The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1908-02-28

ships 10 their doom by false signals
and lights constitute no small portion
OF the lurid romance OF seafaring.
But the work OF the wrecker whose
object Is entirely humane and praise
worthy belongs TO quite a different
category.
Very early in the history Of sea-
faring the mariner was often driven
by necessity and aided by natural ap-
titude 20 perform some wonderful
feats in rescuing the vessel, which
was not only his home, but also his
warehouse and his fortune, from a
position in which she seemed hope
lessly lost.
One typical instance is that related
by Captain William Scoresby, whose
ship, the Esk, of Whitby, with large
quantity of oil and whalebone on
board, was nipped in the ice Of the
arctic seas, and pierced by a long
spear jutting out from the foe, so
that she rapidly let in the water, and
would have sunk had not the encom-
passing ice upheld her and given her
resourceful commander time to for
mulate HIS plans for saving her.
Without going into details, the
cargo and stores were transferred to
the ice, and the ship, by the cleverest
manipulation OF huge tackles, was
hove down first upon ono side and
then upon the other. every man toll
ing like "a titan under the inspiriting
| guidance OF the captain; the ugly
rents in her bottom were repaired,
her cargo and stores reshipped, and
in time to clear the fast closing in
bonds OF winter, she sailed away and
reached England in safety.
by the Aid OF Empty Barrcls.
Another instance which came un-
| der my own notice was that OF large
ship called the f. J. Spicer, which
ran ashore in the Basin of Minas,
near Cape Split She was sft wood
vessel OF Nova Scotian build, and ap-
parently those interested in her
thought her case hopeless. for they
sold her as She lay, for a trifiing sum,
to an energetic man Of my acquaint-
ance.
The place where the Spicer lay
! fairly comfortable was visited twice a
! day by n tremendous rise of tide
which, may say in passing, is one of
the most potent factors in the multi
! farious operations OF wreck raising
! Because OF the cost of bringing mate
rial there my friend did not attempt
to repair the ship where she lay, al
| though she was high and dry twice a
day, but he purchased a very large
number OF empty petroleum barrels,
carefully bunged, which he secured
in her hold and shored down from
the between deck beams SO securely
that they could not shift.
At last when IL was evident that a
little more buoyancy would lift her
up he rushed a large number OF bar
els on board at low water. and all
was secure well before high water
time. She floated, although there
we're huge rents in her bottom all
round. She was sailed across the
basin to small shipyard, was re-
paired, loaded with lumber and with
I'm eighty days of the time my friend
had taken her in hand delivered at
once her cargo in London and him
out Of his difficulties.
But these operations. brightly as
they bring into relief the skill and
resourcefulness Of seafarers, are eX-
| Ceedingly crude, and only applicable
to comparatively small wooden ves-
sells The modern wrecker calls in
all the latest resources of science TO
his aid, and supplements them with
perseverance, skill and energy.
, The modern equipment Of a vessel
devoted TO salvage OF wreck raising
comprises n bewildering assortment
ot engineering appliances, all i'm
mensely powerful, all Of the simplest
possible construction, and all made
OF such material and treated in such
. way that being in or under water
for a few days, or even weeks, does
them no real harm.
There are pumps capable OF throw
ing over ton OF water a second, and
not given to shirking If the water is
muddy or sandy: hammers. drills and
riveters worked by pneumatic press
ure. and striking about 1900 blows a
minute, either under water or above.
needing only a skilful hand TO guide
I them; complete diving equipments.
and electric lamps TO illuminate the
gloomy recesses OF n sunkeu vessels
hold or 70 blaze above the dark wat
ers when the lost shiphas risen again.
But more wonderful than all else
is the use made of the most terrible
explosives. Dynamite charges. care
fully graduated. are stored in abund-
ance. and used either for clearing
away a protruding pinnacle OF rock
or, attached to the ragged edges OF a
rent in the side OF sunken vessel.
FOR blowing those edges smoothly off
in order TO allow a patch to be built
over the hole.
or course for certain cases there
will be pontoons-hollow iron tanks
Of varying sizes. their lifting power
carefully noted. and their shapes SO