The New York herald., 1879-02-03
O--Engine room.
QQ-Coal bunkers.
n
THE PACIFIC MAIL.


The next visit was made to a steamship of the
Pacific Mail linc-the Colon. Mr.. Brooks, the chief
| engineer, said she was good example of the newer
vessels belonging to the company. She is provided
with four bulkheads. There openings for COM
munication above the ceiling The arrangements
for pumping liberal. In answer to question it
intimated that there formal regulations
in regard to the sluiccs in the bge The practice
to leave them open nearly all the time. The en-
gineer thought that they could be closed quickly
enough in case Of necessity. Two of the rods con.
nected with the valves reach to the porers shop and
the other two to the engine room.
"In the excitement consequent upon sudden dis
aster do you not think that the closing of these
valves might be forgottcn?'
To this question satisfactory answer was given
nor to the further suggestion that a blow amidshps
might flood the engine room in q single moment so
that would be impossible to reach the valve rods
THE LINE.
The three iron steamships Of the Morgan line ply
ing between New York and the Gulf ports have all
iron watertight bulkheads to the main deck They
have doors in them for the passage of freight
one compartment to another there is no hatchway
amidshps. 1t is claimed that they always closed
before leaving port. Forward there what is called
q collision bukhead, twenty feet from the STEM and
in the compartment thus formed cargo is ever
placed. 'Fve feet of her bow might be taken off,"
remarked the captain of the Algiers, land she would
not make drop of water In the rest of the hold"
There are square ports in the sides of these steam
ships between decks; but when they closed they
screwed tight on gum and supposed to be imper-
vious to water The plates stiIened about their
edge by frames of wrought iron. When the
heavy the ports are always carefully watched. The
Mgicrs the Emily Soudcr when she was
wrecked of Cape iatcras on January H. and did not
suffer III the least from the storm. She has double
water ballast chamber extending from her engine
room to her stem post and it is claimed that this
great safeguard Az will be below. however the
opinion OF some Of the marine underwriters is quite
the reverse. The captain of the Agiers asked
whether the water used as ballast might not in A
storm burst the bulkliead anitlsps when the vessel
pitched forward. Such an instance has recently
Cured.
rough weather unless we fill it full. 1t will hold
about three hundred tons. When the weather is
fine We sometimes partly fill IL to settle her
down astorn and to increase her speed But suppose
that the bulkhead did break The water would How
into the well under the engine aud could be pumped
engine.
'In which would you rather 40 to sea-" said the
reporter. 'an iron u wooden ship p
An iron ship s like tin pail. II does not take
very much TO dab hole In it: but take a wooden
pail, and as | of.cn observed when boy old COW
can kick IL over time and again and IL will hold
water milk other just well ever. Iron ships
certainly will not stand crash wooden sllips
will. Yet I prefer going to sea in iron.
There liz no straining OF butts, and IL there
is leak you can easily lind IT, The shell of The hin
is accessible II properly built the riycis In an iron
ship Will weaken no sooner than her plates. IL
great mistake with good many owners to let out
cases, poor worsincn and apprentices often
ploycd The rivcts instead ot being put in red hot
ana welded in SO that they become part of plates
Oh, h,msclves. are allowed first to cooi perhaps or arc
not heated ut all The consequence is that they re-
main distinct pieces of iron and under every unusual
strain IL the plates work the least bit they cut the
rivcts and the whole ship IL just likely not 60
fail apart. In this manner. think. could be
planned some of the mysterious wrecks OF which no
survivor has ever told the tale"
AMERICAN LINE.
iave you ever inspected any Of tho European
steamers, CaptainY
81 was for a short time FIRST officer on one of tho
American steamships which sail from Philadelphia.
Her bulkheads and her pumping facilities we're good,
but she strong enough for the Atlantic service
The owners have since, believe, improved all of
their steamships In this respect"
TaE CROMWELL. LINZ.
Captain Gagcr, the commvdorc of the Cromwell
line OF steamers, took great pains to exhibit To the
HERALD reporter all the safety appliances of the
which he imn adatcly commands. the Hudson. Tho
company has two other steamers. Each of these has
four buIkhcads. extending high the between
decks and there openings in these excepting the
valves in The bilge. which worked by rods hing
to the main deck. There a sion bulk head thirty
are always kept clear of and always acccssi
bic III every part. The decks OF iron. rho
wooden houses on the main deck have interior walls
OF iron. capable OF being tightly closed. that,
should the outer works be swept away these would
remain as long as the ship hold together. The top
CT the bulwasks OF tie Hudson is Intact all around,