Smyrna times. [volume] (Smyrna, Del.) 1854-1987, 1888-01-11

'"tC'o metallic llte-DOat more
nearly approaches the perfect float
mat IS practically rendered unsuitable
by " built in" air chambers. In manv
a gruesome time from stranded ships.
through tossing seas and savage surf
has this boat bourne its precious human
0urthen to land and safety. Being
wholly constructed of metal, it all
Vhe better serves a purpose of illustra-
ting the views advanced above. The
Francis is built of heavy body til the
air chambers extending along each
SIDE and down to the turn of the bilre.
In addition these chambers are filed in
with cork which serves still further to
reduce the area of each chamber.
Then again the keel, stem, stern and
seats are all seperate air holders so
That communication from one to the
other Is cut off absolutely and by
means of the cork kept so. This then
Is the principle governing the construc-
ton OF this most efficient surf boat viz:
sutliciency of enclosed air to sustain
the weight of the metal of which the
boat is built confined in small areas
Under these conditions this boat will
carry herself full ofwater without sink
ing while one built of the same mater
lal but with transverse divisions could
not do. The specific gravity of tin is
1850 while that of iron is 7,645 scarcely
an appreciable difference. On the
other hand, cork has a gravity as COM
pare to 1000 parts of rain water of but
.24O. Strictly speaking these GRANTEES
are displacement weights and do not
provide for the cO-efficient atmospheric
pressure which is Is pounds per square
inch Of exposed area; and assuming
density to be same, the utmost service
that cork can be placed to with its low
specific gravity is to reduce outside of
the contained air cells this atmospheric
pressure Of 10 pounds per inch of ex-
posed surface, and this is everything.
To withdraw air filled cells no matter
OF how small area away from the enor-
nous steady atmospheric pressure is to
exert an equally powerful upward
pressure. On this principle huge ice
bergs whose tonnage displacement ex-
ceeds that of the largest modern ocean
steamers traverse immense distances
only by an ininity of small air cells.
On this same principle is seen a
schooner drifting after being abandoned
nearly 1000 miles, sustained like the
air cells of the icebergs by those pres
ent in her cargo of timber. On the
ether hand for the want of this princi-
| pie, the SchOLtOn went down one dark
night recently in the English Channel
in collision, even before all the pas
sengers could rush on deck and throw
themselves into the sea. The Guion
liner Oregon, for a similar cause, now
lies off Fire Island, N. Y, in 100 faith.
Oms of water because the watertight
bulkheads of immense area failed to
hold up the ship after being struck by
the mysterious schooner.
Other cases may be cited to show that
much may yet be done to render more
secure the lives of those who 90
down to the sea in ships" Never has
it yet been recorded that ship built
wholly of metal been fallen in with at
sea water logged and abandoned.
Never yet has one been known to
start from the Delaware eapes and lay
her bones on the rocks of Cape Finnis-
tere, Spain, as this humble sch'r did,
And yet for the purpose of saving life,
this sch'r proved superior to the costly
SchOLten and Oregon which went down
at once. It is we'll that the Atlantic is
being crossed on a six days bridge. It
is well that that distance is being ami
Inflated by engines developing an
energy equal to 10000 horse power, as
these ocean " 0reyhoundsn are capable