ARCHIMEDEAN ROLLING BRUSH'S FOR CLEANING SHIPS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5364, 25 January 1879, Page 7

ARCHIMEDEAN ROLLING BRUSH'S FOR CLEANING SHIPS.

It has been fivpeutly asserted that a for tune awaits the discoverer of a composition which would prevent animal and vegetable life adhering to the bottoms of iron shipwhile at sea or lying at for ign ports. Mm\ pat-nts during lite years hive been introduce 1, but none of them havw proved sufficient to roust fouling mora or less. It has aUo occurred to several that if ship*' bottoms could be cleaned from time to time after leaving port, and while on the voyage, much might be done to prevent tint severe fouling frequently seen on ships coming off prolonged voyage* from tropica! sea s ?. It is u • uncommon thing to see ships after being 12 months at sea when put into dock having ijrasa a foot long growiug to their sides, or encrusted with barnacles and other qqoll>i>c> several inches thick. Various "scrapers" and brushes have been brought out from time to time, bat from a variety of circumstance'* none of them have hitherto proved a eomp'ete succ-ss. What was wanted was a brush which would be able to remove the early animal and vegetable life from b 'ttoru of sdups while under weigh with nit doing injury to the paint of the ve>s d. The most re-cent invention in this way is that by Mr. Cutlan, London, who has patented what he t rrns " The Archimedean R-volving Brashes." On Saturday, through the kind- , ness of the Clyde Shipping Company, who plac-d one of their steamers at the disposal of I i Mr. C. H. Newman, representing the agent ' of the patentee, an official trial took place od the firth, in presence of a number of shipowners aud representatives from sliipowning firms on the Clyde. The trials took place while the steamer Flying Sylph wa< pas-ing through the water at from six to eight knots. The apparatus is self-acting, being worked by a revolving screw, the revolutions of which are regulated by the sp°ed of the vessel. A line is rove through a block at the martingale end, and fastened to the machine. Another line from each side is attached, and having been lowered under the vessel's forefoot is hauled from the keel to the water's edne. Iu this w.-iy each side of the ship is overtaken in section'', the operation bt-iuj very simple. The brushes arc ma le right and left, so as to strike the vessel with the current, and cleaning away all grass andslime without injuring the paint. After the triai on Saturday the steamer was 44 put on the hard" in one of the Or enock harbours, and at low water the result of the scrubbing was at once seen. The vessel has since been vi-dt.'d by a number of leading shipowners in Greenock and elsewhere, and the work done was pronounced to be very satisfactory. It i 3 the opiniou of nautical men, that during a voyage were the machine to be used at intervals the bottom of the ve sel would be kept perfectly e'ean, and much time would be saved on the ship's pa3«agti. The iuveution is simple, while it-* t fficioncy, judged by Saturday's trial under somewhat disadvantageous circumstauces mot with the highest approval of partii s onpable of forming a competent opinion. Mr Henry Cloid, East India-avenue, London, is sole ag.-nt for the patentee.— Maridnif