Cycle 1062 (Autumn), Day 40: Hamlet of Gwynedd

[ffilz]

At an opportune time, Ignatz leaves the dancing and returns to sit with Dr. Linkletter. He broods for a moment over Becky, but then starts chatting with the Doc about The Boat, and about how to bring up a sunken boiler. "Do you suppose there are diving suits to rent? I have some experience working underwater. Enough to be able to hand a talented engineer the right tool, at any rate. But do you suppose Jo has been trained in diving suits? She's awfully young, and I imagine her education was an informal one, and diving suits may not have been on the curriculum."

I've not had experience with salvage (I'm not sure he even knows how to swim), I just repair people, though I'm handy with needles and thread and such to repair fabric and leather goods. She does seem very motivated, so perhaps she has picked up that knowledge along the way.

[Leitz]

Diana sipped her tea for a moment, and then smiled. "Perhaps the details would help a new ship crew avoid such dangers? The owners aboard, of course, would need to make their own decision. Many of them are here, at the moment. Let's enjoy the holiday and speak in the morning. Especially since one of them needs help translating your native tongue."

She paused, "but do consider that we'll have to have local help aboard, as well, and that will need to be handled with care. Some are pragmatic, some are emotional. Some may be manipulative, and of course there's the chance that some will be in the pay of your former friends. We shall see."

"Now, the critical question," Diana set her mug down, and then stood. "Do you care to go another round or should I see if someone else needs a partner?"

[Pulpatoon]

Ignatz welcomes Jo back from the dance. Gesturing to the Doc, he says, "We were just trying to imagine the outlines of our mission to recover the boiler. I expect you have some more concrete ideas on the subject, Jo. What do you think we'll need? What are the steps involved?"

[Urson]

Jo

Jo sits, breathless and flushed from the dancing. She takes a deep breath and a sip of her cider.

We'll need someone who has some skill with a diving suit. I can swim, but I really don't know enough to be able to take the lead. I don't suppose any of The Partnership has any training?
The Dry dock has a salvage boat we could use- but the horse's...backside who lead the last trip to try and salvage that boiler managed to overload the crane and break it. We would need to get it repaired before it would be of use to us. The actual salvage would be relatively simple- we've cut away a lot of the decking, so it would be mostly a matter of removing the mounts from the ribs of the ship and hauling it up. As I said, I'm untrained in such things, but I believe we could manage with one skilled diver and several ready hands in dive suits.

She stops for a few minutes, thinking. We need to:
1) Get the crane repaired and secure the use of the salvage boat
2) hire a skilled diver to lead the underwater work
3) Disconnect half a dozen steam lines and a number of mountings
4) Raise the boiler and get it to The Ship
5) Install it and begin the pipefitting and tests. (I should be able to handle that part).

She stops, apparently a bit embarrassed that she's spoken at such length- or, perhaps, that she has been consulted as an equal and an expert in her field.

[Pulpatoon]

Ignatz nods, his face serious, having forgotten the dance and his confused feelings for Becky now that there's something concrete to think about. "I trained with diving suits in the Navy, but I never did regular duty in one, and very little construction work. I don't think I'd fit the role of 'very skilled diver.' But I can certainly be in the water, helping out.

"How extensive are the repairs on this salvage boat?"

[Monsieur Rose]

Jacques

Jacques shares the laugh. "My advice would be: Make sure you know the entire script before you agree to act in the play. Sometimes the director has some surprises."

"Oui. The French lesson. Always glad to enable others to speak my native tongue." He raises his glass. "To the morning."

"And now. Let's go continue our lesson on dance. After you."

[Leitz]

Diana smiled and led the way to the floor. "Over there are three of the others; Dr Linkletter, Mister Kitts, and Miss Baxter-Smith. She is the mechanic of the team while Mister Kitts has some naval expertise. How about your friend?"

As Diana danced and talked, some things became clear. Her body language said that the issue with pirates wasn't overly off-putting. However, small talk revealed that her nautical expertise was limited to that of a passenger. While socially graceful enough to be "Lady Diana", she seemed to have no depth of leadership skill.

"Besides a rousing tale, what could you bring to the enterprise?"

[AsenRG]

Remy is swinging and twisting his body in the rhythm. Step and volt, all in rhythm. Passing behind Becky's back in motion, then - when she starts turning - appear on the other side. Then dance away on the next beat.
A jig, in other words. Exactly as he learned during Remy's visit - and coupled with his own additions.
Becky's in for a surprise.

[Urson]

Jo
The damage to the salvage crane makes it unusable- but the salvage boat is otherwise in good condition. I would estimate two shift's work would probably get the crane operational again- that, and a large handful of coin.

Josephine falls silent, thinking of a book she read. It was speculative fiction, but in the book a boiler was brought to the surface by filling it with air after it had been freed from it's mountings. She'd wondered at the time if such was actually possible, and now she began to consider it in earnest.

