OIL ON TEOUBLED WATEES. 657 



Capt. Freeman, of the steamer Karoon, states: — " As to the use of Oil, I must 

 at once confess that I had heard it talked about, but did not at any time beheve 

 it to be of any use, solely because I had not seen it used, nor yet made any use 

 of it, although I have been in command 18 years. My opinion is now altered, for 

 it was used on board this steamer January 31st, 1892, with great effect. We 

 were in lat. 37'' 45' N., long. 70^ 41' W., the wind was from North, iorce 10, with 

 a heavy broken sea. I wanted to get back to port (New York), but the ship had 

 a list to starboard of 15° or more, and by steering a westerly course I should be 

 placing the lame side to wind and sea, which was dangerous. But in such times 

 one passes danger on one side and does one's best. Therefore I ordered the 

 course W. i S., and showed the decks to wind and sea, and put the engines at 

 hill speed. Two or three treacherous seas came along and filled the decks, fairly 

 rolhng over the ship, making the whole frame shake. Then the second mate 

 asked permission to put an oil-bag over. It was placed on the starboard bow. 

 The change was magical ; the sea became moderately smooth all along the lame 

 starboard side. The Oil could be seen on the water, being in fact used very 

 freely at first from two grain-bags, one within the other; afterwards we used 

 canvas bags. In this way we steamed 4 or 5 hours, when I was compelled to 

 lie-to for the night, considering the ship's heavy list to starboard. The using of 

 Oil has altered my opinions, and in futmre, as soon as any sea begins to make, I 

 shall at once start for the engine-room after Oil." 



On February 12th and 13th, 1892, the Dutch steamer Oranje Nassau, was sub- 

 jected to W.N.W. gales of great violence, between lat. 31° 40' N., long. 74° W., 

 and lat. 32° 5' N., long. 74° W. The storm lasted about 24 hours, during which 

 thick Oil was used in two bags, one at each bow. The seas were very heavy from 

 W.N.W. to N.N.W., but no water came on deck, as there would have come had 

 no Oil been used, for the seas were so high that the vessel sometimes rolled 45° 

 from the perpendicular. The amount of Oil expended was about one quart per 

 bag every four hours. 



Capt. Murdock, of the ship Sierra Lucena, states : — " I have found the use of 

 Oil in heavy seas of very great benefit. On one occasion, when in a cyclonic gale 

 off the Cape of Good Hope, with the lower main topsail blown clear out of the 

 bolt-ropes and the ship lying on her beam-ends, with the water above the lee 

 dead-eyes, used Oil with perfect success. Two other vessels which we spoke the 

 day before the gale were never heard- of afterwards. We used half colza and half 

 raw linseed oil, and allowed the bags to float out, with long lanyards.' 



Capt. Dayton, of the brig T. Towner, from St. Croix to New York, reports 

 that : — '* After being crippled on August 21st, 1893, by losing the foremast in a 

 Hurricane, we got into another on August 24th, blowing severely from the S.E. 

 The sea was so terrific that, had it not been for the free use of Oil over the bows, 

 the vessel would have foundered." 



Capt. Foster, of the steamer Wm. Crane, from Baltimore to Savannah, on 

 August 27th, 1893, encountered a Hurricane between Cape Henry and Hunting 

 Island: — "Met tremendously high seas, which broke on board. Put three oil- 

 bags over the bows and poured Oil down the water-closets. This saved the ship. 

 No more seas came on board. Used six gallons of signal OU ; half of it in the 

 water-closets." 



Other reports, similar to the above, are constantly coming to hand, and 

 the great importance of this subject is now becoming widely recognised. 



N. A. 0. 8^ 



