ApRit ^, 1904.] 
Gas Engines and Launches. 
BY F. K. GRAIN. 
The Cylinder. 
(Continued from page 195.) 
These engines will invariably cause trouble by cramp- 
ing the piston, through the excessive pressure, against 
the wide walls of the cylinder, and also need excessive 
lubrication. 
Piston and Rings, 
The piston now takes our attention, this part being, 
of course, what the novice would call the plug, that 
slides up and down in the cylinder. In the steam en- 
gine, the piston is a shallow disc, but in the bulk of 
gas engines the piston is what is called the trunk type, 
being usually from one and a quarter to one and a half 
times its diameter in length. As the fit of the piston 
in the gas engine cylinder controls to a great extent the 
degree of compression, it should be very carefully fitted 
and should be on the smallest engines not over five 
thousands of an inch smaller than the bore when new. 
In grooves turned out of this piston there is usually 
placed three packing or piston rings, in most cases 
two at the top and one at the bottom. These rings are 
of cast iron, varying from one-quarter to three-quarters 
of an inch in depth and turned eccentric, being, say, 
one-quarter of an inch thick on one side and on the 
opposite side of the circle coming down to one-eighth 
of an inch, where they are divided by being cut cross- 
wise at an angle of 90 per cent, or cut out in steps; 
this allows the ring, which has been turned slightly 
larger than the bore of the cylinder, to be compressed 
when inserted, making it a spring ring. 
In addition to these spring rings it is now the uni- 
versal practice to turn several annular grooves around 
the piston. These act as an oil packing, and also help 
to keep the lubricant circulated around the piston. In 
some cases the groove is turned also in the ring, but 
we do not approve of this plan as it takes out too much 
of the metal on the thin side where the rings are 
turned eccentric. 
Fly Wheels. 
Fly wheels on the majority of marine engines of the 
two-cycle type are generally made of the web pattern, 
that is, without spokes. The web should be as light 
as possible, consistent with strength in order to throw 
all the available weight on the rim of the wheel. The 
usual practice is to make the diameter of the fly wheel 
about three times the length of the stroke; the weight 
should equal the weight of the cylinder,_ which if prop- 
erly designed will give the right proportions. 
Coupling and Thrast Bearing, 
On the opposite end of the crank shaft from the fly 
wheel, we have the shaft coupling and thrust bearing. 
In order to form the thrust bearing, which is intended 
to take up the thrust or push from the propeller, tJie 
general practice is to insert a number of balls fitted in 
a cage between the couplings and the after bearing of 
the engine, or in a great many cases a groove is turned 
in the coupling for a ball race, the opposite side being 
a flat, hardened steel washer. While this, theoretically 
and to all appearances, is a very neat and effective ar- 
rangement, we have found from actual experience 
that ball-ljearings in marine work are not a success, es- 
pecially if they are not properly adjusted and carefully 
looked after, which is most generally the case. The 
old-fashioned method, and one still employed on large 
marine work, is the ring thrust, composed of a collar 
with a number of rings which mesh into a block 
fastened to the keelson entirely separate from the en- 
gine. The importance of a good thrust bearing, we are 
sorry to say, is sadly neglected by the launch owner, 
as a bearing of proper design, if carefully looked after, 
will in the majority of cases add from twenty-five to 
fifty revolutions a minute to the average engine, and 
not only keep the engine in a much better and freer 
working order and save a good deal of wear, but in 
many cases prevent a broken connecting rod, the latter 
in many cases being broken by the thrust crowding the 
connecting rod forward and, of course, cramping the 
entire machine. 
Circulating Pumps. 
Circulating pumps, used to circulate the water through 
the water jacket, are in a great many cases of insuf- 
ficient capacity. While in cold weather when the water 
is cool it is sometimes advisable to shut off a part of 
the water supply; of course, the majority of engines 
being used in the warm months when the water is 
warm, we often hear of cases of over-heating. Most 
marine engines are placed as low as possible in the boat 
and generally exposed to the heat of the sun, which, 
owing to their being protected by the sides of the 
boat, they get the full force of it and are not benefited 
by any draught, consequently, more liable to heat. The 
pump should have a check valve on both the inlet and 
discharge side, these checks being placed as close to 
the pump as possible, as, of course, the purnp, is de- 
pending upon forming a partial vacuum to do its work. 
On some engine we find the discharge check placed 
anywhere, on the piping of the cylinder in place of an 
elbow. This is bad practice, and invariably leads to a 
poor working pump. Of course, all pumps ori two- 
cycle engines have an impulse at every revolution of 
the engine. This is unavoidable, although it is mechan- 
ically very bad practice, as the average marine engine 
will make about 500 revolutions per minute, and any 
plunger pump loses its efficiency above a speed of 200 
strokes per minute. 
This is one reason why in practice these pumps give 
such an irregular circulation. Of course, the remedy 
would be to gear the pump so that the engine would 
make about four revolutions to one of the pump and 
increase the size of the pump. This would add con- 
siderably to the cost of any engine, and unfortunately, 
it is one of these points that the average launch owner 
is not willing to pay for. 
