Nov. 19, 1904.] 
FOREST AND STREAM, 
4 33 
GEORGE LENOX WATSON. 
Through the death of George Lenox Watson, Great 
Britain loses a fine sportsman, a thorough gentleman, and 
her greatest yacht designer. Mr. Watson was one for 
whom we cherished the greatest regard and respect both 
as a man and a designer. He was a man of great culture 
and rare ability and was loved and revered by all who 
came in contact with him. His was a fine character. His 
many successes did not change in the least his charming 
disposition and reserved nature. The life he led was of 
the simplest sort, and during his entire career he was un- 
tiring in his devotions to his mother. George Watson was 
perhaps the greatest designer of steam and sail yachts of 
his time, and his death will be sincerely mourned by his 
many friends in the States and at home. 
We are grateful for the privilege of being able to print 
the personal recollections which follow from the pen of 
Mr. John Hyslop. 
George Lenox Watson* 
BY JOHN HYSLOP. 
The death of George Lenox Watson, which occurred 
early on Saturday last, November 12, comes to us as a 
most unexpected announcement. To those who knew 
him through his work as a yacht designer, it will be 
recognized that a man who stood in the foremost rank 
of his profession has been lost to it, and if the money 
value of his productions may be taken as a measure of the 
confidence which he inspired in his patrons, it may be 
questioned if he had any rivals who reached his level. To 
those of us who had the good fortune to know him as a 
man, other considerations than respect for his ability will 
make a deeper impress, and form a subject of more grate- 
ful comment. There has, since the first announcement of 
his death, been no lack of reference to what he has done 
as a designer, with much fullness of details, which make 
less needful any enlargement on this subject. 
George L. Watson commenced yacht designing about 
the time when it had its inception as a profession distinct 
from the business of yacht building, and since that time 
the two lines of work have ordinarily been kept separated. 
The cutter Madge, which was brought here in 1881, was 
one of the productions of his earlier years. Her perform- 
ances in these waters may, in strict accuracy, be called a 
revelation, and these, with a study of her details of rig and 
characteristics, influenced very perceptibly and beneficially 
a variety of changes in American yachts. Commencing as 
a designer of small yachts, Mr. Watson very speedily 
was intrusted with more important commissions, and in- 
deed, in a very few years' time, may be said to have had a 
recognized preference in the profession for commissions 
in the larger class of vessels, and latterly the designing 
of the most costly steam yachts has constituted the 
greater part of his work. Our own most competent de- 
signers would, I feel sure, be the last to underestimate the 
merits of yachts designed by Mr. Watson for the inter- 
national Cup contests. I am confident that Mr. Herres- 
hoff would not. At this time, when the relative weight 
of hull and rig to total weight of displacement is such a 
well recognized factor in relation to speed, there would 
appear to be the need of a distinct superiority in model 
or elsewhere for a vessel to successfully engage in a con- 
test when she has first to cross the Atlantic in either 
direction. In my experience as measurer of the New 
York Y. C, in every contest where Mr. Watson _ was 
present, there were many occasions^ which gave striking 
evidence of his manly spirit and fair mindedness, which 
I should be glad to give if it would not unduly lengthen 
this communication; and there are other experiences of 
my own, or well known to me, of which I could write 
feelingly, telling of the admirable, generous, and lovable 
character of the man. I saw something of him— of his 
home life, his business life, his associates and surround- 
ings, and his personal habits — when I was in Glasgow in 
the summer of 1898. These all showed the confidence and 
high esteem in which he was held, and in contrast to this 
his own quiet, simple and unassuming demeanor. In- 
trusted at that time with the carrrying out of important 
and costly contracts, he was content to describe himself 
as "just a toy maker." A faithful, diligent, conscientious 
hard worker in his profession, no detail regarded as 
drudgery, no inconvenience as occasion for shirking,_ he 
went about his work, and preserved through it all, if a 
somewhat retiring, yet a genial presence, and a kindly 
and active considerateness — even, as I know, for some 
who might reasonably have looked for resentment. 
At the time I write of, Mr. Watson was a bachelor, 
his mother, then over 80 years old, presiding over his 
home, and the considerateness of which I have written 
showed itself toward her in the most exquisite develop- 
ment that I have ever witnessed. A bright-faced,_ gentle 
and refined woman, and such mutual appreciation of 
mother and son, formed a picture never to fade from my 
memory. . 
It will not be easy to replace George Watson as a 
capable designer. It would in many ways be more diffi- 
cult to excel him as a man. 
Past, Present and Future of the 
Motor Boat, 
BY A. E. POTTER. 
That the motor boat has come to stay, goes without 
saying. But a few years ago, not to exceed eleven, I saw 
on the Thames River at Norwich, Conn., a peculiar look- 
ing launch. It was running with no apparent effort ex- 
cept a peculiar popping noise,, had no smokestack, nor did 
it resemble one of the electric launches first made famous 
at the Chicago World's Fair. I asked several bystanders 
what the propelling power was, and none could answer. 
