GREAT ENGINEERS

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 124, 21 November 1931, Page 22

GREAT ENGINEERS

Tie d&ck of the second and larger, Of the two Imperial Roman gallej'3 suiik in Lake Nemi has now been brought above the water, says the "Manchester Guardian." To free the vessel entirely from the water and tho sliaie of the lake bed means further reducing the level of the water from 19.65 to 3 metres. Like the first galley, which is now temporarily in a large hangar by the lakeside, the second lias its framework so rotted that it must be treated as quickly as possible with tar> linseed oil, and turpentine if it is not to fall to pieces in tho heat of Home's sun. In construction tho second vessel differs from tho first in tho two side rudders on port and starboard, resembling those of the barges on. the Dutch canals. The casing of the starboard rudder has been found and placed among the other finds in the small temporary museum by the lakeside. It is of bronze, and bears the engraved sign of a right arm. Other decorative pieces have been found, including a f.mall pillar from the ship's taffrail, crowned with a double hernia and plain and decorated truncated columns.

The main interest of the discoveries is, however, not artistic but technical. The recoveries from Lake Nemi throw a clear nnd very interesting light on the methods of construction employed hy the ancients. Shipbuilders of totiay are astonished at the advanced state of tho technique oi? construction in those days. The very proportions of

ROMAN DISCOVERIES

,the first vessel—6S metres length of keel, 63 length of deck, and 20 breadth —aroused admiration, as wooden vessels of such size were entirely unknown to the Middle Ages and only began to reappear in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, when competition in displacement began between tho various fleets. The strength of the hull is also greatly admired; it was not only reinforced within by masonry but strengthened externally by a covering of lead, isolated by a layer of cloth, and fixed by gigantic bronze rivets. This very effective construction made it possible for tho deck to support a superstructure of no less than 1000 tons weight, mostly oi marble, inlaid with mosaic.

A further notable discovory *s that the ancients wero familiar with ballbearings. Sheaves turning on balls or cylinders were available on board for" handling heavy objects. A great water valve shows in its interior a conical piece turned with a lathe, evidence that tho Komans made use of perfected high-speed lathes. Finally, there is a well-constructed pump with two cylinders, the pistons of which are lined with leather; and there are two anchors absolutely perfect in construction. One is of iron and wood and the other of wood with a movable lead weight. The latter is no less than 12ft long, and corresponds to the so-called Admiralty anchor, reinvented about the middle of the last century and introduced into the British Navy in 1852. j