The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1878-09-13
OIL AT SEA.
PRACTICAL EFFECTS OF OIL ON TROUBLED
WATERS.


Although the effects of pouring OIL upon
the troubled waters scarcely enters into the
mind of man beyond fgurative sentiment,
there are few modern instances Of it's
wonderful power at sea in cases of impend-
| ing shipwrech. Those few cases, however
which have found faithful record, ought
to arrest more deeply the public attention !;
for fine efficacy of oil is of the nature which
these accounts would lead us to accept, SO
simple a provision against the disasters of
the ocean cannot be too extensively
| known.
| AS far back as ITO Ouch India man
| was saved from wreck in storm near the
islands Of Paul and Amsterdam by pouring
| on the sea
A JAR OF OLIVE OIL.
The writer of Wallerdehre states that
Mr.. Ritchie, who accompanied Danish
captain to the island of Porto Santo (being
tutor to his sony, was standing on the
shore during hurricane, when he saw the
vessel in which he arrived torn from her
anchor and swallowed up. Suddenly in
the middle of the bay appeared boat
driving towards shore. The waves how
ever, advanced with redoubled energy, but
without breaking, and tossed the boat SO
high on the strand that the men were able
to jump out and scramble up the beach.
The rescue was due to the captain, who,
as the boat entered the breakers, stove in a
keg of oil, which, though unsble to lessen
their height, prevented the waves from
breaking and caused them to run up the
strand like rollers carrying the boat with
them.
In 1867 master stated in the New York
| Shipping List that he had been at sea %
years and master for 10 years, and that he
had saved the vessel under his command
twice by oiling the sea. He says when a
ship is disabled and cannot get out of a
storm, and the master has to make the
best of gale, if he has oil on board he
should start two or three gallons over theside
to windward this will make smooth water.
The oil allowed to drip slowly out is all
that is required the shipls in smooth
though heaving water as long as the oil
runs. In 1864, in the heaviest gale of
wind he ever experienced, he lost all sails,
and then the rudder followed; and he
knew the vessel could not have ridden the
sea for an hour longer if he had not had
some oil.
FIVE GALLONS LASTED FIFTY-sIX HOURS,
He recommends that ships of heavy tonnage
should have two iron tanks of 40 gallons
each one on each side, with the fawcets so
| arranged that the oil can be started at any
time into small vessels-say 10gallon casks;
and in all ships boats, tanks of 5 gallons
each well filled, SO that ia case the ship
founders or burns the boats will have Oil to
| smooth the sea in a gale. With these
tanks, and good master who knows the
law of storms aud handles the ship Sc as to
get out of the center of it, the danger of
laundering is greatly reduced.
Capt. Belts, of the King Gentic, of l.
400 tons, which lately arrived ut Bombay
from Liverpool with cargo Of coal, used
COMMON PINE OIL IN A HEAVY GALE
Of wind to prevent the sea breaking on
board, and with perfect success. The gale
continued for nearly five days and ragged
with determined fury. 1t had lasted some
time, when the chief officer, Mr. Bowyer.
bethought himself Of plan he had seen
tried upon some occasions when iu the At
lantic trade to prevent the sea breaking in.
He got out two canvas clothes-bags; into
each he poured two gallons of oil. He
punctured the bags slightly and hung one
over each quarter, towing them along.
The effect was magical. I he waves no
longer broke against the poop and sides of
the ship; but yards and yards away, where
the oil had slowly spread itself over the
water and in the wake of the vessel was a
large space of calm water The crew were
thus able to repair damages with greater
ease; the ship was relieved from those tre-
mendous shocks received from the mass of
water which had burst over her quarters
and stern, and the danger was considerably
lessened. The two bags lasted two days !;
after which, the worst rage of the storm
having expended ITSELF no more oil was
used. Four gallons of oil, scarcely worth
thirty shillings, here saved King Cenric, its
cargo and the lives and property of the
crew.
The above facts are capable of absolute
verifcation. The philosophy of the opera
tion is simply, that the thin covering of
OIL FLOATING ON THE WAVES
Prevents the wind from entering under the
surface and, therefore greatly reduces the
roughness Of the sea, and probably the
height of the waves, the crests of which are
thus prevented from breaking, which is
one of the principal causes of danger.
There is, however, nothing new in the ap-
plication of oil for such purposes. Pliny
mentions that in his day divers used to use
oil to lessen the rougbness of the sea in Or
der that they might more readily discern
objects at the bottom.
The position of seals is readily known by
the traces of oil which they throw up when
feeding on oil-giving fishes, such as the
cod and the course taken by shoals of her.
rings and pilchards can readily be observed
by the oil, let free, causing streaks of
smooth water in the midst Of the other
wise turbulent element. From the same
reason the sea never breaks around the body