B42 
Gas Engines and Launches. 
BY F. K. GRAIN. 
{ConHnued from ^agt 195.> 
• Lofcricators. 
^ LuBRiCATOs usually employed are for the shaft bear- 
ings, a compression grease cup. By screwing down on 
these grease cups the grease is forced into the bearing, 
or should the bearings become overheated the greases 
will flow naturally to the bearing. The reason that 
oil cups are not employed on this part of the engine 
5s that there is always more or less and generally suf- 
ficient oil force from the crank case of the engine 
through the bearings resulting from the crank case 
compression. Again, on the other hand, should the 
bearittgs wear after a time sufficiently to allow the gas 
to escape through them from the crank case, it may 
in a great measure stopped by forcing the grease 
•around the bearing. 
Up until quite recently the crank pin has been lubri- 
cated by putting sufficient oil into the crank case to 
allow the crank to dip at every revolution. This, how- 
ever, has always been a very uncertain method, it being 
very diffcult to gauge the right amount of oil to use. 
Should an over supply be put into the crank case, the 
crank will, in revolving, dash the oil up and into the 
gas inlet port, whence it will pass to the cylinder and 
cause trouble. There are two methods now in use 
which have proved very good, and are practically doing 
away with this trouble. The first method is to bore 
out the cratlk shaft from the front end through to an 
opening m. the wrist pin, placing a grease cup on the 
■end of the crank shaft. By this means the grease can 
fee forced directly to the crank pin bearing. Another 
snethod is to make the connecting rod hollow, also the 
yrist pin passing through the piston, this opening comes 
in alignment with the grease cup running into -the cylin- 
der at a point which makes the two openings coincide 
when the engine is on the lower center. 
The engine is then turned to that point before start- 
ing, the grease cup being compressed, its contents is 
then_ forced through and down into the connecting rod, 
and if the connecting rod is of sufficient size, one filling 
will suffice for a week or two. 
The last, but most important lubrication, barring, of 
course, the small moving parts of the igniter and pump, 
is the cylinder. This is accomplished by means of an 
ordinary sight feed lubricator, which can be adjusted to 
feed any number of drops per minute and visible to the 
operator. The point in the cylinder at which the lubri- 
cation should enter is close to the top of the piston 
when it is on its lower center, and the piston should be 
of sufficient length so that this opening will always be 
covered. If the opening is above the top of the piston, 
it will get the back pressure from the cylinder and will 
not only be very wasteful of the lubricant but niake the 
feeding uncertain and irregular. It is usual in all lubri- 
cators to place a small ball check on the bottom of 
the lubricator to prevent any back pressure from the 
cylinder. _A small pressure tube leads up and above the 
oil level in order to bring the pressure, if any, above 
the oil. Another lubricator much in use has a large, 
tight fitting plunger, which is forced against the oil by 
means of a heavy spring; this makes an absolutely 
positive force feed and is an excellent method for lubri- 
cating with heavy oil when the temperature is sufficient- 
ly low to thicken the average cylinder oil. 
Mufflets, 
There was a time when people objected very strongly 
to the noise made by the exhaust, and in order to dead- 
en this noise a device called a muffler has been in use for 
a time by all the engine builders. These mufflers on 
a general principle consist of an enlarged chamber con- 
taining perforated disc baffle plates or pipes. The idea 
being to make the muffler sufficiently large to allow 
the exhaust gas to expand and then escape at a steady 
pressure through the various small openings. In the 
last few years the public have become more accustomed, 
especially since the advent of the automobile, to thes; 
noises, with the consequence that the tendency now is 
to do away with the muffler as much as possible. While 
a muffler can be designed which will make the engine 
perfectly noiseless, with the new design of modern 
short stroke engine working at high compression and 
high speed, it is difficult to design a muffler which will 
be noiseless and yet not be too expensive and so large 
as to take up valuable room and add weight. Again, on 
the other hand, we have an objection found in all muf- 
flers, in this that they retain the heat from the ex- 
haust gasses, and in a great many cases their proximity 
is very objectionable on that account, the tendency be- 
ing to make all exhaust pipes as short and as large as 
possible with a minimum amount of muffling and get 
rid of the exhaust gas as quickly as possible. 
Reversing. 
The reversing of marine gas engines has probably re- 
ceived more attention than any other part of the en- 
gine, and we are still to-day as far from the solution of 
this problem as we were ten years ago. 
