Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-03-02
OILING THE WAVES.
Further Experiments for Sitting Tel
pests by Use of Lubricants.


pests by Use of Lubricants.
Under the above title Lieutenant w. H.
Beehler contributes to the March Century
an account of the experiments made with
oil in rough water. We quote the follow
ing account OF two rescues "The Cap
tain or the ship Martha Cobb, loaded
with petroleum, fell in with sinking YES
sci during heavy gale in the North At
lantic, December, 1856. The signal made
stated the vessel was sinking and that all
her boats had been stove The Martha
Cobb had lost her large boats, her bulwarks
washed out, and decks swept in the same
storm the only boat left was small six
teen-foot dingey, which could not possibly
live in the sea that was then running.
The Captain says he was puzzled, and lay
by for some hours hoping that the gale
would moderate; but as there was no APP
pearance of better weather and night COM
ing on, he decided to make an attempt to
rescue the crew Of the sinking vessel. The
Martha Cobb had cargo Of petroleum,
some of which leaked, and the Captain
had noticed that the sea in the wake of
the ship was much smoother when the
pumps were worked.
He signaled to the other vessel to haul
by the wind while he luffed to get to wind
ward, and at the same time started the
pumps; but the ship drifted faster than
the oil, and while the oil made the sea
comparatively smooth to windward, it did
not cover the sea leeward. He then ran
down across the other vessels stern, hauled
up close under her lee, and started the
pumps again; at the same time he also
emptied five-gallon can of fish oil down
the scuppers. The effect was magical. In
twenty minutes the sea between and
around the vessels was broken down. The
long, heavy swell remained, but the COM
bers and breaking seas were all gone. The
little dingey with three men had no diff
Guilty in pulling to windward, and the
crew were saved. The boat was deeply
loaded and did not ship any water, al
though the sea was breaking fercely out
side OF the charmed space in which the
vessels layon oiled seas.
"In June, 1885, the British ship Slive-
more took fire and had to be abandoned
when eight hundred miles northeast of
the Seychelle Islands, Indian Ocean. The
people took to the boats and made for Sey-
chelle Islands. The third day after leav-
ing the vessel cyclone came up, and no
one believed that the boats would live
through it. Before they left the ship the
boats had been supplied with oil for just
such an emergency. Each boat got out
drag made Of spars and oars dashed to-
gether, for what is known as a sea-anchor.
Oakum saturated with paraffine was
stuffed in long stockings hung over the
bows of the boats. Before the oil was
used the boats had been several times
nearly filled with water and the occupants
had to bail for their lives; but when oil
was applied no further trouble was ex-
perienced. An oil-slick formed around
the boats, which rode in perfect safety on
tremendous swells which took the place OF
the previously breaking seas. Little if
any water came over the sides of the boats,
and the occupants could lie down and
sleep. The boats eventually reached the
islands, but every soul would have per-
ished except for the forethought of Cap
tain Comfy, the Captain of the Slivemore-"