| JUNE 5, 1902] NATURE 129 
the country would not be slow to guarantee the Other countries have not been slow to realise the value 
necessary funds, provided a site could be found easily | of model experiments ; Italy has her experimental tank 
accessible, and where a tank could be placed under | at Spezia ; Russia one at St. Petersburg ; Germany, 
independent, competent and impartial control. besides having a private tank at Bremerhaven belonging 
In the grounds of the National Physical Laboratory | to the Norddeutscher Lloyd, is about to erect one in 
; Berlin; and the United States of 
America, not to be outdone by the old 
countries, has built the largest tank of 
all at Washington, where 20-feet models 
are tested over a 470-feet length of 
run. 
All these tanks, excepting that at 
Bremerhaven, are worked by Admiralty 
staffs of their respective Governments, 
but the private shipbuilder has not 
been forgotten, and in each case he 
may, subject to certain regulations and 
to the payment of fees sufficient to cover 
the cost of the experiments, make free 
use of the tank for carrying out re- 
searches .of his own. But, however 
convenient it may be to have a tank 
erected at the expense of a paternal 
Government, it can hardly be doubted 
that the arrangement has its draw- 
backs; private individuals would, at 
times of pressure, have to give way 
to Government needs, and at all times 
the results of the experiments are of 
necessity obtained as much for the 
benefit of the Admiralty as for that 
of the private individual. Both these 
drawbacks are obviated by placing the 
- 
Fic. 2.—View of Carriage and Model at rest. management of the tank in private, but 
; disinterested, hands. 
at Bushy House, a site has been selected which it is Some views of the Washington tank are reproduced 
proposed to devote to the purpose. This situation, | here from a paper by Mr. D. W. Taylor (naval con- 
besides being very convenient as regards the nature ‘of | structor, U.S.N.), read before the American Society of 
the ground (to quote from Lord Glasgow’s recent presi- Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, and they give a 
dential address), offers “many important advantages ; a | good idea of its chief features of interest. The “carriage,” 
position conveniently near the metro- 3 
polis, the proximity of an established 
power installation and a highly trained 
technical staff, and, above all,a board of 
Management of the highest standing, 
entirely unconnected with any indi- 
vidual commercial enterprise, whose 
control would in itself guarantee the 
treatment in strictest confidence and im- 
partiality of all questions submitted to 
them.” 
It is hoped, therefore, that ship- . j 
builders and shipowners and others ie a eee 
will come forward liberally to form the oe eta? ; Aik eh Pia 
necessary guarantee fund for the con- ‘ (1) gee a Nera 
Struction and equipment of the tank, ; = 
which together are estimated to cost 
about 15,000/. The scheme, which has 
received the hearty support of His Royal 
Highness the Prince of Wales, is now 
ripe for carrying into execution, and it 
is felt that no more time should be lost 
in adding this necessary auxiliary to the 
equipment of British shipyards. The 
Prince of Wales, in opening the Labora- 
tory on March 19, expressed his con- 
fidence—a confidence which we feel ; 
sure will be justified by results—that : j j Setar 
« through the generosity of the public, Fic. 3.—Carriage towing a Model (stern view). 
the necessary means will be forthcoming 
to meet these difficulties and to secure that which is | which draws the model through the water and contains 
almost an essential to the shipbuilding industry of a | the recording apparatus, spans the entire width of the 
country possessing the largest mercantile marine in the | tank (46 feet 6 inches) and weighs nearly thirty-two tons. 
world.” It is propelled by four electric motors, shown in Fig. 2 at 
NO. I701, VOL. 66] 
