Dick Hamilton's Steam Yacht; Or, A Young Millionaire and the Kidnappers — Key Ideas to Explore

(2 User reviews) 381

In Category - Young Readers

Authors: Garis, Howard Roger, 1873-1962 Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2016 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: Millionaires -- Juvenile fiction; Yachts -- Juvenile fiction; Kidnapping -- Juvenile fiction Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

Edition facts

Words 66,192

Reading time 288 min

Text sections 7

This digital edition of Dick Hamilton's Steam Yacht; Or, A Young Millionaire and the Kidnappers — Key Ideas to Explore is described by source-level measurements including 66,192 words, 4 hr 48 min estimated reading time, and 7 detected text sections.

The text analysis averages about 14.7 words per sentence, while the detected sections provide another way to judge how the source is divided.

Project Gutenberg metadata also associates the work with “Millionaires -- Juvenile fiction,” connecting these edition facts with the source record’s subject description.

Source: Project Gutenberg record #53460

Dick Hamilton, a young millionaire, acquires a steam yacht and sets off on a cruise with friends, only to face kidnappers, a mysterious stowaway, and a superstitious sailor who believes a mermaid is aboard. The catalog subjects of millionaires, yachts, and kidnapping are present, but the excerpts reveal a stronger emphasis on nautical adventure and character-driven humor.

Editorial Edition Score 4.7/5

★★★★★ ★★★★★

Calculated from edition completeness, EPUB availability, text structure and catalogue metadata. Not a user rating.

How this score is calculated

Description quality20 pts
Title & short description10 pts
Source metadata20 pts
Text length15 pts
Chapters / structure15 pts
EPUB file integrity20 pts

Total of 100 points, scaled to a 2.5-5.0 range. Editions with an empty description or a missing EPUB file are not scored.

Edition quality

File: pg53460

Read the Text

Dick was marooned on a small island, but, far from that proving a delightful experience, he was very glad to leave, even though it was on a raft, which he and his companions constructed.

How the wealthy youth happened to be marooned there, an account of how he got his yacht, how he foiled the plans of the kidnappers and his uncle Ezra Larabee, how the wrong young man was spirited away, how Dick gave chase, and the surprising rescue at sea--all this you will find set down in the present book, and I venture to hope that you will like it. Thanking you for the appreciation you have accorded my previous books, I remain,

Yours sincerely, HOWARD R. GARIS.

CHAPTER PAGE I DICK'S COMPANY WINS 1

II MR. HAMILTON'S LETTER 8

III DICK'S STEAM YACHT 18

IV UNCLE EZRA'S PLOT 28

V DICK IS SHADOWED 45

VI DICK ENTERS THE TRAP 56

VIII THE FIGHT IN THE DARK 74

X UNCLE EZRA'S OFFER 90

XI PLUM DUFF FALLS OVERBOARD 97

XII SAVED FROM THE SEA 105

XIII THE MERMAID'S SONG 112

XV TIM MULDOON DISAPPEARS 127

XVI UNCLE EZRA AS A SAILOR 136

XVII WIDDY HEARS A VOICE 143

XVIII THE PRINCESS PASSES 149

XX OFF TO SANTIAGO 163

XXI THE KIDNAPPERS 171

XXII THE WRONG CAPTIVE 178

XXIII DICK ON THE TRAIL 186

XXIV OFF FOR STONE ISLAND 192

XXV DICK'S YACHT IS GONE 199

XXVII DICK FINDS HIS RELATIVES 216

XXVIII BUILDING A RAFT 225

XXXI "MAN OVERBOARD!"--CONCLUSION 249

DICK HAMILTON'S STEAM YACHT

The command rang out sharply, and hundreds of cadets came to a stop, standing as stiff as ramrods, with their eyes staring straight ahead at--absolutely nothing.

Captain Dick Hamilton stepped out the regulation number of paces in front of his company, wheeled on his heel, looked critically over his command, wheeled about again, and stood at attention. Then he awaited the approach of Colonel Masterly, superintendent of the Kentfield Military Academy.

"Say, fellows, I hope we're looking all right," whispered Jim Perkins, to his next in line, George Ball. "We want to take first prize, for Dick's sake, and----"

"Silence in the ranks!" exclaimed First Lieutenant Paul Drew. "Here come Colonel Masterly and Major Rockford."

Dick Hamilton never moved from his rigid position, but with a slight motion of his hand he cautioned his men to maintain order. For it was the final inspection, at the close of the academy for the term, and he wanted his command to have a perfect score.

Farther along the big parade ground were other companies of cadets, in their dress uniforms, and in front of them were other captains, as eager as was Dick to win the coveted medal, which was offered each year for the best appearing command.

"Here come the grand-high-muck-a-mucks!" whispered the irrepressible Perkins. "Stand up straighter, Ball. You're as crooked as a rail fence."