[Pulpatoon]

Ignatz chews on what Jo says. "So we have to repair one boat to wreck another boat, to repair our boat. And we don't even know if the sunken boiler is actually any good. It sounds like it might be as cheap to just get a new boiler."

[Urson]

Jo

If we can find an experienced Diver to accompany me, I can examine the boiler where it lies and decide whether it is salvageable or not. I think you may be framing things in the worst possible light, Ignatz. Are you a pessimist?
If the boiler is intact, it will be only a few hours work to raise it. Decking over the engine room is intended to be removed, so that replacement or in-depth repairs can be more easily accomplished. I have an idea that may make raising the boiler even easier.
And the crane repairs are simple and straightforward- just time consuming.

She smiles at Ignatz, putting on the "big, innocent eye" thing to help convince him.

Let's not abandon the idea until we need to, shall we?

[Pulpatoon]

Ignatz laughs. "Oh, you caught me basking in the gloom! My mother would have pinched my ear for that. You're right, of course. Tell me about this idea?"

[Urson]

Jo

It's a long shot- honestly, I'm stealing from Professor Challenger and The Blood Reef. But the science of it seems sound: We take one of the pumps used to provide air to the dive suits, and use it to partially fill the boiler with air. This forces out the water and makes the thing more buoyant, so it will be easier to bring it to the surface. I don't know if it could be made buoyant enough to lift itself without the crane- but any help is better than none, correct?
And yes, I know- this idea has Murphy's Law written all over it. We WILL need to proceed cautiously.

[Pulpatoon]

Ignatz leans back, a look of pleased surprise on his face. "Wow.. that's... what a corker! I see what you mean. Buoyancy is pretty well understood—you have to contend with it in any underwater work. And, well, ship design shows how much lifting power there is in water displacement. So, yeah, that makes sense as the way to get the boiler up. We'll still need the crane to get it out of the water, unless we want to tug it along behind us to dock.

"Um... okay, thinking this through... how stable will the boiler be when we start to pump air into it? That is, if we preformed the operation in miniature, with, say, teacup, it would be in constant danger of tipping, and letting all the air slip out. But if we filled a bottle, and corked it, it could tumble to its heart's content and never lose a bubble. A boiler is basically a vessel that has to contain steam, so it's more like a bottle, right?"

[Urson]

Jo

That's true. But I agree that we'll need the crane. My thought was to attch the crane before we ever start to add air to the boiler, to help minimize the problems. But our first job needs to be finding an experienced diver to go along while I examine the boiler. No sense in doing all this work for a boiler that's been holed during the sinking- or is too small to do the job.
As the captain of the Calico used to say- "tired is stupid." I want to rest before I try to find a diver.

[Monsieur Rose]

Jacques

Glad to be dancing once again, Jacques nods when the others are pointed out and given names. "Remy is exceedingly capable in all means of combat, as far I have seen. He's not a sailor but knows his way around a ship. Loyal, smart, and sometimes a bit rough. A finer ally I have not met."

He smiles as he sees his friend enjoying himself on the dance floor. "As for myself, I've led a crew before and am, was?, head of my house back home. I have experience piloting steamships and can hold my own with sail. I got too embroiled with the bureaucracy back home, too much bribery and paperwork, so I set out on a mid-life adventure."

[Leitz]

Diana nodded slightly, but said nothing, when Jacques mentioned the issues 'back home'. When the music paused, she grinned. "Shall we make introductions?"

Without waiting for an answer, she left the genteel embrace and headed to Remy and Becky. "Would you two mind joining us for a moment?" Another grin, and then a beeline for the sitting down members of the troupe.

"Everyone, I'd would like you to meet my dance partner Jacques, and his associate Remy. When we are discussing business tomorrow, I recommend we ask them about their story, and perhaps their skills. It might be good all around." She looked at Remy. "This is Doctor Linkletter, Mister Ingatius Kitt, and Miss Josephine Baxter-Smith. Ignatz is the one who blushes whenever Becky is around."

She gave a pleasant sigh. "There, major social duties executed. I could use a little more tea. Anyone else?"

[Urson]

Jo

Josephine, who has been talking animatedly with Ignatz- and talking a LOT with her hands- looks up at the new arrivals and smiles.

Are either of you, by chance, trained as a Diver?

[Monsieur Rose]

Jacques

Jacques nods and bows at the introductions. "A diver? Non. Not me. I have plenty of experience at the helm and have overseen a diving operation, but I don't have the experience myself."

He turns to Remy. "And you, my friend? I don't suppose that is one of your hidden talents?"

[Pulpatoon]

Ignatz greets the others with affable formality, although he allows an iota of reserve to creep into his introduction to Becky's dance partner, Remy. Although, he thinks to himself, if the man is a diver, all is forgiven.