The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-01-09
$500 ------
THE pLIMSolL MARK.
4 Device That Has Saved Hundreds "a
Lives and Much Property.

4 Device That Has Saved Hundreds 81
Lives and Much Property.
II you ever walk around the water.
front of a large commercial city and
look closely at the big ocean steamships
and sailing ships moored along the
wharves, you will notice that many of
them have q white circle and a lot OF
white lines marked on their sides close
10 the water, almost as il some bad boy
had been chalking a picture there of a
griddle-caka and a gridiron; but when
you find that hundreds of ships are
marked just the same way, those painted
light colors having the marks in black,
You know that those marks really mean
something of importance in connection
with the ships on which you see them.
II you should notice more closely You
would soon discover that all the ships
belonging to Great Britain, even the
magnificent passenger steamers like
the 'Iucania" and "Teutonic," were
marked with those queer signs, and that
ships of no other nation had them. re
you were TO ask some sailor what the
mark meant he would tell you briefly
that it is the "Piimsoll 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 safe
guard TO hundreds of vessels on the
stormy ocean. and 10 thousands of lives,
and to millions of dollars worth of
freight. 1t has only been in use about 20
years, only properly used for the last
ten years. and is still adopted by only
one great seafaring nation in all the
world.
Twenty-Five years ago il was no un-
common thing for ships TO go out 10 sea
laden with valuable cargo and hopeful
human beings. never to be seen or heard
of again. People on shore, even the
owners of the cargoes and relatives OF
the passengers, would take il as some
Thing they must be prepared to expect on
account of the dangers of the ocean.
Finally, one man determined TO make q
study of thes ubject, and see IL such
terrible tragedies were really unavoid-
sble. lie was an infiexible Englishman,
named Plimsoll, and a member of par
]iameut. He spent day after day along
the docks watching ships loading and
unloading, coming and going ont; be
talked with ship-owners. captains and
sailors He saw ships sent to sea with
leaky bottoms, rotten spars. and worn
out rigging, with rusty boilers and rat-
tle-trap engines. He saw them loaded
until even in the still waters of the bar
Dor their upper decks were down 10 the
waters edge, and this overlooking
seemed to be the worst and most fire.
quent fault
Then ne went back 20 parliament. and
bill 20 put a mark or ths |
sides of ships TO show how deeply they |
conld with safety be loaded The |
mark suggested was circle with q !
horizontai line through its center. |
When this horizontal line was down 70 |
the waters edge. no more freight was 20 |
be put into vessel: she was 70 be con- |
sidercd loaded. Immediately PlimsoIl |
brought down upon himself the wrath |
Of ship-owners, while everybody else /
laughed at his cranky idea; but he was
rot going 20 be downed. BE published 1
: book telling ali he bad learned about /
The criminal overlooking OF vessels. and /
their wretched condition when sent 20 i
sea
At last BE got = vague sort Of an act
passed. giving the board of trade power
n survey ships going n s~a. and 20
top those which seemed 20 be unsea~
worthy This was ia is73. and during |
The first nine months OF the act RS /
ressels were surveyed. and 20 OF them
'ound up=ezwortby. A. least on. IN
,rery ten was found To be 40 dangerous
81 ovsrioaded as fob be almost n sinking |
condition before LEAVING the dock. Of
course, this opened the eyes of the board
q trade and OF parliament. and Piius-
oils mark became an eStssiLShsd fsa-
ure on British sea-going ships; but ia
was fought against by
hip-owners. inch ~ inch. IL wss uics-
FAMED the '-pzneake.~ and ridie11led and
reated with contempt in every way.
soue ship-0vners put the mark On their
IN desanre and derisior.
'Iia-soB beid 20 his idea. however. even
,ettirg himself suspended from Tia
.ouse 81 commons one dsy for being
90 biTint and violent IN bis plain tax
lpon the subject The result ssa4 The
3srehsnt shipping Act Of iszs,~ max
sg the Piir.soll mark compulsory On
u British sea-EoSnZ veS~elx. and re-
hiring ia petition 20 u fixsS. 10; By
h- ship-oSneTs. but ~ tAe board %
-sde -Liert- John " EIiieo-t, { ulsea
Itste< saw. 81 - Sscboias.