Vaporisers 
Yaporizes are now so usiversally employed for gen- 
erating the gas that it is hardly worth while to mention 
any other device. The carbureters, pump, feed by di- 
rect injection,, and all other devices being practically 
out of date. There is very little difference in the opera- 
tion of any of the different styles of vaporizers, they 
being all of the same principle which is that of the 
ordinary check valve, the gasolene being admitted 
through a small opening directly under the seat of the 
valve and being controlled by a needle valve. In opera- 
tion the vacuum of the crank case lifting the valve 
admits air, at the same time the valve lifts to admit the 
air it also uncovers the inlet of the gasolene. The 
gasolene then striking the air is mixed or vaporized 
into an explosive mixture of gas. This gas^ however, 
will not produce a destructive explosion until confined 
in the cylinder and then compressed. The usual prac- 
tice is to make the air inlet of the vaporizer of the right 
proportion without necessity of adjustment, the gasolene 
being adjusted to suit the constant air supply. Con- 
stant, level and float feed vaporizers, widely advertised 
for automobile purposes, are not adapted for marine 
work. 
iTO BE CONTINUED.] 
Boston Letter. 
Boston, March 28. — At the annual meeting of the 
Y., R. A. of Massachusette, held at the town house 
of the Boston Y. C, it was decided to adopt the recently 
formed class of 30-footers. This class will be known as 
Class H, yachts conforming to the limitations of the 
lyjassachusetts Thirty-foot Cruising Yacht Association. 
From the opinions expressed prior to this meeting, it 
was understood that some opposition to the adoption 
of the class would be raised. There was considerable 
discussion in regard to the matter and a vote upon the 
question was not reached until after many arguments 
,had been made. The vote resulted in 15 for adoption 
and 4 against. There are three boats building for the 
class. One of these is from designs by Messrs. Burgess 
and Packard, for Mr. T. K. Lothrop, Jr., and is being 
built under the designers' supervision at Beverly. The 
other two are being built by the Herreshoffs, one for 
Mr. F. G. Macomber, Jr., and the other for Mr. S. 
Reed Anthony. It is unlikely that any other boats 
will be built for the class this season. 
Although racing dates had been assigned to many 
of the Y. R. A. clubs at a conference held a week pre- 
vious to the association meeting, the final arrangements 
of dates for open races was not made until the rheeting 
was held. There were some additions and changes, 
and the final schedule of Y. R. A. open races now re- 
mains as follows: 
May 30, Monday — South Boston, City Point. 
June 17, Friday — Boston, Hull. 
June 18, Saturday — Squantum, Quincy Bay. 
July 16, Saturday — Winthrop, Winthrop. 
July 27, Wednesday — Boston, midsummer series, Hull. 
July 28, Thursday — Boston, midsummer series, Hull. 
July 29, Friday — Quincy, Quincy. 
July 30, Saturday — Boston, midsummer series, Hull. 
August 2, Tuesday — Boston, Marblehead. 
August 8, Monday — Manchester, West Manchester. 
August II, Thursday — East Gloucester, Gloucester. 
August 12, Friday — Annisquam, Annisquam. 
August 13, Saturday — Annisquam-, Annisquam. 
August 25, Thursday— Plymouth, Plymouth. 
August 26, Friday — Duxbury, Duxbury. 
August 27, Saturday — Duxbury, Duxbury. 
August 29, Monday — Wellfleet, Wellfleet. 
August 30, Tuesday — Wellfleet, Wellfleet. 
September i, Thursday — Cape Cod, Provincetown. 
September 2, Friday— Cape Cod, Provincetown. 
September 3, Saturday — Cape Cod, Provincetown. 
September 5, Monday— Lynn, Nahant. 
September 11, Sunday — Association rendezvous, Hull. 
At the meeting Mr. Louis M. Clark resigned from 
the executive committee, on which committee he had 
served for ten years, or since the formation of the 
association. Mr. Clark's resignation is regretted on all 
sides, as he has ever been zealous in the affairs of the 
association and more than once has brought the organ- 
ization out of perilous positions through his far-seeing 
judgment. 
Mr. Clark was the organizer of the Yacht Racing 
Association of Massachusetts. It was he who called 
the first meeting, which was held at the rooms of the 
Massachusetts Y. C. on March 19, 1894, and which 
was known as the Congress of Regatta Committees. 
This meeting was adjourned for two weeks and, at the 
adjourned meeting, a schedule of non-conflicting dates 
was arranged. The practice of thus arranging racing 
fixtures has continued to the present time. Mr. Clark 
was elected the president of the organization, which 
was to be known as the Yacht Racing Association of 
Massachusetts, and he continued in that office _ until 
1899. From the time the association was formed it has 
occupied a most prominent position in the yacht racing 
field and, through its influence, many features governing 
restricted classes have been made permanent in dif- 
ferent sections of the country. The most active man in 
the establishment of permanent restricted classes and 
in the making of equitable rules for racing has been 
Mr. Louis M. Clark. 
