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SEPTEMBER 20, I900, THE MARINE RECORD. 9 eee eee reer eres MGS ee ne eee ARE THE REVISED STATUTES COMPLIED WITH? : Section 4481, R. S. says: ‘‘Every steam vessel navigating rivers only, except ferry boats, freight boats, canal boats and towing boats, of less than fifty tons, shall have at least _ one good substantial boat with lines attached, and properly supplied with oars, and kept in good condition at all times and ready for immediate use,”’ etc. Section 4488, R. S., says: ‘‘Every steamer navigating the ocean, or any lake, bay or sound of the United States, shall be provided with such numbers of life boats, floats, rafts, life preservers and drags, as will best secure the safety of all persons on board such vessels in case of disaster; and every such vessel navigating any of the northern and north- western lakes, shall have the life boats required by law, pro- vided with suitable boat disengaging apparatus, so arranged as to allow such boats to be safely launched while such ves- sels are under speed or otherwise,’’ etc. Now, we ask, in the name of justice and humanity, why are not these requirements complied with? Are the acts of Congress in this all important matter formulated merely to suit the whims of the steamboat inspection service and en- forced at its pleasure, regardless of consequences? It seems so. The facts, in the estimation of many, are that the steamboat inspection service has become altogether too au- tocratic for the public safety, and if that service is to con- tinue, there should be a higher board created, composed of practical men whose duty should be to formulate concise and sensible rules and regulations governing steam vessels, and after adoption, turn them over to the steamboat inspec- tion service and see that that body enforces them: to the letter. It does not require many words to show that the Re- vised Statutes relative to steam vessels are not strictly en- forced. That portion of Section 4488 which says that ‘‘every steamer navigating the ocean, or any lake, bay or sound, shall have the life-boats required by law, provided with suitable boat disengaging apparatus, so arranged as to allow such to be safely launched while such vessels are under speed or otherwise,’’ is commendable; but, alas! its non-ful- filment has been the means of launching into eternity many hundreds of dearlives. Without exaggeration, five-tenths of the lives that have been lost in steam vessel disasters were attributed to defective boat disengaging apparatus. Those who are familiar with the many heart-rending disasters will bear us out in this assertion. It has been the case with ill- fated foreign steamers as well, among them the Mohegan, LaBourgogne and many others, where hundreds of lives met a watery grave. We dare say should a serious accident be- fall the New York and Sandy Hook steamers, for instance, which go loaded with passengers, there would undoubtedly be many lives lost on account of the time occupied in lower- ing the boats by the antiquated apparatus. When a person falls or jumps overboard from a ferry boat, which is a com- mon occurrence, it is seldom that a lifeboat is launched. Why? Because either the boat is in a dilapidated condition or the falls are out of order. So the only attempt at rescue is to hurl anything close at hand to the struggling and drowning person, whose death, perchance, is expedited by his being hit upon the head by these what-not life-pre- servers. We Say separate the chaff from the wheat. There are some good rules governing steam vessels, and there are others obnoxious, but, by all means, let the former be en- forced for the welfare of humanity. It is to the interest of steam vessel owners themselves, that their lifeboats should be serviceable and properly equipped, and the law complied with, for when an accident does occur and lives are lost, the vessel owners will be held amenable should it be proven that the laws were not complied with.—American Shipbuilder. ss FT’ > ore A SIX MASTER. The six-masted schooner George W. Wells was launched from the yard of Mr. Harvey M. Bean, at Camden, Me., on the 14th ult. The record mast carrier is 302 ft. 11 inches long on the keel, 345 ft. long over all 48 ft. 6in. beam, and 23 ft. deep. She has two full decks, with a poop 4 ft. deep ex- tending from the taffrail to the forward hatch. Her frame is white oak throughout, and all her planking and ceiling hard pine. The garboards are 8 in. thick, other planking 6 in. her ceilings to the lower deck beam is 12 and 14 in, thick. A notable feature is the keelson, which is 13 ft. high _ aft, running up to a height of 17 ft. forward. The after house is 36 ft. square; amidships is the galley, and forward the engine-house and forecastle. The six lower masts are of Oregon pine, each 11g feet long and 30 inches in diameter in the partners; the top- masts are each 58 feet long, the foretopmast being 20 inches in diameter in the cap. The jib-boom is 75 feet long and 20 inches in diameter