Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1888-04-14
CALMING WAVES WITH OIL.

1rom tho New York TimesA

ilirom tho New York Timesl
l. photographic students al .
,uggested 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 lie
worth trying, and so put the theory to
the test. They found it to work ex-
ceedingly wellj so WE'LL indeed, that
in port here they told theft brother
masters of their success. Stories OF
vessels having been saved by the
method were told at infiequent inter-
walls in the Sottth street resorts, and
were received with much Of the doubt
ing Thomas spirit. Finally what were
looked upoI as yarns took on a color
of verify with Il vengeance, and evel
the oldest Of the shippers began to
believe in the oil story.
l he result of this has been that there
is not a week passes, in fact, hardly a
day, but the master Of some vessel
drops into the United States hydro
graphic bureau and Informs Iieut.
benefits lie had derived during the
stormy weather which now prevails
from the Use OF oil. SO etficacious has
it proved in n number of instances tn It
the attention of shipowners has been
called to it, that they have fitted up
their craft with special fixtures for the
purpose of fighting huge waves with
oil he British steamship Kate Faw-
cett is one of these Tanks are fitted
up on deck for the special purpose of
carrying oil, and from them pipes leal
through the ship 5 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 ont bit of oil. He has found
the plan to work extremely well, and
when running finds it necessary to send
out bat one gallon in four hours. He
uses linseed OF varnish oil The British
steamship Earnwell is similarly fitted,
md its officers have found that the
loosening of even small quantity
oil has kept the water from breaking
over the decks of the steamer.
In cases where vessels are not spe-
cially 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 have a wonderfully calming effect
on old Neptune. The only trouble in
these cases. say the sklppers, is that
the oil is apt to clog up the canvas of
the bags and 30 prevent perfect perco
lation. This Capt. Lord of the Ameri-
can steamship Advance fourd out when
he was caught in severe storm be-
tween st. Thomas and the Barbados.
So he rugged up big water filter over
the weatherboard and treated the
waves which threatened to ingulf his
vessel to a copious bath Of oil, and so
kept the cross seas from wash ng over
The deck of his steamer Most any kind
of oil seems to do the work Re Il red,
but Capt. Peters of the British steam
ship Lyon has prob bly, used the
strongest mixture yet reported, one OF
co l-liver oil and linsccd oil, Of both Of
which he happened to have big con-
signment in lbs cargo. A couple OF
gallons of fish oil, saws Capt. Schulz,
saved the schooner w. II. Jones from
losing a ngle Stick of logwool from
his dock cargo while he was trying to
weather a severe gale off Hatteras.