The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1907-08-01

officer of the wrecked steamship and
the reports of the officers of the San
Pedro before / can make any comment
upon the accident
By John X. Bulger,
Inspector of Boilers.
No vessel on the Pacific Coast could
withstand the terrific force and effect
of a collision at sea. 1t makes little
difference how many compartments
the ship may have. Imagine the effect
Of weight of many hundred or thou
sand tons travelling at a rate of ten
or twelve miles an hour, striking an
object, say a steel ship whose sides
are not thick. The force of the i'm
pact is terrific.
The Columbia was in excellent
condition and was one Of the best
steamships on the coast She had all
that the law required-three bulk
heads, making four water-tight com
partments. Fill one of these with
water and the weight is enough to
sink the boat. A vessel blowing at
full speed through the water colliding
with another, almost broadside, would
literally rip her in two. No vessel
could stand up with a hole in her side
representing nearly the breadth of the
colliding ship.
The bulkheads las built in the steam
ers on this coast, run only to the main
deck In the event that one compart-
ment is filled with water through a
hole made by collision, the rapid set
Ting of the injured ship would bring
the water up to the level of the top
of the bulkhead and it would then flow
into the other water-tight compart-
ments and the ship would go down
like a piece of lead.
The steamship Columbia was prac-
tically a new boat. She was built in
1895, and when injured in the Union
Iron Works drydock during the earth
quake was entirely refitted. l cannot
make any comment on the collision
since l have not yet seen any of the
officers of the Inflated ship or those
of the steamship San Pedro. We have
only the report of Captain r. ]. Dun
ham Of the Roanoke, which is meager
and tells none of the details of the ac-
cident.
The navigation laws require that a
vessels speed be reduced in foggy
weather, so that she is under control.
Half speed is generally considered the
speed at which steamer is under con-
troll, but the master is allowed to use
his own judgment as to what speed he
can maintain and still have his shin
under control. 1 have not heard al
what speed the Columbia and San Ped
70 were running.
Examiner oath: A misunderstand-
ing led to John K. Bulger, local in
spector Of boilers, being quoted in yes
terday's issue as saying that II one
water-tight compartment in a vessel
such as the Columbia be filled with
water the weight is enough to sink the
vessel. The Columbia had five water
eight compartments, and not four as
previously stated. The flooding of one
of them would not necessarily have
meant the sinking of the vessel. What
Mr.. Bulger wished to convey was that
a broadside collision, smashing away
a bulkhead and thus opening two COM
Dartments is infinitely more likely to
sink a vessel than a head-on collision
that merely opens the first compart-
ment There are many cases on record
Of vessels steaming into port with a
gaping hole in one compartment. For
example the Transport Hancock, while
running under the name OF Arizona,
had her stem rammed in by an ice
berg on the coast OF Newfoundland
but yet reached port without trouble