The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1914-04-17
HOPS 6RAISL heIIIANLC

project in the realm OIL
the impossible OF late the idea has
been revived, and now comes an en-
gineer with a scheme that can boast
an element of the probable, provided
the circumstances are quite as favor
able as he imagined them to be.
Paradoxically, the man that offers
the present solution has his home pref
ty nearly as far away from the sea as
It Is possible to get here in the United
States. Charles A. Smith, the author
of the plan, lives In Denver, says the
New York Sun. Briefly 1t is his pur'
pose to make use Of a great many
powerful electric lifting magnets
which when energized will cling to
the steel body OF the Titanic like 80
many monster leeches.
When these magnets are firmly at.
tached to the skin OF the ship lines
leading surfaceward will be secured to
buoyant caissons, or camels, OF steel
built especially for the purpose, and
then the inventor counts upon the
cumulative lifting force of all these
cylindrical tanks to raise the Titanic
clear OF the bottom so that the wreck
and the floating camels can be towed
into shallower water
Each time the Titanic is halted by
the rising sea bed the connecting lines
will be shortened the vessel raised O
few feet and with this clearance she
will be towed nearer land. Thus sten
by step the foundered ship is to be
raised and moved shoreward until the
next to the last stage OF the opera
lions finds her in water Of such mod
crate depth that the ordinary diver
can be employed
This would involve bringing the IT.
tanic from her present supposed rest
ing place, two miles down below the
surface OF the sea, and transporting
her to some point near the Nova SEQ
tlan coast, where temporary resting
place could be found at a depth OF moi
more than 100 feet.
But great physical obstacles lie In
the path OF Mr.. Smiths project. To be
gin with, II would take an immense
amount OF hunting to locate the wreck
Wrecks have way OF shifting ever
after they reach the ocean bed, anC
this Is one Of the puzzling aspects Of
submarine problem of this sort.
Take your atlas and trace the
course OF the Gulf Stream as Il
branches Just about where the White
Star liner collided with that death
dealing Iceberg. You will find that
this current Of warm water sweeps al
that point of to the southeast, and
somewhere below the Gulf Stream the
great volume OF the Labrador Current
flows to the south and west, bringing
with 1t an unceasing burden OF sand
In this fashion both of these ocean
rivers have carried sand to the point
where they meet In conflict south OF
Newfoundland, and thus out of this
battle has grown that steadily rising
submarine mountain or plateau called
the Grand Bank. 1t Is possible that
the Gulf Stream and the Labrador Cur
rent have In the past two years sub
stantlally buried the wreck Of the III
tanic. II such be the case, the hulk
may never be located.
Again, 1t Is not certain that the tt
tanic lies on a sandy bottom. There
lis a reasonable probability that the
ocean bed at that point may be rocky
This brings us to the question OF her
probable condition as a likely subject
for salvage, assuming that 1t be hu
manly possible to get down to her ant
to attach lines or cables for her lifting
The question Is, so far as the salveI
Is concerned. Which OF these ways wal
the one In which the Titanic was final
ly halted at the bottom of the At
lantlc? II she lies upon a rocky bed
then, II Mr.. Smith can secure his mag
nets to her and command sufficient
lifting force, the chance of her ulti
mate recovery brlghtens considerably
On the other hand, II the ship has
forced goodly part OF her body int
the sea bed the situation is entirel,
changed. There is no reasonable hop,
of dlslodging her from that anchorage
The Titanic, like her sister ship tn,
Olympic, measured upon her longes
deck. SS2 feet and her beam was 81
feet A rectangle Of these dimension
would have total area OF S1,14
square feet. or course, plan view
of the Titanic's body was ship shaped
and not rectangular, and let us sur
pose that goodly part Of 1t Is buriet
bow first In the sand, and that only 6
per cent rises above the bottom. Ii
that case approximately 100000
square inches would be exposed to tn
downward thrust of the everything tw,
miles OF sea water.
At depth of 10000 feet there is
hydrostatic pressure tending to crus
or to hold amounting to force G
4,54O pounds to every superficis
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