ATDTDA (1): naphtha engines
Tim Strzechowski
dedalus204 at comcast.net
Fri Jan 26 09:53:31 CST 2007
"[...] ships powered by guncotton reciprocators and naphtha engines [...]" (p. 27).
[...] After steamboats got a reputation of danger from explosion, the Coast Guard required operators to be licensed, thereby removing steamboats from small owner/operator utilization. The outboard motor would solve this problem eventually, but in 1885 it didn't exist. In 1883 Frank W. Ofeldt took out a patent on a naphtha engine which was essentially a closed loop steam engine that used naphtha instead of water. The engine was developed by the Gas Engine and Power Company of Morris Heights, New York. A few years later the company was in production, meeting the urgent market for small, powered launches that could be operated by owners without the need for a licensed engineer. In 1896, the company joined with Charles L. Seabury & Co., and together they manufactured naphtha launches and yachts that ranged in size from a 1 horsepower, 16 foot launch up to a 76 foot twin screw yacht powered by two 12 horsepower engines. [...]
http://www.gasenginemagazine.com/complete-archive/3336/
http://www.jacksjoint.com/capn_ban_and_the_naptha_engine.htm
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