Some people here believe that, although Earhart and Noonan had landed on Gardner, they were not spotted by Lambrecht and the five other aviators when they flew a search over the island seven days later because Earhart and Noonan had already died due to dehydration. Of course the other explanation for why they were not spotted is that they were NEVER in that island. I have said before that they could have fabricated a usable saltwater distillation outfit that would supply they with all the water they needed to survive. I'm sure those that believe they had already died doubt that this was possible. To test this idea I decided to make a proof-of-concept distiller and, I am happy to report, I was right and the naysayers were wrong. Using only commonly available items I found in my kitchen, I put together a simple still that produces a fluid ounce of fresh water in eight minutes. Since, according to the Air Force Survival Manual, a person needs only one pint (16 ounces) a day to survive, this simple still can produce enough drinking water in about two hours of operation to supply one person for one whole day. If you were not satisfied with that amount of water then you could run it for a longer period each day. All that is necessary is a supply of sea water (no lack of that on Gardner) and fuel to burn, some gasoline to get started and then wood harvested from all the vegetation on Gardner (no lack of that either) to keep the fire going. Now it may seem like a pain in the butt to have to tend the fire for two or three hours a day but what else did they have to do? Think of survival as being your normal full time job so you certainly would spend at least your normal working eight hours a day working to survive. The still I made is quite small but Earhart and Noonan had seven thousand pounds of aircraft aluminum from which to fabricate their still so could have made a much bigger one so that they could supply their daily water needs by operating it fewer hours per day. Or, they could have made two, so Earhart could have her very own and Noonan could have his very own, now wouldn't that be sweet.
We
discussed before the 1925 Navy attempted flight to Hawaii on which the crew had to distill water after they were forced down at sea. This was a big deal then and it got lots of publicity so it is unlikely that Eahart and Noonan had not heard of it and the use of the still fueled with parts of the seaplane's wooden structure to provide drinking water for the crew as they sailed their seaplane to Kauai. With this knowledge in their heads it is likely that they would have realized the utility of making a still if they were stranded on Gardner.
I'm sure that many imagine a saltwater distillation plant as being very complicated with pipes and copper coils and bubbling liquids, kinda like an old science fiction movie, one that would be impossible for castaways to make. Nothing could be farther from the truth! I fabricated mine out of two pots, a small piece of aluminum, two small pieces of aluminum foil and a standard bar jigger to catch and measure the fresh water. The device consists of one pot filled with seawater (the evaporator unit) with the second pot (the condenser unit) positioned over it and mounted so that it is sloped. The steam from the water boiling in the evaporator unit condenses on the bottom surface of the condenser unit and then runs down along the sloped bottom and drips into the jigger. The condenser unit is also filled with seawater to keep it cool so that the steam will condense. This water heats up during operation as the condenser unit absorbs heat from the condensing steam. This heated water is then ladled, from time to time, into the evaporator unit so this heat energy is not wasted and it then takes less energy to raise the temperature of this already heated water up to its boiling point. New cool seawater is then added to the condenser unit.
I have made a fourteen minute
You tube video of this so you can see how ridiculously easy it is to make one of these. You doubters can make one of your own and try it yourselves in the privacy of your own kitchens.
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