On the two-cycle engine there is one, and one method 
only, and this is reversing by means of the spark. To 
explain this we will have to take up the subject of 
ignition. Quite the contrary to the practice in steam 
engineering, the time of ignition, commonly called the 
leaa, must take place before, the engine has reached its 
upper center. The amount of lead necessary to get the 
best results of course depending upon the speed of the 
engine, the weight of the fly wheel and amount of com- 
pression. It is safe, however, to assume that the high- 
est point of efficiency on the average small engine is 
had by igniting at a little over seven-eighths of the up 
stroke. The idea of igniting the mixture before it 
reaches the upper center, is that from the time of spark- 
ing, until the gas is ignited to. its full capacity, the en- 
gine has reached its upper center and therefore gets 
the full benefit of expansion. Now we will suppose that 
the engine is turned around slowly by hand, the lead of 
Ilii ifoitsr b^Wf set as atate.di iii tiiis case the engine 
Would kick back or reverse, and gathering forcie, would 
oVtercome the lead in the opposite directioh and keep 
running on the reversed motion. We Will lidw assume 
that the eccentric Working the i^iiit'er is set on the 
dead center, in other words, true to the crank shaft; in 
this way the action of the sparker would be the same 
when the engine is turned in either direction, and it will 
run equally well with the same power in either direction. 
Now, supposing that we wish to reverse, we will 
throw c5 our switch, cutting out the electric current. 
This will cause the engine to slow down. When the 
momentum is reduced to almost the stopping point, we 
then thrown in the switch, and when the engine ignites 
against the lead as described, it will reverse and run in 
the opposite direction. This method of rievfersihg is 
by no means infallible, and dep'ends to a great exteiit 
uoon the skill arid practice of the operator, arid riot ortiy 
this but when a boat is runnirig at high speed, this opfer- 
ation can very seldom be performed, as the ri^loriieriturii 
of the boat will keep the propeller revolving and bf course 
exerting that much additional powter against the engine. 
This same operatioii is in sdnie engines performed by 
means of a lirik motion with an insulated cut-out. The 
objfect of this being to overcome the plan of setting the 
eccentric off the center, in order to make the ignition 
directly on the center to avoid any possible back kicks 
in _starting_ and, of course, under these circumstances 
a link motion is necessary in order to adjust the lead 
when the engine is reversed. This plan, although a 
very good talking point, adds a number of expensive 
parts to the engine, and really does not accomplish any 
better results. There are a number of clutches, gear 
boxes, and other devices in use, by means of which the 
shaft is reversed. While some of these devices ac- 
complish the object sought for they are not considered 
a great success on small engines, as they are not only 
cumbersome but expensive and require considerable 
care and careful adjustment, and manufacturers in gen- 
eral decline to recommend them. We think we have 
now given a clear idea of the two-cycle engine with 
the exception of the sparking mechanisms, and as this 
part of the engine performs the same functions and is 
identical on both two and four-cycle, the explanation 
will answer for both. 
[to be continued.] 
Yachting in Newfoundland. 
NEWFDuf^DLAND, although orily about 317 riiilfes ih 
length, has a coast line of ovfer 2,000 miles.. This is 
explained by the fact that its Whole, shore lirie is iil- 
dented with magnificent .bays, anywhere from ten to 
ninety milfes deep. For those who love smooth water 
sailing, and at the same time who enjoy the bracing 
sea air, and beautiful and ever-varying scenery, a cruise 
up one of those fiords leaves nothing to be desired. 
Take, for instance, Notre Dame Bay. It has an archi- 
pelago of hundreds of clustering islets, many of them 
inhabited, and containing fine harbors. The runs and 
passages are navigable for large steamers, and are used 
by cargo boats to go to at least one mining town, viz., 
Pilley's Island, where they load large cargoes of iron 
pyrites for foreign markets. 
