New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-07-02
BREAKDowNs FROM UNDERLoADING

BREAKDOWNS FROM UNDERTAKING.
Steer she will not. any better than a balloon.
She refuses to look at" big head seas falls of
continually: and this tendency to get broadslde
on results in her pitching and rolling to such an
extent that at last the end comes and the snip
with propeller gone or shaft broken rolls an
utterly helpless derelict until a friendly steamer
comes along. rescueS the crew and lows her
to pOrt-O- she goes 10 the bottom. This Drief
description Of what happens on undertaken
craft during heavy weather Is no fancy sketch.
Any seagoer will testify that he would rather
risk his life on a vessel so overladen that she
was like ha'f-tide rock than upon an under
laden vessel. A few figures on that subject VIII
show the magnitude Of the evil In January
last THE Syren." the weekly shipping journal.
tabuated list of 10 vessels which broke
their shafts lost their propellers during the
first eleven months Of 1898 As a matter Of
fact the total number Of such disasters during
the year totalled about 300. But taking the l'1
listed particulars of loading are given in sixty
one cases. and out Of these sixty-one vessels
no fewer than thirty-fOur had no cargo aboard,
but were in ballast. It would be interesting to
know how many Of the IA vessels Of which
information as to cargo is forthcoming came to
grief through being undertaken. Certain it is
that Of the twenty-seven loaded vessels many
would have in their holds just enough cargo TO
Justify the descriptive cargo laden"
"The Syron" has also published an interest
ing list of such breakdOWns during the first
three months of the current year The number
Of vessels listed is seventyeight. In thirty cases
no particulars are stated to whether the
steamers laden or no, twenty-six vessels
are returned as cargo laden and twenty-five are
described as in ballast. while no fewer than
eight Of the vessels new craft built in
1898 There IS strong presumptve evidence,
too that Of the cargo laden" vessels several
had hardly enough cargo aboard TO justify the
name These figures abundantly show the mag
nitude Of the evil of sending undertaken vessels
TO sea ShpOwners contend that the stress Of
competition is SO keen that if no cargo offers
they cannot afford to use any other ballast than
tftarr h
ballast aboard and then taking it out being
altogether too great. They therefore rely
upon water ballast carried usually in the cell
uar double bottom. The figures quoted. how
ever conclusivey show that the water ballast
is altogether inadequate in quantity to immense
a vessel to a safe depth. The remedy suggested
to remove this altogether unnecessary risk to
life and property is the establishment OF an
underload line.
NO ACTION TAKEN.
The attention of the Board of Trade has been
repeatedly directed TO the matter But the
president has far contented himself with as
sorting that the officials of his department have
sufficient powers vested in them under the Mer-
chant Shipping act to enable them to detain
unseaworthy vessels until such time as they are
fit to proceed. Up to the present. however,
there is not single case on record OF an UNI
derladen underballasted snip being so de
tanned although the risk run by allowing them
to leave port is obvious. The reason for this
glazing anomaly of officers whose duty it is to
watch the safety of life and property at sea de-
tanning as unseawOrthy vessels which may be
loaded over their Plimsoll mark only to the ex-
tent Of a single inch, and allowing veritabe
danger traps in the shape Of insuficientiy inn
mersed vessels to proceed without let or him
drance is perhaps understandable. The over
load line marks the vessels hull the legal
safety line and it is perfectly easy matter TO
whether the vessel is immersed above
that line. But in the matter OF undertaking
there is neither guide nor index and 1t is i'm
possible to expect that minor officials should
undertake the responsibility OF saying what con-
stitutes a safe or unsafe amount OF immersion
for each OF the different types of vessels brought
under their notice. just as. were there no over-