Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1912-05-23
PASSENGERS ON
pacific NOW
RESTRICTED

That the Pacific Mail boats have
been obliged to cut down their pas.
senger accommodations from 20 to 40
Der cent. is the news that arrived here
today from San Francisco. Affecting
directly Honolulu's steamer facilities,
the restrictions placed on the vessels
as a result of the Titanic disaster are
OF vital interest to the port.
According to the news. today twenty
of the big passenger steamers operat.
ing between San Francisco, trans-Pa.
cihc and Pacific Coast ports have
been Obliged to- cut down their passen.
ger lists from 20 to 40 per cent. be.
cause their life.boatage space, as mea.
sured by the new Federal regulations
governing such safety 'accommoda.
tons has been declared inadequate by
Federal inspectors. acting under the
direction of United States Supervising
Inspector Of Steamboats, John X. Bul.
ger of San Francisco. Inspectors with.
In the past few days have swooped
down on the vessels, measured the
life.boatage space, reckoned the mum,
Der of passengers carried and then is
sued their orders to the respective
captains. They are continuing the
work.
As a result the number of passen.
gers allowed by the Government to be
carried by vessels has been reduced
on many of the big liners and no yes.
sci leaving port from now on will get
her clearance papers unless she car.
ries sufficient life.boatage space to pro.
vide for every passenger and member
of the crew.
Good Follows Disaster.
The order Is indirectly the result of
the public sentiment aroused by the
Titanic disaster. According to inspect.
ors the Pacific Mail, the Pacific Coast,
the San Francisco and Portland Steam.
ship Companies and the Pacific Navs
cation Company are the transporta.
ton firms hardest hit. The vessels
affected by the new orders, according
to inspectors, are the steamers Mongo
liza, Manchuria, Siberia, Korea, Roam,
Oke, Yale, Harvard, Queen, Umatilla,
Governor, President, Bear, Beaver To.
peka, Queen, City of Puebla, State of
California, Yucatan, and the Bannan
boats, operating between the port of
Los Angeles and Catalina Island.
The Governments action has prov
ed complete surprise to the steam,
shipmen, who expected they would be
given sixty days time within which
to provide the additional small boat
and RATS required by law. As a re-
suit all the companies affected have
put in rush orders for boats and until
such time as these are completed they
1 ..gsl IL
which under the former Government
regulations they would have been al
lowed to accept.
Protests Of No Avail.
The steamshipmen have raised their
voices in informal protest against
what they claim Is discrimination Oh
the part of Uncle Sam because the
transport Sherman. with 1900 passen
gers aboard and lifeboat accommoda
lions for but 600, was allowed to clear
from Portland Saturday. The steam
boat inspecting service, however, has
no control over the transports, which
are run by the War Department, and
for that reason the inspectors working
locally have declined to hear the pro
tests.
Congress has already appropriated
$500, 900 for new small boats for the
transports, according to Bulger, and
lifeboats are being built now for the
Sherman and Sheridan at Mare Island
A little more than two weeks age
the executive committee of the BoarC
of United States Supervising Inspect
ors of the steamboat inspection serv
ice adopted amendments to,the rules
regulating lifeboatage space on ocear
vessels. Briefly. these amendments
provided that whereas, In the past
the steamers were required to carry
life-boatage space In proportion Il
their tonnage, In future they mus
carry lifeboatage space In proportion
to the number OF passengers transpor
ted with ten cubic feet of such spac,
, for each passenger and member Of the
crew.
Passengers Considered.
Formerly the Government in estab
fishing the proportion Of lifeboatag,
space to the tonnage of the vessel
considered also what sOther safety ap
, pliances the vessel had" said James
Guthrie, Inspector of Hulls and Boil
ers, who has been aiding in the loca
. inspection of vessels. "The Govern
|
safety of passengers In case of ship
wreck but lifeboats and liferafts. Ton
mage is no longer considered. The life
' roatage space must be In proportion
: to the passengers carried. Big liners
/, like those Of the Pacific Mail, hav'
l had their lists reduced approximate.
! 20 per cent. The coastwise vessels
: lists have been reduced about 33 Il
n
: instances. On every trip they ma!
g not carry the maximum amount w
, have now limited them to, but thei
certificates will be changed according
. Iy, and II they get an opportunity Il
carry an extraordinary large humble
OF passengers they will not be allowed
to go over the limit we prescribe II
the certificates"