The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-04-20
Llfeboats

Lifeboats
II was SOLDERING news to many that
liners dosnot carry lifeboats for all
their passengers. The impression
has been general, and there have ben
few disasters to dispel it, that marine
rules require enough boats and RATS
to keep the whole ships company
ahoat This illusion is natural be-
cause of the great effect produced |
on the Imagination of the passenger /
by the serried rows of lifeboats hang I
ing from davits or resting in their
cradles along the whole length OF
the upper decks. Numerous, large, /
and seaworthy, and supplemented by
solid-ooking RATS, they seem enough
to provide for any emergency, pro-
vided there is time to launch them.
Even travellers who have crossed
many times are made easier in mind
by the reflection that If anything
should happen there would be the
ifeboats, uncomfortable, to be sure,
but in good weather as safe as a ship
and certain, thanks to wireless, to
be quickly picked up.
This illusion is favored, too, by the
sharp caste lines that prevail at
sea. Passengers unconsciously reck
on by the passenger list, which in
cludes only their own cabin; they
give little heed to the swarming null
titudes on other decks or to the. huge
total of the ships crew, officers, sail
ors, engineers, fremen, stewards,
nearly a thousand in all on the big
gest ships To provide for such a
floating city of people has hitherto
been found impossible, and, unfortun-
ately the bigger the ship the more
passengers she can carry in proper
ton TO the possible supply Of small
boats Lifeboats can be provided for
all, but in an icy sea the chance of
surviving in the water till help ar
rives is small.
Obviously the main dependence for
safety is in the strength Of the steel
ship with bulkheads, and in the ut
most care in navigation. The boats
at present carried, specially on ships
of 10000 tons or over can provide for
all only in case the wreck is near
shore and several trips can be made.
In the case Of the Titanic about
third of the ships company was pro-
vided for, and this ratio seems to be
accepted as normal for a ship of the
first magnitude. Yet question
bound TO be insistently raised by
this disaster is whether inventive
skill, which has done so much for
safety, cannot take the further step
of providing more boats and the
means for launching them. In the
| Titanic there was great surplus of
space given over to luxury, to great
saloons and spacious suites, to baths
and squash courts, and to every ap-
paratus required to entertain passen-
gers confined for a few days on ship.
board. Yet any passenger OF com
mon sense would gladly surrender
some of this magnificence in return
for definite assurance of seat in a
/ lifeboat In case of disaster
/ The possibility Of such provision is
a question for marine architects to
discuss. The great difficulty OF
course is not in carrying the boats,
hAh al AAhHAnANh ~ NlNiANs y NllN =
company OF 1000 would require so
/ boats holding so each. To keep so
many where they could at once be
b dropped in the water would be i'm.
practicable even on the 300-yard long
liners now in progress. Is there any
shift of mechanism by which folding
boats can be quickly launched, one
after another? IL is a point appar.
emily inadeQuately investigated as
yet and it has great Importance be
cause OF two considerations. In the
first place, wireless makes It posi-.
BILE usually TO bring help along the
ocean lanes In less than a day, and
secondly the bulkheads OF the modern
ship should allow II to float even af-
ter fatal collision with ice or an
other vessel. for several hours-time
to accomplish much provided the me
chanism for handling the boats were
intact
II might not be necessary to nh all
the boats with passengers before
they were lowered; II safely anoai
with a crew they could pick up sur
vivors floating with life belts anC
keep them alive tin the arrival Of
, help. In the way of hotel luxury tn,
modern liner has gone as far as pos
sible; Il is now time TO conslde
whether by rigid curtailment and me
chanical ingenuity lifeboats may no
/, be provided for all. The STEAMSHIP
[ company that can first make that an
nouncement will make the stronges
|, possible bid for favor The grea
' sea risk now is not from storm no
from grounding, but from collision
, with an iceberg in midocean. Tn
4. bulkhead Is the first line OF defense
3 and the lifeboat Is the second. TIL
/. problem Of increasing the avallabl
!. number OF boats that can be 10
: ahoat In two or three hours Of strer
O uous work IL the greatest that no,
v confronts the shipbullder.- SprinJ
!. field Republican.