Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1917-07-30
SPECIALISTS GOLLABORATE
TO PERFECT CONSTRUCTION
Compartment System OttersAE
most Absolute Protection
Against Disaster

for the steel ship and the wooden ship
has raised the question whether any
more novel form of marine construc-
ton offers improvements. A Boston
expert in constructive engineering has
written for the Boston Record the
claims for the ship of reinforced
concrete, his argument being that
it is quickly constructed, of large car
ryIrg capacity and proof against de-
struction from torpedo attack. He
writes:
1t is urgent that every effort be
made by inventors and specialists in
modern construction to bring out a
strong sea7going ship that can be
built quickly and be proof against the
torpedo. A number of men Of in
ventive minds are working on the
problem, and with the aid of special
lists each in their own line, the torpedo
proof ship will soon be afioat. One
proposition was made and illustrated
in the Scientific American of June 8
by Hudson Maxim. He says
at IS necessary at this time to
stimulate inquiry and invention with
respect to ways and means for pro-
tectirg freight ships and troop ships
against torpedoes, and while l believe
that my plan of torpedo~proofing ships
viii! be very efficient, and that it is
the best thing that has yet been sug-
gastcd, still what I have done may
pcs sibly serve as a suggestion to lead
some other inventor to do far better
than 1 have done; and the facts that
l haye given in this article about
The nature and action of the explosive
blast will help others in the investiga-
ton and understanding of this sub
ject"
1t is by the careful study and re-
srarch given by the specialists. the
marine engineer, the concrete engi-
neer. the naval architect and the gun
expert, each doing his own part, that
tle problem will be successfully solv-
ed. ana will bring forth the ship OF
such sturdy strength that on the new
ship the submarine will have lost its
power.
Many are conversant with the feats
Of engineering accomplished with re-
inforced concrete; factories and man
ufacturing plants having great
strength and practically free from Vi
bration, bridges capable of carrying
any load, are demonstrated facts; but
it's possibilities in modern shipbuild-
ing are not so we'll known. But near
ly every country in the world is max
ing some use of reinforced concrete
as anr!'ed to shipbluilding. 1t e
mains for the methods to be thorough
ly worked out and perfected by spec
ialists to give us practically ninie-
structible ship.
This article is to deal with the tor
pedo-proof ship; the writer makes
public his plans for the same reason
as that given by Hudson Maxim, in
ventor of the gun silencer; the per-
fected work is for our common good
and to defeat the enemy Let other
specialists bring forth their expert
ence to perfect the weak points that
they may discover, and the work Oh
putting the submarine out of commls
sion (as far as the new ship is con-
cerned) is accomplished. Let US put
forth every effort to build up quickly
an unsuitable, fireproof merchant ma
rine.
The Concrete Ship.
MY plan makes little if any change
in the outward appearance of our
modern steel ship, except that the
specially prepared emulsified concrete
reinforced with a fabricated network
of steel rods that binds the ship to-
eether in every part, giving st '"nE'A
and making the structure one continu-
GUS monolith. All decks, bulkheads'
nartitions. etc, are interviewer to-
gether in one continuous mass of steel
and concrete. The ship has two hulls
and a double bottom; the double hull
runs to above the water line all
around the ship. There is space OF
2 feet between the outer and inner
hull. which is divided every IL feet
making a continuous number OF wa
ter-tight compartments 8 feet BY =
feet girding every part Of the ship
to above the water line. In the cen