Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1909-04-28
EQUIPMENT OF MOTOR BOATS.

To Collectors of Customs and Others
Concerned:
The department has received inquir-
les as to the equipment required by
the act of June 7. 1907, and section
1926 Revised Statutes. to be carried
on small motor vessels. In order to
insure uniformity in the enforcement
of this law, you are informed that
small motor vessels navigated in your
district should be equipped as follows:
WHISTLE, FOG HuRN AND
BELL.
ALI motor vessels, without regard to
size or use, must be provided with an
efficient whistle, an efficient fog horn,
and an efficient bell. No size or style
of whistle, fog horn or bell is pre-
scribed, provided it is available and
sufficient for the use for which it is in
tended The word efficient must be
taken in it's ordinary sense, considered
with reference to the object intended
by the provisions in which the word
appears, namely. the production OF
certain signals. The power to operate
the whistle is not prescribed, but it
must be of such a character as to
produce prolonged blast" which is
defined as of from four to six seconds
duration.
LIGHTS.
When navigated between sunset and
sunrise, they must carry regulation
lights, namely:
l. bright white light at the bow
or head of the vessel.
2. A green light on the starboard
side and red light on the port side
provided with proper screens. The
side lights may be affixed to the coan-
ing or to the sides of the deck house
as to be properly screened. provided
the lantern be backed with metal.
Whenever the green and red side
lights cannot be fixed, they must be
kept lighted and ready for use as pro-
vided by article of the act of June
71,907.
The law does not appear to permit
the use of three-color Combination
| light.
8. A white light aft. showing all
around the horizon, to range with the
head light.
COPIES OF RULES.
Such vessels ARE also required to
have on board two printed copies of
the rules which must be observed by
them, which rules will be furnished
by local inspectors of steam vessels
on request.
LIFE PRESERVERS.
All such vessels of Is gross tons or
less engaged in carrying passengers
for hire, in addition to the equipment
above stated. are required to carry
one life preserver for each passenger
carried and shall be operated only III
charge of person duly licensed by
the local inspectors of steam vessels.
Such vessels when used only as private
pleasure boats and not at any time en-
gagged in the carriage of passengers
for hire fare not obliged to comply
with the. provisions of the law in
regard to life preservers and licensed
operators. (The life preservers must
be of the sort prescribed by the regula
tions of the Board of Supervising
Inspectors. They must bear the
United States inspectors stamp.)
While the law does not require it.
the department recommends, in the
interest--of safety to life. that life
preserver for each person on boare
be carried on all motor boats, regard
less of size or occupation.
DOCUMENTING, INSPECTION ETC
All motor boats of over five net ton
engaged in the carriage of freight o.
passengers for hire must be docu
mented; that is to say, licensed by thu
collectors of customs. Vessels unde:
five tons are not documented in an.
case.) The license of the vessel OBJ
tanned. from the collector of customs
designated document) is additional
to and must not be COMPOUNDED witt
the license required for the operate