in the cap. The driver-boom is 75 feet long and 18 inches in the slings. The other booms are 42 feet long and 14 inches in the slings. Her foretopmast, driver-boom and jib-boom are of Oregon pine, and all other spars of spruce. All the standing rigging is of wire, set up with turnbuckles. The masts are named as follows, begin- ning forward: Foremast, mainmast, mizzenmast, spanker- mast, jiggermast and drivermast. The vessel will carry 12,009 square yards of the heaviest duck, in the following pieces; Driver, jibber, spanker, mizzen, main and foresails; six gaff-topsails of the same respective designations, driver, jigger, spanker, mizzen and maintopmast staysails; five jibs. There is no reason why this big schooner should not be a great money maker, as she can cary more than 5,000 tons of coal ona draft of 24 feet with only 14 men, all told, for crew. A full-rigged ship of equal size would carry at least 3I men as crew. TT SO VISIBLE SUPPLY OF GRAIN. As compiled for TH# MARINE RECORD, by George F. Stone, Secretary Chicago Board of Trade. WHEAT.| CORN. CITIES WHERE OaTs. RYE. | BARLEY STORED, Bushels. | Bushels, | Bushels. | Bushels. | Bushels, Buffalo 3,300,000 72,000 510,000 14,000 16,000 i «| 12,902,000] 1,402,000] 3,153,000 411,000 17,000 : 348,000 48,000 155,000 75,000 7,000 * 6,657,000 207,000 50,000 66,000 156,000 Fort William, Ont. . GOOs000 | Fras. eel eantere s mon lem aecct tenes Porc ane Milwaukee..,....,.. |. . 779,000 117,000 137,000 AyOOO| is F585 SeieresG Port Arthur, Ont.... GBYOOO [irene a don walle Sce vnesiacaial[ GR arise ine al crises Toledo econ ties 1,261,000 409,000} 1,540,000 38,000 6,000 Toronto svteny 27,000) wives 23 Fah 2 LAOODN sci sraicccistaie sifcaiacs aeee 116,000 181,000 37,000 17,000 20,000 Oni Bakes cee; 2,047,000] 1,242,000 700,000 17,000 139,000 On Miss. River......] ......... 20,000 BOOOO| a imine voreeres Grand Total..... 53.927,000| 5,602,000] 10,347,000 794,000 653,000 Corresponding Date, TBOOK es iwi aera 39,288,000} 8,107,000] 6,528,000 627,000 619,000 FNCHCASE cat ok oie 2,192,000 245,000] 1,522,000].......... 196,000 DE CLEASE ire ysis sreisiopeiora'lnrcssee iciandae acaopag eg Sr om @ £37,000] 33s eye While the stock of grain at lake ports only is here given. the total shows the figures for the entire country except the Pacific Slope. oir NEW COAL DISCHARGING DEVICE. The California Wire Works, of San Francisco, have de- signed a new device for unloading vessels, which is at pres- ent being used upon an old monitor that is doing duty as a coal barge in San Francisco Bay. It consists of a 2,240 lb. capacity grab bucket, operated over a movable trolley run- ning ona track cable supported by structures erected at each end of the barge. The power used consists of a triple drum link motion double-cylinder 10 by 12in. The trolley is moved fore and aft on the track rope by means of a grooved drum on the hoisting engine, the rope being endless. The closing rope and hoisting rope running from the grab bucket pass over sheaves in the lower part of the trolley, thence to the head sheaves in the supporting tower, and thence to their respective drums on the hoisting engine, One man operating this engine is able to discharge two loads a minute into the hopper in the center of the boat, over which the bucket passes. The coal is then conducted by a chute toa coal tub on either port or starboard side resting on a square platform, where it is: automatically weighed and is then hoisted to the top of the side frame and automatically dumped into a chute which extends over the side of the vessel being loaded. It can deliver coal into vessels at varying heights, the maximum difference in deck levels being 30 feet. This coal tub is operated by an aux- iliary engine amidship. ee DEFINITE steps have been taken for the reconstruction of the whole of the Ottoman navy, except in the case of some ships considered to be valueless. Messrs. Ansaldo have in hand at Sampierdarena the old central battery ironclad Messoudieh, which is receiving an armament of two 9.2 in. guns, twelve 6-in. quick-firing, fourteen 3-in. quick-firing, ten 6-pounder quick-firing, and two 3-pounder quick-firing, as well as water-tube boilers, The Assar-i-Twfik has pro- ceeded for reconstruction to the German yard, Kiel. A con- tract has been signed with Messrs. Ansaldo for the recon- struction of the Azizieh, Orkanieh and Osmanieh. The other ships to be rebuilt are the Avni-Allah, Feth-i-Boulend, Mahmoudieh and Mouin-i-Zaffer, which will shortly follow the others to the Italian yard. The ships will receive Krupp guns. - SHIPPING AND MARINE JUDICIAL DECISIONS. (COLLABORATED SPECIALLY FOR THE MARINE RECORD.) Collision—Steam Vessels Crossing.—A steam canal boat was primarily in fault for a collision in East river, close to the Brooklyn shore, caused by her attempting to cross the bow of a ferry boat, which was about to enter her slip, without giving any signal of such intention, where the ferry boat was also on her starboard, and therefore the privileged vessel, The Republic, 102 Fed. Rep. (U. S.) 997. Steam Vessels Crossing—Duty of Privileged Vessel.