The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1896-12-17
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arl5sl L. = 1850
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IL rLIMsoLL AN.


THE PLIMsOLL MARK.
A Device That Has saved Hundreds
of Lives and Mach Property.
II you ever walk around the water
front Of a large commercial city and
look closely az the big ocean steam
ships and sailing ships moorcd along
the wharves. you WIN notice that many
Of them have d white circle and a lot
Of white lines marked on their sides
close 20 the water. almost as II some
bad boy had been chaiking a picture
there OF a grlddle-cake aud a gridiron;
but when you ind that hundreds OF
ships are marked just the same way.
those painted light col0rs having the
marks In black, you know that those
marks really mean something OF I'M
pOrtnnce In connection with the ships
ca which you see them. II you should
notice more closely you would soon
discover that all the ships belonging 10
Great Britain even the magnificent
passenger steamers like the Lucanin
mud Teuinnlc, were marked with those
queer signs. and that ships OF no ether
nation had them. II you were 10 ask
some sailor what the mark meant ne
would tell you briefly that u u the
"Pllmsoll Mark" and you would be no
wiser than before; in fact, he probably
would not know much more than that
bare fact himself.
That ugly mark, however, Is the
safeguard 10 hundreds Of vessels on
the stormy ocean. and 20 thousands OF
lives. aud 60 millions OF dollan' worth
Of freight. II has only been IN use
about twenty years. only properly used
/ for thc last ten years, and u stu
adopted by only one great ssifarlng
nation In all the world.
Twenty-Five years ago Il was no un-
common thing for ships 10 80 out 70
sea laden with valuable cargo and
hopeful beings. never 20 be seen or
heard Of again. People on shore. even
the owners Of the cargoes and relatives
Of the passengers. would take u rs
something they must be prepared 10
expect on account Of the dangers 81
the ocean. Finally. one man deter
mined "a make "a study 81 the subject,
aud see N such terrible tragedies were
really unavoidable. lie was an inneX.
lille Englishman named Pllmsoll. AMI
member OF parliament. He spent
day after day along the docks watch.
ing ships loading and unloading. cuiii'
Ing Ia and going out; he talked VIII
b ship ownCrs. captains ana sailors. TIC
saw ships sent 90 sea with lcaky bni
toms. rotten spars and WORKOUT ri-
cling. with rusty boilers and niilc-tril
engines. lie saw them loaded until
even In the still waters OF the harb1i
their upper decks were down a. thi
wntcr's edge aud this ovcrioadili
, seemed 10 be the worst and most IRE
! qucnt fault.
Q Then he went hack 10 pariiamen
h and introduced hill 10 put a marx %
. the sides 81 ships 10 show how deepl.
they could with safety b. loaded III
I, mark suggested was n circle with
horizontal line through Its center
] When this horizontal lire was down {
: the waters edge, no more freight va
: to L., nut into the vessel; she was 10 y
+ considered loaded Immediately flin
a soil brought down upon himself "a
/, wrath of ship owners, while ever
I body else laughed nc his cranky idcs
= Int ne was not going % he downes
lie published n book telling all he In
: learned about the criminal oyeIloadln
y OF vessels aud their wretched coad
Y ton when sent 10 sea.
At last he got a vague sort of an n
passcd giving the boaui Of trade pow
or to survey ships going 10 sea ana
stnp those which seemed 90 he unsei
i worthy. This was Ia 1873 and durir
n the first nine months Of the act =
ia vessels were surveyed. and 25O
l, tncm found uuseaw0rthy. Al least oi
I, in every ten was found TO b. 50 da
rerously overloaded as % be In d
- most a sinking condition before lea
u ing the dock. OF course. this opcns
r The eyes 81 the board Of trade ana Z
B. parliament. Gld plimsolfs marx ,
sr came an established feature on Brl
"a ISh ca-golng ships. but It's cstnblls
a m,nt was fought against by ship ow
a, crs inch hy inch. II was nickname
4 the pancake" and ridlcuied ana TVS
"a with contempt In every way. Sou
IN shin owners put the mark ON the
TO smake-stncks In defiance aud dcrlsio
u Pnmsoll held to his Idea. howev'
Il. oven getting himself suspended fro
Ia tho house ~ commons one day for I
!, ing too blunt aud violent In his pla
!, talk upon the subject The result W
'sThe Merchant shipping Act OF iSI'
making the rlimsoll Mark compuiso
ON all British sca-soing vessels. a
recurring It's position 10 be fixed. 4
Il. hy the shin overs. hut by the board
"a tfadc.-I.Icut. John NJ. Ellicott. L.
n n. In st. Nicholas.