The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1918-09-11
CAN'T KEEP A
Good SHIP DOWN
Half OF T0rpedoed Craft of Great
Britain Have Been
SaIvaged.
METHODS GREATLY IMPROVED
Much Greater Weights Than Believed
Possible Are Now Being Lifted
No Hope Of Ever Raising
Iusitanla.

LusitanIa.
London.-Of 400 British ships sum
In the last two and half years a
least 80 per cent have been RAISED
from the bottom Of the sea. The or
ganization responsible-the Admiralty
Salvage departments composed en-
tirely Of experts employed by a com
mercial firm which engaged in the bust
ness before the war. Ships were sc
cheap then, however, that often it die
not pay to raise q sunken wreck and
restore her to seagoing condition.
Things are very different now, and
the result is that invention has been
stimulated to an extraordinary extent.
1t used to be considered that 1,500
tons was the greatest weight that
could be lifted from under water by
wire ropes. A sunken government crl-
lier that was obstructing a fairway
was lifted out Of the mud recently and
carried away by four lifting ships, with
sixteen 9inch wire ropes, and the
lightweight carried was calculated at
2,750 tons. The wreck was shifted
one mile at the first lift, and SO was
gradually taken to the beech, patched
up and sent of to the repairing yard.
She went back into service and made
several voyages before torpedo end
ed her career altogether.
Cannot Raise sLusItanla.
Ships sunk in deep water cannot be
salved. 1t Is not expected that the
Lusitania, for example. will ever be
lifted. Divers cannot work in more
than % fathoms successfully, though
for special purposes they may some
times 60 down to 35 fathoms for
brief spell of work.
The bulk Of the ships saved have
been sunk in less than 20 fathoms, or
have been towed inshore by rescue
tugs, and have gone aground In fairly
easy positions.
The salvage men face considerable
risks, not only from bad weather but
also from submarine attack. Only one
salvage ship, however, has been lost
through enemy action.
One of the largest oil tank steam
ships was mined and caught fire.
There was a heavy explosion and the
decks were flooded with burning oil.
The cargo consisted largely OF benzine.
Most persons would conclude that the
case was hopeless. Not SO. The YES
sci was scuttled by gun FIRE and thus
the fire was extinguished. Then divers
plugged all;the shot holes, besides clos
Ing other apertures. On being pump.
ed out the vessel hoated and was
forthwith taken to repairing port
New Pump 10 Valuable.
AS showing how valuable is the new
electric motor pump, I
,ecently torpedoed ship which carried
cargo (mainly foodstufsl Of more
han $16,O00,000 value had hole 40
eet long by % feet deep In her side.
,he was taken in tow by rescue tugs,
mt went down before time had served
O.. beach her suitably. d No ordinary
power would have served the
iced, but the new type pump enabled
tokehold, engine room and all her at
er holds to be pumped out, so that
argo could be discharged and the yes
Ell taken higher up the beach. Then
he tightening process was continued
ntil the vessel was foated and taken
ITO dock, practically all her cargo be-
lg saved. ,
The number Of the ships OF the mer-
hntile marine actually salved by the
apartment In two years from 1915 to
J17 was 280. All these vessels were
{ big tonnage. For the present year
lie monthly totals of such vessels
alved we're: January, IA; February,
I; March, 81; April, SO, and May, 10.
hus the department has saved 4O7
nportant vessels of the mercantile !
arine This does not include vessels
lived outside of home waters. =
The larger figures of the latter pc )
cd were due, not to increased enemy .
,tivity but to improved salvage meth !
is.
Many risks are run by the divers, ;,
lrticularly from gases generated by :
vegetables and meat In 7
e holds of-sunken ships, deaths hav- :,
e resulted from this cause. Grain, 1t =
ems, develops sulphuretted hydro =
n, which occasions blindness and :
Dlent sickness. :,
A chemist, however, has found
eparation which when sprayed on a :,
ting cargo Immediately kills the N