The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1912-05-09
new DEvIC|l FOR
SAVING SHIPS
Compressed Air May Be Used
to Keep Vessels Atloat.
EXPLANATION OF THE THEORY

sattleships North Carolina and Utah
| Being Fitted Out to Prepare Then, to
| Overcome thrush Of Water In Case
Hull Is Stove In.
The battleship North Carolina, now
lying in the Portsmouth navy yard, is
| being fitted with a few simple devices
which, according to her commander.
Captain G. c. Marsh, will permit her
to hit as big an iceberg as did the ill
fated Titanic, to hit it just as hard,
and yet to stay adoat for perhaps long
enough to come into port under her
own steam-at any rate long enough
so that those on the vessel could be
picked up and brought to safety. Two
words tell the story compressed air.
1t is the story not Of a new inven-
ton, but Of the new application of a
we'll known and we'll 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 engi-
neers 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 refus-
ed to go down. The engineers were
astounded. They thought it over and
then set out on new tack. On top of
the cofferdam, which reached down
to just above the water line, they built
little air lock. Compressed air was
forced into the water filed compart-
ment below, and, in the words of Mr..
Marsh, 1.-The water went out like push
ing ball." The workmen descended
into the cavity and found the leak
I'VE small rivet holes. Had there been
compressed air pumps on the Titanic,
it is contended, similar miracle might
have been worked.
Simple Principle Involved.
Every one familiar with the wreck
ing operations of today will at once
comprehend the simple physical prin-
c1ple involved. Your ship, let US say,
strikes another ship, an iceberg or
derellct, and a hole is stove in her.
Inc water PUSHES in. It finds itself
confined to a reasonably water tight
chamber known as a bulkhead, whose
doors can shut the compartment off
of h1
walls of the bulkhead are strong
enough the ship can go ahead, carrying
the extra burden Of water. But it 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 Withstand the added
pressure Of the water-a pressure
which at depth of thirty feet below
the surface Of the sea would amount
to fifteen pounds per square foot.
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 vessel.
This accomplished, you have insured
your ship from sinking for the time be-
Ing. The next step is to turn the COM
pressed air into the bulkhead 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 eff
fectively, after which the rest of the
water can be sucked out and the ship
proceed to the repair dock.
AS has been said, the North Carolina
is now being fitted up so that she can
rescue herself after this fashion. The
new cruiser Utah is already provided
with the necessary apparatus. Com
mander Andrews has stated that he be-
lieves that merchant vessels could be
equipped similarly and at small ex-
pense. I'm fact" he says, II think you
will shortly find Lloyd's requiring them
to be-
Essentials Already Installed.
At first naturally it seems as If a
compressed air equipment which would
be powerful enough and widely enough
distributed to be able to fill any bulk
head on a great steel vessel with COM
pressed air at moments notice would
be prohibitively expensive But Cap
tain Marsh's experience is quite other
wise. A few hundred dollars-certain-
ly less than $1,0O0-will cover the en-
tire cost. Here is the way Of it:
The modern battleship already has
the two essential things-the compress
ed air pump and the system of pipes
running everywhere. The compressed
air apparatus is regularly used for
blowing smoke and gases out of the
big guns; the pipes are the fire mains,
the ventilator especially those
from the coal bunkers and the sound
ing tubes"-the vertical pipes which
drop down straight from the deck into
the hold and through which sound
ings of the bilge water are taken.