Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-06-05

and which IS not so impraetieabe as at
first sight IL might be considered. We
refer to the proposal to make some
portion of the superstrueture of the
ship a complete self-contained, floating
unit, which. in the event of the loss of
the ship. would remain ahoat and pro-
vide safe refuge for the passengers
and crew until they were taken off by
some reseuing vessel
That there is merit in the proposal
and that 1t can be practically applied is
shown BY the fact that the Pollok prize
for the best method of saving life at
sea was awarded 10 a design In which
the whole of the bridge structure was
so built that il would float independent
~ of the vessel.
1t mas been suggested that. in the
case of ship like the Titanic,
the large deck houses on the boat
deck might be built upon this principle
and so arranged that they could either
be launched from special launching
ways or permitted to float free when
they become suiiiently submerged 10
assert their buoyancy.
The objections to this arrangement
are: First, that such structures would
be too heavy to be launched in an emer-
gency with any certainty of safe and
successful operation, and secondly. that
if the poutoons were left to float of
themselves as the ship went down, they
would be liable to become entangled
with the smokestacks and their heavy
steel guy ropes and either upset or Sc
riously damaged. In nine cases out of
ten the damage to ships is received for
ward of midships and the vessel sinks
by the head Evidently, then. the best
location for the pontoon structure would
be at the stern of the ship and prefer
ably on the quarter deck.
We present, as study of this ques-
ton. the outlines of design in which
the upper decks of the after portion of
the snip, astern of the mdship strue-
ture. are utilized for this purpose In
the design shown the pontoon extends
for a depth of two decks. covers the
full width of the ship, and reaches from
the midship superstructure to the af-
ter-rail For full security, and TO pro-
vide the necessary stiffness. it might be
built with Il shallow, double bottom
The outside hull plating might be car
ried down until it tapped, with ample
clearance, an inch or so over the plat
ing of the ship itself-an arrangement
which would conceal the fact that the
pontoon was separate structure and
would give it the appearance of being
nm integral part of the ship itself
The problem of securing this pontoon
in place would not be so difficult
might be supposed 1t could be done in
several ways. As a suggestion the deck
ON which it rested might be provided
with several longitudinal rib-like pro
jections which would register with cor
responding longitudinal reeesses, sunk
in the outer shell of the double bottom
of the pontoon, Both the ribs and the
recesses would be tapered in cross sec
ton, and both would be provided with
bearing strips of bronze or other non
cerrodible metal, so as to insure the
ready release of the pontoon when the
ship went down. These ribs would eff
fectually hold the great weight OF the
pontoon against lateral movement when
the ship was rolling, and the friction
of the ribs would be sufficient to pre-
vent longitudinal movement under the
much smaller fore-and-aft forces set up
by the pitching of the vessel.
IF it We're deemed necessary a few
holdingdown bolts. readily accessible
and quickly released, might be added
as further precaution double-deck
pentoon, with it's deck houses of the
size shown in our front page engraving,
would be sufficient to accommodates in
an emergency, the whole of the passnn-
gers and crew of the ship of the size
of the misunderstanding American.