The Elbert County tribune., 1913-03-28

quite impossible to refoat the cruiser. Then two
young engineers. w. w. wotherspoon and R. o.
King. attacked the task along new lines. obtaining
the financial assistance OF the late John Arbucke.
These enthusiasts-for such the spirit in
which they approached what others had pro-
nounced hopeess-broke away from traditional
practice and resorted to the of compressed air
as medium for salving the Yankee.
The ship had landed high the reef. and the
Jagged rocks had torn her bottom plating in many
places, making 1t impossible to pump her out In
the usual way. These innovators sealed up the
hatchways leading to the various holds. Then
they pumped compressed air into the compart-
ments, and the sea was driven out again through
the rents by which 1t had entered. The ship was
thus made buoyant enough to be dragged from
the rocks. Unfortunately she was run into and
sunk while being towed to harbor.
An entirely new problem then presented itself.
Instead OF making of cumbersome pontoons
and other external buoyant auxiliaries Messrs.
Wotherspoon and King settled upon the plan OF
turning the Yankee into her own salvage appara-
tus In other words. 1t was decided to utilize the
ships own compartments buoyancy chambers
by draining them of the very water which had
carried the craft to the bottom.
You will probably declare offhand that there is
nothing original In this; anybody knows that
foundered vessel would rise II you could get the
water out Of her. But don't be too hasty in your
conclusions. The difficulty lies in the danger
that when the air has forced the water out, the
pressure of the everything water will crush the
against this danger?
They did not try to pump out the cruiser in the
literal sense of the word; they drove the water
out under the impulse of compressed air and they
balanced the contending forces nicely that the
ships structure was substantially neutral divi-
sion between them. the air pressure being just
a trife in excess of the pressure of the water
which 1t forced outward from the buoyancy com
partments. Do you realize the engineering cum
ming involved here? The compressed air actually
constituted stronger support for the burdened
deck than the water which had previously filled
the underlying space! AS the cruiser to
the surface the pressure progressively
duced that 1t just maintained excess OF
force against the exterior water.
This method of floating the Yankee suggested
to Mr.. Wotherspoon medium by which the
structure of vessel not yet sunk could be utiliz
ed to keep her afoat when otherwise inrushing
water would certainly carry her to the bottom.
Mr.. Wotherspoon's first adaptation of this sys-
tenn was for naval purposes, to provide by
which an injured ship of could survive the
under water attack of either torpedoes sub
marine mines, and probably be kept even
keel that she could still fire her guns efec
lively against enemy.
From the keel of fighting ship up to height
of several feet above the water line 1t is the prac
uce to subdivide her far possible into a
large number of separate water-tight compart-
ments the idea, of course, being to confine the
area of injury BY making of these compart-
ments Mr.. Wotherspoon's invention has robbed
.nS uiuei "aeci "eapohs VI hiucH VI eheh teIroi'
1t has reduced the dangers Incident to hitting en-
uncharted rock and 1t furnishes the commanding
officer Of battle craft with means by which
he assure himself at any time that bis ship
is structurally sound
The naval constructor is miser when 1t comes
to apportioning pounds OF ships displacement
for auxiliary features. This attitude is really ex-
cusable because stray pounds here and stray
pounds there very soon reach the aggregate dig
nifty of tons. When Mr.. Wotherspoon submitted
his proposition to the navy department the off,
cials there grudgingly allowed him very small
total weight within which he was to make his
system applicable to two-thirds of the 1900 water
tight compartments of of our armored cruis-
ers
On the face Of It the prospect did not look en-
couraging but 1t was right here that Mr.. Wother
spoons ingenuity met the difficulty He chose to
make Of existing facilities already provided
for other purposes. This resourcefulness on his
part enabled him, when his work OF installation