1886.1 ^"^ [Wyckoff. 



One gallon of oil lasted about twenty-four hours. Mr. Fondacaro says, 

 "the oil does not diminish the size of the waves, but renders them com- 

 paratively harmless by preventing them from breaking." 



The chief officer of the S. S. Diamond, wrecked off the Island of Anholt, 

 describes their escape from the wreck. He provided each boat with a five- 

 gallon can of oil, and stationed a man to pour it gradually over the stern. 

 Immediately the sea, in the wake of the boats, became perfectly smooth, 

 and they passed right through the boiling surf, and reached the land in 

 safety, without shipping a sea. None of the men in the boats believed, 

 when they left the ship, that all would reach the shore alive ; and the peo- 

 ple on land watched their approach in wonder, deeming it impossible for 

 even the life-boat to live in such awful breakers. (The chief officer evi- 

 dently means, that the sea ceased to break in the wake of the boats ; not 

 that it became perfectly level.) 



Capt. E. E. Thomas, of the S. S. CMllingham, writes, that during a voy- 

 age from Philadelphia to Queenstown in March, 1833, he encountered a 

 heavy gale from S.W. "For forty-eight hours we ran before the gale, and 

 during the whole of the time we shipped very heavy seas, and the decks were 

 continually full of water fore and aft. We then had two oil bags made, 

 filled them, and made one fast to the ring of each anchor over the bows. 

 Within a few moments we saw the effects of it on the seas. In the wake 

 of the ship they did no| break, whereas, outside of our wake the waves 

 were breaking in all directions. Up to then, we had run before the gale 

 for forty-eight hours without heaving the log, none of the crew daring to 

 go aft for fear of being washed overboard. After using the oil we did not 

 ship any heavy seas whatever, and ever since we always use oil when run- 

 ning before a heavy sea. I would also recommend it to be used in ships 

 that are lying to in heavy seas. The bags were slung about two feet 

 below the anchors, so that when the vessel pitched they were, at times, 

 just awash. About one quart of colza oil was put in each bag every four 

 hours." 



Capt. Jones, of the British S. S. Chicago, while rescuing the crew of 

 the brigantine Fedora, used oil with the best results. It was blowing a 

 heavy gale with very high seas. The Chicago ran to windward of the 

 Fedora, and, during a lull, oil having been poured on the water, the port 

 life-boat was successfully launched and started. A can of oil was taken 

 in the boat, and by using this the seas were kept down in the immediate 

 vicinity, though they broke iu masses of foam a short distance away. As 

 the boat approached the Fedora, the crew of that vessel poured oil on the 

 water, which so calmed the sea that the boat got alongside and rescued 

 the shipwrecked crew without sustaining any injury. About half a gal- 

 lon of paint oil was used by the boat during her trip. 



The S. S. Menzaleh, in March, 1885, from Italy to Philadelphia, encoun- 

 tered a severe S. W. gale. While running before the sea, the vessel was 

 pooped and the main hatches were stove in. It was determined to heave 

 to, and men were stationed to drip oil dqwn the forward shutes. The 



