Her M 's Shift " Sultun " 403 



is that when she was on the rock the air would have had to 



k against a column of about 25 ft. of water ; now the column 

 is probably about 40 ft. Were the ship otherwise treated as 

 the "Austral" when she sank in Sydney Harbour that is, 

 were the sides of the ship built up so as to form a dam, or 

 1 bulwark, then by pumping water out of the portion of 

 the ship where the hull is intact and pumping air into the 

 damaged compartments the ship would surely float herself. 

 It is, of course, quite hopeless to think of raising a ship of 

 her weight by means of pontoons or the devices applicable to 

 small craft, but fill her with air and she will float in spite of us, 

 providing that she is not so seriously crippled as to break under 

 the pressure of her own weight. 



It may be said that suitable air-forcing machinery is not 

 available; but the use of air bags, which has been mentioned 

 in several telegrams, shows that machinery of some sort is on 

 the spot and might be applied to the useful purpose of inflating 



^hip instead of air bags; moreover, adequate machii 

 can be bought, even if it cannot be improvised. \Vlu-t: 

 however, the "Sultan" can or cannot be raised is comparatr 

 a matter of little importance. New ships are always b 

 added to the Navy, and in the course of the next few years 



are to be added at a greatly increased rate. If by 

 adoption of very simple mechanical appliances these and tin- 

 existing ships can be rendered more secure against the ordii 

 accidents to which all ships are exposed, it is only right i 

 it should be brought as prominently before the public as 

 possible. 



In this letter, already much too long, it i- impM^ibli to go 

 into lrtaik lint the method is easilv intelligible. 



vs be constructed so that they can be closed in v 

 - to resist pressure out \\ . i . 1 i n t he same degree as 

 deck : tin- (I- 



bottom of the ship mi-ht 1>< damaged to 

 water would only rise until the pressure of the air had been 

 raised to that exercised by tin- < "luinn <>t water outside. As 

 olumn of water is unable to compress the air fui tin r. and 

 as we have assumed mot get out through 



262 



