Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1897-01-09
A oooo sAcx,Mo ron AemoM

A oooo BACKING ron ARMoR.
cciiaiose Raises our Cruisers Above
Their CIass as Batt1cships.
The Society Of Naval Architects ana
Marine Engineers held Its fourth gen.
eral meeting Mt New York. There was
a good representation Of the member
ship of more than 500 present, and APP
pllcatlons from forty persons who de-
sire to become members were received.
Henry w. Cramps paper on Ameri.
can corn-pith cellulose, aside from the
technical Information, with which the
architects and engineers were chiefly
concerned, had the popular interest
that attaches to any additional method
for the protection Of human life at sen.
He explained the origin and the man.
ufacture Of the new product, rs well
a. the invention Of its application to
warshipe, and rcclted the rapid nd.
vancement made by Americans In the
last year over the French discoveries
Of the material and Its uses, and show.
ed how the American product Is bound
to supersede the foreign.
american corn-pith celluloee Is an
entirely new product" he said. manu-.
featured from the pith of the cornstnlk.
or Indian maize, into granular form,
and packed under pressure into the COT.
ferdams Of vessel, where 1t acts rs o
perfect water excluder and Ii non-com.
bustiblc." When shot pierccs the YES.
sells side Mt or near the. water line
where the ccllulosc belt u laid the Gel.
iulose expands as It Is wet by the In.
flowing water and completely chokes
the hole. Our Navy Department was
quick to take up the device.
''Thus In the Columbia, the New York
and the Olympia" Mr.. Cramp said.
"therc are protective decks Of ample
strength to keep out the shells Of any
vessel they are likely to engage, while
their stability Is protected by belts Of
cellulose several feet thick along the
edges of these decks. The English ar.
morcd cruiser Blake. for example, has
no such protection to her stability, and
would not have the same chances nj
the abovc.named vessels Of our navy
in sustained engagement. For pro
lection In the comprehensive sense. the
cellulosc belt Of three feet may be said
TO he about rs efficient rs o six.incf
belt Of steel. 50 that we can protect ou'
stability, when we have good protec
tive deck back Of II to defend the vital
Of the ship. with 100 tons Of cellulosc t
nm extent equivalent to that derivet
from, say, 1000 tons Of armor."
Philadelphia manufactured the firs
cellulose used In the American navy
making It out Of the husks Of cocoanut
and furnished an article superior to TIL
French, but during the last year the dc
partment directed Its attention to tn
corn-pith product, which has beel
found to possess superior qualities. TIL
department tested tho two products b,
building and firing Into two steel cot
fcrdams filled respectively, one witt
s32Ih pounds Of cocoa ccllulosc, CORE
spending to o density Of ~ pounds I
the cubic foot. and one with 7O2 pound
Of corn-pith ccllulose, corresponding I
: a density Of 0.5 pounds to the cubi
foot. The FIRST drop Of water appeare
: at tho far end of the shot hole throug
i tho cocoa dam In ten minutes. and PREF
~ soon the water flowed through Mt tn
rate OF half a gallon minute. Throug
the hole In the other dam no watcr In
come mt the end Of half an hour. nc
. was the cellulose at the mouth Of I'll
hole In the rear damp. Tho tests led
Q the provision In the contracts for Ill
Kentucky and the Kearsarge, and No
i Z, 8 and o, that their cofferdams l
;. packed with corn-pith cellt,lpsc. ut I.
u about 500 n ton cheaper than the coco
. cellulose. and that fact. with the diffe
IS cncc In density, makes 1t cost abo'
two.thirls the amount per cubic TO-
y packed.
- Mr.. Cramp said: sour cruisers Of II
y Baltimore type, II they are provide
=. with cellulose belt, would DO wa
y ranted In engaging many Of the sccon
y class irOnclads Of other powers; wit
y ont It they are liable to be sunk by
wcll.directed machine gun fire. Til
- product OF American farms affords
cheap and ready means Of vastly !
n creased efficiency Of our cruisers, NJ
y, the unarmored sides Of all our vcsse
NJ should have these belts without della
~ This discovery ana application Of cell
., lose Is Of Us vital Importance to o
~ navy as the development Of the Harve
q. lied armor and smokeless powder. III
o. follows from the fact that, without nd
n ing very much to the cost Of our "
ia sells. we can greatly Increase tho 81
ID. cheney OF them all by making their sid
IT. automatically resist the inflow Of WI
or; and as our cruisers carry heavl
10, batteries than similar vessels Of 9th
cl. nations, they would. when SO protects
ly be able to give battle to ships far hca
w. Ter than themselves"
H. Turnips or Philosophy.
nc When the little company Of New j
he gland Transcendentalists We're