Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-05-31

officials have taken the matter in hand and
have made fire and boat drills the nee
essary part of the training of every man
who ships on board a passenger-carrying
vessel In this country these drills. which
are held under government inspection just
before the vessel leaves port, are conducted
with man-of-war's precision as to detail,
while in England the training Is carried so
far that the lifeboatS are actually lowered
and are rowed some little distance from the
ships side. AS the result every one knows
the place that he must take In time of
emergency, as we'll the full nature of the
duty which he must perform, a condition
Of affairs which certainly has a tendency
to avert such panics as have made so many
accidents at sea doubly disastrous.
There are two regular drills that are prac-
ticed aboard ship, the boat drill and the
fire drill, and while they differ In some
particulars in different companies and
among different nations they agree in all
essential qualities. In the boat drill, for
example, the duty of the men is to prepare
the numerous small boats and RATS for
service In leaving the ship, so, at the first
sound of the alarm signal, every sailor on
board drops his work and hurries to the
upper deck, where, at the. word of COM
mand he springs to his allotted place and
proceeds to fulfill the task that is required
of him. In accomplishing this he works
rapidly, so rapidly. In fact, that scarcely
more than a minute eiapses before the boat
is swung out and is ready to be lowered.
U
ards department appear with their water
tight boxes of provisions, other officers at
tend to other details, and In another min
ute'S time, the twenty or more small boats
have been fully equipped with food, water.
medicine, maStS, sails and compass and are
ready for departure. Accidents at sea oc-
cur quickly, but the emergency must indeed
be a grave one If a well-drilled crew of ex-
perienced seamen does not have time to get
the Iifeboats and RATS clear of the vessel
before she founders.
Fire Worst Of All.
There is absolutely no peril that is more
feared by seamen than fire. and men who
can laugh at the dangers of the elements
turn pale If they observe. the faintest odor
of burning wood. They know the sea and
they are acquainted with the strange power
of the wind. They have had experience
with these furies, and they do not fear
them, but the mere thought of their utter
helplessness in case Of fire sets their hearts
a-trembling while the memory of the ter
rible marine CONGREGATIONS of the past will
be sufficient to unnerpeo the strongest man
if his courage has not been bolstered by
the confidence that only the fire drill can
impart
While the "boat" drill is a picturesque
spectacle, 1t Is an extremely simple eXer-
else when compared to that which is prac-
ticed in preparation for fire. for there are
many things that must be attended to on
the occasion of a conffagration at sea. AS
in the boat drill. of course. every sea-
man has his apportioned place, and it is to
this part of the ship that he hastens upon
the first alarm of fire The deck hands,
assisted by some of the members of the
engine room force are expected to handle
the hose; to the other members Of the
engine room force Is assigned the work at
the steam pumps: the stewards use the
fire buckets and every officer. like each
man, has a well-defned duty to perform.