Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The Nebraska advertiser. (Nemaha City, Neb.) 18??-1909 | View Entire Issue (May 22, 1908)
p INVENTION THAT NAY REVOLVTIONIZL NAVAL WARFARE J1ARINE -Steady Floating Steel Strvctvrej rVADE POSSIBLE BY V$l OF tNQR fViVS WATER PRE&URE AT A DEPTH IN THE OCEAN TO PROVIDE STATSG RESISTANCE 10 WAVE h$MQH NFW VOUK To dot the const with floating lighthouses that will lir "lamposts or the sea;" to have floating fortresses and tor IK'do Hlatlous permanently anchored oft all of tlio coastal cities; to supply harbors with breakwaters of a mobile type; to provide the navy with coaling stations out nt sea; to furnish Isolated quarantine stations to such ports of nitty as have not convenient Islands In their harbors; even to establish re lay wireless stations far out In the ocean these are among the possibil ities of William Kd ward Murray's In vention of Hie principle or building what lie calls "steady floating steel structures." It Is said by marine authorities that .Mr .Murray has solved some of (ho most dllllcult problems with which mariners and naval engineers have wrestled without success for years. Hy applying the Murray principle or steady notation, it Is held, harbor ac commodations can be enlarged almost lndollnltely at a comparatively low cost : danger signal lights easily can bo placed at points on the coast where hoiotoforo lighthouses have been Im possible on account of the absence of rock foundations, and last but not least, cities, shipping harbors, arsenals and dockyards can bo guarded abso lutely from bombardment by a large foreign lleet, at the sTahio time allow ing battleships Tree rein In tho con duct of offensive operations instead of keeping thorn on the defensive close to home. Idea Is Simplicity Itself. In common with every great revolu tionary Invention tills idea of Murray's Is extremely simple. As a rear ad miral of the American navy said to the Inventor, after the scheme had been explained to him, "the thing lias been staring us in the face for a hun dred years and yet no one has ever thought of It before. It's as clear as daylight and as cortnln as doom." Hut tho Inventor had worked at the prob lem for eight years before ho succeed ed in demonstrating to himself he is a practical engineer that his prin ciple wnB a sound one and capable of absolute demonstration. And, although his final patents wero granted only hy our government, In July last, his in vention already has attracted tho fa vorable attention of engineering au thorities both in this country and In Canada, In Great Britain, Franco and (Jermany. President Roosevelt Is said to be greatly Interested in It. In a few words, Mr. Murray has dis covered how to keep a floating struc ture steady and unmoved in the Steel Torpedo 8tatlon. midst of more or less agitated waters. This is a problem which has faced PQINEERINQ mimical engineers for years and which hitherto has remained unsolved. lie has discovered how to utilize a well known law or nature. All students or physics know that the pressure of water Increases directly In proportion to the Water's depth. Simply slated, then. Mr. Murray has designed a struc ture which .roaches to a depth suf ficient for the enormous pressure of the thousands of tons of water above to -counteract, the force of wave dis turbance at and near the surface of the water. The simplest application of Mr. Mur ray's princinle provides a buoyant steel caisson which Is sunk .lown Into the tranquil areas of ocean depths, far below the comparatively limited portion of wave-disturbed water near the surface. Those steel caissons have at their, base a wide Mange, ex tending all around and heavily weight ed. Upon these flanges the water above rests, pressing down with enor mous weight, exerting tit 112 feet be low the surface a pressure of 2,100 pounds per square foot, or at a 00 foot depth a pressure or more than two tons per square foot. The Inert weight of the structure Itself and the weight of the water upon It more than counterbalances the notion of the waves above. Imagine an ordinary tin basin turned upside down and sub merged, and you got an Idea of the .Murray foundation. Upon this steady lloatlng foundation, then, any desired superstructure may be built light house, fortress or living or storage room of tiny kind. The whole structure, then, In Its steadiness and Immobility, might be likened to a lloatlng Iceberg. To any one who has over gone to sea In the winter time one of the wonders of the deep must ever be a sight of a groat iceberg floating steadily with the cur rent, no matter liow violently the great waves beat against its sides. 15 very schoolboy knows that this steadiness or the lloatlng mass or Ice is owing to the fact that two-thirds of its bulk Is below the level of tho sea. And It Is partly this principle and partly the additional one of adding to the depth below water the widely pro jecting llange of steel that makes Mur ray's Invention so valuable and Im portant In tho eyes of all marine en gineers. The' downward thrust on this flange of tho Immense weight or stable water Is the groat secret of tlo prac ticability of this Invention. Only Surface of Sea Agitated. Countless experiments by marine engineers all over the world have demonstrated the fact that the depth to which .the wave disturbance of tho surface of the sea extends averages lfi feet. A homely proof of this Is to be round In the way In which a diver can work on the bed of the ocean without feeling the slightest effect from any motion of the waves over his head. And lu many or the long-time sub mersion tests or submarine crnrt the crows have sunk below the level In a calm and risen to the surface in a storm without feeling any Indications of tho above-surfaco disturbance. Not only Is the Murray principle ap plicable to lighthouses and lightships and floating fortresses, but to every class or stationary marine structures such, for Instanco, as breakwaters and piers; bridges across arms of the sea or