Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1897-05-27

PENETRATING TO THE POLE.
Great Ice-Destroying Steamship De.
signed to Cat Its Why.

| signed to Cat Its Why.
Those who will attempt TO penetrate
TO The north pole on the 'ice destroyer"
such as is described by Science Siftings,
will not have to complain of lack Of
excitement if the destroyer" once set
ties down TO business. Mr.. Warrington
Baden-Powell, says Siftings, pins his
faith 10 q great ice-destroying steam
shiI-;l kind of ocean pillow. is to be
$50 feet long. The deck is to be COW
cred with steel plates, held in place by
very heavy rivets. At the bow will be
mounted n curioualooking screw, not
unlike q series OF circular saws. This
is the ice-destroyer, by means of which
the ship will cut it's way through the
walls Of northern ice that bar its prog
ress.
AS the ship lies still, this screw saw
is intended TO project for several feet
above the water level. The shaft of the
screw will be q massive bur of steel,
ponted at one end, so that it may lie
operated as a ram. 1t is the ilea of the
inventor 10 send the craft into an Ice
pack or foe under full head of steam,
with the propeller ct the stern and the
screw at the bow, both working to-
gether.
This rapidly revolving screw and ram
combined will crash into the ice, I'm
PEELED by power that is tremendous.
Then it will saw and bore and rip it's
way through the pack or foe, throw
ing the Ice upward and backward in
huge blocks. One might expect that
the flying ice and snow would injure
or burden the vessel; but to avoid such
disaster shield has been constructed
which will answer the dual purpose OF
lessening the heavy shocks Of the waves
and the bombardment of great chunks
Of flying ice. The shield is curved
affair, running from point forward
from the deckhouse, backward ut an
angle of IS degrees. 1t will be made
Of heavy boiler-iron sheet riveted to-
gether.
Just behind the deckhouse Is the fun
mel. From this point the craft, Us de-
signed, gradually narrows to the stern,
which ends in rounded point. The
hull is to be built of steel, and, to give
it additional strength, bound at inter
walls with heavy steel bands riveted to
the plates. The idea of having the stern
slope more sharply to point than does
the bow is nv order that.in its passage
through the water, as the waves ere
parted by tho bow, the water in press
ing against the retrcating sides Of the
craft will find least resistance toward
the stern, and so in measure force the
boat onward. Another reason for the
peculiar construction of the bow is that
in the forward part of the ship is to
be fixed the powerful engine which
drives the ice-destroying screw-shaped
saw at the PROV.
While only intended for moderate
speed. this craft is especially designed
for battering and ramming ice. Its pro-
polling engines will be of the compound
triple expansion type. The boilers will
be heated by petroleum. The petrole-
um will be carried in q tank, heavily
protected by steel, in that portion OF
the craft in which coal bunltcrs nrc
ordinarily located. The tank room is
to be very large, considering the size
of the boat, and sufficient for an ex-
ceedingly long voyage. Owing to the
fact that only moderate rate Of speed
will be maintained the supply Of fuel
will prove much more ample than II
would otherwise.
Below md oil around tho forward en-
CINE room are steel tanks, in which the
petroleum is stored. In the after sec
ton OF the hull. nbout third Of The
way from the stem, Is placed the engine
which runs the propeller. The boiler
room Is just in front. Store rooms. Ii
which can be carried provisions for 31a
years. and petroleum tanks, will occu-
py the after portion Of the ship.
Such are the plans of an inventor who
will never be satisfied until he has
reached the north POLE" 1t has been
the great dream OF the high intellects
of the nineteenth century; md the
twentieth century, now close at hand,
is likely to behold the vision OF its prel.
ccessor turned into renlity.-Pall Mall
Gazette.