—The one of two crossing steam vessels which has the right of way has the right to rely on the performance by the other of her duty to keep out of the way,. so long as there is reasonable time and space for her to do so; but, when it becomes obvious that she cannot avoid collision by her own maneu- vers, itis the duty of the privileged vessel to at once stop and reverse. The City of Augusta, The Chicago, Ocean §. S. Co, of Savannah, vs. Pennsylvania R. Co., 102 Fed. Rep. (U. S.) 991. Admiralty—Action for Tort—Principles Governing.—A suit in admiralty against a ship owner to recover for the death of a stevedore, resulting from an injury received on board the ship, is governed by the same principles that would be applicable had the accident occured on land, and recovery been sought ina common-law action; and the defend- ant’s liability must rest on some act of negligence, or the violation of some duty he owed to the deceased, which prox- imately caused the injury. Jefferies et al vs. De Hart, 102 Fed. Rep. (U. S.) 765. Collision—Tow and Anchored Vessel—Negligence of Tug. —A tug having three tows, single file, on hawsers over 1,000 feet in length, failed to discover the lights of an anchored vessel until within 1,000 feet, although they could have been seen for half a mile or more; and then changed her course, but so late that she barely missed the anchored ves- sel, and the leading tow, under the influence of the tide, came in collision with it. Held, that the tug was in fault for the collision in not sooner seeing the lights and chang- ing her course, The Indian Ridge, 102 Fed. Rep. (U. S.) 767. Collision—Steamship and Ferryboat—Passing Unnecessar- ily Near New York Piers.—It is negligent navigation for a steamship, without necessity to run ata speed of 8 or 10 knots within 300 feet of the ends of the piers along the New York side of the Hudson, where numerous ferry boats are constantly entering and leaving their slips, which cannot be justified by any previous practice or custom, and which renders such vessel liable for any resulting colision witha ferry boat. The City of Augusta, The Chicago, Ocean §. S. ' Co., of Savannah, vs. Pennsylvania R. Co., I02 Fed Rep. (U. S.) gor. Contributory Fault of Tow—Duty to keep Lookout.— Tows, like other vessels, must exercise ordinary skill and vigilance to avoid collision; and a tow being navigated in greatly-frequented waters, in a line 1,000 feet long, cannot safely depend entirely upon the tug, but it is her duty to keep a lookout, and to be prepared to cunt her hawser if nec- essary to prevent a collision, and her failure to exercise such precaution, which would have enabled her to avoid a colli- sion resulting from the negligent navigation of the tug, isa fault contributing to such collision. The Indian Ridge, 102 Fed. Rep. (U. S.) 767. Negligence—Omission of Duty—Injury of Stevedore.—A ship contracted with a company, as master stevedores, for the loading of the vessel; agreeing to furnish ‘‘all necessary steam, slings, and rope for falls.’’ The tackle used was selected by the stevedores themselves, with the consent of the officers of the ship; and suitable for the purpose. Held, that the shipowner owed no duty to a stevedore employed by the contractor, to supervise or control such selection, and that he was not liable for the death of the stevedore, caused by the giving way of such tackle. Jefferies et al vs. De Hart, 102 Fed. Rep. (U. S.) 765. Insufficient Lookout.—The Chicago, a ferryboat running between New York and the New Jersey shore, and the City of Augusta, a steamship coming in from the sea, came in collision near the end of the New York piers, as the Chicago was about to enter her slipin the night, and the Chicago was sunk, being struck about one-third of her length from the stern. The vessels appeared to have sighted each other about the same time, which was not until the Chicago was about 200 feet, and the Augusta 400 or 500 feet, from the point of collision, although both carried the usual lights, and there was nothing to ‘obstruct the view between them. The Chicago, being then too near the course of the Augusta to avoid collision by stopping, increased her speed and at- tempted to pass ahead, signaling her intention; at the same time the Augusta made a similar signal, neither signal being heard by the other vessel. Held, that both vessels were in fault for failing to sooner observe each other, and that the Augusta was further in fault in passing up at a speed of 8 or Io knots within 200 or 300 feet of the ends of the piers, without necessity, and because she failed to stop and reverse until within 25 feet of the Chicago, although it was evident when she was 300 feet or more distant from the point of collision, that the Chicago was attempting to pass ahead and that collision could not otherwise be avoided. The City of Augusta, The Chicago, Ocean S.S. Co., of Savannah, vs. Pennsylvania R. Co., 102 Fed. Rep. gg.