MIRACLES OF SCIENCE 



S. Warden, which while tied up at the docks, was 

 made to tip in such a way as to strain at its hawsers. 

 Thus it will be possible to incline the deck of a war- 

 ship at any desired angle and hold it there, to facili- 

 tate firing the guns at long range. The capacity to 

 make the ship roll with gyroscopic aid will be of use 

 on occasion in working the hull loose from a sand- 

 bar; also, in case of ships on our Great Lakes, to 

 enable the vessel to break through the heaviest ice. 

 A very slight rolling motion will prevent ice from 

 forming in still water about the hull of the ship. 

 Thus traffic on the lakes will be greatly facilitated. 

 Meantime the same gyroscope which rocks the boat 

 to break ice or to prevent its formation will serve the 

 opposite purpose of making the ship steady in rough 

 water, to the greatly added comfort of passengers 

 and safety of cargo. 



Mr. Sperry tells an anecdote in connection with 

 the experiments preliminary to installing a plant on 

 the Warden which is worth repeating. "These ex- 

 periments were being made with models to simulate 

 a ship, and it had been shown that the principle of the 

 active type of gyro would enable us to do exactly 

 what we had claimed we could do. After the experi- 

 ments were over an old bluejacket who had been help- 

 ing us asked me what it was all about, and I told 

 him that the experiments just completed proved that 

 we could prevent ships from rolling. He turned to 

 me and in a very disgusted manner told me that if 

 I had ever been to sea I would know that it was fool- 

 ish to try to do anything of the sort. 'Why/ he said, 

 'when you get out there in the middle of the ocean 



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