The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1912-06-07
SAFETY FOR SHIPS.
Cagision Device Now Adopted In
United States Navy.
COMPRESSED AIR IS SECRET
@x sfs Use, When Existing Equipment
- Coupled Up, Water is Expelled
from Damaged Compartments
and 10 Opt Out,
by eEoReE CLINTON.

Washington THE United States
saffieAhIp North Carolina, now lying
b Ghe Portsmouth navy yard. II being
fAfsed With few simple devices
sshleh. according 10 her commander.
Capt II e. Marsh. win permit her 20
aAE az biz an iceberg as did the III
ssfa& Titanic. to hit Il just as hard
aRsa yet 10 stay afioat for perhaps
ssnw enough to come into port under
ssssr own steani-.nt any rate long
wa0axh SO that the crew could be
lvarAsd np and brought 20 safety Two
s~zrsss sum up the whole story com.
pressed air
As Ia The story not Of new inven
afUn. but u the new application Of
sSnshnnwu and well.tried method.
9ssftsAG'e me most vivid illustration OF
as4sass ssse North Carolina expects 70 be
assss t0 do IL what actually was done
an fn~ xaHe Of the Yankee
E'A0 engineers who tried TO raise
Rassf saundered ship and Captain
Btfnssk naa one Of them FIRST set the
apsauas 40 going Nothing happened
eeesaesa the throbthrob Of the pumps.
TAss wa1er rafueed TO 80 down, The
ssNarsssssrs were astoundcd They
HsAssAba Il over and they set out on q
fNstp raek
I'm sep Of the Golfer dam which
wsmssase6 down 10 Just above the water
HAaN xssey built little air lock Com.
lysssasnr air waa forced into the water.
afisAS compartments below, and. in the
Asts4aa ~ Captain Marsh tho water
Nsana @m fiise pushing ball" The
Asssfasner ansnended into the cavity
sN1 @1uRd The leak 1--we small rivet
sartss ttad there been compressed
ss'T eumph On the Titanic similar
saseatste might have been worked
fss&ser Fosred Out and Kept Out.
iaen seen, writes man who
ttansa ssas compressed air win be the
ssasssAaE ~ many OF the dangers which
haanaaNsb modern oceangoIng liners.
Sssptais Marsh open the sen cocks,
F1aa6 hAa FORWARD trimming tanks and
-ssn. sls frning on the compressed
saN, AoFee on the sra water III i've
rssAaha and by keeping on tho com,
ssssassga air keep tho water out al.
ssiAas0se aii sea cocks remained open !"
FlatRS one familiar with the wreck
NuS SEPARATIONS Of today will al once
sexstsg bend the simple physical prln.
s'fiiIss tnvoivea Yanr ship let us say
srr8arS another ship. an iceberg. or a
tftsrseiict, and q hole 81 stove IN her
Use aatEr rushes In, II inds Itself
confined 10 reasonably watertlght
G,tautheg which can be shut of from
the negf pg the vessel by doors. II
ehs watsa Of the bulkhead are strong
spsIEs the ship can so ahead. carry,
fsaG rse extra burden Of water But
" y better OF course, 20 remove the
sa1ss ann close the hole. or at the
very teaat 10 strengthen the wallis OF
ete putshead 30 that they may with.
sand the added pressure OF the water
pressure which al d depth OF 80
kssf haiow the surface OF the sea
rsnaid amount 10 Is pounds per square
8acs
xas proposition then Is to turn com,
aFssased air Into the nelghhoring com.
sss.ususents. reinforcing them and pre-.
venting water from leaking into them
either from tho damaged one or from
= strained plate on the huh of the YES.
s&g This accomplished. you have In,
asUred your ship from sinking for the
sEanSa tstng. The next step Is to turn
Nhs compressed air into the hulkhead
"sshAess the tear Is, thus driving out the
s@Htsr 10 the level OF the bottom Of
Chr tear, Conditions now are such that
9aeaTtsE,Gn can patch up the rent more
-s1r bssh effeetually. after which the
~ h. -
sind the ship proceed TO repair dock
Expense is Not Great.
As has been said. the North Caro-
N8nA Il now being fitted up so that she
car rescue herself after this fashion
7f9G new cruiser Utah Is already pro.
sided with the necessary apparatus
At FIRST blush II sounds as II com.
gresssi air equipment which would be
EEs&erfai enough and widely enough
distributed TO be able to all any bulk
'asad On a great steel vessel with com
EpSsssed air at d moments notice
'EUasd be prohibitively expensive But
Captain Marsh's experience Is quite
otherwise. A few hundred dollars
certainly less than thousand--will
asnEer the entire cost. Here is the
aSxy OF IL:
The modern battleship already has
Nhe two essential things-the com
pressed air pump and the system Of
pipes running everywhere. The com
dressed air apparatus is regularly
used for blowing smoke and gases ou
of the big guns. the pipes are tn,
fire mains. the ventilator pipes--es
pec5aTiy those from the coal bunker
and the sounding tubes"-the vel
7siezI pipes which drop straight iron
che deck into the hold and throug
watch soundings of the biIge waite
are taken. Your system. then, r,
azfres only coupling up to be con
paeSs-
TMzt. in a word. Is what is bein
Eone GA board the North Carolina
General Brush Retired.
rToday there are ON the active lii
OF the regular army only three of