Millionaire Vagabonds h of Florida's Waters 



The American millionaire finds a 

 substitute for his trip to Europe 



By A. M. Jungmann 



The houseboat of a millionaire is really a kind of luxxirious river steamer. This one is a one 

 hundred and thirty-foot craft which can carry two thousand five hundred gallons of gasoline 



WHEN we wish to think in the 

 superlativ^e of luxury, our minds, 

 curiously enough, hark back to the 

 glories of the ancients — Xero fiddling to 

 the accompaniment of burning Rome; 

 Cleopatra wooing Mark Antony as they 

 drifted down the Nile in her slave-driven 

 silk-hung barge. Yet it is safe to assume 

 that the most gorgeous queen of history 

 would have paled with envy could she 

 have compared her barge with that new- 

 toy of wealthy America — the power house- 

 boat. Yet these same houseboats may not 

 be such an extravagance as they seem. It 

 may be cheaper to move than to pay rent 

 or taxes, when you can afford to live in a 

 floating palace. A few years ago the 

 general conception of a houseboat was a 

 square, rather ugly structure, mounted on 

 a number of barrels lashed together. Today 

 the modern houseboat is a sort of glorified 

 combination of a Fifth Avenue mansion 

 and the latest cry in steam yachts. 



Since the war broke out in Europe, many 

 of our wealthy pleasure-seekers have been 

 forced to forego their annual European 

 pilgrimage. Our own resorts, especially in 

 the South, do not afford the luxurious 

 accommodations that the American million- 

 aire has been accustomed to obtain on the 

 other side. And so the war was followed 

 by a boom in power-houseboat building. 

 Larger than ever is the fieet of these boats 

 that has gone to Florida this winter. Most 

 of them are equipped with gasoline engines 

 which enable them to make the trip under 

 their own power. 



The houseboat of a millionaire is really 

 a kind of luxurious river steamer. She 

 may be anywhere from fifty to one hundred 

 and fifty feet in length, and she may 



accommodate from ten to forty wealthy 

 vagabonds, depending on her size. 



Do not confuse the houseboat with a 

 yacht. A houseboat is not so much a ship 

 as a home. Her living and dining rooms are 

 commodious and bright. A number of the 

 staterooms are sure to have private bath- 

 rooms, with all the requirements of vanity. 



Sudi a boat is lighted by electricity. She 

 has a hot-water plant, a ventilating plant 

 and an excellent refrigerating system. The 

 fish caught by the guests are kept absolutely 

 fresh in a special tank supplied with fresh 

 sea water. Of course the guests want to 

 talk to one another without screaming 

 down the corridors, and so a telephone 

 system is usually considered indispensable. 

 Besides there is an alarm system, to be 

 used in case of fire or accident, an electric 

 bilge pump and a complete fire fighting 

 apparatus. 



A big houseboat, a one hundred and 

 thirty footer, will carry 2500 gallons of 

 gasoline, for which a type of tank has been 

 devised with filling and vent pipe so 

 arranged that no gasoline will get below 

 deck when the tank is filled. Her large 

 refrigerator will carry 7000 pounds of ice. 

 Storerooms, pantries and lockers are so 

 big and numerous that she can carry 

 supplies enough for months. If her owner 

 desires to escape civilization, all he has to 

 do is to sail away for a year and a day 

 and have all the comforts of life without 

 any of the modern inconveniences. 



There are numbers of these houseboats 

 which have gone to Florida this winter. 

 Some are wonderfully complete and com- 

 fortable though only half the size of others. 

 All are able to travel under their own 

 power. The majority have gasoline motors. 



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