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272. THE MARINE REVIEW DEVOTED TO MARINE ENGINEERING, SHIP BUILDING AND ALLIED INDUSTRIES Published Monthly by The Penton Publishing Company Penton Building, Cleveland. CHICAGO - s . = - 1521-23 Lutton Bldg. CINCINNATI - - - - - 503 Mercantile Library Bldg. NEW YORK - - i - . ie 507 West Street Bldg. PITTSBURGH - : - - . - 2148-49 Oliver Bldg. WASHINGTON, D. C. . - : - 301 Metropolitan Bank Bldg. BIRMINGHAM, ENG. : - : ° - Prince Chamber. Subscription, $2 delivered free anywhere in the world. Single copies, 20 cents. Back numbers over three months, 50 cents. Change of advertising copy must reach this office on or before the first of each month. The Cleveland News Co. will supply the trade with THE MARINE REVIEW through the regular channels of the American News Co. European Agents, The International News Company, Breams Building Chancery Lane, London, E. C., England. Entered at the Post Office at Cleveland, Ohio, as Second Class Matter. (Copyright 1914, by Penton Publishing Company) July, 1914 Navigation in Fog An appalling disaster overtook the Canadian Pacific liner Empress of Ireland in the lower reaches of the St. Lawrence river when she was struck by the collier Storstad and sunk in fourteen minutes. The collier ripped her badly on the port side, opening several compartments, which caused the liner to fill and sink with almost incredible speed. The collision was due to fog, though both steamers were quite aware of each other's presence. There is such a mass of con- flicting data that it is impossible to form as yet a reasonable conclusion as to what actually happened. The earlier stories seemed to indicate that the collier was at fault, but later reports fill the mind with certain misgivings concerning the liner's part in it. Nothing can be set down until the board of inquiry meets, except this--that the accident would not have happened if both vessels had got down to bare steerageway and felt their way past each other as the law very plainly directs. Over one thousand lives were lost and the tragedy is all the more pitiful be- cause it was so needless. On the lakes another steamer has been lost through collision in fog, the W. H. Gilbert, owned by the Lakewood Steamship Co., having been sunk in col- lision with the steamer Caldera, owned by the Kinney Steamship Co., about 15 miles south of Thunder Bay, Lake Huron. The Gilbert was struck fairly head-on by the Caldera and it is estimated that she sank in five minutes. Fortunately the Caldera was able to hold her bow in the Gilbert's side until the crew of the Gilbert had climbed aboard her. .The accident hap- pened shortly after breakfast and all members of the crew were up. Now this accident never in the world would have happened if both steamers had been proceeding under check and had got down to bare steerageway when they were aware of each other's proximity. The pilot rule on this subject is very clear: THE MARINE REVIEW 25 per cent of insurance on its own vessels. July, 1914 "Eyery vessel shall, in thick weather, by reason' of fog, mist, falling snow, heavy rain storms or other causes, go at moderate speed. A steam vessel hear- ing, apparently not more than four points from right ahead, the fog signal of another vessel, shall at once reduce her speed to bare steerageway and navigate with caution until the vessels shall have passed each other." It can be set down as a fixed and certain fact that if a master runs his vessel at full speed through fog he is doing so on his own responsibility and in direct violation of the orders of his owner. There is no owner on the lakes who wants his master to take such a chance. There may be here and there a de- tached manager whose financial interest in the fleet is small that is indifferent to the subject, but if there is, he will presently cease to be doing business on the lakes. The orders that go out from the leading offices are positive and direct that the pilot rules regarding navigation in fog shall be strictly observed and we repeat that when a master violates the rules he does so in direct opposition to the wishes of his owner. The curious thing is that some of the masters seem to think that owners are not serious in their instruc- tions tn this regard and that the owner is inclined to wink at a violation when it is successfully executed. That certain masters harbor this delusion is proved by the fact that collisions in fog continue to occur. The remedy for that sort of thing is a sharp rebuke when maneuvers are successfully carried out which have a large element of chance in them. Certain owners are careful to see that that sort of navigation is discouraged even when successfully performed. If a navigator comes through -the rivers when 20 or 30 other vessels are lying at anchor by reason of thick weather, it is a foregone conclusion that he has been taking chances. He has assumed a risk which his owner does not want him to take and the thing to do is to put him on the carpet and convince him that that sort of navigation is not desired. Every master on the lakes has been repeatedly told that the safety of the ship is his first consideration. Now there can be no side-stepping of that order. A master who is shoving his ship along in thick weather is not giving safety first consideration. He is actu- ated by other motives, very natural, human motives, to make as quick a run as possible, and he hopes thereby to win the approbation of his owner. He has got to get that idea out of his head just as fast as possible. He may get a bump on a single trip suffi- cient to knock his owner's profits for the entire season. Many vessels on the lakes are carrying their own insurance and more will do so as time goes on. The Great Lakes Protective Association, which is simply an association of vessel owners, is carrying Obvi- ously when an accident happens they bear 25 per cent of the loss, which is a considerable proportion for a single company to bear and makes serious inroads into capital account when the loss is a total one. There is absolutely no sense in taking a needless risk and every master should bear uppermost in his mind the fact that he is putting his employer's property in jeopardy when he does so. If every master owned his own vessel and operated it without insurance, he would be mighty careful what he did. That is exactly the point of view the owner desires him to possess and to keep uppermost in his mind at all times.