Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1898-11-09
Los on rHE MARIA TEREsA.

LOSS OF THE MARIA TERESA.
THE disaster that has overtaken the
resurrected Spanish cruiser, lnfanta
Maria Teresa, while on her way north
should not be looked uponas whollyun-
expected" said a man whose knows
edge Of steel ship building entities it
to weight, to the Wayfarer. I'm the
first place the ship should not have
beenstarted north, at this, the hurricane
season in the tropics, in her weakened
condition. Fire and the pounding she
received on the beach to the west of
Santiago after July was amply suffi-
cient to cause the shearing OF the plate
rivets, causing them to become loose
in the counterslnk on the outside and
permitting the plating not only towork
away from the caull1ing thread, but al
lowing the water under a strain around
each rivet. AS the rivet spacing IS
about two and a half inches apart and
varying from flve-eighths to seven
eighths in diameter, the inflow OF
water is all along the sheared seam
The head Of the rlvet being on the in
side is more nearly water-tight than
the upset head on the outside, which
Is formed by riveting into a counter
sink not over three-sixteenths OF an
ineh wider than the rivet hole itself"
rs there amy way of testing this?"
asked the Wayfarer
Yes, easily. AT no time, even when
the ship is building, do the riyets 1T
the holes in water-tight manner The
rivet being heated red hot is pushed in
the hole loosely, and upon cooling
contracts to less than the size OF the
orifce. The head on the inside and
the riveted end Tn the outside in the
countersinll make the water-tight joint
fer each rivet This must be properly
done or else the rivet will rattle in
its seat when tapped with a hammer.
In most OF the great shipyards an
inspector goes along the seams rivet-
ed that day, and placing the fore
finger on each rivet taps-not his
finger, but the rivet, and If 1t is loose
detects the vibration instantly and
gives rattle mark to such rivets,
and which the rivetels must afterward
take cut and make good. This is the
only way to test riveting.
"After the seams are riveted along
comes the caulkers with different full
ing irons. crystalizlng the metal ard
working a continuous thread along the
seam. This work is done by the feet
and rarely tested. The thread shows
plainly from the outside, and wher
finished is measured and Immediately
painted. That ends the work on rive;t
and seams. After this the strain r.
taken of the seams with bulkheads, in
addition to the frames, floor plates, IT,
ter-costals, belt frames, beams, diagonal
braces, knee clamps, fore and af
etringer. aud, in the case a warship
armor betting and protective decl
pldtAHs Att Nut WIN oNlbhi lNIl6ltu"A
nal and transversely, in the most ap
proved steel ship is considerable, an,
becomes, in time, source of danger
OF rather, limits the life Of meta
ship.
"One sure, safe way to make a stee
ship absolutely safe would be q
sheath it from the water line down {,
the keel with yellow pine planking C
a thickness suitable to the size OF tn
ship. This would cause an Interlock
system much in vogue with wooden
built ships. Besides, it would proven
the cOrrosion of the under body plating
and. being Coppered, a ship could 6
nine or ten years without docking,
rather costly operation with a larg
ship at any time. Then, again, IN
steaming radius would be longer, bt
cause on a coppered bottom no marin
growths form, they all having ds
cided dislike for a verdigris diet. With
out the copper on the other hand, N
Teredo worm in Southern water
would soon make sad work OF n
luscious yellow pine.
This sheating of the immersed hu
is a favorite with naval constructor
but it is not likely to become adopte'
as, since the late war especially, Il q,
cided prejudice has been taken again
wood. not however, under water, HI
in deck fittings. AS an offset 10 u
outside shgathing the coffer-dam syl
tenn is under test on such ships as II
Columbia and Minneapolis. These co
fer-dams are bins built against the sit
of the ship from the water line dow
10 the water bottom on the inside. This
are, say six feet wide, and any leng
10 suit the compartment, and run {
each side under the protective de
the entire length Of the ship. Cocoan
fibre was first used TO I'LL them. b
now equally as good results are o