The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-04-14
ICE CRUSHING SHIP.
ADMIRAL MAkARoFF's CRAFT TO KEEP
OPEN RussIA's FROZEN RIVERS.

States, Where He Finds the Best-Whst
His vossel WIN Have to Do Can Ran
Ice Packs.
Vice Admiral MakarofP Of the Rus
sian navy, who has been assigned by
his government to construct the most
powerful ice crushing ship ever built,
arrived in New York city the other
day. He had been to ports along Lakes
Erie and Michigan to see ice crushing
ships at work there.
He has under construction at New
castle floating ice crusher. which he
believes will be able to cut its way
through ice to the north pole. His ship
is not intended for exploring purposes,
however. It's mission is to keep frozen
rivers and harbors Of Russia open for
navigation during winter and to per-
form like duties in ports of northern
Siberia during summer. The keel of
the ship was laid few months ago.
The vessel is to be completed in Novem.
Der.
Admiral Makaroff left ST. Petersburg
about month ago. He visited Stock
holm and other Swedish ports, where ice
crushers are used; then made flying
trip to Detroit.
Never would he forget, he told me,
the attentions shown him by Americans
He said that letters of introduction
given to him by United States Senator
Mcmillan of Michigan had made it pos
sible for him to see all he desired in an
incredibly short time. He is enthusiasts
tioally interested in the construction of
the ice crusher, which is his own idea.
"This is important to Russian COM
merce," said the admiral to me, when
I called on him at the Waldorf Astoria.
"St. Petersburg for six months Of the
year is cut off from the open sea by
many miles of ice. while Baltic sea.
ports are closed for three months each
year. No effort has ever been made to
cut q channel through the ice to st. Pc
tersburg.
''Such a channel would be 200 miles
long, in the month Of March. With the
ship am building, and sister ship
which is to be built, st. Petersburg
will be kept open to commerce by water
throughout the year, except at rare in
tervals.
81 have adopted American plans, as I
have found them the best. This ship
will be twice as large and will have
three times the power of the largest ice
crusher in the world. 1t will be 800
feet long, n feet broad and AZ feet
deep, with 5000 tons displacement
when fully loaded. 1t will carry 5000
tons of coal, and when fully loaded will
draw 25 feet of water.
at is to be built of steel and so con-
structed that when ice brushes about it
the vessel will be lifted out of the wa
ter until the ice is crowded under the
bottom. There are to be three propeller
screws under the stern and one under
the bow. The bow screw will be - feet
in diameter, and its upper edge will be
IL feet under the surface Of the water.
Gan important function of this wheel
will be the throwing back of ice that
has been broken, under the ship, and
when pack ice is jammed solidly In
front of tho vessel it may be broken mp
by reversing the bow wheel and work.
ing forward with the aft wheels. The
agitation of the water under such Cir.
cumstances would break up the ice from
its underside.
"The vessel will carry water ballast
and can displace 200 tons of water
from bow to stern, or 100 tons from
port to starboard or the reverse, at the
rate of 100 tons minute. The actions
produced by shifting ballast will enable
us to crush any ice that may surround
us.
at is stipulated in the contract that
this ship, whose engines are to be OF
10000 horsepower, may be run at full
speed into any pack ice 1t may meet
without injury to any portion OF the
hull or machinery"
Admiral MakaroR believes he will
have in his ice crusher ship which
cannot sink. He astonished the builders
by requiring that the water tight COM
partments be filed with water before
the vessel is launched and again after
it is afloat and the boilers, water, steam
and ventilation pipes are in place.
"Only in the compartments OF the
double bottom?" suggested the master
mechanic at the shipyard.
"To the upper deck, replied the adj
miral.
Speaking of this requirement. Adj
miral Makaroff said to me:
~ have seen many steel battleships
which cost millions Of dollars with
holes cut through the steel walls OF
their compartments to make room Tor
the movement of machinery and cast
iron doors frequently set In steel walls
More than one battleship has gone down
because of such defects
"Could your ship cut It's way through
ice to the north polea" ! asked. 80.
"It is not built for that purpose, ana
the nearest the craft Is expected to 60
to the pole is the Kara sea. The rivers
Obi and Yenisei, which flow north from
Chinese territory through Siberia, are
open throughout the summer months.
but the Kara sea 10 frozen Tor II