The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-07-10
UNDERTAKEN VESSELS
1REIN AS GREAT DANGER rs AXE
OYERLADEN ONES.
A Load lime Established ia Sro"t
Brttaim-Some of the Difficulties "e'
with by an Undertaken ship.

The British public have ever manifest
ed a deep interest in the welfare OF the
merchant service, and it is largely due
to this interest that the annual death
roll at sea has been reduced to it's pres
ent dimensions. But unfortunately the
tendency is to magnify the importance
Of our passenger service, and lose sight
Of the fact that the bulk of our oversee
trade is conducted, not in palatial liners,
but in smaller sized cargo vessels
Years ago the efforts Of the sailors
friend" Mr. Plimsoll, secured the estap-
| lishment of a load line, above which 1t
was ruled criminal to immerse vessel
So salutary has been this legislation
| that it is safe to say that overlooking III
| the British mercantile marine is non-eX-
istent, and that the safety of lie ana
property at sea has consequently bene-
| flied very materially. But If it is dan
gerous to overload ship it is equally, if
not more, risky to send vessel to sea
undertaken. Yet such risk is taken
daily, If the reader wishes for proof OF
this assertion he has but to spend q few
hours in any of our ports, and multi
plcity of evidence will be afforded him.
| Huge cargo steamers will be seen leaV~
| ing the friendly shelter of dock or har-
Dor with a dry side like a warehouse
wall, their forefoot showing above the
water line and their propellers half ex-
posed. Sailing vessels leave port in tow
hardly able to stand upright in dock, to
say nothing of what they will do in a
gale of wind or a heavy sea, The lands
man too often associates the height of
the exposed side with safety. There is
no fear" he will say, "of that big steam
Ell being swept by the seas lew
minutes conversation, however with
those who have made trip in one OF
these undertaken craft will convince him
of his error,
Steer she will not, any better than
balloon she refuses to look at DIE
head seas; falls off continually; and this
tendency to get broadside on results IN
her pitching and rolling to such an eX-
tent that at last the end comes ana thS
ship with propeller gone or shaft broken
rolls an utterly helpless derelict until a
friendly steamer comes along, rescues
the crew and tows her to port--or she
goes to the bottom. This brief descrip-
ton 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 vessel
so overladeu that she was like half
tide rock than upon an undertaken YES
sci. A few figures on that subject VIII
show the magnitude of the evil. In Jan
nary last "The Syren," the weekly ship
ping journal, tabulated list of on hun
dred and seventy-five vessels which
broke their shafts or lost their propel-
lers during the first eleven months OF
1898. As a matter of fact the total num-
Der of such disasters during the year to-
tailed about two hundred and fifty. But
taking the one hundred and seventy
five listed, particulars of loading are
given in sixty-one cases, and out OIL
these sixty-one vessels no fewer than
thirty-four had no cargo aboard, but
We're in ballast. It would be interesting
] to know how many of the one hundred
5 and fourteen vessels of which no infor-
5 nation as to cargo is forthcoming came
2 to grief through being undertaken
s Certain II Is that of the twenty sever
l loaded vessels, many would have in then
l holds Just enough cargo to justify the
!, descriptive cargo laden"
e THE Syren" has also published an IN
. teresting list of such breakdowns during
S the first three months of the current
: wear. The number Of vessels listed i
. seventy-eght. In thirty cases no par
I ,to whether
: steamers were laden or no. twenty-si'
q vessels are returned as cargo laden anc
r TWENTY-FIVE are described as in ballast
o while no fewer than eight of the vessels
were new craft built in 1898. There il
o strong presumptive evidence, too, That Q
the "cargo laden" vessels several haC
: hardly enough cargo aboard to justify
a the name. These figures abundant!
: show the magnitude of the evil of send
q ing undertaken vessels to sea. Snip
t owners contend that the stress OF com
= netiti0n is so keen that If no cargo OF
i fers they cannot afford to use any othe
ballast than water, the expense of put
= ting stone or earth ballast aboard an'
c then taking it out being altogether TO
= great They therefore rely upon waite
:, ballast carried usually in the cellula
\ double bottom. Inc lSultS iuOtNu
however. conclusively show that tn
- water ballast is altogether inadequate Il
- quantity to immerse vessel to sal
y depth. The remedy suggested to re
, move this altogether unnecessary risk t
: life and property is the establishment o
- an underload line.
10 The attention of the board of trade ha
10 been repeatedly directed to the matter
- But the president has so far contente
- himself with asserting that the ofnclal
l. Of his department have sufficient power
II vested in them under the Merchants
le Shining act to enable them to detail
unseaworthy vessels until such time a
- they are fit to proceed. Up to the pres
&c emf however. there is not a single cas-
ID on record of an undertaken or underbal
/ lasted ship being so detained, althoug
ST the risk run by allowing them to leaV
} port is obvious. The reason FOR I'M
Is glaring anomaly of officers whose dut
g it is to watch the safety of life an
Is property at sea OBTAINING as unseaWof
$ thv vessels which may be loaded owe
h their Plimsoll mark only to the extent c
Of single inch, and allowing Veritabl
T. danger traps in the shape OF insufficient
11r+ 10 tSr