The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-10
MARINE INTELLIGENCE.
LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS OF
SHIPS AND SHIPPING.

Experiments with Oil and Soap Suds
in stOrm-Chnnges Among Revenue
Omcers-LOss of the Schooner City
of Jacksonville.
Capt II. Gathemann of the North Ger
man Lloyd steamship Oldenburg, has just
made public the result of series of ex-
periments with oil and soapsuds in quiet
ing the sea in the vicinity of the ship dur
ing a storm.
He began his experiments in December,
1897, on voyage from Baltimore to Brem-
en-, and used vegetable or whale oil to
great advantage. He allowed the oil to
drop from a series of buckets arranged
In the bow of the ship. The wind at the
time was est-northwest with a very
rough sea. The speed of the ship was
about twelve and a half knots; the tenn
perature of the air was As degrees Fahren-
heit, and of the sea 81 degrees. Presently
the waves, which had been breaking over
the ship, became remarkably quiet, and
the sea within several hundred yards of
the ship became calm. The captain used
about two and one-half pounds of oil in
an hour during this experiment. He was
very much gratifed at the result.
In January, 1898, Capt. Gathemann be-
gan trying soapsuds. The mixture con-
sisted of fifteen pounds of green soap
and forty pounds of sweet water. and, as
in the case of the oil, buckets were used,
from which the soapsuds dripped into the
ocean. The wind was north by west the
speed of the ship over twelve knots and
oh.
the same as in the experiment with the
oil. The soapsuds could be plainly seen
floating on the surface of the water until
a wave struck them, and then they quick
ly disappeared. No quieting effect was
noticeable on the sea, however, and when
the buckets were empty they were quick
ly filled with oil, and presently the sea
again became calm.
Capt. Gathemann reports that he has
experimental with soapsuds several times
during his voyages this year, but never
found them efficacious, and always re-
sorted to oil, with good results.
First Lieutenant John c. Cantwell of
the United States revenue marine steam
err Colfax, has returned to that vessel
as executive officer he having been on
temporary duty for the past two weeks
at Port Tampa, Fla, on court martial
duty.
Third Lieutenant Richard NJ. Sturdevant
of the Colfax has passed his examination
for promotion to second lieutenant and
has received his commission. Lieut..
Sturdevant expects to receive orders for
duty on the Pacific station before the
Colfax returns to cruising duty on the
Charleston Is. c. station, which will
probably be about Nov. 20.
The schooner City of Jacksonville has
been lost, but all hands saved. The only
information of the wreck was a telegram
received from Capt. Morgan Steelman at
Mobile by the managing owners of the
vessel, at Baltimore, but no particulars
were given. The City of Jacksonville
was bound from Tampico to New York
with a cargo of logwood. The City of
Jacksonville was built In 1888, and ran be-
tween Baltimore and the South. The
lost schooner was three-master, regis
tering SS7 tons. She was frequent Wis
itor to this port.
The British steamship Glenwood from
Pomaron via Fungal. arrived yesterday
with a cargo of sulphur, consigned to
the Central of Georgia Railroad Company.
She is chartered for an outward cargo
by Wilder & Co., and will go to Barcelona.
Tho Portuguese brig, before reported,
is the Brazil from Bahia. She is con-
signed to A. e. MOynelo & Co, and will
load with lumber for Europe.