detached areas of water; sub merged torpedo stations whoso steadi ness will give hidden gunners deadly aim; lloatlng coaling stations, pro vision and oil storage depots and even hospitals and temporary hotels. Applied commercially, tho Murray Invention may revolutionize breakwa tor construction. Millions of dollars have been spent In the building of breakwaters lu the ci rating of a good harbor or the construction of a large railroad and shipping terminal, and In .a number of canes these breakwa ter's, after much time, money and ef fort had been expended, have boon de clared liisufllclent and unsatisfactory. These breakwaters have been built up from the bottom of harbors by the dumping in or enormous quantities of rock at huge cost. The Murray sys tem, it is declared, will do awny with this expensive construction entirely. The Murray breakwater is built In sec tions, each section resembling an In verted vessel, the upturned keol doing the work of breaking the force of the Inrolllng waves and the groat project ing bulk underneath held steadily by the pressure of the water. Of Value for Lightships. One of Mr. Murray's chief claims of the value of his Invention, however, lies In its application to another, anil more picturesque, marine structure the lightship. As lightships now arc constructed, It Is impossible for them to carry a light at a greater height than "0 foot above their decks. Iu ad dition, they must always bo anchored close to the roof or shoal over which they stand guard, since It Is not pos sible tor their crews to handle anchors or cables that would enable them to lie lu positions further off shore. Be sides this, a lightship not infrequently goes adrift in the bulTetlngs of win ter's gales, and so long as the ship is missing or until a roller vessel can take Its place the dangerous spot must remain unguarded. Tho modern lightship built by the government costs about $lir,000, while they are expensive vessels to maintain. It is the contention of the Inventor of this new typo of lloatlng .structure that all of the points of weakness in the present type of light ship would be done away with through the Introduction of Ills model. A cir cular structure with a llange around Its base could be anchored anywhere along the coast and not directly over the reef or shoal to be guarded, but out beyond it, since once anchored there would be no fear of its going adrift In a storm. Heavier anchors and chains than an old-type lightship could carry or handle would make this certain, for one thing, and the prin ciple on which It Is constructed would do the rest. Then these lloatlng lights could be built with SO-foot lanterns, in stead of the present standard, and rows would bo unnecessary, since some of the water ballast compart ments, which are used to help In sinking tho structures, could be filled with illuminating- oil and the lamp fed automatically. Filled In the summer time these tanks and lights would need no attention until the next year came around. With such a structure in use the problem of guarding with a warning light a spot like the Diamond shoals, ofr Ilatteras, would be speedily solved. There would be none or the difficulty commonly exneriencod In building a lighthouse on an almost in accessible point, as the lightships could bo built in harbor and then towed to the point whore needed. It Is computed that one of these "steady lloatlng" lightships could be built com plete for about $10,000. Its Advantage Commercially. While it is declared tho Murray idea can lie used to enormous advnntago commercially, it is Its protective foa- Torjress m Anhvlak. ftmvm $w furrow lures, as applied to coast defense, that "nave aroused most Interest In other quarters. War and navy department olllclals have been Interested especial ly In tl)o steady lloatlng fortresses and torpedo stations designed by Mr. Mur ray. On the great steel caisson sub merged In the quiet depths of tho ocean Is built a special annular revolv ing deck, fully equipped with guns. Now the turret of a battleship Is necessarily limited by the size of tho ship's deck and Its arc of (ire Is re stricted, but on the Murray fortress there need he no restriction as to size or tho number of guns, Again battle ship gunners are more or less ham pored hy the rolling and tossing of tho vessel, which makes good aim an tin certain proposition, hut on a steady floating structure guns could bo point ed with mathematical accuracy. No enemy's attacking lleet would have chance against an array of those im mobile fortresses While their gun tiers were waiting for their vessels to roll so as to bring their guns to bear, they would be withered by a flro of deadly aim from a deck as solid as if mounted upon a rock. A fleet running up against, these lloatlng forlrossos placed several miles outside n city would be destroyed before il got even within striking dlstnnce of ho city It self. lu addition, a fleet or battleships before a line or these steady floating fortresses would he like so many eggs pitted against a solid cannon ball. The armor plating on the fortresses can be made of indefinite thickness, and Its domed surface would deflect a strik ing shell off Into the harmless air. Impregnable Defense. Then, too. upon the solid stool float ing foundations torpedo stations could be placed, submerged and totally in- . ---- i A.