Several days after, in describing the incident, I was in- 
formed that a gasolene engine was used for its propul- 
sion, and I became at once interested; nor have I lost 
any of my enthusiasm since that time; on the contrary, 
it increases whenever I note any advance in construction, 
design or new features in this most instructive mechan- 
ism, following up as it did the bicycle, both of which are 
responsible for development of mechanical skill and 
knowledge, an opportunity which the American people 
were not slow to appreciate and grasp. 
When John H. Hoxie, of Mystic, Conn., bought his 
launch, Hattie B., equipped with a 6 horsepower Sintz 
motor, and on his trips up and down the Mystic River, 
and through Fisher's Island Sound — for all his coming 
was heralded by an "infernal" racket, especially rasping 
to churchgoers on Sundays or to the tired villagers seek- 
ing slumber at night — he was the envied of all others 
thereabouts. I have heard it said that once on a quiet 
summer's day his launch was heard at Noank from the 
time he left his moorings at Mystic until he tied up at 
Watch Hill wharf, and on his return the same atmos- 
pherical conditions being present, the progress was punc- 
tuated by regular snorts, save occasional missed explo- 
sions, until "blocked" at the Mystic drawbridge. While 
not vouching for the actual truth of the above, I do not 
consider the facts entirely chimerical. 
The next season marked a great improvement in the 
Hattie B., a larger engine with muffler increasing the 
speed and reducing the sound of the exhaust. 
About that time Thos. H. Newbury bought from 
Palmer Bros., of Cos Cob, the first engine they sold. He 
installed it in a 17ft. rowboat bought from the keeper of 
North Hummock Light, after first adding a false stern. 
These were the first two launches on the river where 
now are owned in the neighborhood of a hundred, the 
little village of Noank, at the mouth of the river, boasting 
in the ownership of between forty-five and fifty, for the 
most part engaged in fishing and lobstering. 
The first in Noank to adopt gasolene power for propell- 
ing their boat and for lifting their trawls of lobster pots 
were Wm. P. Latham and John L. Daboll, joint owners 
of Falcon ; yet a canvass of the lobster boats this summer 
showed that but some four only were not equipped with 
power. 
At Bridgeport, New Haven, Milford, South Norwalk, 
and other points on the Connecticut shore, the power boat 
is fast superseding the steam oyster boat, except with the 
large concerns who ship seed oysters extensively and own 
large beds. The individual boats licensed to _ fish 
on the public beds are debarred the use of power, either 
going to, coming from, or fishing on the grounds, or to 
haul dredges. I understand that even boats with power 
are not allowed to dredge unless the propeller wheels are 
removed. But for this there would be several hundred 
more motor boats engaged in catching seed oysters, and 
the oyster would soon share the fate of the lobster, so far 
as the Long Island Sound natural beds are concerned. 
On the Long Island shore the conditions are a little 
different, in that the beds are usually owned by smaller 
concerns, cultivated by means almost exclusively of the 
power boat. There is hardly a planter who now uses 
steam for this purpose, or for marketing his product,_even 
the sailing vessels being usually equipped with auxiliary 
gasolene power, in place of the old-time sloop with hand 
windlass. 
In Gardiner's, as in Peconic and Great South bays, 
the motor boat plays a very important part. Where these 
craft are employed to transport fish to shipping points, 
fishing gear can be tended regularly, their product 
arrives in market in much better condition, and the re- 
sult is that the gasolene motor once installed becomes, 
like the telephone, a necessity. So we might enumerat 
the various industries at different localities where for 
commercial purposes, such as carrying produce to market, 
short ferries, taking out fishing and sailing parties, the 
motor boat has proved the "proper thing in the proper 
place." These boats run in winter and summer, unless 
tied up by ice floes or storms, and, unlike the pleasure 
boat, which is hauled out and covered by the owner dur- 
ing the winter, are always "in evidence." 
There is another large class of motor "boatists"— -the 
man of moderate means who owns a boat for his own 
pleasure, whose first outlay is small, expense of running, 
care, and repairs is low. Probably no other form of 
recreation offers quite so much in return for the invest- 
ment. He knows he can sell the boat at almost any time 
for what he paid for it, and his investment does not- 
worry him. His "name is legion," as can be attested by 
the vast numbers which can be noticed on bays, rivers, 
sounds, etc., on every pleasant afternoon during the sum- 
mer, or peacefully lying at their moorings when not in 
use. He can go when or where he pleases (of course 
.after he learns his engine), alone or accompanied by 
family or friends. If he breaks down, he will always 
find a friendly launch to tow him home or to a safe 
haven, the credit of being able to do the towing is usually 
sufficient pay, trusting that when he in turn becomes en- 
tangled with a line in his wheel, or his gasolene tank is 
-empty, some friendly launch, will take his line t<> even 
matters up. What does he care for racing? Perhaps he 
is unable to pay out the little extra that it would entail ; 
but more likely he will say — and honestly, too — that he 
did not buy his launch for racing purposes; he doesn't 
know howtfast she will go and doesn't care, so long as he can 
go where he pleases. Yet underneath this exterior apathy 
for motor boat racing he reads with avidity all the boat- 
ing periodicals, all the racing news, and if he can afford 
the time and expense, watches the struggles from some 
point of vantage. 
