The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1911-08-11
CAPTAIN MILLER
Tells OF CONCRETE
HIS SHIPS BUMP THE CORAL
WITHOUT FEELING A
A BIT PUT OUT.

Conereted steamer and sailing ship
hulls have proven successful as far as
durability and non-foundering are CON
cerned, according to statements made
by Captain Frederick c. Miller of Homo
lulu, owner of several small steamers
and schooners, as at least four of his
vessels have been tried out with bulls
so treated, and he asserts that this
method has prevented his boats from
being sunk when they have struck
rocks.
In discussing concreted hulls in the
international Marine Engineering Jour
nal, Captain Miller says:
Advocates Concrete Ballast.
Referring to Mr.. Stein IS inquiry in
the April number (Maritime Register)
as to the advisability of substituting
concrete for other ballast in his iron
! hull, we can assure him from our own
experience that there is absolutely no
! question as to its advisability If well
done, with the concrete carried we'll up
/ in her ibilges and bound to the hull by
means of old bolts run through angle
iron frames, the bottom plating can
wear out and yet have good boat un-
der one IS foot.
| "The writer has concerted the bot
toms of four of his own boats, and if
were building new ship of either
iron or wood. irrespective of size, would
concrete her bottom, not as we former
! ly covered her bilges. with from one
half to two inches of cement to pre-
vent corrosion where it was impracti-
! cal to get at the scalp and paint
which was the sole reason for its being
done, but to add longitudinal strength
to hull and lessen the liability of the
bottom being pierced by rocks, should
/ she be stranded on rocky bottom.
/ doubt if our marine architects realize
the vast increased strength and resist
ing power to abnormal strains a hui
Of reinforced concrete possesses.
4 Permit me to cite some actual ex
perienee in the use of this, to the
writer IS mind, highly valuable building
material. About fifteen years ago
purchased an iron steamer whose bot
tom plating, originally thin, had, BY
continual crossing over sandy bars, be
come very thin and almost worr
through. We could not afford to re
place her bottom, so we experimental
with reinforced concrete. placing i
about ten inches thick. carrying it wei
up above the turn Of the bilges, gradu
ally lessening its thickness as we GO
higher. Through the angle-iron frames
we drilled three eighth-inch holes, int
which round rods were rove. over al
| t1la ha % IL
feet bond as possible. Our aim was
and we still consider it the best, to til
the concrete bottom to the upper par
of the hull. We considered them a
two separate units, the success of tn,
operation depending largely upon thei
being tied securely together. The jol
far exceeded our expectations. Afte
wards when her bottom had become en-
tirely worn through in places we con
sidered the eonereted part the yer,
strongest part of the ship.
Prevented Loss of Vessel.
Here at Honolulu the writer bought
small schooner, built for and used 70
freighting. She had about fifteen ton
of scrap iron ballast in her bilges, int
which dirt had been collecting TO
years, We desired to convert her int
yacht, and to get rid of the odo
from the bilges we removed the ballaa
: and took the bottom ceiling out u
10 and above the turn of the bilgei
| Along the top of the frames we lai
old railroad iron, about twelve inche
apart, covering all with concrete abou
eighteen inches thick on the bottom
diminishing TO four inches above IN
turn Of the bilge. Onr object was "a
tanned, In so much that we never agai
were annoyed By bad smells from Ill
bilgea
Two years later this boat went ashoI
on sharp lava rocks npOn which I'll
fea beat No times very heavily, hn
which no ordinarily reconstructed hu
could have remained Intact for iwrnt,
-four hours Witlhut Being crHmpled aa
= broken up 30 tiH can would be- ha
alr been hniii NJ iron, or Il built (