The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1898-02-17
CORN STALK PITH.
NEW PRODUCT WHICH IS TO REVOI IL.
TIONIzE THINGS IN GENERAL.

Unique Experiment In War Sh
Observation-Disclosures and kearsas
to Have Armor Belts of Corn StaI
Pith-Naval Experts Declare That
Three Foot Belt of this Material
Equal for Protective Purposes I
Six Inches of Harveyized Nickel
Steel Armor.
Rene Bache's Washington Letter in Chi
cago Chronicle.)
The new battleships Kearsarge an
Kentucky, to be launched some tim
this month, are the first vessels of the
class ever constructed with armor bell
of cornstalk pith. 1t is MOTTO
wholly novel, and naval experts ar
watching the experiment with grea
interest. Such confidence is felt in tn
wisdom Of it that all Of the other ship
now in course Of building for Uncl
Sans navy are ordered to be furnish
ed with similar equipment. Thos
who are best informed on such subject
declare that three foot belt of corn
stalk plth is equal for protective pur
poses TO six inches of Harveyized nick
el-steel armor.
The idea Of it is cornstalk pitt
possesses in remarkable degree the
property of absorbing water, swelling
with such rapidity as to close a sho
hole before the briny ocean can enter
the ship. Thus belt of it placed be
tween the outer and inner skins of the
yes ell, and covering the water line, i:
calculated to keep her ahoat, even
though that delicate part of her anat
omy should be fairly riddled by pro.
jectlles. A similar stulflng of cellulose
obtained from coacoanut fiber, saved
the japanese cruiser ltsukusima at the
battle of the Yalu river, when she was
struck repeatedly near the water line
by large projectlles. In the same fight
the Chinese armored cruisers Tchi
Yuen and King Yuen, neither of them
SO protected, were capsized and sunk
by shells.
The upper part Of a cruiser is sepa-
rated from "downstairs, SO to speak,
by turtle back deck of steel plates
This is called the protective deck, and
its edges are below the water line.
The whole "top story" of the vessel,
with masts, bridge, smokestacks, ETC.,
might be shot AID burned away and
still she wouio oe expected to fiat,
the ",urtle-deck'' DETECTING the pro-
ject lies aimed at her. Bat the trouble
is that shot holes above the protective
deck might let in water on one side,
overbalance her and cause her to turn
suddenly and keel upward. 1t is in
order TO avoid this embarrassing con-
tingency that the water line is backed
inside by a series Of steel water
tight compartments called "coffer-
dams"
1t is obvious that number Of the
Golfer dams if pierced by projectiles
in sea fight and filled with water
would be apt to upset the delicate bal
ance Of the vessel, causing her to list
over to one side. Under such circum-
stances some Of her cannon would
point up al the sky and others down
toward the ocean, so that she would
cease to be serviceable as a gun plat
form. In other words, she would be-
come useless as fighting machine,
and would be compelled to strike her
colors, even if she we're so lucky as to
escap: capsIzlng. Accordingly, it has
been sought TO fill the Golfer dams with
something as light as possible to help
keep the water out of them and to as
sist in maintaining the h)tation of the
ship. Empty tin cans. Theoretically
sealed AMI various other things were
tried for this purpose years ago.
Nothing satisfactory was found,
however, until Yankee genius hit
upon the idea Of using plth of corn
stalks. This proved the solution of
the problem, and that is why all the
newest vessels Of the United States
Navy are being provided with a belt
of this material To call it belt is
fairly accurate, lnasmuch as the COM
pariments, or Golfer dams, filled with
the stuff run all along both sides of the
ship. The belt of stuffed Golfer dams
is three fee, thick and extends four
feet above the water line and four feet
below it, The pith is packed under
pressure in the Golfer dams in the shape
Of bricks. Navy men say that, with a
good turtle back deck back of it 10
defend the ''vitals'' Of the ship, 100
tons Of cornstals pith are equivalent
to 1000 tons of steel aTmor.
Henry w. Cramp, of the firm which
has built most Of The ships for the new
navy, says that cruisers of the Bllt-
more type, If protected with a corn
plth belt, would be warranted in en-
gaglng many Of the lronClads Of the
other powers. Without 1t they would
be liable to be sunk by we'll directed
machine gun fire. This product Of
American farms" he adds, "of-rs a
cheap and ready means OF vastly in
creasing the efficiency Of our cruls-
ers and The unarmored sides of all our
war vessels should have these belts
without delay. This discovery and
application Of corn pl,h /, Of as vital
importance TO the United States Navy
as the developmen, Of Harveylzed
armor and snokeless powder"
The point is that wlthou, adding
much TO the cost Of the vessels the