Evening journal., 1915-07-26
RIVER
BOATS Declared SAFE
Ingenious Devices and Rigid
Inspection Prevent East
land Horror Here
SIDE WHEELERS
CANNOT OVERTURN

Naval architects and steamboat
men in this vicinity say that there is
small possibility of a disaster on the
Delaware river similar TO that of the
excursion steamboat Eastlsnd in Chi
cago on Saturday. Rigid steam
boat inspection. automatic stabilizers
and other contrivances on vessels cp-
Grating on the river. they said, mad
reduced the possibility Of such an
accident here to the minimum.
Capsizing of river vessels here, ac-
cording to one man, is prevented by
automatic ballast tanks. or timing
tanks. When more weight is placed
Oh one side Of the vessel than on the
other. and causes her TO list, these
timing tanks automatically throw the
required we ght on the other side OF
the boat
The largest excursion boat built on
the river recently, which was IN any
way similar to the Eastland, was the
Washington Irving, for the Hudson
river Omcials of tie New York Ship
building Company said that the boat
had been so designed as to prevent
such an accident as that which oc-
CURED in Chicago The number OF
persons who could get on the decks
on one side of this vessel was figured
cut and she was fitted with timing
tanks. These tanks according to this
/ official. would overcome any over
Weighing should all Of the passen-
gers rush to one side.
In some of the older vessels the sta
bility is maintained by movable ball
last in the holds of the boat This
movable ballast is usually a number
of large sbarrels filled with water.
When the vessel lists to one side the
barrels are rolled to the other
Shipbuilding men say that in river
boats the draft of the vessel is usual
= ~ slight and the centre Of gravity
not sufficiently low to permit of any
great shifting of weight unless the
vessel was fitted with automatic adj
iusting tanks or movable ballast.
Faulty ballast. they said. might cause
the vessel to capsize
All of the vessels on the Delaware
river are inspected five times a year
These inspections include eXamina-
ton of life preservers. hulls. boilers,
fire apparatus. lifeboats and machin-
cry. All bats are required to carry
more hfe-preservers than the number
of passenges they may carry. a lin
II is set as to the numbe O. passen-
GERS and all of the steamboat men
are said to strictly observe ;his rule
Water ballast tests on all OF the YES
sells operating on the Delaware also
are stringent
/ According TO steamboat men. tide
wind or a leak may cause disasters
II a vessel was leaking and listing
and all of the passengers should rusl
to that side. even the water Nallas
might prove ineffective in rightinI
the ship. and ne vessel would cap
size.
The heads Of all of the lines operat
ing river boats declared that thei
vessels we're probably safer than YES
sells in any Otl.er port This, the,
said was due 70 the rigid inspections
and the careful hallasting of the ship
they also said that they always hNe'
their passenger capacity at a lower
limit than that set by the steamooa
inspectors. It was pointed out tina
lsidewheelers cannot overturn.
The local inspectors Of steamboat
we're at loss to explain the over
turning of the Eastland. They sai'
they could not understand how YES
sci could overturn unless II was frs
overcrowded and then all the GROVE
shifted to one side of the vessel. caus
ing it 20 lean far over on one side 81
that a port hole became submerged
and water poured in. They would no
venture any further comment on TIL
disaster without fuller particulars.