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'that he desired to April, 1914 the general structural strength made the system an ideal one for "tanker" construction. The fact also that the system allowed much more hydraulic riveting in the shipyard was also in its favor. _ Sir Walter Runciman stated that there was nothing to equal turret THE MARINE REVIEW steamers as catriers of cotton, coal and grain. If one attempted to con- vey a deck cargo it might get lost. In the "three island" deck vessels there was a class of economical work- ers. The "long bridge' vessels were excellent for certain classes of cargo. Hurricane deck vessels had _ been - them was their speed. 143 found more expensive than the "three islands,' but the great thing about Today naval architects are paying more attention to producing vessels of finer lines than heretofore for speed, but they will not necessarily be of high power. Those that have been put into use Pittsburgh Steamship Co. A Great Variety of Important Topics Were Discussed and Disposed of at the Tenth Annual Meeting of the Pittsburgh Steamship Co.'s Officials, Masters and Engineers HE tenth annual meeting of f the Pittsburgh Steamship Co.'s officials, masters and engineers was held at the Hollenden, Cleveland, March. 23 to 25, and was generally credited as being the best that the company has held. so far. In opening the session, H. Coulby, president and general manager, said make safety the keynote of the meeting. that possibly he might not have anything new to say, but that in a company as large as the Pittsburgh Steamship Co. changes are always tak- ing place and some of the' younger men have not had the advantage of the discussions that have taken place at preceding meetings. He thought that emphasis should be placed upon everything that tends to safeguard life, whether at sea or in port. "We have had the committee of captains working all winter,' said he, "and more than' ever am I convinced that it was a step in the right direction to have the committee of captains take up and discuss this question. The re- cent visit of the captains to Wash- ington to appear before the com- mittee of the house of representatives on the La Follette seamen's bill was the best thing possible. I haye been informed that the committee of cap- tains made the best impression that has ever been made upon a congres- sional committee, far better than any committee that we have ever -sent, and that. is because they were prac- tical men dealing with a practical condition." Details of Management A. F. Harvey, assistant general manager, took up in detail various matters that had previously been con- sidered by committees of captains and engineers. He said that the inspectors of steam vessels are going to be very critical in inspecting boats hereafter and he wanted all possible assistance given to them. He urged a thorough examination of deadlights and wanted He added no more broken deadlights carried on the ships. He urged that coal bunkers and floors should not be left in stich shape that they cannot be got at if repairs are needed. He said that a lot of money had been spent in re- pairing leaks in the texas and cabins that could have been avoided with caré. He urged a particularly careful inspection of all deck beams and stanchions and cargo holds. Mr. Har- vey stated that during the winter all wooden hatch covers had been re- placed with new ones and advised the masters to be very critical in their examination of hatch covers through- out the season. A new form will be supplied to the masters in making recommendations for repairs. This form will be as complete as it is. pos- sible to make it in order that the masters may not overlook anything. Captains' Committee The captains' committee has ap- proved the plan of keeping a separate book. for the steering engine which will contain complete chronicling of length of service of the various parts, so that a new officer going aboard will know exactly what to expect. Mr. . Harvey also directed the captains to remember that the government in- spectors hereafter will want a report direct from the masters of all the re- pairs in excess of $100 that are made to increase the seaworthiness of the craft. "It is not sufficient that this report shall come from the office; it must come from the master." Some of the boats this year will have new draught marks on the rudder merely as auxiliary aid in establishing the draught, but the marks are not to be depended upon until verified in ractice. a ruled by Mr. Coulby that whenever a lifeboat is put off for re- pairs it will not again be allowed to be put aboard any boat until it has been passed upon by the government inspector. The committee on wheel chains recommended that all wheel chains in need of attention should be returned to the factory, worn links replaced, and the chain properly an- nealed. : "L.-remember," said. Me: -Coulby, "that a welded link was submitted to me once. It. -might as well have been welded with putty in so far as its usefulness was concerned. I tried at that time to get the vessel men on the lakes to induce some one to establish a plant at the Sault for testing and welding chains on condition that we would give the plant all of our busi- ness. It did not go through and we have, therefore, to go it alone. We will. make arrangements with a chain factory for testing all our chains be- fore they are sent back to the ship. I. confess that I have myself been negligent in the past in letting the purchasing agent of a ship yard se- lect our chains. We pay roundly $350,000 for a boat and then permit the purchasing agent to put aboard a chain upon which he can save pos- sibly a few dollars. Hereafter it will be stipulated that our wheel and an- chor chains will have to undergo the most rigid test there can be found. We will hereafter designate the kind of chain we want. - Individual Responsibility "But what is uppermost in my mind and what I am driving at is this: In this big organization of ours we have all kinds of departments and by reas- on of the fact that each department passes upon the things within it, we are likely to lose sight of the ques- tion of personal responsibility. You may he inclined to take the depart- ment's O. K., but you must remember that the department simply passes upon the fleet as a whole, and that the question of the individual ship is ab- solutely up to the 'master and engineer of that ship. If there is anything on the individual boat that is not right, it is up to you to report it and to