The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1912-04-24
LAKE BOATS ARE
WELL PROTECTED
DETROIT VEssELMEN SAY DIS
AsrER is NOT POSSIBLE ON
LAKE VESSELS AND o.
X. THE LAW.

Detroit vesselmen. says the Detroit
Journal do not believe that legislation
such as proposed by the Lake Soamen's
union and the Chicago Federation of
Labor would have the encct of in
creasng the margin of safety for pas
ssngers, at least on boats plying out of
Detroit Practically every Detroit pas
stngcr boat Is better equipped with
life-saving devices than the law or the
steamboat inspectors demand They do
not believe that loss of life such as
occurred with the sinking of the IT,
tanic. could happen on the lakes under
similar conditions.
The resolutions prepared by the Chi
cago Federation and the Lake Sea-
mems union demand legislation that
would require that 20 per cent Of the
deck crew OF every American steamer
be experienced seamen; that every
passenger steamer be equipped with al
sufficient number of lifcboats and that
effective and practical boat drills be
held regularly.
These resolutions are in accord with
bill now I'm Congress and introduced
by the lake seamen. Under it the
qualifications of efficient seamen are
set out in such way that practically
the only persons who could qualify
would be members of the union, who
are supposed to be on strike.
"Who is to say what constitutes an
4 NN.atau To-
of the ID. & 4. Il certainly believe,
and our captains believe, that our
crews are efficient. otherwise we
wouldn't hire them. The record in
the office of the steamboat inspectors
nroye this is true and also disposes
Of the third point i'm the proposed leg
islation. Fire and boat drills are held
regularly on all passenger boats run
ming out of Detroit. The inspectors
records will show some remarkable
time for lowering lifeboats. and ex-
cellent work in answering fire alarms.
The men must be efficient or they
couldn't do this
Crews Contest for Records.
There is a great deal of rivalry
! among the crews on Detroit passen-
| ger boats I'm boat and fire drills. Not
/ only is each boat crew striving to be
the most efficient on its steamer, but
| the crew of each vessel glories in clip
ping a second off the seasons record
for general work, and this rivalry Is
conducive 10 efficiency The Frank Il.
Kirby held the record last season, put
| ting all boats i'm the water in close to
one minute. And the alarm came with
out warning. al
The boats are redhired TO carry life
preservers for every person aboard
and inspection is most rigid Each
spring all life boats are critically eX-
| ahmed Throughout the season l
have known life belts to he condemn
ed merely because someone had laid
& lighted cigar on one. scorching the
| canvas"
The only contingency in which great
loss of life could result on a lake boat
X Is declared by vesselmen, would
| no the blowing up of the boilers or
some accident that would lead to the
immediate sinking of the ship. in
which event there would be no time
IN launch lifeboats, even If they were
not destroyed.
Says Boats Are safesuarded.
William Livingstond president of
tho lake Carriers association, is quot
ed in the Detroit Free Press, as fol-
lows:
"Iake steamers are wedl safe
4 -.
Guarded in the eighth district, which
| is the largest on the lakes. steam
boats last year carried 12,061,791 pas
| seneers. while boats running out OF
| Detroit carried 9,2Oi.143 persons and
of these only one life was lost and That
q suicide. who jumped overheard
1.-THE live saving equipment carried
! on American steamers on the lakes IL
very complete and the life saving serv-
ice IL n very efficient one. so the chance
OF any accident involving large loss oil
life is very slight
Cant. c II. Wcstcott, supervising IN
spector of the eighth district, takes
similar attitude in reference to the
adoouacv of live saving equipment on
| steamboats, inspected under the rules
of the United States board OF super
vising inspectors.
"Fire and boat drills are held re9u-
larIv on all steamboats, running out oil
Detroit" says A. \. Schantz' genera
manager of the ID. & G. "The recorus
az tho steamboat inspectors viii snow
that remarkably quick time mas oeeh
made lowering life boats ana IN re-
sponding to fire alarms. This. goes 10
show the efficiency of the men VINO
make UP the crews