These runs between the islands furnish ideal "sailing 
on the summer seas." The scenery is bold and grand, 
and ever-changing; the water is like oil; the air in the 
summer months is balmy and health-giving, and for 
the yachting party who has a few weeks to dawdle 
amid pleasant scenes, no place offers greater attractions 
than these bays. There are over a dozen ports of 
call, each possessing a different attraction for the 
stranger. If the traveler wants rest, this is the lotus 
land. If he wants fishing, he is within easy reach of 
numbers of salmon and sea trout streams, not to men- 
tion ponds and lakes where ordinary spotted trout 
abound. If he is of an inquiring turn of mind, he can 
see one of the very best niineral belts in North Ameri- 
ca. Felt Cove Copper Mine has been working for 
years, and it is just as profitable to-day as ever. Felt 
Cove is worth a visit. It is set between cliffs. The 
town is built all around a small lake, which is at the 
bottom of the basin. 
A ship must be moored at the pier nearly before a 
glimpse of the town can be had. A narrow tramway 
between the high hills leads into the foot of the lake, 
and when you follow that for a few yards from the 
pier, the pretty little town, nestling at the foot of the 
hills and surrounding the lake, bursts on your view. 
The lake looks like a diamond in its setting of highly 
mineralized hills. Just beyond the tramway rises, and 
a procession of cars comes and goes, by means of an 
endless chain; the full ones running down the incline 
from the mouth of the mine, and the empty ones being 
drawn to the top of the incline. The pyrites mine, at 
Pilley's Island is another curiosity, for anyone inter- 
ested in minerals, and in fact an inspection of the mine 
would be an attraction for any ordinary traveler look- 
ing for experiences. Besides, the passage up through 
the islands to Pilley's Island is almost worth the voy- 
age. The ship runs through a narrow strait between 
the islets, with the land on either hand near enough to 
pitch a pebble on shore. Suddenly the strait is blocked; 
the ship is in a veritable de sac. The ordinary ob- 
server sees nothing ahead but to dash into the land 
at her bows; suddenly a turn of the helm and lo! on 
the port or starboard hand the channel suddenly opens 
before you. Just ahead, perhaps, you see the top rig- 
ging of a schooner. It appears to rise from the middle 
of a small island; the ship rounds a point and here 
before him is a miniature harbor with the schooner 
moored nearly against the front door of a little cottage, 
making a picture resembling a highly fanciful Christ- 
mas card. 
Little Bay is another mining settlement. Some of 
the best copper in America was found here. It was 
■shipped in large quantities for years, but through some 
mismanagement it was shut down. It is now filled with 
water, and the work has been discontinued. To add 
to the rniseries of Little Bay it was devastated by fire. 
It has now only a remnant of its former greatness. Yet 
those of its inhabitants who profess to know, say that 
the mjne is galx .waitiug i% the riglu man tg ip,ak i£ 
boom better thaii ever, ds tiiie copper is there in suf- 
ficiient quantities to repay any outlay. Hall's Bay is a 
very deep inlet, its wooded shores nearly within reach 
of the deck as the yacht sails up. In the bottom of the 
bay empties one of the best salmon and trout streams 
in the island. Then there are the South West Arm, 
Exploits Bay, Badger Bay and Pander Bay, all deep 
fiords, going for miles into the land. The Exploits and 
Pander Rivers are probably the best salmon streams 
in America, and are navigable for small craft for many 
miles. There are other little towns and harbors that 
would well repay a visit. The inhabitants are kindly and 
hospitable, and as yet are unspoiled by too much 
traffic with the outer barbarians. The same holds good 
of sevel-al othfer bays. The bfeauty and variety of the 
scenfery etjual if ridt surpass, tlie rriuch vaunted charms of 
Noi-w^y ; „ at ie^,st this is the verdict of travelers who have 
seen both. The advantages for American yachtsmen 
arie altogether in favor of Newfoundland. The dis- 
tance is not nearly so great, so that in matter pf time 
alone, half the summer holidays might be saved by 
running up to one of the great Newfoundland bays. It 
would not take half the time to get there that it would 
to Norway, and the latter place does not offer a tithe 
of the attraction to the angler, the sportsmen or the 
naturalist. 
If the yachtsman had a camera along, he'd get many 
valuable souvenirs. Apart from the scenery, he could 
get at Snooks' Arm pictures of whales in all stages, 
from the monster just harpooned to the carcass in the 
various stages of preparation for oil, bone, and com- 
mercial fertilizer. There are waterfalls, large enough 
to generate electricity sufficient to supply New York 
with motive power, and there are tiny cascades, just 
fit for picnicking. In line, if you seek rest or sport; 
food for the rod, gun, or kodak; if you want health 
or pleasure or variety, and the same time to enjoy sail- 
ing on summer seas, you cannot do better than steer 
your bark for Newfoundland, and make your head- 
quarters in one of the celebrated bays of the island. 
