The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1912-06-05
SAFETY AT: |: FOR SHIPS.
Collision Device Now Adopted Ii
United States Navy.
COMPRESSED AIR IS SECRET
Dy its Use, When Existing Equipment
70 Coupled Up, Water 10 Expelled
From Damaged Compartments Y
and 10 Kept Out.
.x aKoRoE CLINTON.

Dy oEoRoE CLINTON.
Washlngton.-The United States
battleship North Carolina, now lying
In the Portsmouth navy yard, is being
ntted with r. few simple devices
which. according to her commander,
Capt G. G. Marsh. will permit her to
hit As biE~an iceberg as did the ILL.,
lated Titanic. to hit it just as hard
and yet to stay afoat for perhaps
long enough to come into port under
her own steam-at any rate long
enough 30 that the crew could be
picked up and brought to safety. Two
words sum up the whole story-com-
pressed air.
1t 10 the story not Of new inven-
lion, but Of the new application of a
well-known and well-tried method.
Perhaps the most vivid illustration OF
what the North Carolina expects to be
able to do IL 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-f1rst set the
pumps to going. Nothing happened
except tho throb.throb of the pumps.
The water refused to go down. The
engineers were astounded. They
thought it over and they set out on a
new tack.
On top Of tho Golfer dam which
reached down to just above tho water
line they built 4 little air lock- Com
pressed air was forced into the water
filled compartments below, and, in the
words Of Captain Marsh, "the water
went out like pushing ball." The
workmen descended into the cavity
and found the leak-f1ve 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.
Il have seen." 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 tho sea water In five
minutes. and by keeping on the com.
pressed air keep the water out, al
though all sea cocks remained open"
Every one familiar with the wreck
ing operations Of today will at once
comprehend the simple physical prin-
ciple involved. Your ship, let us say,
strikes another ship. an iceberg, or a
derelict, and hole IL stove in her.
The water rushes in. It finds itself
confined to reasonably water-tight
chamber which can be shut of from
the rest of the vessel by DOORS If
the walls Of the bulkhead are strong
enough the ship can 60 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 50 that they may with
stand the added pressure of the water
"a pressure which at a depth OF 80
feet below the surface OF the sea
would amount to Is pounds per square
foot. .-: H.. o..
The proposition then is to turn COM
pressed air into the neighboring 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 bulkhead
where the tear Is, thus driving out the
water to tho 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 tho water can be sucked out
and the ship proceed to repair dock.
Expense 10 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.