Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1891-10-27
CALMING WAVES WITH or


Vessels Are Now. Fitted Tn vl,h 49,
rafns Tor This Purpose.
When photographic students first s,,r
ee''eu 70 skippers who had sailed the
seas ior years, that pouring oil on the
troubled waters might save both vessel
ana cargo, the proposition was laughed "a
scofh. The wise old heads knew better
nome OF the younger skippers thouobt
the scheme might be worth irving and
30 put the theory to the test. Thev Sonnd
Y 70 work exceedingly well; 90 well in
oeed, that in port here they told their
brother masters of their success, sfor;ea
Of vessels having been saved by the
method were told at infrequent intervals
IN tne South street resorts, and were re-
ceiVed with much of the doubtino
Ihomas spirit. Finally what were looked
upon as yarns took on a color Of var;tv
with a vengeance, and even the oldest ~
the shippers began to believe in the oil
story. 'S o''
The result Of this has been that .bore
Is not q week passes, in fact hardly a
gay, put the master of some vessel
drops into the United States hydroerapbic
bureau and informs Lieut.. Cottman or
some OF his staff of the benefits he has
derived during the stormy weather
which now prevails from the use of oil
30 efficacious has it proved in a number
Of instances that the attention of shin
owners has been called to that thew have
ntted up their craft with special fixtures
Tor the purpose of fighting huge waves
with oil. The British steamship Kate
Fawcett is one Of these. Tanks are fitted
upon deck for the special purpose OF car
rying oil, and from them pipes lead
through the ships side Just above
the water line. In case the waves be-
come particularly threatening Can't.
Young has the stopcocks in the pines
opened and let's out bit of oil. He has
found the plan to work extremely well.
and when running finds it necessary to
send out but one gallon in four hours.
lie uses linseed or varnish oil. The Brit
lsh steamship Earnwell 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 o6ze
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, i
that the oil is apt to clog up the canvas
OF the bags and SO prevent perfect perco-
lation. This, Capt. Lord of the American
steamship Advance. found out when he
was caught in a severe storm between
st. Thomas and the Barbados last
month. So he rugged up a big water
filter over the weather board and
treated the waves which threatened
to ingulf his vessel, to copious bath Of
oil, and so kept the cross seas from wash
ing over the deck of his steamer. Most
any kind of oil seems to do the work re.
quired. but Capt. Peters, of the British
steamship Lyon, has probably used the
strangest mixture yet reported, one Of
cod liver oil and linseed oil, of both OF
which he happened to have big con.
signment in his cargo. A couple of gal
Ions of fish OIL says Capt. Schulz, saved
the schooner w. III. Jones from losing G
single stick of logwood from his decI
cargo while he-wa trying to weather 6
severe gale off Hatteras during his last
trip to this port.-New York Times.