The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1915-03-30
HEAvINC THEL LEAD.
How a Ship Feels Its Way Over
Ais- the Bed Of the Ocean.
TAKING sOuNDlNGs AT SEA.
For Deep Water Work Machines That
I. Garry 500 Fathoms Of Wire and a
Twenty four Pound Weight Are ussd.
Casting by Hand In Bad Weather.

q
Twenty four Pound Weight Are ussd.
Casting by Hand In Bad Weather.
by the deep. nine"
The peculiar long drawn out cry Of
ihs leadsman in the chains echoes out
as the cruiser gathers speed and be-
gins to move through the water.
BY the mark. tent!
We watch the man as he twirls the
lead In the air, and reels of the sound
ing with mathematical accuracy. He
IL standing In the port "chains"-a
small platform, perhaps four feet
square, jutting out from one end of the
cruisers bridge. TO us his position
seems rather precalious, for his perch
overhangs the dark water thirty feet
below, but the man himself--a season.
ed petty otiicer--feels perfectly safe.
for he leans his body against canvas
apron" waist high, while his feet are
firmly placed against wooden bar ~
cured to the platform itself.
But let us. watch him IS he makes q
cast. He first sees the end OF the lead
line is properly secured and then pre-
ceeds to coil 1t mp in his right hand.
The line itself. whitened by long USE.
has sundry little marks at various dis
tancss along It. At two fathouls
twelve feet from the lead are tive
strips OF leather, while At three faith.
oms there are three. At ave fnthorns.
and again at fifteen, Ia \ piece OF white
bunting: st seven and seventeen faith.
oms, n piece OF red bunting, and 1t ten
q piece OF leather With Z hole Ia IL.
At thirteen fathoAs comes 4 rag Of
blue bunting, while at twenty-thres h
q small bit Of line, with two knots tied
In II, spliced into the lead line ITSELF
The lead line " twenty-five fsthorps
long, while the lead secured 10 its end
ID about fourteen pounds in weight.
The bottom Of It is followed out to ~
ceive the "arming'' Of tallow or SOAP,
aud this allows the nature of the bot
tom to be ascertained, for the, sticky
substance will come to the surface
NTH particles Of mud or sand. ETC., al
herring 10 IL
''Heavins the lead" looks easy
enough. and anybody who II accts-
toned TO doing ii will say What II 10
quite simple: but It takes long time
before man becomes 4 proficient
leadsman. A novice Ia apt to be fright
ened at the whirling fourteen pound
weight on the end Of its line. and II he
loses heart and omits 10 give II that
peculiar little Jerk which brings IL ny
ing round 10 q circle 1t may fall per
pendiculsrly II close proximity 10 his
head
HeavinS the lead may 10 all eight
enough In good weather. but In the
winter. when II Is blowing hard. rain
Ing or showing. 1t h anything but pleas
sat The driving rain aud snow search
out every portion Of the leadsman's
anatomy. even though he may be wear.
ing oilskias, while his hands get numb
with cold until there 10 no feeling isft
In them.
The deep sea lead line. which was IL
variably used for deep water work be
fore the introduction OF patent sound-
Ing machines aad would still b used
IL they broke dswn. consists Of 100
fathoms OF Inns and a twenty eight
pound lead 1t Is marked up TO twenty
fathoms In the same way ~ the hand
lead llue, and then Mt twenty I'VE. thir-
ty-nve. forty-nve. etc.. fathoms with
one knot and at thirty. forty. ffty.
etc., with three, four OF Ave knots. ami
30 on, to the greatest depth Of the tine.
The ship IN usually stopped when
usin. the deep sea line, for II takes A
considerable time for the load to reach
the bottom
The patent sounding machine cen.
sists OF 800 fathoms OF thin piano wire
wound on drum. and to the end Of
the wire 10 secured 4 twenty. -four
pound lead. with. just above Il, a por-
forated brass sheath lifted with a cap.
Before sounding takes place a glass
tuto open at one end and coated on
the inside with a red chemical corr.
pound. Is placed In the brass shssth.
rhe wire r. then allowed to ruH oat
until the lead is on the bottom. and
rs 1t desc ends the pressure forces the
water uF the glass tube and turas the
red ehsaniesi into milky whits csIsr
for certain distance up.
Tho lead is then hauled Ia by hand.
or b.; motor. and the depth IL as
certuined by comparing the line AZ
deinarcntiun between the two color.
In the glass irIie with A wooden scale
marked IN f-tlonis.
With these simple but extremely re-
liable machines soundings can s--el--
tanned at greater depths, and with tbs
ship travelling at 4 TAR greater speed.
than with the hand lead and line
though. ~ already stated. the sldsr
method Is always held In reserve
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