The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1913-08-06
WRESTLING BUOYS
PlAYTHINes OF THE WAVES.
The Rise and Fall Of the Water Give
Birth to Their Penetrating shrisks.
Placing and Removing Them Are
/ Tasks Frsusht With Deadly Peril.

Placing ana Removing Them Are
Tasks Frsusht With Deadly Peril.
Sea travellers up and down our coast
lines often hear strange. weird sound
to port or starboard, sort Of COM
pound OF moan and shrek. at once soft
and insistent. subdued and penetrating
1t Is the call of the whistling buoy to
~ man ut the helm. warning him of
shoal or dangerous place.
These whistling buoys. which are
enormous masses of iron. often weigh
ing several tons. are as simple in prin-
ciple as they are certain In operation.
The buoy proper consists of huge
pear shaped bulb little end up. on top
of which is a powerful whistle. pro
tected from accidental blow or collision
by a framework of iron bars. and an
air intake. Below and projecting far
down into the water Is an open tube of
metal The whole thing Is secured In
position with an anchor and chain.
&hich last is long enough for the depth
of the water In which the buoy is
placed TO permit the free movement OF
the mass up and down.
When a wave lifts the buoy up In the
air the water in the tube. acting us
piston. sucks in air through the intake.
1T is confined in the bulb of the buoy
by simple valve which prevents its
egress through the intake When the
waves drop the buoy in the trough NJ
the waves the water in the tube
presses up on the confined mir and com
presses ii. 1t finds exit through the
dbte,
1t might he supposed that. having no
mechanism but valve, such buoyS.
once put in position. could be left there
for an indefinite period OF time But
the sea has strange ways with her
playthings. and even If the necessity of
constant painting of the buoy Ia pro
tect it from the action of sen water was
not existent il would still he necessary
to keep watch Oh these signals and
to take them up and replace them
rather often. for the big tube project
ing down into the water is II great ut
mot infrequently these marine growthS
SD interfere with the action of the buoy
as to keep it silent in ordinary weather
and to dim It's voice in bad weather.
1t then becomes necessary To work
new whistler in position. which Is
regular part Of the duty of II lighthouse
tender or buoy tender. of which YES
sells there are many I'm the service.
When buoy IL to be worked" the
tender repairs to a yard or station and
by means Of her crane lifts on deck the,
freshly painted and thoroughly repair
ed new buoy which IN to replace that
oneawh ich In either silent or which has
served its allotted time and is now due
for replacement.
y. There is-nothlng difficult about this.
n ia getting the enormously large and
unwieldy mass of iron overheard and
taking on bOurd the one which In In
the water which causes the difficulty.
The very waves which are necessary
to the successful operation Of the buoy
make 1t hard to manage ut the end OF n
crane OH board n comparatively small
vessel
When n buoy tender goes to work"
q whistler she clears her deck of every
thing else but the buoy. which Is Sc
cured with checks and chains against
the roll of the vessel. The old buoy IL
approached cautiously. within a couple
81 hundred feet. and the new buoy IL
allowed To slide overheard rather than
picked VI, and placed In the water. the
crew quilting II by guy ropes. while the
powerful crane lifts just enough TO per-
init the buoy to move. With the vessel
slowly rolling from side to side on the
slow seas Of even quiet day-the good
days are purpOsely picked for this
work-the mass OF freshly painted iron
with it's long tube presents potential-
ties for evil which must be closely
watched Let the buoy but get clear
Of the deck and the fall tackle get
damned and there would come into be-
Ing three ton pendulum with IN iron
fail thirty-six feet long capable OF
smashing the boat TO bits and certainly
Of sweeping broken boned men about
the deck with no more effort than II
they were no many dies.
But. II getting the new buoy over
board is dangerous work. hauling the
old one In IL more SO. The buoy IL trst
secured by good seamanship. managing
the steam vessel. with rope through
the iron cage at its top. Working
from this. ropes. chains and springs
JrVheavy cables are brought into play
and>the whole very cautiously lifted
and secured as 1t comes over the side.
1t is allowed to swing free not at all.
save perhaps foIsau instant Just as &c
Is laid Hat on the deck. and then. ap-
parently In the very face OF death.
dozen men spring ut the mass. ready
to swing with the waves and to de-
molish them aud thrust huge billets
Of wood underneath Its sides to hold
1t long enough for lashings to make ie
secure. The boat being Delayed to the