The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1866-12-12
OUR STEAMSHIP CALAMITIEs.
70 THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD.

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70 THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD.
Having noticed many suggestions for saving life
N large scale In your paper from time to time,
prompted by some terrific loss Of life at sea- hope you
viii consider the estate of times asuclea apology for
ntruding my views upon your notice. These now
particularly associated with the subject of this
.a
The several why portable afts' and innu-
nerablo fe boats should be deemed sufficient to
ate feeling Of safety practically and obviously alb
surd That they. expense not being considered would
occupy much necessary space and when not actually
needed absolutely be the way, objection and to
supply place Of disabled life boats spare life boats
would be required Thus there would be end Of boats
though do not propose dispense with RATS or boats
altogether with life preservers at ALL To rescue
remove = multitude Of human beings, especially
women and children from a disabled ship at
sea is work of time, difficulty and
danger under the most favorable circumstances but
when becoming urgent necessity is often simply i'm
possible, in tempest, with but few boats and mo-
ments perhaps in which to accomplish 1t. Now, will
venture to intimate that at least oneha perhaps nine
tenths Of the running carry with them
In great independent Of other resources the
means Of salvation a. well as destruction; and with
Special regard
arranged and adapted as to be great degree eectua
In almost every instance. l alude to the long
.house on deck,n hurricane deck, as some call it,
frequently extending almost the entire length Of the
ship, and strongly but, DO SO. To my mind IL
would be much safer TO make tho necessary arrange
for converting the tops Of these houses into ras
when 1t is all probable that the ship will go down. than
trust launching whole feet Of life boats to be per-
haps mashed in succession against the side Of the ship
or TO the small surface offered by portable raft.
The idea here presented has never to my knowledge
been adopted practically any great extent; at all
events it has not yet become fashionable can
easily be by referring to the records Of disasters
propose FIRST with the consent and appreciation Of the
Port Captain to describe how this idea could be car
Red out in terms perfectly Ineligible TO practical
man, and hope interesting TO those who are not
professional for without doubt all who trust themselves
just 10 a steamer will anticipate apprehend an
accident
Some of the passengers Of the Central America, in
aeamen OF the ship Margaret Tyson in 1862 nearly
three weeks on the top OF house, one eventually
saved--she others persisted from starvation. When
reflect upon this last am rather surprised that
has not long since improved and employed the
idea The Arctic was most admirably adapted
for experiment with this kind of house raft All the
Collins steamers The Cunard steamers are very
similar, II not exactly the sarne, and OF the Euro
pean propeers similarly constructed or the
with no preparation than with many Of our lost
steamers, &, where they had ample warning, several
hours daylight, sometimes hundreds OF strong, willing
hearts and hands to assist In carrying the work.
dear life 10 light for, and certain doom provided we
will imagine what might be DONE a .5fw
Perhaps the most desirable qualities in raft would,
After requisite SIZE be strength and buoyaucy. These
could be added TO the house, First by sending down tho
masts and yards and getting them in place and read
the strongest and best raft for the and chdren
This Is 70 be done promptly at the first thought OF
~ asat.T tputo thA
can possibly anse as to the ultimate safety Of
the ship. 90 to work in earnest to make the
No
for tine paintwork and pretty woods Remove, with
axes nece ssy plenty and sharp this contents Of the
saloon and the sides of the house sufficiently to admit
fore and aft, the beaver yards and The light
spars place the same way on the house deck. RAISE
and at equal distances from the sides or the For
buoy ancy lash empty water casks bangs in down, and
veil secured up q the spars and decx between the
swasr Ways and rail to the edge and from,
rail 10 rail- with braces inside II you have time and stuff
an hopes ., ssvlng Inc snip nave
,apsan; cut away maste and get them overheard
Your house has almost becomes raft Keep cutting
lwAy half way from The deck I'LL the house Is clear,
having plenty of ife-lnes and lfepreservers ready
band. Somebody got two barrels Of fresh the
house and lash them. The steward has got up plenty
Use 70 eat and drink and In the possession or reach
u everyone Get the women and children, with plenty
n blankets I'D mattresses the raft, and good
INOSo VINO
refer 70 leave IN the eboe have done Co. or can do
now; ws shall stay BY the ran stand by your lash
ngs With axes, knives and hatchets The moment has
'ome. Cut the hastings; hold everybody, and the
'lungep aud the launch are The suction" win
lnect your raft some, We have he'd 20 many sinking
hing may be "a failure but in spite OF time honored
prejudice against ali Innovations I'd try the rat pre-
erence TO Jumping overheard or into ife boat that
many times in night and drowns half the people in
her OF course In case Of IRE, you've gottc leave the
and oS ssd ~ .uoSsr
hro, 7 that every one may know Just exactly what
they've got 10 do and how 70 do ~ is simply this,
these deck housns' car bs constructed or arranged
with view TO disonnase them from . sinking ship Ut
ooM II me
above, with 'yhe deck" carrying 'Smber SAWS ON
board for that purpose.
Harper's weekly, New York, Saturday, Jan %, 1859
rEAHvuL sUyvrxSGs At SEA.
On the 9th OF January she bark Axor arrived at Pro-
gincetpwn Mas, from Fayal on the 18th Of December
me had bosrd shipwrscKed sailor by william
Kennedy, who has had one Of the uarrowest escapes
from drowning ever heard Of. His story Ii that he
sailed from New York for San Frsncfco In the Margaret
tyson Captain Morris. Ho states that tho ship cap
sired IN gale on Saturday nRht-be does not know the
date latitude or ongtude--and lay on hcr beam ends
Moys nsn :S al me ~, W., Ma, 10y sn %
70 look out for themselves as he should 60 down with
the ship she soon had every appearance OF sinking.
The snip had six boats, three OF which stove by
the drifting spas about the deck wore stove along
SIDE, and the sixth launched in safety Five OF the
jumped into her, but shs cspsized after by
heavy Four OF ths got her bottom, and The
nftn rhe man saved caught rope hanging from the
ship and hauled himself on board again He then
stripped on part OF his clothes and 10 the ships
house which had become detached from the wreck. He
found two the H. and soon after Joined
wreck. Al this ums The ship had entirely disappeared
Two mon soon died from exposure Tho third
became delif'cus on the nioth day and Jumped
board. The fourth died two days before Kennedy
picked ny. He says that he caught seven ANAL fish
with his hands and occasionally caught water when Il
rancd He for hts being seventeen days the
wreck from the fact that the last who died told him
that they had passed three Sundays the wreck. He
does not know What date the shIp lost lie is
irshman, aud very isteliigcnt Letters from the
captain Of the schooner Dread state that in long
lode 10 degrees thai he picked up Kennedy
l&rank lsseis iliretrntrd Nswspancr Oct 1877