Book of Engineering 



the fellow, who now suspected a case of 

 leg-pulling ; instead, it was explained to him 

 that the liner had now been equipped with 

 the recently invented Fathometer. This is 

 a most ingenious piece of apparatus; indeed, 

 it is claimed to be the greatest advance since 

 the gyro compass or direction rinding by 

 wireless were introduced. As its name may 

 have suggested, it is an instrument for 

 finding out how many fathoms of water 

 there are underneath a ship. 



Naturally such an instrument is rather 

 complicated, and it consists of three distinct 

 main parts. They are divided as follows: 



The Indicator on the bridge, comprising 

 a dial which has a clock-like face divided 

 into fathoms, beginning at o and running 

 up to 130, is the visible termination of the 

 apparatus. 



A fathom is, of course, six feet. The dial 

 on the bridge is connected with a delicate 

 microphone placed in the bottom of the 

 ship. A wire connects it with the bridge 

 apparatus. The microphone is very sensi- 