"Silence!" hissed Lieutenant Drew sharply. Dick was almost ready to squirm, in his eagerness to turn around and administer a rebuke, yet he was inwardly laughing at the remark of Perkins. Colonel Masterly, the head of the big school, and the commandant, Major Rockford, were now inspecting the company, which was standing stiffly at the right of Dick's command. The two officers, together with several visitors, and a colonel from the regular army, were critically examining the ranks of anxious cadets.

"I know I've got a speck of dust on my belt," whispered Perkins. "Can't one of you fellows brush it off with your bayonet?" and he half turned his head to look at the lad behind him.

"Si----!" began Lieutenant Drew, but he did not finish, for at that moment the squad of officers approached, having finished with the other company.

Dick stiffened the least bit more in his tracks, if such a thing were possible, and raised his glittering sword in salute. The inspection was on. There was no further chance to improve the appearance of his cadets.

Slowly and carefully the officers looked over the lads, some of whom felt an uncontrollable desire to sneeze, or to scratch the middle of their backs. But they nobly resisted.

Colonel Masterly spoke a few words in a low tone to Major Webster, a retired army officer, who was the academy instructor in military tactics. In turn the latter spoke to Major Rockford, and then to Colonel Whitford, of the regular army. Dick wondered what they were saying, but as they were behind him now he could not hear.

The officers paused in front of the joking Perkins. They seemed to see something.

Continue Reading →

The catalog entries for Dick Hamilton's Steam Yacht list millionaires, yachts, and kidnapping as primary subjects, but the excerpts suggest the book is less a thriller and more a lighthearted adventure with a strong dose of nautical superstition and character comedy. The opening chapters establish Dick as a capable, wealthy young man who buys a yacht and invites friends, but the plot quickly veers into a subplot involving a superstitious sailor named Widdy, who insists a mermaid is haunting the vessel. This tension between the promised kidnapping plot and the actual focus on maritime humor and mystery is the book's defining feature.

Superstition at Sea: Widdy and the Mermaid

The most vivid passages in the excerpts do not involve kidnappers but rather the old sailor Widdy, who becomes convinced a mermaid is aboard. When he hears cries for help from the after compartment, he refuses to investigate, declaring, “it ain't healthy to help mermaids.” Captain Barton scoffs, but Dick takes the report seriously. This incident, which occupies a full chapter, showcases the book’s reliance on folk belief and comic relief. Widdy’s language—calling the yacht “doomed” and invoking Davy Jones—creates a distinct voice that contrasts with Dick’s rational, problem-solving demeanor. The mermaid subplot is not a mere aside; it drives the discovery of the missing newsboy, Tim Muldoon, hidden in the shaft tunnel. The book thus uses superstition as a narrative engine, not just decoration.

The Hidden Stowaway: Tim Muldoon's Ordeal

Tim Muldoon, a newsboy who stows away, is found injured in the propeller shaft tunnel after days of being presumed drowned. His rescue is the emotional climax of the excerpts. Dick’s cry, “It's him! Get a lantern and help him out!” reveals that the young millionaire had been searching for Tim all along. Tim’s weak whisper, “I—I thought no one would ever come,” and his sprained ankle and head injury ground the story in physical peril. Yet the rescue is handled briskly, with Captain Barton acting as “a sort of doctor and surgeon combined.” The scene balances tension with matter-of-fact seamanship. Notably, the kidnapping subject is barely visible here; Tim’s disappearance is an accident, not a crime. The catalog label “kidnapping” may refer to a later plot thread not present in these excerpts, but the text as sampled focuses on accidental entrapment and rescue.

Wealth as a Given, Not a Theme

Dick Hamilton’s status as a millionaire is established in the title and preface, but the excerpts treat his wealth as a simple fact rather than a source of conflict. He buys a steam yacht without fuss, and his friends join him without comment on class. The preface mentions “the wrong young man was spirited away” and “the surprising rescue at sea,” but the sampled chapters show no direct confrontation with kidnappers. Instead, the narrative energy goes into technical details of the yacht, the crew’s dynamics, and the mermaid scare. Uncle Ezra Larabee, listed as a plot element in the preface, does not appear in the excerpts. This suggests the book may be more episodic than the catalog subjects imply, with wealth functioning as a convenient premise rather than a central theme. Readers expecting a sustained kidnapping thriller will find a looser, more adventure-driven story.

Readers approaching Dick Hamilton's Steam Yacht should set aside expectations of a taut kidnapping drama. The book, as evidenced by the excerpts, is a leisurely boys' adventure that mixes nautical lore, character humor, and a rescue plot. The catalog subjects are accurate but incomplete; the real texture lies in Widdy’s superstitions, the yacht’s machinery, and Dick’s calm leadership. For those interested in early twentieth-century children’s series fiction, this volume offers a clear example of how adventure stories of the period balanced action with comic relief and technical detail.

There’s something about a young millionaire and his crew battling both kidnappers and a stubborn belief in mermaids that made me think of another odd, offbeat story—The Adventures of a Marmotte Sold for the Distressed Irish — Background and Themes—where the absurd premise somehow carries a quiet, human weight. Both feel like relics of an era when adventure didn’t need to be plausible, just earnest.