Interest in the racing of sailing dories along the 
north shore has become greater every year since the 
first famous Swampscott sailing dories were built in 
1898 from designs of Mr. Charles D. Mower. In the 
Swampscott Dory Club and in the Annisquam Y. C. 
there has been quite a fleet of these little boats. Last 
season the Bay State Y. C, of Revere, a new organ- 
ization, commenced to go in for dory sailing, and there 
are now a number of the boats in the club. On ac- 
count of the interest in the class in the three clubs, it 
has been determined to organize an association for the 
development of the type, and this - organization will be 
known as the Massachusetts Racing Dory Association. 
Ironclad rules for measurement and scantlings have been 
drawn up, so that the type as originally built, may be 
preserved without the introduction of freaky ideas. 
The officers of the Association as as follows: Presi- 
dent, J. Samuel Hodge, Bay State Y. C; Vice-Presi- 
dent, Daniel H. Woodbury, Annisquam Y. C; Secre- 
tary-Treasurer, Harry O. Russ, Swampscott Dory Club. 
A schedule of races has been arranged as follows: 
July 9, Saturday — Revere. ■ 
July 16, Saturday — Swampscott. 
August 4, 5 and 6, Thursday, Friday and Saturday — 
Marblehead. 
August 13, Saturday — Annisquam. ^ 
At the annual meeting of the Lake Winnipesaukee Y. 
C. the following officers were elected: Com., Frank P. 
Egan; Vice-Corn., J. A. Dowling; Sec'y-Treas., J. Q. 
Litchfield; Meas., J. A. Dowling; Directors, Amasa J. 
Whitney, J. H. Pope, W. L. Smart, C. F. Pinkham, A. 
S. Johnson, O. A. Atkins, J. 1. Stuart, A. J. Ward, Col. 
G. W. Moses, J. H. Whittier, Dr. F. E. Banfield, F. 
W. Rollins, C. L. Edgar, J. T. Meader and J. A. Dow- 
ling. At a joint meting of the Lake Winnipesaukee Y. 
C. and the Kingswood Club, held at the Bellevue last 
Wednesday, the establishment of fixed lights on the 
lake, the betterment of channels and the issuing of sail- 
ing directions were discussed. At the meeting Mr. 
Roswell B. Lawrence, Secretary of the Appalachian 
Mountain Club, gave a lecture on the beauties of Lake 
Winnipesaukee. 
Messrs. Burgess and Packard have received an order 
for a 23ft. one-design class for New Orleans yachts- 
men. The first boat to be built will be for Mr. F. 
Clay Viguerie, of New Orleans Picayune. She will be 
40ft. 6in over all, 23ft. waterline, lift. 9in. beam, and 
3ft. 3in. draft. She will have i,i4S sq. ft. of sail, and 
will carry 600 pounds outside ballast. 
John B.' Killeen. 
One-Design Class of Catboats for Hempstead 
Bay Y. R. A. 
There are building at the Milton Point Shipyard, 
Rye, N. Y., some twenty one-design catboats for mem- 
bers of the Hempstead Bay Y. R. A. : The boats are 
26ft. over all, i8ft. waterline, 7ft. 8in. breadth, and ift. 
3in. draft. They will carry 340 sq. ft. of sail. 
These boats are being constructed in the best pos- 
sible m.anner, and great care is to be taken to make 
them strong and finish them up nicely. The waters 
in which these boats are to be used are as a rule very 
^ ^ 
Plans of One-Design Catboats for Hempstead Bay Y. R. A. 
smooth even when there is a strong wind blowing; and 
they have been designed to give the greatest speed 
under such conditions. They will be very seaworthy 
and stand up well in a strong breeze. _ It is readily 
seen from the plan that there is very, little resistance 
to this type of hull, and the boats ought to be fast. 
The racing of boats all of the same design and size 
has become very popular among many yacht clubs, and 
a great deal of interest is sure to be shown in this 
particular boat. More boats will be built from same 
design, and possibly by the end of the season there 
will be a fleet of thirty of these boats in waters about 
Freeport, L. I. 
One of the boats is to have a portable summer cabin 
fitted, as the owner goes off on short cruises very often. 
A New 15FT. One- Design Class. — The Milton Point 
shipyard. Rye, N. Y., has closed a contract for six 15ft. 
waterline one-design boats for members of the Marine 
and Field Club. The boats are 24ft. over all, isft. water- 
line, 6ft. 6in. breadth and 3ft. loin. draft. They will 
carry 1,000 lbs. of outside ballast. The boats were de- 
signed to meet the requirements governing the rsft. of 
the Gravesend Bay Y. R. A. The construction is very 
substantial, and the boats should be fast and seaworthy. 
^ J% 
Yawl Coon Sold. — The auxiliary yawl Coon, pur- 
chased in New York last fall by Mr. Robert Galloway, 
of Memphis, _Tenn., and used by him all winter on the 
Gulf of Mexico, has just been sold through the agency 
of L. D. Sampsell to Mr. James Z. George, a member of 
the Southern Y. C, New Orleans, La. 
Houseboat Ulma Sold. Mr, Robert W. Nelson has 
sold his power house boat Ulma through the agency of 
Messrs. Macconnell Brothers, to Mr. Henry Ashton 
Little, of Philadelphia. 
