A NOVEL STEAMER.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 2051, 20 September 1880, Page 3

A NOVEL STEAMER.

There is a novel steamboat now building at Nyaok, under the superintendence of Mr William Voorhis, of that place, formerly commodore of the New York Yacht Club. The new boat is to be in the form of a catamaran, and it is expected she will exceed in speed any ever constructed. She will have a double hull, 200 feet in length, while, as a whole, she will have 25ft. beam. Her engines will be of a pattern suited to the character of the craft, and turn a single wheel—to be placed between the parts of the double hull—of Bft, in diameter, at the rate of 325 revolutions per minute. It should be mentioned that her hull, or rather hulls, are to bo of iron, each sft. 6in. in diameter and cigar shaped. Of course it will bo understood that she will have no cabins below tho water, ns in the ordinary steamboat. On account of a peculiar boiler, Mr Yoorhis expects to be able, with perfect safety, to carry 125 pounds of steam to the square inch, whereas the common boats rarely exceed from 30 to 35 pounds. Great speed is expected to result from the following considerations: —From the length and narrowness of the engine cylinders, giving great ■ speed to the machinery, and from the shallow draught of water, the draught amidship being lees than 3ft,, and gradually diminishing to nothing fore and aft. In proportion to her displacement no other boat has one-third the power this novel steamer will possess. It is intended to use her as a passenger boat, and her carrying capacity will ba 73 tons, or about 500 passengers. She will have four bulkheads, comprising five air-tight compartments, which will be placed 9ft apart, and the deck over her centre will be 125 ft long, including a saloon of the same length, and as wide as the vessel itself. In case Mr Voorhis’ new nautical venture turns out to be the success which he anticipates, the socalled fast boats of the day will have to retire on their records, and make way for tho new era in steamboating on the historic Hudson,— “N.Y. Graphic.”