It is not wonderful that the reputed power of oil to calm " troubled waters," and to rob the ocean, in its angry moments, of the greater part of its power for evil against men and ships, should have ex- cited a very wide-spread interest through- out a country so intimately connected with the sea as Great Britain; and the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION would have been wanting in its duty if it had not done all in its power to thrash the question out.

The subject may fairly to divided into fire heads:— 1. The use of oil by the Life-boats of the Institution for reducing the force of heavy surf or breakers encountered when carrying out their ordinary work.

2. Its use in small open boats in surf or breakers.

3. Its use in ships in the open sea, when found desirable to reduce the force of the waves.

4. Its use in open boats under similar circumstances.

5. Its use on bars and at the entrance of harbours, for assisting vessels entering in heavy weather.

The experiments necessary to test its utility under the first head, have been carried out, in compliance with the instruc- tions of the Committee, by the District Inspectors of Life-boats in their respective districts, as opportunity has offered during the last three years.

These trials, as we have said, have been made on different parts of the coast by different officers, and under very vary- ing circumstances of sea and surf, until this branch of the subject has been ex- hausted. All the common oils of ordinary every-day use have been tried, but little or no difference was apparent in the effect produced by colza, linseed, fish, or seal oil. In some instances paraffin was used, and gave satisfactory results as compared with other oils, but we should prefer the others named.

It was found that very small quantities of oil indeed were ample to cover a con- siderable surface with the film character- istic of oil on water, and that this re- mained intact for a considerable period of time. It would be misleading to endeavour to say, even approximately, how long a specified quantity of oil would suffice to produce this glassy surface at any given spot, because this depends upon so many contingencies, but in cases wiere its use might be beneficial, a gallon would pro- bably suffice for from six to eight hours.

To produce this effect round a vessel, it is necessary that the oil should be applied to the sea at some distance from the vessel, in the direct line on which the waves are advancing.

It was found that in moderate breakers or surf, the force of which a Life-boat could disregard, but which would endanger the safety of small open boats, its effect was most marked and beneficial. The break or crest of such waves was entirely "killed" when it reached the space tinder the influence of the oil; but on more than one occasion, with the oil having this effect, when a rather larger breaker than the surrounding ones rose, it had no power, and the boat, crew, gear, &c., were smothered with a mixture of oil and water, instead of, as one Inspector puts it, " good clean sea-water." In breakers of sufficient magnitude to be of importance to a Life-boat, the ex- periments clearly show its effect was very much modified, and at times entirely want- ing, even when the glassy surface could be distinctly seen in the trough or hollow of the waves. It was also clearly demon- strated to have no effect upon the breakers so familiar to the coast of Cornwall, which are caused by the heavy ground-swell and not by wind. These circumstances, coupled with the further consideration that it would be impracticable to keep a Life-boat within the oiled space, except when anchored head to sea and tide, or when running dead before the sea, and at the same time to proceed towards a wreck or other desired point, appear to us to show conclusively that no practical advantage can be derived from the use of oil in Life-boats. An additional important difficulty would be found, on the greater part of the coast, in the fact of the tide or current setting with greater or less velocity along shore, which would generally be across the course of the boat and the run of the sea.

The above remarks require very little extension to show that, although useless for the Life-boat service, oil, judiciously used, would frequently prove an important factor in securing the safety of small open boats exposed to the effects of (to them) dangerous breakers and surf. Even here its action has been shown to be some- what capricious, and it cannot therefore be looked upon as a "specific " that will produce certain immunity from danger, but only as a very important aid, from which, coupled with the other precautions usual in the circumstances, considerable benefit may probably be experienced in combating the dangers to be overcome.

We decidedly think that every boat having, or likely to have, to encounter these dangers, should be prepared to avail itself of this help. The method recommended for carrying and using it in ships' boats at sea is equally applicable here.

It must be obvious that the officers of this Institution can have, of course, no oppor- tunities of carrying but experiments them- selves to prove its value in the open sea.

The information available for treating on heads 3 and 4, therefore, is such as it has been possible to obtain from cap- tains of vessels, and others who have had recourse to it, and seen its effects.

These are numerous; some, communica- tions written direct or made verbally; others taken from the Press; and they include its application when running be- fore heavy gales, when hove to, as well as when lowering boats in similar weather.

