An Amphibious Boat.

Manawatu Herald, 2 October 1897, Page 2

An Amphibious Boat.

Th/re is, says " La" Nature," to be scon at work in the northern part of ihe island of Zealand a novel Danish boat that is oapable of travelling on water and land alike. h i, ] the invention of a Swedish engineer, Mr C. J. Magnell, and is constructed for passenger service on he banks of the Lyngley, Fur,- and Farcein, as well as for conveyance over the isthmuses that separate th m. It beard the name of the Swar, is 45ft long by 10 broad, ita engine is of 27 horse-power, and id oarries seventy persons. On the >ides of the lakes are rows of pilta forming a passage way, in which is a railway line running down under the water. When the boat is about to leave the water and make a land trip, an iron bar, furnished with cogs, is pushed down. These cogs «ugage with the arbour of the screw, and cause to turn four wheels placed beneath the vessel — two near the bow, and two near the stern. These wheels, which are placed horizontally with reference to the keel then touch the rails ; the engine that turns the screw also. turns the wheels," and forces the boat to ascend and descend the track between the lakes of a grado of about one in forty. The bottom of the boat between the wheels is quite flat, so that the vessel needs to be raised only a few feet above the rails. The wheels, which arc large, and flanged, like those of railway trains, are mounted oq water-tight axles, so that the water cannot enter the boat. When the boat leaves the water the screw goes on working, and does bo uctil it takes the water an the other side of the isthmus. In entering from the land the Swan gradually settles down in the water until the wheela leave the railp, when it becomes buoyant ones more. With a movement of the iron lever the wheels are thrown out of gear, and remain immovable until another land trip is necessary. The success which has attended this experiment has en* couraged the company for whom it was built to repeat the experiment on a much larger scale Ihe belief being that, given the requisite stability, there is no limit to the feiza of such amphibious boats.