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Marine keview FOUNDED 1878 SHIP OPERATION : Volume 64 Fireproof Construction for Ship Interiors new impetus to the development of meas- ures designed. to render impossible the repetition of the particular failure involved. That fire could spread so quickly on a modern vessel such as the Morro CASTLE, incorporat- ing all of the latest and most efficient safe- guards in prevention, detection and extinction of fire, was a shocking revelation. a major disaster at sea has given a Investigation of the disaster and the study and analysis of the findings will drive home a clear realization of the vulnerable parts in the system of protection against the possibility of such a catastrophe. Intensive efforts will be di- rected to the development of ways and means to eradicate these weaknesses. Many factors enter into the equation of safe- ty against the ravages of fire at sea. Under all circumstances the human element plays its part. Always for safety dependence must be placed to a very large extent on those who are responsible for the operation of the ship. It is necessary that they should be carefully trained in the duties called for in an emergency. The mechanical appliances for detection, con- trol and extinction of fire must be dependable and efficient and must be maintained in good working order. Insofar as any of these factors were respon- sible, the lesson again learned is that for safe- ty the greatest care must be exercised in es- tablishing the proper functioning of all me- chanical appliances and that everything human- ly possible be done to ensure orderly, disci- plined and co-ordinated action of officers and crew in an emergency. When, despite all of the above precautions, it is possible to conceive of a disastrous fire such as that experienced on the Morro SHIPBUILDING . October, 1934 CARGOHANDLING Number 10 CASTLE, the problem becomes definitely one for the naval architect and shipbuilder. They will be called upon to develop designs and methods of construction using materials which would make the structure fireproof, or at the least, so highly resistant that no fire could gain dangerous headway. In this connection perhaps one of the most important results of the disaster will be the breakdown of resistance to change in design and in the use of materials hallowed by time and tradition. No longer will it be taken for granted that the all-steel structures of passen- ger ships can only be finished in their interiors, to meet present day demands for luxury and comfort, by the use of wood and other similar materials. A way will be found to create suit- able interiors which are in fact fire resisting. Though resistance to change will not in the future be so stubborn, it must be remembered that this calls for a breaking with custom and habit which has persisted since the days when wood was the only material of which ships were built. On the other hand it must be borne in mind that much progress along this line has already been made. In the steel structure which framed all of the elaborate quarters on the Morro CASTLE, by what stretch of the imagination and to what extent could the more or less inflammable ma- terial, considered necessary for comfort and beauty, be replaced by cold steel? The art of steel making, fabrication and finish has passed through a remarkable development in recent years, and the steel maker and artisan in steel are now prepared to meet the require- ments of the artist and interior decorator. It would be difficult to go so far as to sug- gest that a substitute should be found for the teak or pine decks. This would be the last and most humiliating departure from _ tradition, but who knows, perhaps the future will witness even this drastic transformation. We cannot help joining the universal protest against such a change. MARINE REVIEW—October, 1934 11