The Republican journal., 1886-08-12
The Use of Oil in Storms at Sea.
TALCAHUANO, NAV %, 1886.


TALCAHUANo, May 80, 1856
To THE EDITOR OF THE JOURNALS: / am a
subscriber to your valuable paper, and noticing
an article on the subject of oil used as marine
lubricant, take pleasure in sending you few
facts from my own experience during the last
two or three years and which NAV be useful to
those who have not tried it. After so much
has been said and published on the subject, |
am surprised to find large number of ship
| masters wholly ignorant of it and only Il few
that have made any use of it at all. In this
port at the present time there are several ships
which have had their boats stove, and other
small damages; losses which are small but diff
ficult and expensive to make good in port like
this, and which with the nominal cost and use
of a few gallons of oil need not to have occur
red. | have spent nearly thirty years of my
seafaring life in making voyages around the
capes = Horn and Good Hope with stove
boats and houses, spars torn from their lash
ing, manning, and often killing, one or more
of the crew, seas breaking over the ship fore
and aft, washing men and everything movable
over the lee rail. At a time when, if the boats
were left, it would have been useless to at
tempt to launch or man them, only to send
more brave souls to a watery grave, reduce the
already diminished nullber and increase the
danger to life and property. Such scenes fire.
quently occurred in the good old times,' and
are sometimes experienced at the present time,
but with less frequency than in the unoiled
period, and believe should only occur at rare
intervals.
| have tried several kinds of oil during the
past three years, and up to the present time
have found raw insecd oil the best, though
quite expensive. | have pine and kerosene
oils, mixed and separate. Pine oil alone
seems to clog and does not ,lit1usc quickly as
when mixed with the kerosene. The latter
used separately is rather light. but will be
found very servceable when other oils are not
on board. In hot climates the cooks slush or
any kind of soft grease put over the side i'll
coarse bag, will be very effective. | have pro-
cured stock of whale oil which | shall use
separately and mixed with mineral oil on my
passage home After repeated trials | am con-
WINGED that the heavier the oil the more service
able it will be, provided the water is not cold
it will be better to dilute it by mixing one
third kerosene. Mcnhadcn oil with onc-third
kerosene would be as good as any and have the
desired effect on the sea. Having any of these
oils on board the next necessary thing is to
have proper apparatus in Il safe place, well
forward, so as to discharge on either bow, as
may be necessary. 1t should always be i'll
,;.I, -.
care ship can run in almost any sea, saving
life, material and much valuable time. Also in
case of necessary abandonment in rough sea,
when boats are almost always injured and rem
dcrcd useless, with free use of oil it could be
safely performed.
Before leaving New York on my present
voyage put in apparatus to discharge oil on
| the troubled waters fixture that is always
ready and which can be gauged to discharge
from three to five drops per second, or any
necessary amount. The cost was $l5 to so.
and five dollars will pay for sufficient oil to last
a year, or for voyage round either Cape.
When hove to or running with the wind on the
quarter, the discharge of oil on the weather
side will be sufficient. With the wind aft both
L
very serviceable while wearing ship in rough
sea by turn-Starting the oil on the lee side and
keeping both running until the ship came to the
wind again. Anyone trying it once when his
ship is in danger will soon be convinced of its
efficacy. Canvas bags answer every purpose as
long as there is any oil in them, but as gencr-
al thing they are not put over the side until
| 1. L
the oil is exhausted Old Neptune reminds them
of the fact by sending 4 huge sea on board, with
Il general sma>hup. The same may occur while
rcplcni~hng the bags.
[ think it would be to the interest of under
writers to hold out some inducement for ship
owners to have their ships fitted with proper
apparatus for di>charging oil during storms at
sea- by making distinction in their rates of
premium in favor of those properly fitted.
During passage home from Manila with
cargo of sugar, we encountered Il cyclone near
| the .\gulha> Bank with Il destructive sea which
seemed to tumble in over head, stern and both
sides. sometimes comhing and breaking with
such force Il to pass completely over us. The
ship Though tight heretofore) began to make
water and after a few hours we found one
pump could not keep her free. We got an oil
bag over forward of the fore rigging and the
effect was almost plagical. | was pleasantly
| astonished and every face seemed to light up
with pleasure Not a sea came within half a
ships length of us after tile bag was put over.
The mate set to work at once to make another
bag as to replace the other when empty.
N L., IL, oils. A.
| after another, seemingly as high as our tops,
but not one passed the oily surface. After the
gale abated we found plank of our quick
work washed Oft under the weather cathead
some eight or ten feet in length, and at every
dive the ship took in barrels of water. Had
we not used the oil freely believe she would
have filled and founderetl.
Off Cape Horn, this voyage. we experienced
two heavy gales, each lasting about 90 hours.
AS Soon as the seas began to look dangerous
we turned on the oil, and had no further troll-
bic from seawater, the oil acting like a charm.
| The combers would come laundering toward
| Us in threatening. wicked manner, but as
soon as it "struck lie disappeared like an 'ary
| spirit" During the 90 hours we used about
| four gallons of oil, whereas a bag would have
! discharged four times that amount.
| notice one Capt recommends tank placed
| on the topgallant forecastle, which seems to be
the most exposed part of the ship. | should
recommend them placed uhd9r the forecaS-
tie, one on each side, we'll forward. where
| they would be safe and out of the way and
quite far enough forward for all practical pur-
poses.
After haze perfected my experiments with
different oils will send you the result. In the
| meantime | am yours,
A SEARSPORT SIIIPMA MASTER.
Something of Batter