The Parker post., 1918-02-16
A SHIP THAT IS
NON-S|NKAbLE.

WASHINGTON, Feb 1O.-The
first non-sinkable sea-going ship, the
Lucia, achievement of American gen
ius, will load this week and leave for
Europe.
She will be without convoy at any
stage of the voyage. She goes as an
open challenge to the German sub
marines to prove that she is invul.
nerable.
No other test has been made or will
be made of the efficiency of her null
tiplicity of alright and rwatertight,
cells. Her trial trip and maiden voy-
age will be def to the U-bOats or
the most practical test possible
their craftsmanship.
1t has been intended to make a test
OF the Lucia in drydock but it was
learned tonight from John A. Donald,
vice president of the Emergency
Fleet Corporation and ShippingBoard
commissioner, that the drydock test
had been abandoned for drastic trial
in the proving grounds of the danger
| zone.
William F. Donnelly, inventor of
the non-sinkable construction of the
Lucia, marine engineer of New
York, will have complete charge of
the loading of the vessel Although
the Lucia is fitted with $4,000 of the
water and air-tight cells, permanent
ly attached to the frames and deck
beams and other available spaces of
the vessel, about Is or 20 per cent of
the cargo space must be packed with
additional numbers of these buoyant
boxes. Mr.. Donnelly personally will
supervise this final phase of the safe
ty equipment
The first reports of the non-sink-
able ship announced by William L.
Saunders, vice chairman of the naval
consulting board, at a dinner Satur-
day to the University of Pennsylvania,
alumni in New York, gave all the
credit for the development of Mr..
Donnelly's contrivance to the navel
| consulting board. Commissioners
Donald tonight, however, said that
the ship had been equipped with the
cells under the direction of the ship
ping board.
The Lucia, 9,O0O-tOn vessel for
merly belonged to Austria, was re-
Questioned for the purpose and ex-
periments were begun. Only recent
ly, after about four months of tests,s
and new designing of the equipment,
she was completed.
Although no actual test of the Lu-
cia's safety from torpedoes has been
made, the mathematical calculations
from small scale experiments, says
Mr.. Donald, are considered sufff-
cient proof that even with hole
four feet blown in her side would
remain safely afoat, supported by
the honexcomb of cells.
Each cell is unit, Independent of
any other for it's supporting quality,
and the great number of them, In
addition to the ordinary safety de-
vice of water-tight doors and other
water-tight compartments on every
sea-going vessel give so great a de-
gree of buoyancy that two or three
torpedoes would not be likely to
work havoc enough to sink such
ship.
vessel so smashed and torn by
torpedoes, with gaping holes below
the water line, could remain on the
surface indefinitely, simply water
Unless unusually rent open, she could
proceed to port, however slowly.
In any event neither lives nor cargo
would be likely to be lost, for succor-
ing vessels either could. tow her to
port or salvage at the spot where she
is torpedoed.
The proof of the Lucia's floating
ability in distress was to have been
made by flooding her in drydock.
This, however, was deemed, in the
face of the expert opinion on the ef-
fectiveness of the equipment a waste
of time
In the judgment of her inventor
and the shipping boards experts, the
principle is so certain that no further
delay is to be allowed in rushing the
Lucia, unprotected by any ships, into
the dangerous submarine waters.
A hOuSekeener going from home