Evening journal., 1915-05-26
The TOilerS of the Sea
BY JAMES B. SCOTT.

Perhaps no word painter ever eX-
celled Victor Hugo in the subtle de-
lineation of the forces of nature. His
masterpiece. in this direction is when
he causes Gilliatt to extricate the
steamboat Durande from the twin
rocks of the Douvres off the Island
of Gurnsey in the English channel,
away back in the long ago.
1t was the accomplishment of one
man taking advantage of powers that,
while, not creating. were at hand,
then as now. Hugo makes plain the
underlying power of principles, to
the entire exclusion of theories. And
Just here is a distinction oitimes
without an appreciable difference.
First-It must be recognized that
principles. like the dogmas of reli-
gion, have always existed. Their ap-
plication is only a discovery. Once
discovered they cannot be improved
upon Take, for instance, the slide
valve of the steam engine. Not since
the time it was discovered by James
Watt has there been the slightest
change in the device that cuts off
steam at one, or one hundred, miles
the hour.
Possibly it may be reserved for an
Edison to discover that the principle
of human thought is the genesis Of
electricity, for thought, in its rapid
ity, rivals the physical production Of
the electric spark. You were once
in Europe wandering among dim
cathedral aisles; you are now here;
but how long does it take to be back
in places you have seen before the
operator at your elbow could send
a message there.
said something the other day in
THE JOURNAL how quickly the Lus-
itania sank after being torpedoed.
The inference on the face of that dis
aster was, why we're not the remain
ing bulkheads that were not affected
sufficient to keep the ship ahoat at
least long enough for the passengers
to be taken off, or without having
recourse to the lifebOats? With this
evidence can the device of built-in
bulkheads be regarded as a principle
discovered for this very purpose, viz;
to sustain the displacement of a ship
and. if So to keep her afoat under
abnormal conditions? Unfortunately,
il is not.
A change, and a radical one will
have to be made If "safety-first' is
to find a place in the blue print de-
signs of ocean going passenger ships
Now. distasteful, as it is for the writ
er to use the pronoun "I" in closing
this article, | will recall what / dis
covered back in the early eighties
while engaged in vessel building al
the head of Smyrna river.
| was taking a 600-tOn schooner
down the stream for delivery in Phil
adeIphia when the lines broke under
strong wind from the west The
wind drove the vessel hard and fast
on one of the worst shoals in the
river. For four days, with aid Of tugs
and warping lines. efforts were made
to get her off They were without
success. To dredge her off would
have been ruinous To wait was equal.
" so. Like Gilliatt | was compelled
to utilize the forces of nature.
succeeded. l went to town and Sc
cured eight barrels which | knew
could be made air-tight. | lasheC
them, at lOw-water. close down t
the keel, four forward and four aft
After this the flood tide made in bu
the strong west wind still blowinl
made it doubtful of being neap at higl
water. l had to do another thing
throw a force against the incOminl
tide. How was that strong. resisting
tide to be throttled and held back L
suit my puny purpose. If could dC
It, the ship would float Finally ;
thought occurred | acted upon I
promptly. Up at the head of thi
stream were two large reservoirs o
water for mill use. If | could use
portion of that water against thu
tide, l could gain the necessary alti
tude and the barrels would do thu
rest The millers gave consent, rails
ed their gates and the strong coun
ter current met the incoming flood
time, checked it, and the air in tn,
barrels raised the vessel so that thu
wind took her Off She bumped VI
against the tugs while the crew wal
at dinner.
There the conclusion forced itsel
upon me, that the value of air is
as nature intended it to be. confine,
in small areas. A ship at its best Il
but an elongated raft. Drive out III,
air of the interior and the ship sinks
Consequently, it is this interior ali
that sustains the weight, or displace
ment of the ship Therefore. in seek
ing safety first. let the broad ant
room decks be made to hold sumcien
air to sustain the displacement
should the raft which we call a shil
lose the interior air. The buoyanc,
of the ship is stored in the decks
and, better still, homes will not b,
1esolated by disaster overtaking thos,
who go down to the sea in ships.