Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1886-07-29
Oil on the Water.
A MAINE sHIPMAsTER's EXPERIENCE.

! Captain F. Sawyer, of the barentine
Videite, of Milbridge gives the following ac-
count Of his experience with oil while max
ing voyage from Bangor to Bowling, Scot
land:
We were quite heavily loaded with birch
spoolwood under deck, and spruce deals
upon deck. Left Bangor October %, 1885.
| Nothing unusual occurred on the passage
| until October 80, when we took heavy
| gale from the southeast, lasting twenty
| huurs. In this we were boarded by many
cross. ugly seas. which started our deck load.
! by shipping large quantities Of water, max
| ing it very uncomfortable. and at times dan
gerous. In fact, if she had not been a very
strong vessel she would not have stood it,
being only one year old. In this gale we
used no oil, but on the Goth Of November,
we had very heavy gale from the southeast
with bad sea. then had several oil bags
made, and they completely protected US
| from the sea breaking on her. November
| ~, the gale still blowing, with terrible sea,
we were hove-to for thirty hours, when we
took shift of wind from the southeast to
west, which increased to gale, with heavy
| squalls of sleet and rain At noon the 2sth
civil time, we bore up, for Tory Island, the
sea at that time fairly breaking like combers
| on the coast, We being then on the edge of
| soundiugs, in abou, 20 fa,homs of water
| During the gale ! used porpoise OIL in
| three bags about the size of common buck
cts. made Of gunny cloth and stuffed full Of
| oskum and well saturated with oil. These
| when hove TO. were hung over the weather
rails jus, so they would dip when rolling to
/ windward, one forward, one amidshlps. and
| one aft, by the mizzen rigging. and IN no
case, when these were attended 10. did We
I ship single bad sea. After the change TO
| the westward We suffered some for an hour
/ or two, as We could not give these bags at
| tenton, but when We had her hove to on
I port tack, and the wind increasing 10 "A
| heavy gale, With corresponding cross sea,
| ! believe for three or four hours our whole
safety lay in the use OF these oil bags, ard
at noon We bore up, the sea breaking IN
| cumbers for quarter Of mile in length.
/ We put the bags on each side Of mlzzen
| rigging, also using some oil in the water
| closet pipe. While hove to in the westerly
| gale, tried the experiment Of taking in the
! forward oil bag, and in less than ten min
! uies the sea boarded US forward and lifted
the deck load and flooded the whole fore
/ part Of the ship. while previously, and after
again putting the bag forward, We shipped
no water. These comhers Of the sea would
/ come down toward Us turning over like the
surf on the beach, with the same noise at
tending breakers, bu; lu>, A. soon a. they
reached the oil all was husheL up +; We rose
on top q! ii all. while ahead and astern Of
rs It would 20 combtng BY ia perfect fury.
], ike perhaps many others, have stad 0u
d-ek ard watched the beneficial effects of
oli IN such water, aud thought at .ast tina,
there was something tha, had conquered old
oceans spltefuIness. believe no vessel
ough, 10 70 70 sea wnhou, good suppl, ~
oil Fish oil Of any kind j. best petro-
!eum Is better than none. Liuseed does
not spread rapidly fish oil. have
used all OF the vegetable oils aiso aud
have never found anything better than por-
poise oil. BY having i IN bags with oaA-
! um, there Is considerable waste. bu, from
! one 10 three gallons viii r,sn a vessel through
most any gale lll The sea gets regular
ahen very ltiie IS required. have also
lmplicl, faith that if oil was used freely there
would be 10 more danger IN our heavy gale,
than in an ordinary blop. never ,aw Tie
sea comb when the surface wa, oiled, lai
have watched for hours