The Washington times., 1903-04-28
MINIATURE MODELS FOR
TESTING BIG SHIPS
Ingenious Apparatus Of Experimental
Basin at Navy Yard

Between the commandments quarters
and the docks at the washington Navy
Yard there is a long barracks-Iike build
ing painted dull gray. Il is well OF ths
beaten track Of the usual sightseer. but
! it houses one Of the most important in
dustries in the whole yard It's full
official title is the United States ex-
/ perimeBtai model basin-where NINA
lures Of every ship in the navy. from
the big 16.0C0-t0n battIeship to the tor
pedo-5oat destroyer. are tested 10 de-
termine their sea going qualities. The
walls and glass roof cover tank
$50 feet long by 80 wide. and ranging
from to Il feet in depth. 4 fair idea
Of its size may be gained from the fact
that it holds one million gallons OF
water. \ rallied platform OF steel,
similar to the bridge of an ocean liner.
glides up and down, spanning the tank.
on rails at both sides of the building.
Two electric cranes are fixed 10 the
+ flooring and in the center IS a desk bear
ing q number Of disls and instruments.
When the proportions OF batJleship's
hull are determined upon a twenty-foot
model is built. A wooden block. formed
by gluing together small strips of white
pine held in place by powerful hydraulic
pressure, is used in its construction
This gives excellent material for
model-building and cuts. as the men will
tell you in nautical slang. like cheese
After careful measurement and a coat
Of paint and varnish the little battle
ship is ready for her trial spin. she Is
/ lifted into the water with the cranes
swung under the platform and fixed
to the end of three steel bars connected
with the desk above
As the platform. driven BIZ its own
electric motor, sweeps down the tank.
the model is drawn along. being free.
however. 10 rise or fan. or to float any
fashion in the water.
brass pencil traces a line on roll
ing cylinder covered with paper. THIS
delicate instrument is called dynamo
meter. and is on the order Of Watts or
Richards recorder for steam engines.
Naval constructors can tell by watch
ing this curve just what resistance the
finished vessels viii offer to the water
Of what value these lines are A we'll
designed hull cuts the water very read
lily, and high speed can be obtained with
one under small head of steam.
What strikes the visitor most after
he has watched the experiments a while.
is the wonderful purity Of the water.
and the qufckness with which the waves
subside. a chemical process and a
large sand filter are used to clear of
the water At the bottom of the tank
a number of boards, set on end like the
stall partitions OF q long stable, break
the waves, and give the men on the plat
form quiet sheet of water almost i'm
mediately after every trip. A number
Of these models are built each month
Models Of the new 1900 and L. 600
ton battIeships are tested daily. and in
a few weeks three OF the new scout
boats''-an innovation in the navy-wiu
be tried
There is great fascination in watching
the experiments. As the big mass Of
steel bears down directly upon the
visitor. the little white battleship rid
ing easily underneath. he cannot sup
press a touch Of excitement The clear
water foams and swirIs from u1Ger her
bow and spreads out in her wake as II
she were as big as the Kearsarge.
Constructor D. W Taylor. L S n. E
member of the Society of Naval Archi-
teets and Marine Engineers is in charge
OF the model basin. Naval designers are
largely in his debt for their present
power Of solving problems of ship
building with such ease and accuracy.