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Olympic-Hawke Collision Case The Theory of Suction is Evidently Regarded Abroad as a Bit of Naval Fiction--However, it is a Well Established Force IDESPREAD interest still ob- \ tains inthe Olympic-Hawke col- lision and the result of the ap- peal from the decision of the admiralty court is eagerly awaited. Evidently the English pa-ZY&Y pers cannot see that the-B ory of suction at all, though the court paid much atten- tion to it, and of course in this country we have long been familiar with it. Herewith is a cartoon from a British® maritime paper in which the officer is made to regard the theory] of suction asa naval in- vention. Tt 3s" curious that in so old a maritime country as England is, m% this well known forcef should not have been} hitherto recognized. The phenomenon is_ perfectly well understood in the United States, especially on the great lakes. In- stances of collision due to suction are many, particu- larly in narrow channels and in shallow water--and both of these conditions must have been met with at the precise spot at which the Olympic and Hawke collided. The effect of 'stiction briefly is as follows: If one vessel is overtaking or & passing another vessel in close proximity, the effect of the disturbance created in the water by the pass- age of the vessels is to produce a powerful lateral thrust upon the bow of the vessel which has been overtaken, tending to force the bow away from the passing ship. As the faster vessel moves ahead and about the time that the bow of the slower ship is abaft the center of the length of the faster vessel, the conditions are _ re- versed and there is set up a powerful force tending to draw the bow of the slower vessel over towards the passing ship: ot : It was this latter condition which brought about the Olympic-Hawke col- lision. It was established in the evi- reproduced merchant 999 PLE. MERCHANT. OFFICER: NAVAL: BOoGEY: MERCHANT OFFICER: NavaL Bocey:. "Yes, My Lap, so Minn You Don't Get SuCKED In. I Sink SuHrps, AND Don'r. You Forcet 11." Gence that the helm was thrown over to counteract the swinging-in of the bow, but that the latter force was so powerful as to render the helm en- "Goop Lorp, WHAT AkE You?" "Um THE NEw Nava Bosey "ANOTHER LOCAL TERROR?" tirely useless. The. distance between the two ships when the Hawke began to swing over towards the Olympic was about 300 ft. : In .rendering decision, however, the ccurt ignored the evidence as to suction, rendering .its decision purely on the question. as to which ship had the right of way. The court ruled that since the Olympic had the Hawke on her star- board side, and therefore according to 'SUCTIONPUREANDSIM- the rule of the road, should~ have kept cut of the way of the Hawke, but failed to do so, the collision, from whatever physical causes it may have been due, was chargeable to that ship. The officers of the Olympic claim that the Olympic was ahead of the Hawke, that the Hawke was steaming faster than the Olympic, and that she was therefore, according to another rule of the road, an overtaking ship, and as such should have kept out of the way of the Olympic and, that hav- ing failed to do so, she was responsible for the disaster. In the elimination summing up of the evi- dence, it was clear that the court placed more cre- dence upon the testimony of the officers of the Hawke than on the Olym- pic, apparently on the ground that naval officers had more accurately de- fined the exact location of the collision. Since then, however, the ram of the Hawke has been found by divers' off Cowes. Its po- sition is 1,200 ft. from where the Hawke was stated at the trial to have been at the time of col- lision,,. that: is 1,200 . $t. more to the eastward and a little more to the north of the channel. This would tend to corroborate the evidence given by the and officers of the Olympic - and furthermore would tend. to show that: the Hawke had ample room, and that the Olympic did not make a_ converging course for the buoy after entering the channel. As the ram weighs 20 tons, it could not have drifted far, if at all, and outside of naval circles the position of the ram is regarded as establishing beyond doubt the location of the cruiser at the time of the collision. No maritime case in years has at- tracted such attention as this one. Its effect upon public safety will undoubt- edly be excellent.