News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1885-06-11
TANNING THE BREAKERS.
How Ships and Sailors Have Been Saved
at Sea During Heavy Storms.

|
The photographic Office of the Navy
Department, at Washington, has for
several months been engaged in collect
| ing data to determine under what cir
cumstances the use of oil is most effica-
cious in diminishing the danger of
breaking seas during gales at sea. The
following are among the most striking
of the accounts recently received In
November, 1881, the steamship Venice,
from Savannah to Europe with cotton,
while running before heavy northwest
gale, was boarded by tremendous sea.
The captain determined to heave to, and
men were stationed to pour oil down
the closet shutes forward and to throw
waste soaked in oil to windward. The
vessel came>rouna .Kitasut shirsping any
water. As she kept falling off it was
concluded to put her again before the
sea, which was done without trouble, and
1t was found that she kept perfectly dry
as long as the oil was used. Again in
January, 1884, while crossing the Allan
tic to New York, after running before
northwest gale for some time, she was
laid to without difficulty or danger by
using oil in the manner already stated.
First Officer W. Maltjen, of the Ger
man steamer Colon, in December, 1884,
used oil bags with remarkable effect.
Two bags filled with boiled Iinseed oil
were hung over the bow. The oil spread
Ing over the surface prevented the
waves from breaking, and the ship rode
quite easily during the continuance of
the gale.
Capt. Jones, of the British steamship
Chicago, while rescuing the crew of the
brigantine Fedore, used oil with the
best results. IL was blowing gale with
very heavy seas. The Chicago ran to
windward of the Fedore and during a
lull, oil having been poured on the wa
ter, the port ife-boat was successfully
launched and started. A can of oil was
taken in the boat, and by using this the
seas were kept down in the immediate
vicinity, though they broke in masses of
foam a short distance away. As the boat
approached the Fedore the crew of that
vessel poured oil on the water, which so
calmed the sea that the boat got along
side and rescued the shipwrecked crew
without injury. About half gallon of
oil was used during her trip.
The steamship Menzaleh. in March.
1885, from Italy to Philadelphia, en-
countered severe gale. While running
before the sea the vessel was popped and
the main matches stove in. It was de-
termined to heave to, and men were sta
toned to drip oil down the forward
shutes. The vessel came around with
out shipping any water, and kept per-
fectly dry while lying to.
The brig P. M. Tinker, Capt. Charles
Barnard, New York to Cuba, in 1872, |
encountered a gale. Several heavy seas
came on board, doing great damage. A |
small bag with holes punched in the bot |
tom was filed with oil and hung over
the stern. The oil prevented the seas
from combing, and the vessel ran for
several hours with dry decks.
Capt. Amlet, of the British steamer |
Barrowmore, reports that on approach
ing the ship Kirkwood, on January 25,
in lat. 30 deg. 40 min. n, long. 21.O |
w, the sea was very heavy, but he
noticed that around the wreck the sea |
was much smoother, and discovered |
that the crew of the Ktrkwood, to pre-
vent the waves from breaking over
them, had broken out the cargo of |
canned salmon and were pouring the oil
from the cans into the sea. Capt. Am
let steamed to windward of the wreck in
the oily water, lowered his lifeboat, then
ran to leeward and picked up his boat.
He made two trips in this way, bring
ing off the crew of twenty-six men.
Capt. Amlet says he has orders to
have two bags ready for use at all
times. In running before a heavy sea
he has lowered them over the stern, and
invariably the sea became much smooth
er, and he could run without danger of
being popped.