OMAHA ILLUSTRATED BEE. July 10 , 181)9. )
Testing War Ship Models
For over llfleon years Hoar Admiral lllch-
liurn , chief of tliu construction bureau of
llio navy , linn been endeavoring to socurc
tliu building of nn experimental naval basin ,
lie was aunt abroad by Secretary Chandler
mi far back as 1884 to BOO wbat Improve-
incntH bad been devised In shipbuilding by
other countries , and canio back with the Idea
for this In his brain , lint It was not until
toward the close of the Fifty-fourth con
gress that ho was nblo to secure nn ap
propriation of the necessary $150,000 to nut
his plans Into operation.
The need of such tanks line been recog
nized abroad for a still lunger time , but the
governments bavo hesitated to go Into It
milllclciitly to attain the bent results. ( Mr.
William Denny , the in OH I progressive of the
Scotch builders , and the owner of the only
private basin In the world , said recently , In
( llHciiHsltig the ( luctitlon : "Of all the
problems about a steamship , the only ones
Incapable of being solved at the present mo
ment by n prior method are those relating
to iipeed and power. No ability and no
training will enable oven the moHt skillful
naval architect to overcome the want of an
experimental tank In coping with these ques
tions. "
It Is to find out this Ideal hull , the one
that will attain the maximum rcwilt of
opeed , of carrying power , or of whatever
other quality that may bo desired that the
United States has erected after many yearn
of solicitation on the part of the Bureau
of Construction and Repair this enormous
basin.
The basin was authorized by congress two
jears ago , and already partial experiments
have been inndo with a model of the Iowa ,
and the basin has been proved to bo thor
oughly accurate In its predictions In regard
to speed. Very soon oxhawitlvo experiments
will bo begun to determine the best shapes
for the hulls of the now war ships authorized
last iMarch.
iMarch.A
A Atceliiiiiluul AVomli-r.
The tank has a length of GOO foot and
along each of Its long aides Is laid a railway
on which ruiiH a "towing carriage , " which
extends llku a bridge over the tank from
sldo to side. When the great weight of the
carriage ( twenty-live tons ) IH taken Into
consideration , no well as the rapidity with
which it moves , and the perfect control un-
< ler which It operates at all times , It will
bo easily understood that the whole process
of operation Is llttlo sliort of marvellous.
In fact the motor carriage of the model
basin Is a mechanical and electrical wonder
and a thing almost entirely unique. On It
Is a complicated plcco of machinery , worked
by the Ward-Leonard system of electrical
control , capable of driving the carriage
along the rails at twenty-live mlles an hour
within 200 foot of the ( starting place.
Hung to this bridge carriage by means of
u dynamometer will bo the various models i
which it is designed to test , each loaded BO i
K
teSSt iS
AIIMIO OCHAN FOR THSTINOVAH SHU'S
an to llout the oxaol pro ) > ortlonate depth
designed for the ship. As the carriage.
sweeps along , towing the model , the dyna
mometer will register the resistance of the
water to that particular form of bow at
each speed from one knot an hour up to
thirty. If it Is found that the resistance Is
greater than it should be the model will betaken
taken back to the carpentering establish
ment attached U ) the basin and trimmed
down or built out , as may bo thought boat ,
and then tried again and again until the
very best ahnpo for the purpose Intended Is
rortolved upon.
When one Is finally adopted , the resistance
of the water to Its progress at varlouo speeds
will ibo carefully noted , and from this it will
bo very simple to calculate the exact power
of the engines required to glvo the ship ,
when built , the greatest speed. Hereafter
there will bo 110 danger that the engines
will bo found too weak for the ship , thus
Using speed , or too heavy and strong , ( bun
losing weight that might better bo devoted
to some other part of the vessel ,
There Is one especial advantage In the
high speed that can bo attained in the
tunic which a layman will necessarily over
look. It results from the tendency of a
ship to bore downwards In the water. The
faster it goes the deeper it will bore , the
more of it will bo submerged and the
larger wilt be its displacement. For in
stance , the coast defense vessel Monterey ,
when running at full speed , plunges its
entire bow under the water , thus offering n
much greater surface to the water and in
creasing the resistance to its passage. It
Is evident that portions of the bow which
are well out of the water at ton knots the
maximum speed nltalnablo In any of the
Kuropcan tanks will bo submerged entirely
at twenty knots , and that na much care
should bo taken to design so as to offer
the least resistance of the upper portloi ) to
the water as Is taken with the lower portions
tions , which are always submerged. Yet
never In the history of the world has it
been pouilblo to ascertain the best shape
for them In advance of actual test after
tliu ship has been completed , when , of
coimic , It Is too late for alterations.
Objection * may bo made that the tank
offora , after all , only smooth water facili
ties , and will not glvo evidence as to work
In a sea way. Such , however , Is not thu
cose. At ono end of the tank Is to bo placed
a powerful propeller , which will send waved
to meet the model quite ab strong proportionately
tionately to the btze as are likely to be
encountered by the ship In the open sen.
Further , In one corner uf the building which
encloses the entire tank will bo placed a
powerful electric fan , which can get up a
very good Imitation of a gale of wind.
