Grand River times. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1851-18??, 1852-09-08
STEAMER ARRANGEMENTS.

The late appalling calamity on Lake Erie has
drawn from the public press variety of CON-
ment, and occasionally some very useful sugges-
tons respecting the means which should be used
for the safety of passengers in cases of wreck,
fire, &c, of which we have already chronicled too
many instances during few years past. The
Buffalo Republic has the subjoined excellent
suggestions respecting the mode ofegress from
the sleeping apartment, construction of life-pre-
servers, &C., which are worthy of preservation
and future action:
"There should be door opening from every
state room, to the side of the boat, where per-
sons may leap into the water at any moment,
without obstruction. We observe, in many of
the large boats, an acquaintance of three or four
days is necessary, to become familiar with the
means OF egress from the eating and sleeping
apartments. We have, ourself, wandered about
boat, in the night, for at least fifteen minutes,
before we could find the way to the open deck
of the boat from which alone, one could escape
II she were either burning or sinking Let all
the sleeping apartments for passengers be above
the freight deck, and let every one be provided
with means OF immediate egress, and half of the
danger of the loss of life would be removed.
Again, let every berth be provided with reli-
able life-preservers. Not such as have to be in
Hated with air before they can be used, for nine
tenths OF the people would not know how to in
flate them, and three-fourths of the other tenth
would be too much frightened when there should
be real necessity for it. to initiate them, if they
knew how ever so well. Those articles of fur
nture which are so constructed rs to have life
preserving qualities, are not where passengers
know where to lay their hands on them imme
diately, in the night; and those stools, with tin
boxes within the legs, are of very little use
when they are to be found A person in the
water, must have something that he can get up
on, and lie upon when he is on or it will not
save him. Those little bobbling things, which
turn over and over as fast as they are touched
with the hand Of the drowning man, would not
save one out of twenty. Indeed, good swim
mers are more safe without them than they are
when they depend OH them for safety. The on
~ safe thing to depend on is something which
forms part of the bed on which the passenger
sleeps, which he can seize instantly and which
ne can use without any preparation, or any buck
ing or tying round his body. Forming indis-
penslble part OF the bed, it would never be out
of the way and every person would have one or
more always at hand, which he could grasp in
IN instant, in the dark, and throw himself into
he water in second, when it should become
necessary to do so. And it should be so con-
'tructed that person can get upon it, in the
water, without the least difficulty, and lie on it
EASILY and safely, when he is on Such an in.
'ention has already been made and patented in |
his city; and the reading public have heard of
t. by the name of "life- preserving berth-bot-
oms;" but it has not been introduced, because |
he patent was not obtaiped till after the pas |
enger vessels which were to run on the lakes. |
his season, had been fitted out These berth
ottoms are so constructed, that each berth will
ontain three efficient and ever reliable life.pre.
ervers, with all the qualities above named,