Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-10-03

THE Great War-the most gigantic
waste in history-has brought about
At least one compensating reaction.
The tremendous destruction has turned
mems thoughts to salvaging-saving what
ever is possible to save Of lives and NUM-
tons and equipment. Men who would have
been given up for lost a few years ago are
now dragged back from the very Jaws OF
death. Sodden, riddled uniforms, ragged
shoes. rusted guns have been reclaimed
and repaired and put into service again.
actually as good as new.
And finally, with q war-born impetus,
ship-salvaging methods are receiving re-
newed attention. An American inventor
has come to the fore with method which
bids fair to raise from the graves count.
less hulks for years considered safe In
Davy Jones's locker. a. B. Saliger, OF New
York, is c5out TO test an invention which,
II successful. will reclaim from the bed @,
the ocean the golden waste heaped there.
Merely as an inkling of the immense
treasure that awaits the successful sal
wager, 1t is estimated that more than eight
billions OF dollars worth OF ships and cargo
were sunk during the four years OF the
world war alone. The $4,000, 900 900 is q
sum greater than the national debt In
Cured during the Civil War. greater than
the total output OF gold In this country, and
greater than the wealth wrested from the
diamond mines of South America through
out the entire period OF their exploitation.
Add to this the treasure that has gone 10
the bottom in the centuries and there Is
total too stupendous for the mind OF man
to grasp.
Many efforts have been made to rob the
sea OF It's hoard. Salvaging is an accom-
plished fact-to a degree. Small ships or
those sunk in shallow water can be re-
claimed. Cargoes can be saved. sometimes.
But the bulk OF shipping IS lost forever
once It reaches bottom.
Salvage operations. under present meth
DDS. fall into two classes-pontooning and
patching. Pontoons OF wood, metal or con-
crete are fastened to the wreck, and com.
pressed air or the force of the tides is used
to effect the lifting. Patching Is term
used TO denote the closing OF all openings
in the hull after which the water Is
pumped out Neither method is effective
E-ell gases. Rigid pontoons have ten.
= daHcy TO crush the vessel; lifting cables
brea.: It in two. Patching Is e lengthy,
uncertain process impossible whore the
vessel lies deep below the surface. Most
ehip7 sink deep into the mud or sand OF
the bottom, and ordinarily II Is impossible
to get cables under them.
The Saliger scheme uses equipment de-
signed TO lift Il vessel from any depth OF
mud or sand. II requires burrowing ma.
chimes and collapsible pontoons. The bur.
t,I
resembles caterpillar tractor combined
with hydraulic slucing; another Is the
double torpedo with oppostcly rotating
propc!lers, pictured or this page; and still
another Is Ike nothing else SO much as a
mole. All OF these types are electrically
controlled and operated from switch
board at the surface. They are only about
three feet square, are guided by TWO vcrt!.
cal rudders and one indicator rudder-
Which SHOWS by series OF lights on the
Operators switchboard the progress and
direction o. the burrowing machines far
bclo" him The machines will crawl
through mud or sand below the ships keel
al the rate Of from three to five feet
minute.
Tie machines dig through mud or sand
or cIev!ces in rock, dragging lifting ca bic
with them They can De sent In any d!rec.
tion-do"n, UP or around. II one should
break, Il buoy Is attached and IL ia lcf,
until some convenient time for removing
II and another Is sent in us place The
mechanism is sclt-coMtained and IS said TO
be extremely simple though powerful
Divers are stationed at the bottom on
the side where the burow!ng machines are
TO come up. and In each diving suit,
an armored suit has been invented for
descending as far as 900 fcet--!s special
hearing device on the electric diaphraYIn
principle, which enables the diver 10 hear
readily at great depths. The burrowing
machine contains device that causes /,
TO make loud hu!nm!ng noise when 4,
passes from the mud or sand into ,he
water, and By this means the diver Is able
to locate the machine when il has dragged
the cable under the hull.
When sufficient cables have been uassed
around the ship, co!lapsiblc pontoons arc
attached. The pontoons are made 0, rub.
Der and canvas and are sphcrica! In shape
and are Melted with two-inch manila rome
They arc capable Of lifting twenty-five tong
each and withstand breaking pressure
OF seventy tons. Each Is equipDej with r.
safety valve and attaching hook that VIII
not tear out. The pontoons are sen, down
donated, attached to the cables at the sIdcs
OF the ship. and then pumped up with cam.
pressed air from the surface AS soon as
enough tonnage has been displaced by tho
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