The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-01-26
CALMING WAVES WITH OIL.
Vessels Are Now Fitted Up with APP
paratus for this Purpose.
from the Ne,e YORK Times.

from the Neir YORK Times.
When photographic students first sug-
gssted to shippers who had sailed the seas
for years that pouring oil on the troubled
waters might save both vessel and cargo the
proposition was laughed to scorn. The
wise old heads knew better Some Of the
younger shippers thought the scheme might
be worth trying, and so put the theory TO
the test. They found it 10 work exceeding
| ly well; so we'll, indeed, that in port here
| they told their brother masters OF their sue
cess. Stories of vessels having been saved
by the method We're told at frequent inter
walls in the South street resorts, and were
| received with much Of the doubling Thomas
spirit. Finally what were looked upon as
| yarns took on a color Of verify with ven
! geance, and even the oldest Of the shippers
began 70 believe in the oil story.
The result Of this has been that there IS
| not week passes, in fact hardly day, but
! the master Of some vessel drops into the
! United States photographic bureau and in
| forms Lieut.. Cottman or some of his staff OF
the benefits he has derived during the st0r-
my weather which now prevails from the
use Of oil. So etliCaciOus has il proved
in number Of instances that
the attention OF ship owners has been called to
it, so that they have fitted up their craft with
special fixtures for the purpose of fighting
huBO WAVES WIN OIL He DIlJlSI Sltdlll-
| ship Kate Fawcett is one of these.
Tanks are fitted upon deck for the
| special purpose OF carrying oil, and from
them pipes lead through the ships
side just above the water line. In case the
waves become particularly threatening,
! Capt. Young has the stop-cocks in the pipes
| opened and let's out bits of oil. He has
| found the plan to work extremely well and
when running finds it necessary to send out
Init in 10 lin
seed or varnish OIL The British steamship
| Earnwel is similarly fitted, and its officers
| have found that the loOsening of even
| small quantity of oil has kept the water
from breaking over the decks of the
| steamer.
In cases where vessels are not specially
| fitted for fighting mountains Of water with
| oil shippers sling over the bows bags filled
| with coarse, heavy oils, which oOZe through
the coarse material of which the bags are
made and has a wonderfully calming effect
| on Old Neptune. The only trouble in these
| cases, say the shippers, is that the oil is apt
| to clog up the canvas of the bags and so
| prevent perfect percolaton. This Capt
| Lord of the American steamship Advance,
| found out when he was caught in a severe
| storm between st. Thomas and the Bar
| BADGES last month. So he rugged up a Dig
water filter over the weather board and
| treated the waves which threatened
TO engulf his vessel to a copious bath of OIL
and 80 kept the cross seas from washing
over the deck of his steamer. Most any
kind of oil seems to do the work required,
| but Capt. Peters, of the British steamship
Lyon, has probably used the strangest mix
! ture yet reportad-one of cod liver oil and
linseed OIL of both of which he happened to
| have big consignment in his cargo A
couple of gallons of fish oil, says Capt.
| Schulz, saved the schooner w. II. Jones
from losing a single stick Of logwood from
his deck cargo while he was trying to
weather a severe gale Off Hatteras during
his last trip TO this port.