One and all testify in a remarkable way to its efficacy in disarming the waves, as the following extracts will show:— (1.) " I -was compelled to abandon my vessel at midnight, during a very heavy sea, and the safety of myself and crew lay in launching the boats successfully. The boats, which had been previously provisioned, &c., were in readiness for lowering; but the sea, which was running alongside and breaking over the ship, made me doubt the possibility of the boats ever living in it, even if the difficulty of launching them was overcome, and to the use of oil, under Providence, we owe our lives. I caused two tins of common lamp oil, each containing about two gallons, to be emptied, one over each side, and after giving it time to diffuse itself over the water, the boats were lowered and sheered clear of the sinking ship without shipping as much as a bucketful of water. The waves were still there, towering 30 and 40 feet above us, but without a break or a white-topped one among them, while ahead and astern they were breaking heavily." (2.) "I hove-to on the port tack, under lower main, topsail, and reefed main staysail. There was a tremendous sea running, the breakers being long and very wicked. As soon as we were hove-to I saw that unless something un- usual were tried, we should be certain to lose our boats, and perhaps get serious damage; so I determined to try the oil. The result was magical. In half an hour after the oil was put over, the weather side of our deck was dry, and for the next forty-eight hours not even so much as a spray broke over us. I filled my canvas bags with raw linseed oil, each bag being 18 inches long by about 6 inches in diameter, and holding about two gallons of oil. One bag hung over amidships, and one from the cat- head. During the whole time I never renewed the oil in the bags; what was put over at the beginning lasting the whole time, there being over a quart of oil remaining in each bag when hauled in. The bags were simply punctured with a large sail needle in half a dozen places.

The bags were bent to about 50 fathoms of small line, all of which was veered out, but they never went half that distance from the ship, and floated just like a bladder. The influence of the oil spread fully a ship's length to wind- ward of the bags, and the heaviest breakers never came far within the outside limit of the oil. I intend putting a can of oil in each of my Life-boats as goon as we get to sea, with bag and line all ready in case of emergency." (3.) "Between Milford and the Land's End we encountered a severe gale from the north- ward, with thick snow. Failing to make any lights, I was obliged to heave-to. The sea was terrific. One sea broke on us, smashing the gangway in; also some bulwarks. I was afraid a few more seas like that would sweep the decks. I hung a sail over, and threw some oil about the sail. This, I found, prevented any sea breaking against it. I then got a loose bag and threw some oil over it, wrapping it together and making a rope fast to it. I hung it over the bows; this, I found, prevented any sea breaking on board. I had to replace the bag, with some oil on it, every half hour. I was hove-to about six hours after using the oil, and not one sea broke on board, although the sea was fearful. Previous to using the oil, many seas broke on board. The snow clearing, we ran the ship, and in running I found the oil invaluable, towing a bag on each side, with some oil about it. The oil I used was Colza oil. I tried some linseed oil: it did not answer so well. The quantity I used was trifling. I had only two quarts of Colza on board, and that lasted me eight hours." (4.) "New York,21st September, 1882.—The steamship from Swansea, •which has arrived here, reports having experienced terrible weather, and the captain ascribes her safety to the fact of her . towing a bag of oil, which slightly escaped when running before the wind." (5.) "During the early morning it had all the appearance of a storm, and the sea was running high, doing us considerable damage.

I then determined to try the oil. About 4 A.M.

I put one of my boat's ballast-bags out partly filled with oil, which proved a great benefit, and we soon put out one more, which stopped the seas from doing us any damage. The effect of the oil on the sea was truly wonderful. No one but those who witnessed it would believe the difference it made. Before-the oil was jrat out the ship was in a heavy sea, breaking on board at intervals and doing damage. After the oil the ship was in a heavy swell, with no broken water, and very little coming on board.

I used altogether about ten gallons of oil during the 1st and 2nd February." (6.) " After running the ship as long as he could with safety, he determined to bring her to the wind, which was a very dangerous manoauvre, owing to the tremendous high cross sea that was running. He decided to try the effect of oil, and had a couple of buckets of it poured over forward to windward. The effect was to convert dangerous-breaking seas into comparative smooth swells, and the ship was hove-to without taking a bucket of water on board. After she had been hove-to for some time and the oil passed away from her vicinity, she was struck by several heavy seas in succession, smashing her rudder and causing other serious damage, which rendered it necessary to abandon her.

