The sun., 1900-12-30
SOME GIANT ICE BREAKERS.
Bos7s THAT No ORDINARY FIELD OF
ICE CAN STOP.
Their Bows Are Forced On Top Of the Barrter
by Powerful EaEines. and Their weishs
Crushcs u -Steaming Through Mixed Ice
Twent /, -Gvc Feet Thick An American idea
From he Chicago Tribune.


From he Chicago Tribune.
At this season OF the year there Is put In
commission the most remarkable fleet OF
vessels in the world. for now on the great
lakes In America, In the Baltic Sea. and on
Lake Bnikal In Siberia, the great ice breakers
begin their annual winter battle to keep
op.n paths of commerce through the frozen
scas The thorough test which will be MADE
of the ice crlsher In Lake Bakal Is or uns
usual importance, Hall way across Siberia
right in tho path OF the transsibcrian rail-"
way lies the lake which has presented 40
many problems to the Russian engineers.
To build the railway around the lower end
of the lake would necessitate a detour OF l60
miles through such a difficult country thas
tie cost would be enormous. SO. temporarily
at least. the Russians decided upon Terry
across the lake But the lake freezes up in
December and remains frozen until the END
of April. 80 no ordinary ferryboat would do
for winter tranlc II was first proposed to
lay rails across the ice for the winter trahic.
but taking leaf from the experience OF the
Americans on the Great Lakes. and avaiin8
themselves of the ideas in shipbuilding which
have proved SO successful in ice lighting on
our great inland seas, IL was finally decided
to build Icrryboat that could defy the ele-
ments and run all the year around. 80 the
great steam ice crushing ferryboat Baikal
was built at New castle on-Tyne. carried out
TO SIBERIA in sections. put together on the
shores Of the lake. and there launched
The Baikal Ia uuilt on the princiile OF the
ice crushers of the Great Lakes. IL does not
try to batter 1t, way through the frozen
mass, but cliimus up on 1t and crushes IL
through sheer weight This work is made
easier for IL by screw under its shelving
b w. which screw. revolving in a reverse
direction from the stern screws which push
II ahead, sucks out the water from under the
ice and weakens its support. This is purely
"A Yankee idea. The first time boat was
ever built on this princi. lie was when. some
wears AGO the Algoma was built to run In
the winter tine across the straits OF Mack
mac. These straits separate the two penin-
sulas which form the state OF Michigan.
and in ummcr their waters laugh in the
sunshine To the deli ght of the tourist. but
In winter the nine miles of water between
the two perinsulas becomes bridged over
with ice, sometimes six feet thick. which
occasionally piles up in great "wnrows.'
The Algoma was the result OF n study OF
the difficulties TO be overcome and OF the
demonstrated fact that the old style OF ice
breaking, by rammine the frozen surface OF
failure A railroad ha been built coming
down to the shore on either side OF the straits
OF Maoiinac, and the two sections sections 9, So yaas yaa.
kec ingenuity stepped In and Joined, them
BY building the Algoma the s frs, weasel OF OF ~
the ice crushers both In this country and In
Europe and Asia Its bows, were cut away.
gIDing an n enormous d oDsrnans twn scffWs wers
laced IN it, stern for drying 1t Iremendous
Snsns poTeT for So small a. oeat ~ss nm" 10
Although ! @ huh the al HIrema Vas TOO email s 70 90
monstr ated that II was built on the proper.
princi les. and larger boats were constructed
70 take its place. and in them was placed the
The AlSoma was Of only 500 tons burden.
it is mar ed. is Of 1000 tons burden. and il:
sTeat sns9eS w.aH IF and carries
train. and two freight trains upon ". iIs decR; SHs
the Baikal has been tested 70 some ehtfnt:
tS Success M. another @ 81 Similar boat Win be built
Otherwise the breaking down Of the Bsikal
y%ay T2d Sn Syond all % Se aGe 'A5 just nox sn
Russia has great army In China China. on thS
siberian railroad shoSd be kept open, There-
fore the, Baikal looms into an added impor-
whether it will be necessary to build the long
and expensive branch south Of the lake or
no f to G this its afSS%psasnSs psna nSs f
down will depend largely the question OF
Russia being, able to reenforce her troops
SO, and the facility with which she can sup
py those already there with food. ammuni-
Upon n GlRs" the Giant son Of the old Alsoma tfi:
winter, 4 reason for being hopeful OF the
success of the Baikal is found IN the success %
built by the same company which built the
Bnikal,, and embodying in its hull the same
crushing c I fleet Of the Great Lakes. built on the
Alroma principle. became an assured sue.
over here to study the construction Of the
vessels and "a report upon the feasibility OF
building fleet of similar boats for Russian
The, result was the building of the cele.
brat"d ErmGck to fight the ice in the I;alti
forced a path through mixed ice twenty-fyl
feet thick. It Is the vessel with which tht
Try 't''F to reach MH the NSrtS Pole ADMIRAL Maker:
of was one Of the Russian officers who visited
the Great Lakes 10 report 10 his Goyern,nen
work, the Admiral does not propose to
use the forward screH. as he thinks the ice
in sucking the water from under the mass
10 he crushed So the little AlEoma viii
mayr Two 9n s?9s o qsacS % NOr fcs
and the other striving To enable the vast
Empirc of Russia to keep up railway com
irll Irir,. the Bnikal succeeded in breaking
t!rough ic" ihirty-eight inches thick with
q hard crust OF snow on top OF II five inches
in thickness. and il has crushed through
siNtv-hvc inches oI solid ice. To break
through ice with a snow crust on top of IL.
j.. II may be remarked. harder than break
through n mass formed entirely Of ice, It
j. expected that, loaded with its train Of cars,
Il viii be able 10 crash ice as thick as thas
through which the Ermnck has passed.
tn the Great J. .kss the grea test obstacles
which IN" ice crlIShers have to encounter
are the "NiurOv~"- great hoaped-up hedges
~ ico pilCI h:h by the action of the wind
when The Lakes aIr freezing over. But in
spite of an obstacles tho ships Of the Ice
crushing fleet oi th" L1kcs now manage 10
keep open throughout the year with only
now and then u temporary Interruption,
pHSSat-eWavs across such bodies of water
"a, tho Straits oi Maokinac, The Detroit River,
the 81 Clair River and the Saut Ste Marie,
Not only de- these ice crushers keep open
waterway but they crush their way 10
vessels which ret imprisoned in the ice and
cit i"r Opcil y paHsSaRe for their release or at
least rr""lie 1ECir crews The idea that in
tim" these ~eis will he SO perfected as
To be able to keep canals open throughout
tho winter Is probably only n dream which
viii never bc, ONE n reality. but IL is never.
thcl"Ss. dream IN which many people in.
Gn.'" because of the great benefits TO com.
lletCc which would aCrrue in IL could hA