing Herve's peril had rushed to the rescue, bounding over every obstacle, trampling under foot the dead and dying, and only just arriving in time to avert the danger. Tanneguy stooped down and snafching from the dead soldier his gun presented it | to Herve, who was disarmed. “‘Captain, you once gave me a gun, let me pay my debt to you with this one " Before he had finished speaking apd while holding the weapon out to Herve, = TEN YEARS AFTER. pointed at the young captain. He was just preparing to kill his victim, intoxi- cated as he was with the smoke and the blood all around him. Herve had ounly just risen to his feet when he saw the Prussian’s weapon pointed at him, and he felt sure that his last moment had come. Suddenly a man bounded between him poor Tanneguy stagrered back and. fell. A ball had just struck him and pierced his heart. Herve grasped the firearm, all covered with blood as it was,» ahd as though in a dream, a vision of the past rose before him and he saw the wide road in Brittany where he haa given ms'little gun to a peasant lad.