TRAVELING AT HIGH SPEEDS—HELE-SHAW. 639 
of seaworthiness. The rate of progress in the increasing speeds in 
this class of boat is shown on a separate curve (fig. 4), from which 
you will see that the celebrated Miranda held as a hydroplane the 
record with the Tartar for speed, the Ursula also holding the record 
of about the same speed as a motor boat. Only a few days ago, how- 
ever, the new boat Maple Leaf III has attained the extraordinary 
speed of nearly 50 knots; that is to say, a speed approaching 60 miles 
an hour, using 600 horsepower to effect this speed. To use a vulgar 
expression, this certainly smashes all previous records for speed. I do 
not pretend to give exact figures in this case, because such have not 
been officially taken, but the statement is probably on the low side as 
the boat has not been yet properly tuned up. You will see one 
remarkable thing from the curve, namely, that the rate of progress has 
been so rapid in this class of boat, and the curve rises so steeply, that 
in-about three months’ time there is due from Sir John Thornycroft a 
boat which will travel at about 100 miles an hour. I am afraid, how- 
ever, it would not be fair to press this graphical argument quite so far. 
Through the kindness of Sir John Thornycroft and Mr. Edgar, the 
owner of the Maple Leaf, I am able to show both the Miranda and 
the Maple Leaf IlI. The latter, you will see, is traveling at such 
an extraordmary rate that the water which is lifted up does not 
fall to the surface again until the boat itself has traveled several 
lengths away. You may be interested to see a model of this last boat, 
- which has been kindly prepared for me to show to-night, as well as the 
Tartar and Miranda. You will notice the form of the Maple Leaf 
III is that of a steeped hydroplane, which in a modified form was 
first suggested by Mr. Ramus many years ago; it is the secret of 
placing the weight, and also the development of light engines giving 
large horsepower, which has enabled the dream of Mr. Ramus to be 
fulfilled. 
Turning to the last of the three elements, namely, air, it was my 
intention to have dealt with it at greater length than I now find it is 
possible to do, but, thanks to the daily press and illustrated journals, 
this subject is as fresh in the minds of everybody as it is familiar. It 
is not necessary in this room to remark that the wild talk of almost 
incredible speeds has very little foundation. Bodies move quickly 
enough in the air, and very often far too quickly, but what is gener- 
ally overlooked is that the difficulty of the problem lies in the matter 
of supporting the body in the air rather than moving through it, a 
problem which is very much simpler for land and water. The 
human body itself, while of about equal specific gravity with water, is 
about 800 times as heavy as air, and probably, taken m conjunction 
with the motor and aeroplane, the weight which has to be supported 
is several thousand times as heavy relatively to the air which it dis- 
places. Inasmuch as the support of the air necessitates the use of an 