I'lOlillK till * TrNlN.
All thefao points were worked out very
carefully by Naval Constructor David W.
Taylor before the building of the plant was
begun , and there was theoretically no dcubt
that all would work correctly. Still , care
ful tests wore determined upon to show
that thcso calculations were accurate. In
other words , to make everything perfectly
Bftfo , the "sum" had to bo "proved. "
For this purpobo models have bo-en , or
are being , constructed of the Iowa , the
Brooklyn , the Ualelgh , and other vessels at
present In existence. Abundant records ,
of course , exist as to the speed of these
actual vessels In all sorts of weather and
under nil conditions. If , when their models
are tested in the tank , they should glvo re
sults which , when worked out , should ngree
with the results In actual practice , it WuUld
bo proof that other Hhlps built on models
obtained In the tank would also give the
expected results. If , on the other hand , It
were found that the results were somewhat
different , they would glvo n basis for calcu
lating the amount by which the llnal ship
should bo made to dltfer from the tank
model.
Naturally , Mr. Taylor felt more or less
anxiety in regard < to the llrst experiment.
This was made with a twenty-foot wooden
model of the Iowa , double the length of any
model used abroad. So far this has been
tested at various speeds up to twelve knots
and the results have been practically Identi
cal with those shown by the Iowa's log
books. In u few days experiments will be
made at creator speeds. At present the
machinery Is so new that It is not thought
prudent 10 use too jjrcut velocity. As the
various parts uet adjusted to each other
nd the machinery , so to speak , "finds"
itself , the speeds will be increased till they
reach the maximum. At piescnt everything
Is rough and discordant and makes n great
deal of noise. This , the men in charge
say , will BOOH wear off ,
The model shop Is near thu great tank
and there are now half a dozen models
under construction In it , both those of
existing war ships and those of contemplated
ones. It Is not proposed to try any of thu
latter class for two months yet , the time
until then being occupied In testing exist
ing vessels. At the end of that Interval
It Is probable that there will be a public
test of the tank and nn olllclnt explanation
of its uses. At present the olllcera are
somewhat close-mouthed In regard to it.
It Is also the intention of the government
to allow American shipbuilding linns and
private parties to have the use of the model
basin whenever It is not in use on govern
ment tests. The models will bo constructed
after any pattern that the parties In ques
tion may desire to submit and only the
actual cost of the work of constructing and
testing these models will bo charged. It is
expected that the future American cup defenders -
fenders will bo ilrst tested in miniature
In the United States model basin before
their actual work of construction is entered
upon. It will be a matter of great nautical
Interrst to watch and note the Improvements
that will thus bo effected In their speed
from time to time when it becomes neces
sary to construct a now yacht to defend the
International trophy now In possession of
an American built vessel.
A Genuine North
American Cyrano
The demand for Hostand's great work ,
"Cyrano do Ilorgerac , " has In no way been
di/creased by the presentation of the piny
In Omnlia some weeks ago by one of
America's greatest actots , On the con
trary , Mr Mansfield's prcductlcm of the
seem , Is a loyal member of the Kiuwa
tribe of Apache Indians. The photograph
was taken during the Indian congress held
a' the Transmlssls3lppl Kxpcsltlcn last
summer , In which Diaz was a representative
of the tribe of Klowas.
The life of i'abllno Diaz , as the origi
nal of the portrait Is named , has been mure
than usually adventurous. Ho was born
In Old Mexico of Mcxlcnn parents , and
when 7 years of ngo wna captured by a
roving band of Klowas who had crossed
tlio Rio Grande and Invaded Mexico on a
marauding expedition The boy was visit
PAULINO DIAiJ , A NORTH AMERICAN CYRANO.
work of the great French master has only
served to Increase this demand and
heighten the Interest taken In the book.
Thosu who were fortunate enough to en
joy Mr. Mansfield's most excellent produc
tion will readily recognize the similarity
between his clever makeup and tlie like
ness of a North American Cyrano pre
sented in this Issue of The Illustrated Dee.
In fact , the portrait reproduced may be
said to some extent to extel that of Mr.
Mansfield's Cyrano , in that it is entlroly
natural. The Interest is not lessened by the
fact that the portrait Is that of a full-
blooded Mexican , who , strange ou it may
ing his uncle's ranch at the time , and
being a lover of lr rscs , had gone to the
pasture where the animals were gnulng.
The sharp eyes of the Indians , swooping
down to drive off the stock , soon slghtcl
the boyish figure and ho was captured with
out much dllllculty. Ho was brought with
the band to the camping grounds cf the
vf RIX.AIE . c A R . a o _ .
ffj , Jt cC - , e
/
tribe , and after a time formally adopted by
them , He says that bin raptors always
treated him kindly and that very boon ho
was looked upon as a full-fledged member
of the tribe.
