IN AN ELECTRIC LAUNCH.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4543, 15 November 1882, Page 3

IN AN ELECTRIC LAUNCH.

Professor S. P. Thomson Bends to the London Times an account of a trip on the Thamca ia a launch propelled by eloctrieity. He says : At half-past three in the afternoon I found myself on board the little vessel Electricity, lying at her mooring off the wharf at the works of the Electrical Power Storage Company, Millvrall. The little craft is 26ft in length, and sft beam, drawing 2ft of water. She is fitted with a 22in propellersorew. Onboard wore stowed away under the flooring and seats, fore and aft, 45 electric accumulators,of the last type, as devised by Messrs Sellon and Volckman, fully oharged with electricity by wires leading from dynamo generators in the works. They were cnloulated to supply power for six hours, at the rate of four-horse power. Those storage cells were placed in electrical connection with two Siemens dynamos (those known as D. 3), furnishod with proper reversing gear and regulators, in order to servo as an engine to drivo the screw propeller. Either or both of these motors could be switched into circuit at will. In charge of the olectrio engines was Mr Gustavo Phillpot, who has been associated with Mr Volokman in fitting up the electric launoh. Mr Volckman himself, and an ongineer, completed (with tke writer) the quartette who made the trial trip. After a few minutes run down the rivor, and a trial of the powers of the boat to go forward, tack, or go astern at will, her head was turned citywards, and we Bped silently along the southern shore, running at the rate of eight knots an hour against the tide. At 37 minutes past four London bridge was readied, where the head of tho launoh was put about, while a long line of onlookers from the parapets surveyed the strango craft, that without steam or visible power, and without even a visible Bteeraman, mado its way against wind and tide. Slipping down with tho ebb, the wharf at Mill- wall was gained at one minute past five, thus in 24 minutes terminating the trial trip of the Eleotricity. A contract has been made between a London syndioato and the Canton of Genova, for an electrio railway on the Edison system, — the first in Europe It is to be immsdiately constructed, and will be eomo twelve and a half miles in length, running from the city of: Geneva to St Julien in Savoy.