Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1882-02-23
Neptune Dosed with Oil.
Success of the Peterhead experiments to
Save Vessels By Pouring OiIon stormy

Seas.
From the Edinburgh Scotsman
The perils of seafaring have been so tragi-
cally illustrated during recent storms on our
coasts that any attempt to lessen the danger
to those whose business it is to go down to
the sea in ships is certain to meet with the
most favorable consideration. Nevertheless
by many of those who with this object in
view, are eager to secure improved harbors
and better equipped boats for our fishing
population, the attempt to mollify an angry
sea by the administration of doses of oil is
apt to be regarded as savoring somewhat of
Dame Partington's endeayor to sweep back
the waves of the Atlantic with a mop. The
Provost of Peterhead appears to have been
of this mind until he witnessed the expert
ments recently made outside the hsrbor of
that eastmost town. Seeing, however, is
believing as Provost Alexander stated when
taking over Mr.. Shields apparatus on be-
half of the harbor trustees, and now
he declares himself a convert to the
efficacy of pouring oil on troubled waters
Abreast of the bar of the North Harbor of
Peterhead, which during northeasterly gales
can only be entered by boats at considerable
risk, 1000 feet of pipe nave been laid on the
sea floor by Mr.. Shields. When fully eharg-
ed this pipe contains hundred gallons of
oil, and SO soon as pressure is brought to
bear on it by means of q force pump on
shore the oil escapes through three valves
seventy-five yards apart to the surface. On
the occasion of the recent experiments the
wind blew from the southeast, aud the waves
were SO high and broke with such force as
they entered the narrow area between the
two headlands that the local ball. the ap-
pearance of which indicates danger to boats
in crossing the harbor bar, was hoisted while
the.tugboat, with vessel in tow, had to
''stand off," On the waters thus agitated
I II II I-ET l.
three submarine valves to the extent, 1t is
said, of only two OF three gallons, and in the
course of half an hour the whole expanse of
water from the tidal run to the harbor en-
trance was coated with a film of oil which
shone mirror like in the sunshine. The waves
could be seen advancing at their full height
outside the bay, but they seem to have quiet
ly collapsed on nearing the harbor, where,
according to our report, ''they ran their
course in gentle undulations" The tug and
its attendant vessel meanwhile ran safely in.
while other boats glided safely out of the har-
Dor, aided by the calm thus artifcially pro-
duced.
The question of the action of oil on troub-
led waters does not seem to have hitherto re-
ceived that attention from men of science
which its Importance deserves, the only
scientific investigation of the subject known
to us being that communicated to the British
association by Professor Osborne Reynolds
in 1890 From the very meagre notice of his
paper in the British association reports, il
can be gathered that Professor Reynolds
recognizes as the result of his experiments
| the efficacy of oil on the surface of water to
prevent wind waves and to destroy waves al
ready existing. This he attributes ito the
surface tension of the water, over which the
oil spreads, varying inversely,as the thickness
of the oil, thus introducing tangential stiff
| ness into the oil sheet, which prevents the oil
| taking up the tangentiel motion of the water
| beneath" Full details of his investigation
have yet to be published. and these may be
expected to throw light on the above ex-
| PLANTATION. A recent writer in Chambers
Journal considers the philosophy of the
! operation to be simply that the thin covering
| of oil floating on the waves prevents the
| winds from entering under the surface. What
| ever be the explanation, the fact of oil exer-
| cising quieting effect on agitated water has
| long been a matter of more or less common
| observation 1t has been noticed that the
waves never break round the body of dead
| whale, presumably owing to the escape of oil
| from its carcass The position of seals and
| the track of herring and pilchard shoals can
| also, it is said, be discerned by the smooth
ness of the water in their neighborhood, due
to the oil which escapes from them or from
the creatures on which they prey. According
| to Dr. Benjamin Franklin, Newport Harbor,
| United States, was always smooth when
| whaling vessels were anchored there, and
| even the bilge water from oil laden ships has
| been known, when pumped into the sea, to