AMERICAN 
June, 1912 
i 
Spacious salon of the Driftwood 
of each other, and when they are connected with the auto- 
mobile the emergency brake of the car is disconnected from 
one driving-wheel and the foot brake from the other. In 
this way one of the paddle-wheels can be revolved while its 
opposite remains stationary, or both can be turned at one 
time. If the port paddle is turned while the starboard is 
held still, the bow of the boat is shoved around to star- 
board, and vice versa. There are also two driftboards, 
each ten feet long and three feet wide, to 
counteract the tendency of any flat bot- 
tomed boat to drift sidewise. 
The Driftwood, which is the name of 
this remarkable craft, is not only unique — 
HOMES AND GARDENS 
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Companionway of the Driftwoo 
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drinkable, with the quality and clearness always unfailing. 
The houseboat measures 75 feet over all, with a width of 
16 feet 5 inches. ‘These dimensions were decided upon by 
its owner after he had made an examination of all the canal 
locks in the United States, for he wanted a boat which 
would pass through any canal in the country. The house 
proper is 50 feet long and the full width of the boat. The 
boat weighs thirty-six tons and draws sixteen inches of water. 
Its hull is made of tank pine and Oregon 
fir, triple caulked, and is so dry inside 
that it 1s actually dusty. 
Gain Ot 
A unique system of ventilation which 
keeps a current of air constantly passing 
RUNWAY FoR 
AvTomoBILe 
in its mechanical arrangements and in- 
novations, but is an example of marine 
architecture, both interiorily and ex- 
through the hull prevents even the 
slightest suggestion of dampness. The 
house is divided up into a kitchen, three 
teriorily, such as is seldom seen any- 
where in the world. It has every con- 
venience of a modern steam-heated five-room apartment, 
including hot and cold water, refrigerator, gas stove, roof- 
garden, sun-parlor, private back porch, hardwood floors, 
laundry, clothes drier, and janitor’service. There is also a 
gas-making machine which supplies gas for illumination 
and cooking, and a water-filtering system which will clarify 
the water of any river so that it may be used for lavatory 
and cooking purposes, while a water filter still renders it 
a 
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MOEA AP LES F I LUIS GOP WI! MLE PLS OG Mig 
This shows the Driftwood in v 
Sal! OGM EDO POE SEE SRD 
ery rapid motion under automobile power 
Plan of automobile attachment 
sleeping-rooms, bathroom, and combi- 
nation living- and dining-room. 
The owner of the Driftwood has put the practicability of 
the houseboat for living purposes to a thorough test. Last 
Summer and in the early Fall he had the Driftwood 
moored on Lake Michigan, just off the Chicago Yacht 
Club, and there he slept every night. Later he had it 
moored to a more protected spot in a boat yard on 
the North Branch of the Chicago river, and on it he lived 
during the entire Winter, happy in his floating bungalow. 
- 
ee 
spurred sprocket wheels on the paddle-wheel axles 
