Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-02-24
OILING THE OCEAN.
Latest Experiments in England-The
Shields Inventions.

Latest Experiments in EngIand-The
Shields Inventions.
Los Tea Nee5s.
Mr.. Shields has taken out patents
for his apparatus III Great Britain,
France and America, and with a
natural anxiety 10 promote its general
utilization in tine work OF saving life and
protecting property, in Its efficacy for
which purpose he is a firm and enthu-
siastic believer, he has had his appliances
set in gear about FOlkstone Harbor,
whittier yesterday jOurneyed some gentle
men interested in the objects.
The experiments would have had greater
practical results if the sea had been
TOugher. But the visitors saw enough to
convince them of the marvellous effects of
oil in quoting the perturbation Of the
ocean. The ''White horses" that came
tumbling in from the Channel had to
smooth their names and take on demure-
ness as soon as they reached the raYOn OF
the oil. And not the least surprising fea-
ture of the oils influence is the singularly
small quantity Of it needed TO produce
the most marked effect. It was told
to the visitors Yesterday that a single
drop of oil will spread over a water
surface of one square yard. In an At
lantic storm in the winter Of 1882 the
Captain of the Airlie, making very heavy
weather as he lay hOve-tO, determined to
try the '-Oil cure" He hung out two
canvas bags, each containing about two
gallons of oil. In half an hour his deck
was dry, and for IS hours not even a spray
broke over the bulWarks. When the eale
abated he hauled in his bags. the oil i'm
which had never been renewed, and there
remained still in each bag over quart of
oil.
When the visitors yesterday reached
the end Of FOlkestOne Pier they found a
couple Of f0rce-pumps rugged here. and
Were told that a pipe from these stretched
along the bottom IN westerly direction
to point on the shore. inclosing con
siderable extent Of broken and troubled
water. Presently the pumps We're set to
work, and soon after the oil was seen
rising to the surface, and spreading over
it, having escaped from the pipe through
the valves. The fields" of oil were AT
first distinct, but as they spread gradually
over the troubled surface. they cOaesced.
and then that surface, though heaving
IN lanSuld heavy manner, was
unbrOken by foam crest. The
''pack" or field" of oil slowly
dritted away with the tide past the pier
head, and SC eastward IN the direction of
Dover, spreading wider and wider as it
dTlited, the OIL SUI maintaining its DOM
nance over the chatting pillows. In the
calm water il made the FolkestOne life
g
Ing, whereas in the rougher water beyond
the influence Of the oil. the eollant craft
mad been dancing about like a cork. On
the unolled water her progress had been
Notwithstanding tnat the lusty crew
81 -, j., IN. work with right good
will: but within the region which the OIL ,
had fabricated, she Travelled at speed with
much less UuOus strokes of the oars.
1t is not difficult to imagine cases in
which it would be Of important advantage
to ships that breakers in any given direc-
ton should be subdued, perhaps, for in
stance, when entering harbOr unprOvided
with the Oil-pipe apparatus or when pass
ing through d narrow and fiercely per-
turbed channel. To meet such eases, Mr..
Shields has devised an ''Oil-shell," to be
used as projectile, and the working of
this appliance was the novelty of yester-
day. There is TO cOmpleXity about the
"Oil-shell." II is simply an oil-can about
IS inches long, with the ordinary cOnical
top and the bUng at its apex. 1t is made
OF iron about One-elghth inch thick, and
may be stored anywhere, or taken
into use as an Oil-can aboard ship,
since it contains no explosive what
ever. But when the occasion arises the
Oil-can becomes Il prOiectile in the sim
plest fashion imaginable. There is a
space in its bottom into which may be fit
charge which is to shatter it at the proper
moment, That moment is fixed through
the instrumentalty of a couple of time
fuses, the exterior ends Of which, coated
in parafiine-waX at once to render them
waterproof and TO insure their steady
measured ignition, are IN actual contact
with the projecting charge, while the in
terror enUs are OF course in the heart Of
the bursting charge. The Oil-can thus
made into an ''Oil-shell,' and containing
about a gallon of seal oil. is fired from an
ordinary siN-ilch mortar, whence by the
charge OF a few ounces of powder it is
projected at low rate of velocity, and
if the aim is accurate will strike
the water within a reasonable distance of
the spot desired, at range Of several
hundred yards. Itmay burst Immediately
before striking the water, on doing so, or
after il has done so and sunk; the result
Is practically the same. The oil diffuses
Itself gradually, and produces unbrOken
water within the radius over which it
spreads Yesterday the mortar stood on
the beach almost IN front Of the Pavilion
Hotel, and the 'oil-shelp practice was
WATCHED by a large assembiSge gathered
on the adjacent road. Several shells were
fired due seaWard. and with results on the
whole satisfactory. In some instances
there was premature bursting, owing to
the 0Fer-st t..~N burning Of the fuses; but
the majority OF the shells burst just at the
right moment, and the effect was at once
apparent in the shape Of an area Of upper
turbed water, at first small, but gradu-
ally spreading until it attained CON
siderable dimensions. A strong tide was
running and swept the oil-surfaces east
ward out Of sight beyond the pier before
there was time to discern how large each
would ultimately have grown had the tide
allowed them to remain within view.
The concluding experiment consisted in
firing from the mortar, in a seaward
direction, a metallic prOjectile some
seventy pounds in weight, TO which was
attached by a leather lanyard the end of
length of gutta-percha tubing pierced
with valves at intervals. The prOjectile,
having completed its flight and stretched
the tubing, sinks-this device is for
shallow water, and steadies the tubing
along the bottom. Into the shore end of
the tubing oil is then pumped, which,
finding its way through the valves and
rising to the surface, would gradually
make a lane of compar atiyely smooth
water through the breakers on a bar.