New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-08-04
SHIPS THAT WON'T SINK
4rbuckle, Who Raised the Nero, Sees
Ne7o Use for Com pressed dir.

John Arbuckle founder of the Arbuckle Wreck
ing Company and originator of the compressed air
method Of raising sunken vessels. was elated yes
terday over his success in floating the naval
collier Nero. which ashore on Brentons Reef.
on Newport, r.. l.. July ?. He had word by
telephone yesterday morning that the Nero had
been taken from the rocks the night before. after
three weeks labors. The collier will be brought to
the navy yard here as soon as temporary repairs
are made
1T was difficult piece Of work" said Mr.. Ar
buckle. but If it had not been difficult other
method might have done just we'll AS it was,
the Nero could never have been saved without
compressed air. That is where score a point"
Mr.. Arbuckle has been I'm partnership for many
years with his brother, at No. Il Water street,
a wholesale coffee dealer He first became inter
ested in the salvage of wrecked steamers about
zen years ago. II was by simple process Of
reasoning, and not from any previous experience
with wreckage, that he evolved his idea. The Incl
dent which led to the origin of the compressed air
method also gave Mr.. Arbucke some experience in
the weakness of human nature
hou may remember" said he, when the Iu-
cana and the St Paul ran a race across the
ocean During dense fog the St. Paul ran ashore
at Long Branch. II settled the race and almost
settled the ST Paul
Il went aboard. and said to the captain: L
get your ship off in twenty-four hours
mat captain was very profane man, I'm
afraid He was also ncreduous. IL blunt said
MI Arbuckle. with twinkle. He laughed longer
IMAM seemed really necessary. / repeated | could
get the st. Paul afoat in twenty-four hours
" oh. no. YOU can't the captain shouted. and
they began to tug and haul and kept it up for
weeks Each day they moved her about six inches.
That was doing something, anyway. and after
many weeks they got her off. A big storm came
up twenty-four hours later and II the St Paul
hadn't been afoat then it would have been all up
with her
Then / got my patents. but II was a long time
after that before I really did anything. The saw
ing OF the Yankee the first. Since then
have saved seven eight We could have saved
the Republic II had reached her sooner. We
were working on the Yankee at the time and on
the way out to the Republic we ran across
cruiser on the rocks that needed US so We took
the certainty in preference TO the uncertainty
But if the Republic had had air compressors
on board she could have got port safely The
time Is coming when every sea-going steamer will
have apparatus that can keep her ahoat, no matter
how big the holes. There was one hole In the
Yankee . feet by 3. If they had hauled her off
she would have sunk II they had hauled the
Nero of. nobody would ever have her again"
BY means of a simple experiment with in
verted bottle in basin OF water. Mr.. ArbuckIe
illustrated now really unnecessary the sinking Of
vessel was. When air blown through a
tube inserted in the bottle the latter to the
surface.
Most OF the work consists in bracing the decks
together" continued Mr. Arbuckle so there can
be no collapse from overpressure. and in making
the upper deck alright by sealing the matches II
took three weeks 10 do this, ana half hour to
pump in the compressed air that hoated the Nero
Why can't everybody see it," asked Mr. Ar
buckle. Weatherspoon understands H. he did Il
in the ST. Lawrence years ago. lie raised the Ba-
varian thirty-six miles below Quebec. and the
Mount Temple, on the Newfoundland coast It's
very simple-when you know how TO do IL"