The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-03-23
SAVED BY WHALE OIL.
It Has Kept Many a Seaman From
Going to Davy Jones Locker.

/ now conceded by mariners TO be a most
practicable and efficacious method of lessen-
ing the chances of shipwreck and rendering
heavy and violent seas smooth and calm.
The confidence in the use Of oil during
storms at sea has increased TO such an ex-
tent among sea captains that nowadays
hardly vessel leaves port which has not
aboard a large supply of whale oil-this kind
being found TO bs the best and cheapest.
1t Is not very long ago that many hardy
sons OF Neptune ridiculed the idea of using
oil at sea, and there were some among that
large body of unbelievers who actually.
laughed long and heartily when the subject
was preached. The idea of few quarts of
| oil quieting a turbulent sea was regarded as
| a huge joke by them. Within recent years
| however, these WORTHLESS have changed their
| tune entirely, and have had good reason
4 for doing so. Since the experiment has
been successfully tried by many mariners
hundreds OF vessels have been saved by a
timely use Of oil.
| Their captains reported that the oil was
found to quiet the violent seas in the imme-
| date vicinity of the vessel aud to keep the
| big waves from breaking on deck and
swamping the cabins. There are many
cases on record where the result of using oil
was SO gratifying and satisfactory that the
| captains OF the vessels in question deemed
the matter OF importance enough to warrant
| a special reference in their log books.
| Some or these reports are interesting and
have never been published The following
reports, obtained recently from masters OF
American vessels who have used oil in heavy
weather at sea, are typical of many others
| received from shippers of every nationality
| During the voyage of the American
schooner Eleazer w. Clark from Cienfue-
gos, Cuba. to Boston, a succession of gales
aud tremendously heavy seas-especially
during tue hurricane of Jan. 20 and 81
were encountered. The vessel labored vio-
| lently and gigantic waves broke on deck
| with such rapidity aud in such volume that
the vessel threatened to founder. Capt.
Goodwin decided, as last resort, Co use oil.
| Whale oil in bags was hung over the bows
and some oil was poured down the closets
This had n most wonderful effect on the
| high-breaking waves" said Capt. Goodwin.
After the whale oil gave out we collecteda
| lot OF paint oil, kerosene and varnish mixed
with paint oil and allowed this to drop over
the side I am perfectly satisfied" said the
| captain, that the oil saved the ship, and
desire this statement to be given publicity
and prominence. | make it practice now
to carry supply of whale oil. This kind l
regard as the best, and to keep it thin in
cold weather add small quantity of tur-
| pentine.n
| The American barkentne Altamaha,
Capt. Hickman; voyage from Darien. Ga,
to Perth Amboy, encountered very heavy
weather Feb. II TO Is, the wind reaching a
velocity Of eighty miles an hour, from
| W.N.W. and Nv. Oil was used with good
results from two bags hung over the weather
side, one forward and the other suspended
| from a yardarn of the main rigging.
| Thr American schooner Charles L. Mitch
| ell, Capt Frost: during a gale off Hat
teras, heavy seas breaking over the vessel
fore and aft, hove to under close reefed fore
and mainsails, rugged block to the END of
the flying jibboom, and ran out a gunny
sack filed with oakum saturated with fish
oil, which dripped into the water. After
this the heavy seas approached within few
feet Of the vessel and then combed under
the OIL film without breaking on board.
Twice the vessel plunged her flying jibboom
into very heavy seas, but shipped no water.
American ship Granite State Capt. Bar
stow; voyage from Hiogo to New
York, Nov. %, lat. 43e s. long 1O4c
w, heavy gale from W.NW. with
| frightful sea. ship running under two lower
topsails and reefed foresail. A sea came
over the stern and knocked away the wheel
and stearing gear. breaking the wheel
stanchion and the windows in after end of
house and flooded the cabin.
The ship came brondsde to the wind aud
shipped heavy seas, which did considerable
| damage In this plight the vessel threat
ened to go down. Poured quantities Of oil
over bows and down the closets, and hung
out gunny bags filled with oil The effect
was instantaneous. The waves rolled as
before, but did not break on deck. The
captain managed to get the vessel off be-
fore the wind, and then steered with tackles
until the steering gear was repaired.
The American schooner Governor Ames,
| Capt Davis. was also saved during a storm
by use of OIL During the voyage from
| Puget sound to San Francisco, while IN the
Straits of Fuca, the schooner was struck by
| a terrific gale One of the port and two of
| the starboard bow ports were stove in and
the cutwater and part of the bowsprit car
ried away. When the vessel was threatened
| with destruction oil was thrown on the
waves until the vessel was surrounded by
thick film. Instantly the seas became
smooth, and the waves no longer broke on
the deck. McCallum bay was made in
safety.
The American steamship Shawmut, Capt.
Fuller, report reads: Il have used fish oil
IN every heavy storm encountered during
the last eighteen months, and always carry
a barrel for that purpose I have always
found that the spreading oil prevents the
heavy seas from breaking on board, and
during this entire period only one sea has
boarded the ship. The usual method of
using oil is to put oakum into the forward
closet bowls and fill them with oil. Once
off Hatteras a man was lost overheard, but
| we udu no QlulCulbJ III lowering a ul6DOAb,
although the sea was running very high and
breaking"
The American schooner Rigal. Capt.
Dixon reports: I'm September, 1889, while
fishing between Bauquereau and st.
Peters bank. in twenty fathoms. a very
heavy gale sprung up with tremendous
sea. Sent out boats to save the buoys and
lines, leaving the captain, one man and the
cook on board the vessel. The boats were
occasionally lost to sight in the heavy
combers, and thinking that all would perish
got the vessel under way and
went to windward of the travis and
boats. Stood up and down to windward,
and poured about half barrel of blubber
oil overheard. The heavy slick thus pro-
duced drifted down to the men who were
trying to save their lines and travis, and
| the crew succeeded, without much difficulty,
in saving everything. as well as in making
| a fine haul of fish. Without such use of oil
| the buoys, lines and travis would have been
lost. and the chances for the crew and boats
| very SLIM"
AS rule sea captains do not like to con-
fess that the use of oil 10 heavy weather
was the means of bring their vessels out of
a tight corner" IL is reflection on their
ability as sea captain, they think. There
are still some hardened old sons Of Neptune
who would not deign TO use oil in heavy
| weather. But the fact remains that oil has
saved property and lives when seamanship