Rotarian at Sea

The rotorship Buckau, first of its kind, set sail from Danzig for Leith, Scotland, with a cargo of lumber. The voyage is to be the first commercial test of this new type of wind-propelled ship. Its trip from Kiel to Danzig to take on cargo was productive of conflicting reports: some said the Buckau went by her wind; some, by means of her auxiliary engine.

The public mind has been inflamed by the idea of the new ship in a degree that is probably all out of proportion to the importance of the invention. In any event, it may well be several years before the principle, if practical, is sufficiently developed to be put to commercial use. A report was published that the Hamburg-American line had ordered ten rotorships, was denied from Berlin.