IN April, 1883, the ship I commanded was homeward bound from Australia to Cork, for orders; we were just off New Zealand, about the worst place "for wind till you come to Cape Horn on the passage.

A heavy N.W. gale came on, after a S.W.

breeze previously, making a cross sea.

I ran before it, glad of a chance to make some running, till the seas came on board too heavily. Knowing there was an oil bag below, made by my predecessor, I got it up, put half a gallon of fish oil in it, and veered it astern 20 fathoms by two lead lines. I found it was practically useless; the bag was tumbled over and over, the lead lines chafed badly, and no oil to speak of came out. I hauled it on board, made large holes with a roping needle, and let it dip over the stern. This time some good was effected, but most of the oil was blown over the stern, which was of no use at all, so I passed the bag forward to the cathead; the wind drawing to south gave me a weather side, but a heavier cross sea. I allowed the bag to tow from the cathead, and found that was the place; the oil had plenty of time to spread before the ship passed, no seas broke over us at all, but fell quiet as soon as the oiled surface was reached. I may say that before using the oil one heavy sea pooped the ship, missed doing any damage aft, but broke down the standards of my main pumps, breaking one in half, and, continuing its course forward, burst in the after bulkhead of the forecastle and made a "general average" among the creVs effects. , No one was hurt, fortu- nately ; the boatswain got a cut (slight), but that was because he had an open knife in his hand when the sea struck him.

No water came over of any consequence as 676 THE LIFE-BOAT JOUENAL.

[NOVEMBER, 1885.

long as a little oil was used; when the bag was finally used from forward there was no need to trouble any more, except refilling every watch, say half a gallon every four hours.

I tried this again when " laying to " under a close-reefed main topsail last June; then in 40° S. and 100° W., home- ward bound from San Francisco. I put the bag over the fore rigging, and found one pint per watch quite sufficient to keep the water smooth for a quarter of a mile to windward. The sea-birds appeared to admire the smoothness very much, they were constantly " pitching " on it.

The results I have obtained are these.

Fish or colza oil only is of any good, it does not matter how dirty it is, as long as it is not thick. Paraffin is too thin; paint oil too thick. Kunning before a gale naturally expends much more oil than " laying to," you have so much more water to oil. Carefully expended, one quart in three hours for running, one pint in four hours for "laying to," will be sufficient. The means I used was a can- vas bag (No. 6) with large holes stabbed with a needle. I have heard of a bundle of oakum being saturated with oil, and then put in a coarse gunny bag, which I think would admit of a thicker oil being used for the time. The place for towing is undoubtedly forward, not aft. Whether in head-reaching oil could be used suc- cessfully I cannot say, but I doubt it.

When running dead before the wind tow from each cathead, and the ship is as safe as anything can be at sea.

Whether owners will ever put oil on board to prevent accidents that may not happen, and will not happen if preventa- tives are used in time, is quite another question..