450 THE YERMAK ICE BREAKER. 



I proposed to ])uild an ice breaker, which in winter time might clear 

 the way through the ice to the port of St. Peter.s})iirg and in summer 

 time help the navigation to the Siberian rivers flowing into the Kara 

 Sea, barricaded by ice almost during the whole summer. 



The ice breaker was built here in England by Sir W. G. Armstrong, 

 Whitworth tNc Co., Ijimited, and the name of the conqueror of Siberia, 

 Yefnnak^ was given to her. Her length is 305 feet; breadth, 71 feet; 

 displacement, with 3,000 tons of coal, 8,000 tons; and in this condition 

 she draws 25 feet. Her bow is inclined 70 from the vertical, her 

 stern is 65°, and her sides are 20° from the vertical. In whichever 

 direction she moves in the ice she is bound to rise on it and ))reak 

 it with her weight. She has four engines, working four independ- 

 ent propellers — one in front and three at the stern. Each engine 

 develops 2,500 horsepower, so that the total force of the ship is 10,000 

 horsepower. The ship has a double bottom and double sides. She is 

 divided into forty-eight compartments, every one of which was tried 

 by filling with water as high as the upper deck. One compartment in 

 the fore part of the ship, one at the stern, and two at both sides are 

 specially designed for changing the trim and heel of the ship. In the 

 center of the Yin^mah is situated a powerful pump, which can take 

 water from an}^ of these compartments and pump into the other. 

 Each propeller is supplied with extra auxiliary engine, so that the 

 main engine can be disconnected if necessar}' and the propeller worked 

 from the auxiliar}- engine. This was meant to give econom}- of fuel 

 when the ship has to go under ordinary conditions and reduces the 

 number of mechanical stall'. The ship has a rolling chamber to keep 

 her steady, and a lifting crow's-nest, which afl'ords facilities for direct- 

 ing her through the ice. 



I selected a very distinguished officer, Captain Wasilieff, to com- 

 mand the Yermah during the experiments, but I was on board myself 

 on every important occasion. 



Her maiden voyage was from Newcastle to St. Petersburg. We 

 entered the ice at the meridian of Revel, and had to force our way 

 through 160 miles of ice. It never occurred to an}" one that the ship 

 would go to Cronstadt in winter time, and our entering Cronstadt 

 harbor caused quite a sensation. 



The limits of this paper does not allow me to give details of our per- 

 formance in the Baltic. Soon after our arrival in Cronstadt a telegram 

 was received that thirteen steamers were caught in the ice near Revel, 

 and some of them were in danger. The Yerinak went at once to 

 Revel and opened the way for these and other steamers, the total being 

 forty-one, partly blocked in the ice and partly waiting in Revel Har- 

 bor and other ports for several weeks. This work done, the Yermak 

 proceeded again to Cronstadt, and helped forty steamers going to St. 

 Petersburg. After this was done the ship proceeded to Newcastle to 

 take in a supply of coal. 



