The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-01-29
May Remsasure Steamers.

1nasmuch as it is thought that The cid
measurements of certain of TIE Island
steamers in port are not correct, it l.,
probable that their owners will ask the
customs department for re-measure-
ment. 1t is the surveyors duty to meas
ure vessels but, as there is no surveyor
at this port, the duty falls upon some
officer appointed to do the work by the
collector of the port. Measuring a YES
sci is no simple matter, and he who will
probably have to WELD the tape is hard
lat work reading up all about the subject
that he may be prepared to master it
when he is called upon to take the meas.
urements. To determine the tonnage of
a vessel necessitates a complication of
measurements which would floor the av-
erage man.
There are three distinct meanings at
taching to the term tonnage" In other
words. there are three ways of describ-
ing the capacity or internal measure
ment of ship. and, all Of them are OK
pressed in tons, There is under-deck ton
mage, gross tonnage, and net tonnage;
| the two latter being sometimes designat-
I ed gross register and net register tom
mage; the, net register tonnage being that
which is assessable for dues or pilotage,
etc. In practice. too, the term tonnage
| is often used to apply to net register
tonnage. The undertook tonnage of
ship is the measurement of the cubic ca
lpaclty OF that section of the vessels m
! terror under the tonnage deck, and the
tonnage deck is the second deck from tht,
floor of the ship. This measurement is
stated in tons, and each Of these tons
equals 100 cubic feet, 80 that when it is
stated that the under deck tonnage of
ship is $50 tons, what is meant is that
there are $50 by 100 cubic feet of space
under her tonnage deck. To measure this
space 1t Is only necessary to know the
length, breadth and depth Gnside meas
urement of course) and the co-efficient
OF fneness. which latter practically cor
reefs for the shape of the vessel being
a departure from an oblong box Thus,
IL ship were perfect tank her gross
under-deck tonnage would be, the length
multiplied by breadth by depth and by
iOo, the product, of course, being cubic
feet. The greater the deviation from the
rectangular tank FORM the smaller will
be the fraction representing the co-effi-
cient of fineness. The gross tonnage or
gross register tonnage of a ship is sim
ply the undertook tonnage plus the tom
nage-i. e., number of cubic feet in hun
dreds, in all the enclosed spaces above
the tonnage deck.
One of the principal objects in assign
ing tonnage to vessel is fixing a stan
dard on which dues can be levied. Now,
it would be manifestly unfair to levy
charges on ships gross tonnage as
only portion of such space is available
for money-making purposes. e., for the
carriage of freight In other words, the
object of the net register is to exempt
from payment that portion of the vessel
which does not earn money Thus in the
case of the average steamer her gross
tonnage will include undertook tonnage
Plus tonnage of poop, raised quarterback,
bridge house, deck houses, etc., accord
ing to type and construction; while the
deductions will include space occupied by
propelling machinery, chart room, mas
ters' and officers accommodation, crew
space, boatswain's stores, etc. With re-
gard to deductions for propelling space,
lit may be stated that the plan usually
followed is to allow one and three-quar-
ter times the actual engine space, ETC.,
to be deducted from the gross tonnage
lof the vessel.
1t is useful to know that 80 cubic feet
of sea water weigh the ton; also that
the water displaced by a vessel equals
in volume the immersed section of the
vessel. The dead weight carrying ca
pacity of a vessel may be taken as the
difference between the weight of water
displaced at light draft and with the
cargo or dead weight on board. Net ton
mage is no guide whatever to the size of
a ship. Take, for example, the Campo
mia. which is 1850 tons gross, but only
1874 tons net.
Leper Pratt Still Here.
Pratt, or Peepelow, the leper who
came to these shores not very long ago,
desiring to go to Molokai, is still detain-
ed on Quarantine Island, lonely and anx-
ious to get away to some place where
he can be sure Of a permanent and COM
Portable home.
DIR. Carmichael was seen yesterday aft
ernoon by an Advertiser reporter in re-
lation to Pratt's stay in these Islands.
IT can't say when Pratt is going
away" said the doctor. HE wanted very
much to go to Molokaf but, of course,
that cannot be. He must return to The
Coast. When he will return / do not
know, as soon as it is possible to secure
accommodations for him on one of the