The cruising launch and the auxiliary yacht are im- 
portant factors in the gasolene engine world. Those who 
can afford the cruising launch and the time to enjoy it, 
have usually one ideal, and that is a boat with a little 
better accommodations, a little more power, just a trifle 
increased speed, while the owner of the auxiliary, except 
with a good spanking breeze, rarely takes off his sail 
covers, and . about the second or third season either .re- 
moves the spars and converts her into a launch proper, 
or trades for a cruising launch. The yachtsman brought 
up to love the sailing craft, sighs, bemoans the lack of 
enthusiasm among his fellow sailing friends, and then — 
what else, could he do ? Whv. he becomes the worst 
"crank" in the motor boat ranks. 
There is but one more distinctive class. This is in truth 
a separate adaptation of the gasolene engine, and unfor- 
tunately we cannot all enter the sport with all that it 
means. It is in, the high speed auto boat. Here is where 
brains, high mechanical ability, a knowledge of the high 
art of the naval architect, a cool head, a "long roll," and 
plenty idle time are necessary. 
The speed results so far obtained this past year are re- 
markable, yet the auto boat is in its infancy. 
From a business standpoint the power boat is a suc- 
cess. Examine the columns of publications who_ give up 
a part even of their columns to motor boats, engines, and 
accessories, and mark the vast number of manufacturers,, 
both large and small, of marine gasolene engines, their 
number being augmented by new ones constantly spring- 
ing up. How few of them meet with business reverses 
and leave the field to others. A remarkable thing it is 
that there is hardly a gasolene engine manufacturer or 
launch builder but has prospered the past year or two, 
while the indications are that the demand, being healthy, 
is bound to increase. Did you ever hear of a man tiring 
of motor boating? 
Queries on Marine Motors. 
B. A. H., Rochester, N. Y.— I am building a launch hull with 
bent oak frames — my first experience. Have keel, stem, stern- 
pest and deadwood in place, also forms and battens ready for the 
timbers. What is the cheapest and simplest way to soften the 
timbers to bend them into place? I do not want to go to the 
expence of steam-box, boiler, etc. Which is better to bend, yellow 
bark or white oak? 2. What are the advantages, _ if any, from 
building a launch with a deadwood aft over using a double 
knee for a sternpost and planking from the rabbet in the keel 
and sternpost, rather than to a rabbet in the deadwood? 
Ans. — The cheapest and one of the best methods is 
to procure a piece of second-hand 2in., 2%m. or 3m. 
steam pipe, or boiler tubing, about 6in. longer than the 
longest timber. Bury one end in the ground 2 or 3ft., 
first plugging it carefully with a piece of pine. Leave 
the pipe protruding from the ground at an angle of 
approximately 45 degrees. Fill this with water and 
build a fire under it. As soon as the water boils, im- 
merse each timber separately; let it stand for a minute 
or two and it will bend like a piece of rubber. Green 
yellow-bark butts will be found to bend even better 
than white oak. The wood, of course, should be 
straight-grained. 
2. A launch is undoubtedly stronger built with a good 
deadwood, and the cost would be less. It is largely a 
matter of choice and, except that all the room aft 
inside is needed for a reversing gear or wheel, we 
should strongly advise the deadwood. This construc- 
tion would be heavier, but it would cost less, and the 
boat would be ever so much easier to "plank." 
A. B. H., New Orleans, La. — 1. Will a four-cycle engine burn 
more or less gasolene with a vaporizer than with a float feed car- 
buretor? 2. Why do some makes of two-cycle engines take so 
much more fuel than others developing the same brake horse- 
power at the same speed? 
Ans. — i. With a float feed carburetor and auxiliary 
air supply, a better mixture can be maintained with 
"^ess wire drawing, thus getting more power with the 
same amount of gasolene. 2. On account of different 
locations of exhaust and inlet ports, higher or lower 
initial and final compression, different lengths of con- 
necting rods, different methods of carburation, etc., 
ad infinitum. 
W. A. W. Baltimore, Md. — The forward cylinder of my quad- 
ruple cylinder marine gasolene engine heats up badly. What is 
the. cause and remedy? 
Ans.' — If your engine is installed at a considerable 
pitch, the forward cylinder may not get its share of 
the water. More likely the trouble may be from in- 
sufficient water piping from the engine. In case- the 
pump is of the rotary or gear type, the piping should be 
larger oh this account, else the water turned into 
steam makes back pressure on the pump and reduces 
its capacity. The remedy would be to increase the 
piping one size from the engine outboard, or increase 
the siz* or speed of the pump. 
All communications for Forest and Stream must be 
directed to Forest and Stream Pub. Co., New York, to 
receive attention. We have no other office. 
