Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-11

to float the vessel. The mighty pumping
machine, which can draw out 5000 tons
of water an hour. is set to work, and from
the moment of the alarm the boats are
made ready for use. with officer or sea-
man placed on guard, revolver in hand; for
here comes the first great danger-that OF
panic. ::
To minimize this danger a perfect system
of lighting must be maintained on the
boat, because darkness magnifes terror a
hundred fold. If the electric lighting plant
in the hull is disabled by the collision, a
reserve dynamo. worked by a benzne en-
CINE and located high above the water
line, is started up, and this lights the cor
ridors and companionways throughout the
boat. In addition to the secondary electric
light plant, the government inspection re-
quires candles in every stateroom for use
in emergency and small lamps, with pow
erful refectors, at regular intervals along
passage ways These must be lighted every
night at 8 o'clock and burn until dawn.
In this condition boat could float for
days until repairs were made, or relief in
the form of Il towing vessel was sighted.
The law also requires fe-preserver for
each passenger and member of the crew, to
the maximum capacity of the boat, as well
as thirty-six life buoys for emergency. The
life-preseryerS are hung above berths in
cabins, the buoys are dashed to the deck
and are supplied with magnesium lights at
tached to a rope some twelve or fourteen
feet in length Thus the buoy and its
Wearer can be traced in the night. Life
preservers are tested in every port where
the steamship lays over being picked out
at random and thrown overheard, with
weight of not less than fifty pounds at
tached, and left to float for several hours.
Plenty of Lifeboats.
The government requires steamship lines
to provide a sufficient number Of lifeboats
to accommodate the full complement Of
crew and passenger list. For instance in
one steamship carrying 467 frst-c!ass pas
sengers 800 second-class and SEQ steerage,
with a full crew of $50 men, there will be
found on the boat deck twenty-six large
lifeboats that will accommodate sixty per-
sons each and four to accommodate forty
each. The four smaller boats are always
swung out, ready for emergencies, such as
Man overheard. The larger ones are
swung in, even with the boat deck. 1t re-
quires two minutes to swing out a boat
and three or four minutes to lower 1t when
loaded with passengers
Each boat is supplied with an alright
compartment beneath the seat and a great
cork belt encircles it. Beneath the tarpau-
lin or canvas which covers it from the eye
of inquisitive passengers promenadlng on
the boat deck will be found two tanks of
bread two of water, small tank of OIL
to smooth a rough sea, a bottle of rum,
one compass, three rockets, two blue lights,
a dozen wind lights (Which will burn in
spite of a gale, one baling shovel, one
bucket, eight oars and one mast with sail.
This equipment is also rigidly examined by
inspectors in both ports.
When the boat is lowered 1t is COM
msnded by an officer. petty officer or one
of the seamen Oldest in service. The cap
tain is not in charge of a boat. being ex-
pected to remain with mis- steamer, on the
bridge, until every passenger has been
taken off The crew of each boat must
number at least one able seaman, and its
oarsmen are the stewards, firemen and
stokers drilled for this duty, twenty men
in all being allowed to each boat.
Boat Drill.
This drill occurs in each port where the
steamer lays over, and consists of practice
in swinging out and lowering the boats.
Each day during the time spent in port
boat crews are taken out in the boats for
practice in rowing.
Boats are resorted to, however, only when
every possible hope for keeping the steam
ship af1oat has been exhausted. Wonderful
repairs possible on shipboard.
Wherever the inquisitive passenger may go