--A- visible, and the steady platform from which the torpedoes were tired would make the aim or the men behind cer tain and true. These fortresses and torpedo stations could bo protected from torpedo boats and even subma rine boats by heavy barriers of steol netting surrounding each. Then, with fields of mines laid between, the utter destruction of any attacking fleet would he certain. Any coast, too, lined with these steady lloatlng fortresses could con sider itself amply protected, and would need no Hoot of battleships tied close to home. All ocean-going vessels of war could he permitted to roam about and enter upon offensive operations wherever desired. The floating fort resses would have little machinery or other mechanism to bother with, and only enough men to servo the guns would be required. If Mr. Murray's inventions are adopted by the government, the prob lem of providing a largo number or battleships for the defense of the coast and the protection of outlying islands belonging to Uncle Sam will become less pressing. The island possessions of the United States will be consid ered safe, guarded by a cordon of floating fort tosses, and the general adoption of them along the American coast Is apt to change the European viewpoint to a considerable extent. No foreign nation will be eager to rush Into a light with so well protected a country as the United States. The inventor of tills new system or marine construction is an American engineer, a Californlan by birth, and ol" Scotch descent. It Is assorted by marine authorities that his discovery means a definite step forward in tho world's progress and that his Inven tions are the most momentous since the substitution of stool for wooil In naval construction. A Successful Lifi. A successful lire is rather hard to doilno, for the definition varies at different times and under different conditions, and yet In tho midst of this material ago there has dwelt a successful woman. Sho has not largo means, she is dependent upon her own labor, and she lives a simple, retired life; sho Is totally blind, and yet wo question whether thero aro many who In present pence of mind, and exalted vision of faith, have at tained unto all that is desirable in life so nearly as Fanny Crosby, tho hymn writer, who at 88 years of ago reigns queen of human happiness Universallst Leader. Owns Much British Land. The marquis of Stafford, who Is In Ills twentieth year, Is heir to tho most oxtensivo domain, if not the largest rent roll, enjoyed hy any subject of King I'M ward. Moro than 1,000,000 acres in England and Scotland are un der tho lordship of his father, the duke of Sutherland, while the marquis of llreadalbano, who is probably the next largest proprietor iu tho kingdom, does not own half that amount of land That an article may bo good as well as cheap, and glvo entire satisfaction, Is proven by tho extraordinary Balo of Defiance Starch, each package con taining one-third moro Starch than can bo had of any other brand for tho same money. Suggestive. Towne Thero was a apolllng-bce down at our church tho other night. The pastor gave out tho words. Did you hear about it? Browne No; was It Interesting? Towne Rather. The first t.hreo words he gave out were "lncreaso," "pastor," "salary." Stray Stories. The extraordinary popularity of fine white goods this summer makes tho choice of Starch a matter of great im portance. Defiance Starch, being freo from all injurious chemicals, is tho only one which is safe to use on flno fabrics. Its great strength as a stiffen or makes half the usual quantity of Starch necessary, with tho result of perroct finish, equal to that when tho goods wore now. HE 13. She Is your brother still the same level-headed, sensible fellow ho used to be? lie Yes, he is still a bachelor. Wheels!" He was a great inventor. "The thing I am working at now, he began, stroking his thin beard with a thinner hand, "will be a boon to every family and will startle tho wholo world. In fact, It will put the alarm clock trust out of business. Tho idea Is simply specially prepared tab lets that help you get up in the morn ing. For Instanco, If you want to arise at live you take five tablets; If you want to get up at six take six tab lots; and so on." "But how will It affect the alarm clock truBt?" "Why, these tablets will r-mse a ringing in the ears at exactly tho hour desired " But tho little crowd could wait to hear no more and hurriedly disbanded. Harper's Weekly. MARK TWAIN ON MONEY. Humorist Points Out What He Consid ers Some Wrong Conceptions. Mark Twain said that tho tlnanclal panic has caused a wrong idea of the use and value of money. "Tho spendthrift says that money, being round, was made to roll. Tho miser says that, being flat, It was made to stack up. Both aro wrong. "Strangely wrong, too, in their ideas about money are the veteran Aus tralian gold diggers. These simple old follows, though worth perhaps a half million or more, live in the sim ple dug-outs and shanties of their lean early days. "Once, lecturing, I landed at an Aus tralian port. Thero was no porter In sight to carry my luggage. Seeing a rough-looking old fellow leaning against a post with his hands in his pockets, I beckoned to him and said: " 'See hero, if you carry theso bags up to the hotol I'll give you half a crown.' "The man scowled at me. He took throe or four gold sovereigns from his pocket, threw them into the sea, scowled at mo again, and walked UAvay without a word." FIT THE GROCER Wife Made the Suggestion. A grocer has excollent opportunity to know tho effects of special foods on his customers. A Cleveland grocer has a long list of customers that have been helped In health by leaving off coffee and using Postum Food Coffee. Ho says, regarding his own expe rience: "Two years ago I had been drinking coffee, and must say that I was almost wrecked In my nerves. "Particularly In the morning I was so Irritable and upset that I could hardly wait until tho coffee was served, and then I had no appetite for breakfast, and did not feel like at tending to my.storo duties. "One day my wife suggested that inasmuch as I was selling so much' Postum there must be some merit in it and suggested that wo try it. I took homo a package and sho pre pared it according to directions. The result was a very happy one. My nervousness gradually disappeared, and today I am all right. I would advlso ovoryono a filleted in any way with nervousness or stomach troubles, to leave off eoffeo and use Postum Food Coffee." "There's a Reason." Read "Tho Road to Wellville," in pkgs. Ever read the above letter? A new one appears from time to time. They are genuine, true, and full of human in terett.