****** " On the following day our captain launched two of his own boats under very little improved conditions of weather, and conveyed his whole crew on board the in safety. He, however, took the precaution of using oil, trickling it over the sterns of the boats, which had the effect of preventing the heavy seas breaking on the boats, and without doing which he states they could not have lived in the fearful sea which was running." "We can see no reason for questioning the accuracy of these reports, and think most decidedly that, to say the least, they show cause for further inquiry. It does not lie in the power, or indeed within the province, of the NATIONAL LITE-BOAT IN- STITUTION to undertake this, because its machinery is all established for work on the coast, or the outlying sands in its immediate vicinity. At the same time it cannot but sympathize most warmly with all that -will possibly increase the comfort of sailors in mid-ocean, and tend to reduce the dangers to which they are exposed.

Nothing but exhaustive experiments carried out at sea; reported by responsible agents, and published under authority, can solve the question once for all in a satisfactory manner, and let those inter- ested know what reliance they can place on the use of oil for calming the troubled waters in the open sea.

For ourselves, we believe that all present available information shows such prospect of advantage being derived from so doing, that there is nothing unreasonable in ex- pressing a hope that the Government may take up and work out the matter.

We believe that the fact of oil having proved ineffectual in heavy breakers is no reason why its action should not be beneficial in heavy seas in deep water, because the two are very different, the last-named being caused by the action of the wind on the surface only, whilst the proximity of the bottom goes far to pro- duce the former. Whether or no ex- haustive enquiry proves it to be the benefit at sea we would hope, sufficient is now known of its power to class the means of applying it amongst the articles that should be part of the equipment of every ship's boat, as an important help in case of need.

The experiments made by Messrs. SHIELDS and GORDON as to the application of oil to bars and the entrances of har- bours, have been very favourably reported on, and do great credit to the energy and public spirit of those gentlemen; but if its efficiency were thoroughly established, we cannot lose sight of the possibility of oil discharged from the vessel entering the harbour being of equal benefit, as the following extracts would seem to indi- cate :— (1.) " At about 8.30 A.M., I ran for Moutrose Harbour. I had about half a gallon of Colza oil on board, which we poured over the stern, and which immediately had a most decided effect in lessening the power of the breaking seas." (2.) " Made the entrance of the Tyne in an easterly gale, and when great danger attended any vessel passing the bar. The master reports that be resolved to try the effects ol oil upon the waves, and stationed two men, each with a two-gallon bottle of oil, at tho vessel's bows, one on either side. The oil was gently poured upon the 'broken' water, and the effect was that it became comparatively smooth, and the vessel passed into the harbour with little difficulty. The oil used was that usually burnt in the ship's lamps, and only four or five gallons were poured upon the sea.'' Several very ingenious methods have been invented for applying the oil to the water, but we consider the best to be a canvas bag, either rather loosely sewn together, or pierced with a sail-needle to make a few small holes to let the oil escape very slowly. These have been used in the most successful cases reported from ships, as well as in some of the Life-boat experiments, and found quite effectual.

It has the great advantage of simplicity and efficiency, as well as of being easily renewed when exhausted.

When running before the wind, we should recommend a bag being hung on each bow, which gives the oil time to spread before it reaches far astern. When at anchor, it should be attached to the anchor as a buoy, or to the cable, as far from the boat as practicable. In a boat at sea, it could be attached to any sea- anchor in use to keep her head to the sea.

In a vessel hove to, it has been used both hung over the weather-side, and attached to a light line and put overboard to wind- ward. We greatly prefer the latter plan, because not drifting so fast as the ship, it spreads the oil to windward of her, or as before laid down, in the line from which the waves are advancing.

Two bags, each containing about a gallon of oil, with light lines attached, could be easily packed ready for use in a canister similar to a large preserved-meat tin, or paint-pot, and would form an article of equipment neither expensive nor cumbersome. Of course, in the ab- sence of these, the oil could be applied by being poured from a can or bottle, but this would require the services of a man, when one could probably be badly spared.

Besides, this plan would not ensure so regular a supply, which is a matter of very great importance, and would not be applicable to a boat at anchor.