The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1884-11-01
NUMBER Al.


bArnacles OIL from the bottom of big
iron steamer, said an employee oil tho
Pacific Mail Company to q reporter of
the Chroaicie recently. "You wouldn't
think 1t, but It's one of the biggest
items of expense 10 the repairs OF these
steamers, continued he .'it's M
operation that every ships bottom goes
through after every third n p across
the Pacific, aud you know that the lit.
tie creatures which give Us so much
trouble are thicker aud attain their
growth M n ralidly in ra;ils waters
than they do IN the At ante
The rup0rtcr AMI his informant were
In the vicinity OF Hum er's Point dry
dock. and On entering the Yard tie
City of \ ew York was seen high and
dry on tue supports, AIDA la 90 huin-
Der OF men. each with ttiangu III shaved
scraper Of hard metal il Hantl. were
working on her. Tho scra era sah
handles attached 10 to center AID
were grolnd on en- II o their reo
edges, The sound Of the scrapnr re-
sembles that produced by masons'
trowels IN spread ne moran, though
much loutle', ana there wal also a
hacking AID catting noise occasionally.
cles cluug MA greater teiacite than
their nelghbors. 1t was wholesale
slaughter o these parusili ani ais,
which in some spots ince sted tia hot
tom of the ship 10 the depth Of IN inch
and half 10 i've inches.
'They Are only small clingars, these
barnaclos." said the Pacific Mail man,
"but like feas IN IL nervous individual,
they are very much Ia the way. though
they are little.
40 what extent do they damage the
bottom Of an iron shppN asked tho re-
porter
lit isn't for I damage to she ship
SO much as the way they impede It's
progress that they are complained off,
was the reply.
How much tlme each day OF sailing
would this steamer lose by having d
coating OF barnacles on her bottontp"
Prom fifteen to twenty-five miles"
"Do they not grow thicker on wooden
bottom vessels than on ironpi
Eyes; but they are not so thick on
copper bottoms, and that Is one Of the
chief objects in having vessels copper
bottomed. The barnaeles do not like
the poisonous nature OF the copper and
do not begin to cling to It until IL has
been partly neutralized by the action OF
the salt water. Iron ships can not, OF
course, have copper bottoms, as the ex-
pense would be too great in making a
solid bottom Of copper, and there Is no
satisfactory way OF attaching the
sheetng. To partly obylate the tend
ency OF barnacles to collect on iron
vessels strong solution OF verdigris IL
now mixed with other ingredients aud
used on the bottom below the red water
line, and for this reason all the lower
outside surface Of the steamers OF this
company now have green color. such
as You now see they are putting on the
underside OF the New York's STEM"
The reporter watched the process Of
scraping aud observed that as fast as a
large circle Of the barnncls covered
surface was cleaned and the red iron
rust was made visible underneath, it
was washed clean by another set of men,
who were followed by the painters with
pots OF steanilng mixture from furnaces
along the ships side. Over each OF
these furnaces was tank filled with
green liquid that bubbled and Kissed
aud sent forth an odor which one could
rot but consider poisonous from the
lature OF the compound whence 1t
ssues.
''How long does II take for gang Of
yorkmen like this to remove the barn
&c ey from a shipPr asked the reporter.
"About two days. Sometimes they
{ on as many men as can work CON
euieutly on \ vessels bottom. You
0 the idea IL to save expense. IL costs
cssel from zoo to 81 700 day, ao-
riding TO her tonnage, to He on
lis dock, and the men who do the
york on his steamer arc furdished by
he Mail company, and are inst neted
o push tie O5 Us fast M pOss be. IL
would osi. the company as much dock
age ca h de " pIl. tNo rien we're em-
poyei ia Gle iuiDg bottom MS II would
there were 80 nj work
= oes the green mi ture that they
ire nov applying act as s.p eyentife
gainst The accumulation OF tbs harila-
Hesp"
sony in a measure 1t re nj es
but Jew mouths or The saltwater TO
lissoleo Il AMI eat into the iron aud
form rorgh. rusty places. where the lit
tic clihGers ra'her and grow. Tlcy
7pfetu FctY IhNt. anu tO n cDnSid III ia
depth when vessel Is living still for
IN extende period. bnt often on the
rip to hina ard ret rning asst
lumber viii spread them clye all ., err
: steamer bottom. II sometimes
mystery how they collect 50 easily when
vessel Is IN mo ion."
fare ere not other anil elIectuAl
means for preventing their presenceP'
There may be-" was he reply. ''but
they have not ! ct been discovered. A
thousand di erent preparations have
cen tried. bnt none Of them are of
much account. 4 we accept the verdi
girls compound, aud that Is far from
satisfactory. Afortune awaits the lucky
man who can discover a comparatively
inexpensive and at the same time dura-
hle mixture which, when applied to a
ohip's bottom. will render il so distaste-
ful place of residence to these harna-
cles that they will no longer infest Il"
San Francisco Chronicle.
1 .
| = In Queensland immunity from pun
! ishment induces the white men to think
| nothing of taking the lives Of natives,
ard the latter are killed for stealing a
| few pieces OF tobacco, as was the case