Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-11-01
ARCTIC ICE.
A PROPOSITION TO USE "'"
IcE-BREAKING STEAMER.
TREMENDOUS POWER OF THE ERMACK
Vessel Carries Four Propcliers IN"
Can Fight Her Way Through tue
Tbicl.est rcc-Built for Russia by
the Armstrong;.

| recent plan for an expedition 10 solNe
the mystery surrounding the fate of
Professor Andree. the Arctic explorer
who sought TO unravel the secrets OF the
far North by sailing over TIE foes and
bergs in a balloon. This proposition,
which Is now under discussion In marine
and scientific circles mems nothing less
than an attempt 10 meet the forces of
Nature with the forces of man, and, in
stead OF trusting TO fair weather or good
fortune. to do battle with the polar ice,
tho most serious obstacles in the path
OF those who sought TO penetrate into
The fastncss OF the Arctic regions.
Hitherto expeditions whose object has
been D reach "raT,hest North" II not
the Pole Itself, have been content, after
accomplishing q certain distance, TO nave
their ships caught ia The floating ice ana
held there fast prisoners until the south
winds of the next summer should
breathe upon thor IT Jzen chains and set
them free once more in the mean while,
the Journey was continued by the slow
and perilous method Of ice-sledges drawn
by EsquiuIau dogs. Naturally, these jour
| neys subject TO delays caused by hum
mocks and snOw-storms, have been OF a
more or less circumscrbed character
| since there must necessarily be a limit
To the powers OF the dogs as well as the
quantity OF portable provisions for man
! and beast
The proposition now seriously enter
talncd contemplate making use Of one
Of Russias new huge ice-breaking steam
ers anc sending her 10 the frozen
seas of the North to fight her way until
she reaches a point many miles beyond
anything yet accomplished by eXplOra-
ton steamers. 1t is actually thought
possible by some that the North Pole
itsolf may be reached and that even
! though the expedition should not be sue
ceseful in recovering any traces Of the
Inflated explorer, Russia Will forever
have the credit OF being the first TO reach
| the Pole
The vessel which will be used Is the
Ermack, which was launched in Octo-
Der. 1885. At the ship-bulding yard Of
Messrs sir W. G. Armstrong q Co.,
Walker-on- Tyne. She was designed by
Admiral Makaroff. Of the Imperial RUS
sian navy, and is considered the heaviest
ocean-going e-breaker aloat over all,
her measurements arc Length, 3O5 feet;
breadth, Il feet, ana when fully loaded
| her draught will be % feet, with cor
| responding displacement OF 500 tons
| There are four propellers~-three aft ana
! one fol- ward under the bow. Each pro-
peler has a main propeliing engine aud
| a smaller engine, making eight propellng
| engines in all, the larger ones being
triple expansion and the smaller ones
compound. These latter can be made TO
drive the propelers by being put IN gear
with line-shatting by means OF spur
gearing In that case the bolts Of the
coupling Of the crankshaft Of the main
engine and the thrustshaft are taken
! out so that the main engine is discOn-
/ nected
All the bulkheads Of the vessel have
been subjected to the most severe test
| ever known on any vessel For instance,
! one of her boiier-rooms was subjected 10
a test by water after all the boilers,
| pires. and connections were in place.
! AS the compartment is forty feet long
| 10y fifty feet wide the resulting pressure
on the bulkhead walls was sixteen pounds
/ TO the square inch.
! The shape of the Ermack's hull IS
peculiar. il having been designed with
an especial view OF resisting the enor-
nous pressure and crushing effect Of
pack ice closing around and also 10 en-
/ able field ice 10 be broken with greater
/ ease In fitting the four screws they have
/ been placed so that large blocks of
/ ice may be carried clear OF the hull by
] means Of the race or current naturally
caused by their operation. Three of
/ these are al the stern. one being just
/ forward the rudder and the other two
| in the usual arrangement Of twin screws.
/ The shaft Of the bow-screw projects
through the slipping stem, and is
! III VII he
for the stem OF the Brmack slopes down
! from the Water-line for a considerable
distance aft This bow propeller has
| for its principal object the clearing Of the
ships path and preventing Jumps Of
ice from accommodating under the ships
hull. BY reversing this screw the race
il sent forward and the Jumps Of ice are
thus washed out from under the vessel.
The machinery extends throughout
great part Of the ship, but IL is all placed
so low that there Is ample accommoda-
ton not only for the vessels officers and
crew, but also for a goodly amount Of
cargo and a considerable number Of pas
sengers. Her speed, as developed on the
trials, is something like 151-4 knots
with 5000 indicated horsepower. With
all engines running. the power In each
case being the maximum. the speed was
lG Ii knots The highest indicated power
developed was 1900.
The propeller blades are enormously
thick. and with the very strong steel
of which they are composed, are calcu-
lated TO be brought UP by ice without
breaking when running al fun speed.
The machinery is all designed 10 with
stand this test. The draught Of the YES
sci is 10 feet In fresh water, having 300
tons of dead weight on board. and p
feet for ocean work. The total capacity
Of tho ship 10 the upper deck is ll,7S3
tons; OF this $3.50 tons may be taken as
coal in the coal bunkers. and in the
cargo spaces together required. In the
latter there is room for close or 1900
cubic feet OF cargo.
The vessel is divided into forty-eight
water-tight compartments, OF which four
teen are H. the double bottom. There
is one cross-bunker for coal as well as
side bunkers The fore and aft peaks
are arranged for trimming purposes so
as TO bring the vessel by the head or
stern with water ballast. There are also
two heclng tanks amidships. An anti
rolling tank capable of containing one
hundred tons of water is fitted amidships.
II is not desirable to fit bilge keels
10 ice-breakng steamers, and for this
reason the aDti-rolling tank is more
necessary. Experiments with models
have shown that with forty tons OF
water. the amplitude can be reduced z
per cent. on each roll.
other machinery with which the vessel
is fitted includes three evapOrators for
making up fresh water, each having a
capacity Of twenty-five tons. and there
is also n separate freshwater distilling
plant for drinking water. The boilers
are pressed 10 100 pounds 10 the square
| inch and there are four 7-foOt fans for
| l.