The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-05-09
.TO CHECK FORCE Of WAVES
NEW INVENTION PUT FORWARD
IN FRANCE.
A Light Net Proves a Successful Break
water in a Heavy Sea-Better Than
Oil.

An italian gentleman Baron Benven-
uto d'Alessandro, living in Paris, 81 rue
Bossiere, has invented a new method
of protecting vessels at sea, entrances
to harbors, lighthouses, etc, from the
the force of waves and surf, which he
claims is more efficient than the use of
oil.
His invention consists in retaining on
the surface of the water an unsubmer-
gible floating net by means of outrig-
gers when used to protect vessels in
storms at sea, and by attaching 1t to
buoys when used to protect lighthouses,
hydraulic works in construction, en-
frances to harbors, etc.
He bases the idea of his invention upon
the principle that in covering the sur
face of the sea with a thin, flexible,
light and floating body of whatever
nature, the part covered forms crust
under which the molecules of the i'm
prisoned mass of water cannot move
in the same manner as the surrounding
body of uncovered water, the result be-
ing that even the most violent waves
upon reaching the edge of the crust,
instead of climbing over it, of breaking
or of destroying it, will pass under 1T
as If there was a fall or difference of
level, become flattened out, and lose
much of their force.
Trials of the floating net have been
|
of MOrbihan and in 1892 at Cherbourg.
The following are translations of the
report made by Captain Lequellec,
chairman of a committee of the Societe
de Sauvetage at Quiberon, to the presi-
dent of the Societe Centrale de SauVe-
tage, at Paris, and of notes upon the
trials at Cherbourg taken from Baron
d'Alessandro's pamphlet called lie Filet
Flottant
Ouiberon November IA, 1891.
The President: l have the honor TO
call the attention of the Central Life
Saving Society to the trials which were
made in our waters of a floating net,
which is intended to be used as pro-
lection against the force of heavy seas
and as an advantageous substitute for
oil. This net Which is very simple, Is
covered with a composition which rem
| ders it buoyant and unsubmergible and
! has a surface of about / 900 square me-
tiers Q,196 square yards)
! |, together with the captain of the
| life-saving boat, Mr.. lie Glamour, as
sisted the inventor, Baron d Alessandro,
during the different trials which have
! been made since September II. He has
| shown us many different ways of plac-
! ing the net. At first it was anchored
at each end, lengthways across the
waves but, finding that the resistance
was too great, and that it was impos-
sible to continue the trials, we changed
! it.
On November we anchored one end
of the net head to the wind leaving
! the other free to float in the breakers.
During the evening of November 10,
the results were favorable. The waves
did not break on the surface of the net,
and the effect was absolutely the same
as if oil had been used.
We also observed that when the boat
was under the lee of the net the sea
was smooth, and the contrary was true
when the boat was withdrawn from its
| shelter.
During the trials in company with the
Baron and the captain of the boat
have been able to see that this net
would be of great service to our navy
and merits further attention.