The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1897-03-16

from shin. 20 Ne Placed ia an H'es's'e
mn.

from ships 20 ne Placed r. o. f''f''''
nafh.
A new departure IN the shoathinH p
vessels Is 10 be undertaken ln '-'.
country. and the future cruiser. H.t
battIoships made for the United nts'sa
navy will probably be copper-5ne -'..'..'
according 70 the new process or CIV
tro-plating. Experiments have 1-
going on for many years &c e'est'p-
plate with copper The huils O. ifoa %
steam vessels. and the results or
tanned now justify the general nn'f-
ton Of a process Of protection that t.A
be called purely American. An el''-
trio plant has been established ~ isf-
sey City By the ship copper-fiaflnF
Company. and the seagoing tug ASSIST
ance was treated 10 the new process -
an experiment. She has stood me tp4t
20 well that. after a year. she has 2
hull nearly a. free from al defeclA
caused By c0rroaion and sea animals
a. when FIRST launched.
Copper aheathing has been ndopteA
By ship-bullders Of all the ioaoinA
countries for years, and Il has alE4la
proved the best protection TO ne hubs
that could be devised. but rust ana cor
roalon ind lts way between the cop
per plates IN time. and starts up open
lngs that eveDt1ally destroy the ships
bottom or nesessitates the costly "oIA
Of resheathing u.
The old way was 10 plate the bottom
Of the ship carefully from stem 90 stern
with stout wood. and then coat TINS
with sheath copper. but the new metn.
Cd IL to place the vessel IN bath or
copper sulphate. into which an electric
current IL passed. Liquid-tigbt CON-
partments are made to ~ firmly upon
the aldes and bottom Of the bull ana
when hlled with a solution oi the COP
per the four anodes are placed through
an opening In the TOP. These coisti-
tuto the positive pole. and the iron
hull acts as the negative. MN oi
copper without seams or breaks Gfaau-
ally forms on the bottom Of The ship,
and In forty-eight hours this air-usnt
sheathlng Il one-sixteenth Of Al inch
thick. The sheathlng iis 20 tightly
10 the hull that Il cannot BE- removed
without cutting into 4 with sharp IN
struments. and even then 4 has ne-
come 70 welded 10 the iron nat TIE
two cannot always be separated.
The value OF this unbroken surface
OF copper plating can be readily under
stood when some OF the injuries 20 me
bottom Of iron vessels are examined.
The old method Of copper shcaihing
added 90 much TO the weight OF the
vessels that the naval advisory board
IN 1853 refused 10 have the bulls o.
the Chicago. Boston. Atlanta ana Dol
phln sheathed. In the case q the Chi
eago Il was estimated that 155 tons
would BE- added 70 the weight OF the
vessel. and 100 tons would be added %
both the Boston and Atlanta. Pur-
suing this same policy Of keeping the
vessels light and buoyant on the water.
and thereby gaining additional speed.
the department refused 70 have any Of
the subsequent war vessels copper
sheathed. AZ a result none Of cur var
vessels are sheathed. although a good
percentage OF the ships Of the English
French. German and Russian naFio1
hsvu their bottoms protected IN thIl
way. BY the new process Of electro
plating the weight added TO the vca'
sells amounts only 10 ass pounds 70 Ia
square Philadelphia Times.