Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-05-07

gigantic air pumps are set to work,
pumps that are some million times
larger than a bicycle pump. There are
valves lust like there are in the bicycle
tire, which will admit the air, but VIII
not allow it to escape. AS the ar Is
forced into the hold the water must get
out Through a series of trap doors
fine men who are accustomed to work
ing under compressed air-correspond-
ing to the 'sandhogs" in sub-aqueous
tunnels-get down into the hold and
brace the ship in every conceivable way,
so that it can Withstand the tremendous
strain that is to be put upon 1t. III
the lob is not done right 1t will act just
like defective pneumatic tire. But II
1t is done right there will be no trouble
When all the water is forced out by the
air that is pumped in, the snip VIII az
once right herself, just as hollow
rubber ball will rise to the top of the
water, and the towing to haven OF
refuge begins.
1t is a terrible strain on the new type
of wrecker. He knows not the moment
a storm may blow up and ma MIN
down in the hold with a dozen trap
doors between him and the top of the
water. There are telephones from the
wrecking tugs to the interior, and a
lookout is always stationed above
watching LOT lH6 POoolbA0 SWIM.
even with this precaution there is sun
many a race with death to the top of
the water.
The first employment of the COM
pressed air system of steamship raising
was made many years ago. A small
schooner had run on the rocks. AFTER
many efforts to get her off she was
abondoned-or rather sold to an enter
hnlOhf a
of empty coal oil barrels, and when
the tide was low filled the hold with
them, first having taken care to have
each one closed at the bung He shored
them down well, so that they could
not shift, and when the tide next came
along it lifted the schooner clear of the
rocks. The ingenuity of this man netted
him enough to buy good farm
The next step in the direction OF COM
pressed air salvage as it is conducted
today was the invention of the camel. =
This is a large iron or steel barrel, of
ten a hundred feet in length by as much
as ten feet in diameter. Several of
these "camels" are fastened to the side
of the vessel at low tide, if 1t is on the
rocks. or at any time if it is below
the surface The water is then forced
out of them, and their lifting power
becomes equal to the difference between
their weight and the weight OF the wa
ter they displace, which is many tons.
One of the most unusual cases of
successful salvage with compressed air
happened in the case of the Gladiator
which was sunk in collision with the
American steamer st. Paul. The Glad
iator is a rather Anticipated British
cruiser, but ii was deriable to raise her
She had sunk in way that made her
lay on her side. The first problem was
to right her Heavy apparatus in the
shape of steam winches and other
equipment was set up in concrete beds
on the shore, and after many hawser
had been parted they were finally sue
cessful in getting her on an even keel.
Then came the work of the divers, the
sandhogs and the air pumps. 1t was
not long before the tale was told, and
the Gladiator, sadly disfigured, but still
in the game, rose to the surface and
was successfully towed into port.
The ST. Paul, which ran down the
Gladiator, has not always gone scot
free. Some thirteen years ago she was
on the beach herself, off the New Jer
sey coast. The task of getting her
ahoat again was placed in the hands of
Captain Israel Merritt of the great
Merritt-Chapman firm. It is said that