The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1889-12-06
CALMING THE WAVES.
The Use OF Oil During Heavy StOrms-0b-
serTatlou OF a WaterSp0ut.

The special bulletin of the branch
photographic Office, published last
Tuesday, gives rules for the use ofs, s,ol
during storms, which will prove of in
terest to mariners. They are as fol
lows:
Scudding before a gale, distribute
oil from the bow by means of oil bags
or through waste pipe; it will thus
spread aft and give protection both
from quartering and following seas.
If only distributed astern, there will
be no protection from the quartering
sea.
Running before a gale, yawing
badly and threatening to broach-to,
oil should be distributed from the bow
and from both sides abaft the beam.
Where tits only distributed at the
bow, the weather quarter is left IN
protected when the ship yaws. How
ever, with oil bags abaft the beam as
well as forward, the quarter is pro-
tected.
Lying-tO, q vessel can be brought
closer to the wind by using one or two
oil bags forward, to windward. With
high beam sea, use oil bags along
the weather side at intervals of 40 or
80 feet.
In heavy cross sea as in the..center
of a hurricane. or after the center has
passed, oil bags should be hung out
at intervals along both sides.
Steaming into heavy head sea,
use oil through forward closet pipes.
Oil bags would be tossed back on
deck.
Drifting in the trough OF a heavy
sea, use oil from waste pipes forward
and bags on weather side. These
answer the purpose very much better
than one bag at weather bow and one
at lee quarter, alghough this has been
tried with some success.
Lying-to, to tack or wear, use oil
from weather bow.
Cracking on, with high wind abeam
and heavy sea, use oil from waste
pipes, weather bow.
A vessel hOve-tO for a pilot should
distribute oil from the weather side
and lee quarter The pilot boat runs
up to windward and lowers n boat,
which pulls down to leeward and
around the vessels stern. The pilot
boat runs down TO leeward, gets out
oil bags 10 windward and on her lee
quarter, and the boat pulls back
around her stern, protected by the oil.
The vessels drift to leeward and leave
an oil slick to windward.
At anchor IN an open roadStead use
oil in bags from the iib-boom, or haul
them out ahead of the vessel by means
of an endless rope rove through a tail
block secured to the anchOr-chain.
Towing another vessel in a heavy
sea oil is of the greatest service and
may prevent the hawser from break
ing. Distribute oil from the towing
vessel, forward and on both sides. If
only used aft, the tow alone gets the
benefit.
There are many other cases where
oil may be used to advantage e-such
as lowering and hoisting boats, riding
to sea anchor, crossing rollers or
surf on a bar, and from life boats and
stranded vessels. Thick and heavy
oils are the best. Mineral oils are not
so effective as animal or vegetable oils.
Raw petroleum has given favorable
results. but not so good when it is re-
fined. Certain oils, like cocoanut oil
and some kinds of fish oil, CONCEAL in
cold weather, and are therefore USE
less, but may be mixed with mineral
oils to advantage. The simplest and
best method of distributing oil is by
means of canvas bags about one foot
long, filled with oakum and oil,
pierced with holes by means of a
coarse sail needle, and held by a Ian
lard. The waste pipes forward are
also very useful for this PURPOSE.