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'MHAOULSAG LOITANAd 'MAIA MOAC GNV WIAOYd GXVOANI 06 8 i'M O38 OL SL "L'°M 09 g9 OS im "LM SS Spl" Of Lm "LIM GE CLM OF LM TRAE MARINE. REVIEW 23 taken to make the vessel a success, at least so far as it lies within the practical knowledge and experience of those in- terested in designing the craft. The sav- ing of life at sea is a subject which should appeal to all persons interested in maritime affairs, and it is hoped that, among the members of this society there may be some who will advance sugges- tions or criticisms which may be -of value. REVENUE CUTTER NO. 17. This vessel has been designed and is intended for exclusive use as a derelict | destroyer in the North Atlantic ocean. Floating wrecks, or derelicts as they are commonly termed, drifting aimlessly in the paths of ocean-going vessels, have been a constant menace to seafaring men for years past. To the men on the bridge of a fast trans-Atlantic passenger steam- er, the thought that at any moment they may crash into a half-submerged wreck and cause the loss of their vessel is anything but comforting. Other ships in their path at night are discernible by lights, or can be located by signals in fogs; even icebergs make their presence known by lowering temperatures, but the specter-like derelict gives no indication of its whereabouts. The danger of col- | lision with these floating obstructions is known to all who travel by sea, yet until this time no systematic effort has .ever been made to rid the ocean of these menaces to navigation. True it is that at every international maritime confer- --ence held within recent years, resolutions have been passed and agreements made that each government represented at the conference would at once take up the matter, but the old saw "What is every- body's business is nobody's business" seems to have overcome good intentions in this respect. In this country special -- cruises have been made from time to time in search of some particularly dangerous derelict, and within the past few years © the revenue cutter service has systemati- cally blown up all sunken derelicts which have been reported as dangerous to navi- gation along the Atlantic coast. The United States government, always foremost in any movement to promote the interests of humanity, has finally de- cided to be the pioneer in what is hoped will be an international system for re- moval of derelicts from the most fre- quented paths of ocean travel. To that end congress recently passed a bill, ap- propriating $250,000 for the construction - of a vessel to be used exclusively for derelict destroying. This was brought about only after the most earnest efforts -- on the parts of the several maritime as- sociations and the steamship owners OL "7 the ports of New York, Boston and Philadelphia; to these organizations #8 |