The Mechanical Handling and Storing of Material

COALING VESSELS AT SEA 327 “Newark ’ coaled at the rate of 30 tons per hour. He quotes from the British manoeuvres, giving the average of the “Thunderer” at 17| tons, and of the “Anson” at 51'6 tons per hour, the latter using the Temperley transporter. The first test by the British Admiralty in coaling at sea took place in the middle of August 1890, some 500 miles south of the Azores, and 1,000 miles or more from the African coast, with 2,000 fathoms water under the ships’ bottoms. Thus all the conditions of being at sea were amply fulfilled. I he ships that coaled were the “Ajax,” “ Camperdown,” “Audacious,” “ Iron Duke,” “Northampton,” “ Immortalité,” “Aurora,” “Neptune,” “ Conqueror,” and “Minotaur.” 1 hey took varying amounts-—-in all cases the minimum necessary to take them back to Torbay, some 1,800 miles distant. One ship, the “Howe,” evaded coaling, and had to go into Vigo. The rest, although their captains protested strongly in several cases, took coal. 1 here were three full colliers with the fleet, and each ship took an average of 350 tons, at the usual harbour rate, or nearly so. The sea was smooth to look at, but there was a heavy Atlantic swell. Each collier was lashed alongside a battleship, with thick fenders between, lowards the end of the operation the swell increased, and a considerable amount of “ moral suasion ” was required with at least one collier captain. The coal was taken in in derricks at the main deck ports. One or two ships had torpedo beams broken, and one collier sustained some dents in her side; but no material damage was done. The ships were kept bows on to the swell, and so there was no rolling. All, however, pitched somewhat, and the colliers when they began to get light pitched rather violently. It was this pitching which did such damage as was sustained. British ships coaling in harbour, where they were completely surrounded by colliers, and working Temperley transporters 1 and whips combined, have coaled 150 tons per hour. Difficulties of Coaling at Sea during the Spanish-American War in 1898.—Mr Spencer Miller quotes some paragraphs which appeared in the daily press while the conflict was being waged. The Commercial Advertiser published on 26th June 1898 the diary of their correspondent, who was on board the United States battleship “ Iowa, ’ but only that part is quoted which has reference to the coaling problem. “June 7, 1898. , . . The collier ‘Justine’ is alongside, and we started in coaling. The ‘Justine’ has not the coaling capacity of the ‘Merrimac,’ but she is a fine steamer, very strongly built. In a seaway this is a great advantage, for though we gave her some pretty hard knocks, no holes were punched in her sides. Since she comes right alongside of our harbour belt, she can be the only sufferer. She is also very convenient to coal from. Working three forward hatches we were able to take aboard very easily 260 tons before supper-time. “June 8, 1898. . . . Much to our disappointment we find that we cannot get the ‘Justine again to-day, as she was ordered over to the ‘ Brooklyn,’ and we had to content ourselves with the ‘Sterling,’ to our sorrow. We had every fender out possible, big rope fellows too, that will stand any amount of knocking, but no sooner had the ‘ Sterling ’ come alongside than she came up heavily against the side of our ash chute and opened a hole in her side. There was nothing to do but send the carpenter’s gang aboard and shove her off for repairs. Every one is disgusted with the ‘Sterling’ for having sides like paper. “ June 11, 1898. . . . We tried to coal again from the ‘Justine’ to-day. Made all preparations, and even started sending the coal aboard; but before we got more than a dozen bags on, the ships knocked together again so badly that we had to cast the collier 1 For description of Temperley Portable Transporter, see page 442.