Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-12-19
CORNSTALK CRUISERS.
TWO WARSHIPS WHICH CARRY
READY-MADE PLASTERS.
Experiments in Making Vessels VA
tcrprOof Have ut Last Been Sue
ccssfuI and III Result Is En-
bodied in Two Vessels.

The new battleships. kearsarGe and
Kentucky, to be launched six weeks from
nov, are the first vessels of their class
ever constructed with armor belts of corn
stalk pith. 1t is Il notion wholly novel.
and naval experts are Watching the en-
pertinent with great interest. Such con-
ildence is felt in the wisdom of ii that
al the other ships now in course OF build
ing for Uncle Sans navy are ordered to
be furnished with a similar equipment.
Those who are best informed on such sub.
icCtS declare that a threo-foot belt OF
cCfnstalk pith is equal. for protective pGr-
poses, to six inches OF liarveyized nickel
steel armor.
The Washington Post says the idea of
it is that cornstalk pith possesses in Il re-
markable degree the property OF 3nsoFp-
iuG water, swelling with such rapidity as
TO close Il shot hole before the briny ocean
can enter the ship. Thu a belt of 1t
piaCcG between the outer and inner skins
OF the vessel. and covering the water
line. is calculated to keep her ai!oat even
though that delicate part of her anatomy
should he fairly ridd!ed 10y proJectlIes. a
| c0coanut fiber. saved the Japanese cruiser
ItsLkushima at the battle of the i&lu
| RIVER. when she was struck repeatedly rear
the waterline by large projectiles. In tie
same fight tn" Chinese .armored cruisers
TSchl Nuen and King Iuen, neither OF
tkeni 50 protected, We're capsized and SUNK
by Il shell apiece.
The upper part of 4 cruiser is separated
from downstairs, so to SPEAK, by a tuf,
tleback deck of steel plates. This is called
the protective deck. and Its edges are be
low the waterline. ThShoie top story
OF the vessel. with mastS. bridge. smoke
away. and still she would be expected TO
float. the 'turtleback" detecting the pro
| ~icctiles aimed at her. But the trouble IS
that shot-hoics above the protective deck
m,ght let in water on one side, overbalanoe
her. and cause her TO turn suddenly keel
upward. 1t is in order to avoid this en-
barraSsing contingency that the waterline
is backed inside by a series of steel water,
tight compartments. called ''cofter-aams.'
Fighting MishapS.
1t IS obvious that if q number of the COT
fer-dams We're pierced by proiectiies in
a sea fight and filled with intruding water.
upset the delicate balance Of the vessel,
causing her to list over to one side. Under
such circumstances some of her cannon
would point up at the sky and others down
toward the ocean. so that she would cease
10 be serEiceable rs 4 gun platform. In
other words, she would become useless as
a lighting machine and would be compelled
TO strike her colors. ever! ii she Wee 20
lucky as to escape capsiZinS. Accordinsly
il has been sought to fill the coffer-dams
vita something as light as possible TO help
keep the water out of them and to assist
in maintaining the t~lotation of the ship.
Nothing satisfactory was found. however,
until a Yankee genius hit upon the idea
of using the p!th of cornstalkS. This proved
the solution of the problem, and that is
why all of the newest vessels of the United
States navy are being provided with 4
belt Of this material. To call il a belt Is
fairly accurate. as the compaIt-
n.ents or coffer-dams, filled with TIE stun.
OF stuffed cOffer-danls is three feet thick,
and extends four feet below 1t. The nth
is packed under pressure in the Golfer
dams in the shape of bricks. Navy mcn
say that. with a good turiienlck deck back
of it to defend the "~vitals' of the ship,
100 tons of cornstalk pith are equivalent &c
l,gJU tons of steel armor.
Tests.
This cornstalk filling has not beer
adopted by the navy department without
elaborate experiments and tests. Golfer
dams filled with the stuff We're ridGled 10y
big shells, but water could not be mtdt
to enter. even when projected at the holes
in q powerful stream from a fire hose
Thc first and most natural! way OF guard,
ing against water line damage was to put
u. belt OF armor all around the vessel. eN'
fencing for Il few feet above and below
the waterline. But guns improved so rap,
idly in penetrating power and facility o,
whole length of sufficient thickness Il
guarantee defense. Hence. the value. o
the cornstalk padding for armored ships
while for Unarmnrcd vessels 1t is Il mos
admirable protection.
The process of preparing the cornstail
pith is decidedly interesting. The un
trimmed stalks, Just as they come from
tn" field that has yielded its harvest. arr
fed to n chopping machine and cut int
pieces an inch i'll length. linen they ar
expossd to an air blast. which blows asid'
the leaves and light trash. while the piece
of stalks are carried through a pine to
hopper. This drops them into n mill. which
cracks the husks. releasing the pith. TIL
resulting product is exposed to another nj
blast. which blows the pith one Way an,
the shells of the stalks another. The pit!
Is separated into two grades, coarse ant
fine. by Yet another air blast. The coars
pith-a white. sDonsy pulp-is the scr
used for ship-padding. and. before the fina
-..Eit, Of il into blocks IL is GlIhiprfp ed Il
chemical treatment to render it treproo
and decay proof.