Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1913-04-19

quite impossible to rehoat the cruiser Then two
young engineers, w. w. Wotherspoon and r. o.
King attacked the task along 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 hopeless-broke away from traditional
practice and resorted 10 the use Of compressed air
as a medium for salvng the Yankee.
The ship had landed high on the reef, and the
Jagged rocks had torn her bottom plating in many
places making il impossible to pump her out in
the usual way These inncvators sealed up the
hatchways leading TO the various holds. Then
they pumped compressed cir into the compart
ments and the was driven out again through
the rents by which it 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 70 harbor.
An entirely new problem then presented itself
Instead of making Of cumbersome pCntoons
and other external buoyant auxaries. Messrs
Wotherspoon and King settled upon the plan OF
turning the Yankee into her own salvage appara
tus. In other words It 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 orfhand that there is
nothing original in this anybody knows that
foundered vessel would rise IL 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
hull How, then did these young engineers guard
against this danger?
They did not try to pump out the cruiser in the
literal of the word: they drove the water
out under the impulse of compressed air and they
balanced the contendng forces nicely that the
ships structure substantially neutral divi.
sion between them. the air pressure being just
a trihe in excess Of the pressure of the water
which II 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 rose to
the surface the pressure progressively re-
duced that 1t just maintained an excess OF
force against the exterior water.
This method of floating the Yankee suggested
TO Mr. Wotherspoon a 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-
TEN was for naval purposes, to provide means by
which an injured ship Of war could survive the
under water attack Of either torpedoes sub
marine mines. and probably be kept on an even
keel 90 that she could still fire her guns enec-
lively against an enemy.
From the keel Of fighting ship up to height
OF several feet above the water line IL IL the prac
dce to subdivide her as far as possible into
largo number OF separate water.tght compart-
ments. the idea Of course, being to confne the
area Of injury. BY making use OF these compart-
ments Mr. Wotherspoons invention has robbed
the under water weapons OF much OF their terror;
II has reduced the dangers incident 20 hitting
uncharted rock: and It furnishes the commanding
of1oer Of q battle craft with means by which
ne can assure himself at any time that his ship
In structurally sound.
The naval constructor Is q miser when Il comes
TO apportioning pounds OF a ships displacement
for auxiliary features. This attitude is really
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,
Gals there grudgingly allowed him a very small
total weight within which he to make his
system applicable to two-thlrds Of the 1000 water
tight compartments OF one of our armored cruls-
ers
On the face OF II the prospect did not look
couraging but It right here that Mr.. Wother.
spoons ingenuity met the difficulty He chose to
make use or existing facilities already provided
for other purposes. This resourcefulness on his
part enabled him. when his work OF installation