Of late years bo has made repeated efforts
to discover the whereabouts of his parents ,
if they are still alive , but always without
success. "And , " ho adds with a laugh ,
"my brother , the president of Mexico , would
hardly care to recognize mo now. " This
is a joke he loves to repeat to nil who hear
his story. *
Diaz is exceptionally bright and his voice
has great weight In the councils of his
tribe. He has been made a chief , subordi
nate only to the bond man of the tribe , who ,
too , has great respect for the opinions of
KU Mexican fellow tribesman.
Mr. F. lA. lUuohart first noticed the pe
culiarity of this North American Cyrano ,
and during Mr. iMansflcld's visit to Omaha
presented him with a print. Mr. Mans
field's acknowledgment is reproduced in
this Issue.
A Strange Fly Trap
Flytraps are well known in the animal
Kingdom to every ono who has eyes , or , at
least , who uses them.
The delicate web of the spider and the
deeply cut and broad mouth of the swal
low nt once suggest themselves. But that
a vcgetble should have an exquisitely con
structed and perfect apparatus of this kind ,
reports the Philadelphia Press , Is very remarkable -
markable , when It Is remembered that plants
( infer markedly from animals In regard to
their food. For , while animals live on or
ganic substances that Is , on plants or
other animals vegetables live on Inorganic
subsances.
It Is , then , unlikely that a Ily could sup
ply a plant with food , and yet a more per
fect llytrap than the leaves of dlonca can-
n t be Imagined.
This llttlo plant Is a native of the sandy
b gs In the pine barrens of Carolina. It
grows to a height of from six to twelve
Inches , producing a loose head of largo
whitish ( lowers , not unlike the flower of the
lady's smock.
The ollwer stalk rises from a rosette of
yellowish green leaves , spreading on the
ground. Each leaf Is divided by a deep In
cision into two portions , the lower being a
broadly-winged foot stalk , and the upper
the blade or true leaf itself.
This upper portion Is the flytrap the
most curious part of the plant and de
mands a careful description.
It Is roundish , and divided Into two equal
parts by a strong mid-rib. The margins
are fringed with a row of strong spiny
bristles , so that it may bo likened to two
upper eyelids joined at their bases. The
leaf Is a llttlo hollow on either side of the
mid-rib , the upper surface Is dotted with
minute reddish glands , and each hollow Is
furnished with thrco slender bristles. The
sensitiveness of the leaf chiefly lies In these
bristles. If an Insect alights on the leaf
and touches ono or more of them the sides
suddenly close with a force so great as to
Imprison the llttlo creature , notwithstanding
all Its efforts to escape. The fringe of bris
tles on the opposite sldo of the leaf Interlace
like the fingers of the two hands clasped
together , or like the teeth of a steel trap.
The Insect Is not crushed or suddenly de
stroyed , out Is retained firmly Imprisoned
until It ceases to move , which would mean
until It was dead , and then the leaf slowly
expands.
The two lobes are enfolded at night , but
spread open In the day. When the bristles
are Irritated by man , the loaf quickly closes ,
remains closed for a short time , then slowly
expands , ready to close -again If newly Irri
tated.
Hut If It bo caused to make repeated ef
forts at short Intervals , Its movements be
come languid , or the sensibility Is alto
gether exhausted and Is recovered only by i.
period of repcse.
Fooling Kit Carson
Kit Carson's rifle , which was carried by
him for more than forty years , and which
never failed him , Is now a precious relic
In the pcssesslon of the Montczuma lodge
of Masons at Santa Fo , of which ho was a
member , relates the Chicago Record.
As nn Indian fighter Carson was match
less , and no ono understood better than ho
the habits and the nature of the savage.
He told Colonel Inmnn of Kansas that ho
was deceived but once by Indian tactics. He
F.ild that ho was hunting with six others
after buffalo in the summer of 1835 ; that
they had been successful and came Into
their little bivouac ono night very tired , in
tending to start for the rendezvous at I3ont'a
fort the next morning. They had a number
of dogs , among them BOIIIO excellent animals.
These baikcd a good deal nnd seemed lest-
less , nnd the men henrd wolves.
"I snw , " said Kit , " two big wolves sneakIng -
Ing about , one of them quite close to us.
( lordcn , ono of my men , wanted to flre
his rifle at It , but I did not let him , for fear
he would hit a dog. I admit that I had n
bert of Idea that these wolves might bo
Indians , but when I noticed one of them
turn short around nnd heard the clashing of
hlK teeth as ho rushed at one of the dogs I
foil easv then , and was certain that they
were wolves sure enough. Dut the red devil
f oled mo after all , for ho had two dried
buffalo bones in his hands under the \volf-
hkln , and lie rattled them together every
time ho turned to make a dash at the dogs.
Weir , by and by we all dozed off , and it
wasn't long before I was suddenly aroused
by a noise and a big blaze. I rushed out
the llrst thing for nur mules and held them.
If the savages had been at all smart they
could have killed us In a trice , but they
ran ns soon ns they fired nt us. They killed
cue of my men , putting five bullets in his
Irdy nnd eight in his buffalo robe. The
Indians were a band of Sioux on the war
trail after a band of Snakes , nnd found us
by sheer accident. They endeavored to
ambush us the next morning , but wo got
wind of their Tittle game nnd killed three of
them , Including the chief. "