The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-12-23
NEW SOUNDING DEVICE.
Machine for Testing the Uncharted
Seas

Seas
Wednesday afternoon there was made
in the channel just below the arsenal
point practical test of a new device
which may be termed a continuous
profile sounding machine" and which
has been designed not only for the
purpose of all ordinary soundings, but
with special reference to the protection
of the hulls of great battle ships, sew
eral of which have IN recent years been
very seriously damaged by striking up
on rocks or other distractions, I'M
charted and utterly unknown to mari
nerS.l
It goes without saying that any sys-
tenn of sounding which will reduce to
the minimum the chance of failure to
locate individual rocks or other COM
parat1Vely small distractions or eleVa-
lions above the normal level or slope
of the bottoms of harbors or coast wa
tiers is greatly to be desired, especially
because of the excessive danger from
such source to the battle ships, which
generally are of great draught, and
however slight blow upon whose
hulls is sure to cause immensely expen-
sive repairs, not to speak of the danger
to life There is at present no other
means in use to obtain ordinary sound
ings than the method of 'heaving the
Lead This time honored method is
necessarily crude and incomplete in
results. At the exact points where
the lead is t'heaved" the depth of water
is doubtless very accurately determined,
or would be if the vessel from whose
deck the lead is thrown could be at
that moment stationary. But sound
ings must be taken ordinarily from a
vessel under a fair rate of Speed-abOut
three or four knots, for inStance-and
under such conditions the lead line, I'M
less managed by quite expert man, has
so great an inclination from a perpen-
dicular to the water surface, both be-
fore and after passing directly over the
lead, that a conSidera BILE factor of err
a line of soundings with the lead, no
matter what sudden rise of the bottom,
rock, sunken wreck or other obstruction
may in fact exist between any two
points actually tested, the ordinary
method gives no indication of them,
and the only means of locating such
distractions or abnormal elevations Of
the bottom is by oss-sectioning the
work as closely as possible, so as to
confine such distractions within spaces
of the minimum size.
The device tested Wednesday con-
sists of a graduated rod of some thirty
feet in length, adjusted to the side of
a boat, launch or any sort of vessel,
running freely up and down, approx
mately perpendicular to the water sur
face, and terminating at the bottom in
wheel of sufficient weight in itself to
insure contact with the bottom at any
speed otherwise practicable for sound
ing. BY suitable adjustments the rod
| is compelled to roll along on the bot
tom while maintaining its vertical pos
ition, and thus is extremely sensitive
to any change whatever in the profile
of the bottom along the line upon
which the vessel is running.
During the test an obstruction was
struck in the course of a uniform grade
and instantly shown by sudden rise
of the rod and as sudden a fall a
moment later. The obstruction could
hardly have been larger than a barrel
! The recorder, of course, noted the read
| ings of the rod at the very moment OF
striking, securing the summit eleva-
ton and the depth of water immediate
| ly after resuming the normal grade
The wheel is so arranged as to carry
| the rod easily over any obstruction. On
this occasion several lines were run
their locations being determined by the
use of two sextants, the observers not
| ing positions of signal stations prev
/ iously established, as usual, and the
results can be plotted up in profile
form with very great accuracy. The
readings of the rod were taken at close,
regular itervals and at all salient in
ternediate points
| This device is the invention of a
Young Marylander now resident in
Washington and all of the practical
tests so far made have been wholly
under his control and direction
Washington Star.