Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1912-06-07
SAFETY FOR SHIPS
Collision Device Now Adopted In
United States Navy.
COMPRESSED AIR is SECRET
BY Its Use, When Existing Equipment
10 Coupled Up, Water is Expelled
From Damaged Compartments
and Is Kept Out.
BY GEORGE CLINTON.

nattleship North Carolina. now lying
IN the Portsmouth navy yard, is being
Fitted with few simple devices
winch, according 10 het commander,
capt. c. c. Marsh, will permit her to
MT as big an iceberg as did the III
lated Titanic. TO hit 1t t,ist as hard
ana yet TO stay afoat ,or perhaps
long enough to come intn pert under
her own steam-at any rate long
enough so that the crew could be
PICKED up and brought to safety Two
words sum up the whole story-com-
pressed air.
IL is the story not OF i new inven-
ton. but OF the new application of a
welEknown and well-tried method
Perhaps the most vivid illustration OF
what the North Carolina expects TO be
able to do is what actually was done
In the case of the Yankee
The engineers who tried to raise
that foundered ship-and Captain
Marsh was one of them-first set the
pumps to going Nothing happened
except the throb-throb Of the pumps.
The water refused to 60 down. The
engineers were astounded They
thought it over and they set out on a
new tack
On top OF the Golfer dam which
reached down to just above the water
line they built little air lock Com
pressed air was forced into the water
nlled compartments below, and. in the
words of Captain Marsh, the water
went out like pushing a ball" The
workmen descended into the cavity
and found the leak-five small rivet
holes. Had there been compressed
air pumps on the Titanic a similar
miracle might have been worked
Water Forced Out and Kept Out.
have seem writes a man who
thinks that compressed air will be the
solution of many OF the dangers which
threaten modern ocean-going liners,
Captain Marsh open the sea cocks.
Hood his forward trimming tanks, and
then. by turning on the compressed
air force out the sea water in FIVE
minutes, and by keeping on the com
pressed air keep. the water out, al
NAN0Htsh al sea NOChS IeHldlHGu open.
Every one familiar with the wreck
ing operations Of today will al once
comprehend the simple physical prin-
ciple involved. Your ship, let us say.
strikes another ship. an iceberg. or a
derelict, and a hole is stove in her
The water PUSHES in. 1t finds itself
confined to a reasonably water-tight
chamber which can be shut on from
the rest of the vessel by doors. II
the walls of the bulkhead are strong
enough the ship can go ahead, carry
ing the extra burden OF water. But
1t is better. of course. to remove the
water and close the hole. or at the
very least to strengthen the walls OF
the bulkhead SO that they may with
stand the added pressure of the water
"a pressure which at a depth OF go
feet below the surface of the sea
would amount to Is pounds per square
foot
The proposition then is TO tnrn com
pressed air into the reighhoring com.
partments. reinforcing them and pre-
venting water from leaking into them
either from the damaged one or from
a strained plate on the hull OF the YES.
sci. This accomplished You have in,
sured your ship from sinking for the
time being. The next step is TO turn
the compressed air into the hulkhead
where the tear is thus driving out the
water to the level of the bottom OF
the tear. Conditions now are such that
workmen can patch up the rent more
or less effectually. after which the
rest of the water can be sucked out
and the shin proceed 10 repair dock
Expense Is Not Great.
AS has been said. the North Caro-
lima is now being fitted up so that she
can rescue herself after this fashion
The new cruiser Utah is already pro.
vided with the necessary apparatus
At first blush II sounds as If com
pressed air equipment which would be
powerful enough and widely enough
distributed 10 be able to fill any bulk.
head on a great steel vessel with com
pressed air at moments notice
would be prohibitively expensive. But
Captain Marsh's experience Is quite
otherwise. A few hundred dollars
certainly less than a thousand-wilI
cover the entire cost Here Is the
way of Ii:
The modern battleship already has
the two essential things-the com
pressed air pump and the system OF
pipes running everywhere The com.
pressed air apparatus Is regularly
used for blowing smoke, and gases oui
Of the big guns. the pipes are the
ire. mains the yentiiator piPes-es
pecially those from the coal bunkers