The Detroit times., 1913-01-25
TX.


Copyright 1919. by Herbert ouck)
How many readers heard OF cement boat!
don't mean boat loaded with cement put one
made of II? Such craft are In existence and success
fully used some OF the waterways of Europe They
easily mended If stove and can be made In COM
partments S to be unsuitable
Once there made huge cement craft In the
form OF raft-only IL was many miles long IL was
reinforced 10 some extent but was really not SUB
jeeted much strain. account OF being so much
longer than any waves and every square yard OF II
being upheld by the water. just the same as every
other square yard. The strain was no greater than
that upon island. rim was made about the edge,
and the decks filled In with good rich earth TO the
depth OF several feet. Great caves were made run
ming through the cement island, which were at the
time alright compartments and roomy cabins
for all sorts OF purposes-mostly living rooms. The
earth planted to various trees and crops and In
a warm climate-whch was the sort for which II was
intended-the artificial Island could produce all the
food the thousand men and women on board needed
The raft made with lagoon In the center. like
a coral atoll and there braced passage for the
entrance OF ships.
II was built for a floating breakwater and drydoek-
for Pacific location. where the nation building II
had harbor and right TO anchor permanently
inside the three-mile limit II was really noating
harbor and colony.
Running through the cement structurs were cer-
tain great chambers which were hlled. some with
coal and some with oil and some with compressed
for fuel. light and power purposes. The coal was
dumped into these cavities covered with gunny sacks
and the cement poured the top to harden, 90
there was no waste room-ths cavities were nlled
chock-full
way around Cape Horn. by q storm which wrecked
most OF the steamers which were towing It, and blew
the rest away. With all It's people thousand men
and women-it drifted into the Sargasso where
the currents about the Atlantic In an immense
circle making a great slow whirlpool, out OF which
nothing ever drifts II is full Of seaweed and wreck
age-all slowly drifting round and round and inward
toward the center-and strange fishes and birds all
OF It's own. The thousand people were lost-for the
Sagasso OF the track Of the ships that cross
the Atlantic
There was artificial land sufficient to make sub
sistence easy enough by resort to intensive garden
ing The trees grew as TO make the place
beautiful In fine weather everybody slept In the
gardens on deck The living rooms below were well
lighted with gas and really pleasant when the
weather was rough outside, II was not % bad
place after all Here the people lived and married
and had children and died and were buried In the
green depths Of the sea.
One day II was discovered that the coal In the
bunkers was being wickedly wasted Three-fourths OF
Il was being thrown away-just because II was In
convenient to handle What was used was burned
In such a manner that not half OF IL did anybody
any good the portion wasted In smoke made life on
board disagreeable to all and worse still the portion
used for making electric light more than ninety
min. per cent lost converting It's energy into
rent This was one Of the FIRST real troubles they
had: for they ala not know what would become Of
them when the coal gone.
A nesting was called. The people on board as
serted that they were equally interested In those
supplies on which the well-being Of all depended
Put those who were handling the coal business re-
tssd To admit that the others had rights in the
case For on dividing up the island when they were
cast away. the decks on which opened the matches