W. J. C. 
St. Paul Letter. 
St. Paul, April 16. — interest is increasing in the com- 
ing contest with Moritreal, .and the prospect for quite a 
numbet" of e^ttra boats . for the preliminary trial racfes foi" 
this event is very bright. .It i$ .hoped that thfere will be 
five or six contestants for the White Beat trial, £lnd jjrob- 
ably nearly as many more for the trial, to be held at, 0,slj- 
kosh. The committee appointed fot the choosing, build- 
ing and rrianagement of the challengers has decided to 
build a fourth boat. This boat is to be a sharp-nosed 
scow about 38ft. over all and of good breadth. She will 
be designed by Dr. J. M. Welch, who is an old member 
of the White Bear Y. C, and will probably be sailed in the 
preliminary trial races by her designer. She will be built 
by the" Dingle Boat Co., in West St. Paul, under the su- 
pervision of Dr. Welch. Mr. Dingle was one of the first 
men who designed and built boats for White Bear, but 
for the last five years has given his attention entirely to 
power boats. The racing committee is seriously consider- 
iiig building a fifth boat from Messrs. Burgess and Pack- 
ard's plans. This boat will have lots of beam and will 
not be very long over all. 
There is to be a boat from Lake Minnetonka in the 
Seawanhaka cup trials to be held at White Bear. This 
boat is designed and built by "Ande" Peterson, of Lake 
Minnetonka, for the Louden Brothers. Up to the last 
two or three years Mr. Peterson designed and built some 
of the fastest small boats in the country. This boat will 
be a pointed-nose scow, about 38ft. over all, and will 
have a moderate beam. 
For the last four years the Minnetonka men have taken 
little interest in sailing, and it is pleasing to see that they 
are beginning to wake up again. There are some fine 
sailors at Minnetonka, and they should make a good 
showing in the Seawanhaka cup trials. 
The Minnetonka people are buying a number of old 
boats from White Bear this spring and hope to start 
racing again as of old. 
Gus Amundson built a class "A" boat toward the close 
of last summer that was not put in the water, and this 
boat will be entered in the Seawanhaka trials by the 
Frye Brothers, of St. Paul. It is^ a blunt-nosed scow, 
38ft. long and, like all of Amundson's boats, has easy 
Imes. This boat ought to make a good showing, especially 
in light weather. Besides the Seawanhaka challenger, 
Amundson has built a class "A" boat for one of the in- 
land lakes of New York, and one for Long Island. Mr. 
Lyford, of Fox Lake, has ordered an "A" boat from 
Amundson, and he will undoubtedly enter her in the 
Inland Lake races at Oshkosh, which are to be held in 
the latter part of August. Three "B'.' boats have been- 
built by Amundson, two of which will go to one of the 
inland lakes of Wisconsin, and the other will remain on 
White Bear, the property of the Owens Brothers, of St. 
I'aul. 
J. E. Ramaly, of White Bear, has built two class "B" 
boats, one to be owned by the Read Brothers, of St. Paul, 
and the other by the Ordway boys. 
Perhaps it would be a good idea to give a general his- 
tory and description of the class "B," which class has 
grown to be so popular in the West. When, previous to 
the formation of the Inland Lake Y. A., the Minnetonka 
and White Bear clubs were having match races, first at 
one lake and then the other, a class of boats was started 
v/ith a limited sail area of 3Soft. and the racing length of 
17.5 feet. The weight allowed for the crew was 450 
pounds. When the Inland Lake Yachting Association 
v.as started the weight of the crew was' raised to 500 
pounds. The class at present is very similar to the large 
class, rules for which were adopted several years ago 
and are exactly the same as those used in the international 
races for the Seawanhaka Cup at Montreal. Practically 
the only restriction is in sail area and there is no time 
allowance. The designer can build a long beoat or a 
short boat, with whatever power he sees fit, the scantling 
rules are the same as in the class "A," sail area of class 
"B" boats is 350ft. of standing sail, with spinnaker and 
flying jib in addition. 
Then length over all is limited to 32ft, with no liniit 
to the wateriine kngtiTj This class lia§ growu 5-Q in 
