GYROSCOPE AND OCEAN TRAVEL 



to the right or to the left when you push its axis straight 

 away from you. Yet to the untechnical observer it 

 seems as if the Schlick gyroscope were a living thing, 

 governed by almost human motives. If you apply 

 a brake to prevent the longitudinal oscillations of the 

 gyroscope, the effect, even though the fly-wheel still re- 

 volves at full speed, is precisely as if you pinioned the 

 arms of a strong man, so that he saw the futility of re- 

 sistance and made no struggle to free himself. Under 

 such circumstances the gyroscope — though it continues 

 to spin as hard as ever — has no effect whatever in pre- 

 venting the rolling of the ship ; it stands there, like the 

 strong man bound, expressing its discontent with an 

 angry groan. 



But if you release the brake so that the entire mechan- 

 ism is free to oscillate lengthwise of the ship, all is 

 changed. It is as if you cut the cords that bound the 

 strong man's arms. Instantly the mechanism springs 

 into action. It will no longer allow itself to be swung 

 with each roll of the ship; it will resist and prove which 

 is master. Its mighty mass, pivoted on the lateral 

 trunnions, lunges forward and backward with terrific 

 force, as if it would tear loose from its bearings and dash 

 the entire ship into pieces. It causes the ship to pitch 

 a trifle fore and aft as it does so ; but meantime its axis 

 stands rigidly erect in the lateral plane, though the 

 waves push against the sides of the ship as before. The 

 decks of the vessel, that were tipping from side to side, 

 so that loose objects slid from one rail to the other, are 

 now held rigidly at a level, scarcely permitted to deviate 

 to the extent of a violent tremor. The gyroscope has 



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