24 DISCUSSION ON TWO PRECEDING PAPERS. 



flooded, but it is quite as important to have the hulls so designed that the vessel will be stable 

 under these conditions. The present government requirements for lifeboats and boat-hand- 

 ling gear is a serious problem on many ships. Little attention has been paid by the Govern- 

 ment to this important question of stability in damaged condition. Vessels built in accord- 

 ance with the present rules and regulations will sink in from ten to fifteen minutes if they 

 meet with even a slight damage. It is only necessary to have a leak in one compartment 

 that exceeds the capacity of the wrecking pumps. The time of foundering of a vessel de- 

 pends only on the time required to fill. One might well ask the question why we have so few 

 marine disasters. It is because the men who own and operate vessels are not satisfied to build 

 in accordance with the government regulations, but they insist on a better arrangement of 

 bulkheads. The saying that one should not criticize unless he is prepared to furnish blue- 

 prints for something better is especially applicable in this case, and I would like to take this 

 opportunity to say that this problem has not yet been satisfactorily solved. The various serv- 

 ices in which vessels are engaged make it necessary to adopt different types of construc- 

 tion; for example, in sound service, no bulkheads are required by law, yet there is no class 

 of vessels where the problem has been more successfully solved than in this particular line 

 of shipping, and there are to-day no vessels under the American flag better equipped along 

 this line. The very nature of the service gives the designer a chance at bulkhead arrange- 

 ments that might not be practical in some other line of trade where the problem is more 

 complicated. 



"I would, therefore, suggest that a committee be formed to study this very important 

 subject and its application to the American trade. This committee should be composed of 

 representatives of the United States Steamboat Inspection Service, designers, builders, and 

 owners. They should prepare rules and regulations governing the construction, location of 

 bulkheads, the height of bulkheads and their relation to the maximum load line. They should 

 further consider the necessity for double-bottom construction and the extent to which this 

 should be carried on American vessels. After they have completed this most important 

 problem they should take up the complete revision of the present rules and regulations of 

 the Steamboat Inspection Service. 



"I do not want the Board of Supervising Inspectors to think that in making these sug- 

 gestions I am casting any reflection upon the Board. As a matter of fact, designers and 

 owners cannot now agree on what should be required or is necessary in all cases. It is, 

 therefore, not at all surprising that the present government rules and regulations are inade- 

 quate for the present conditions. The art of shipbuilding and designing has made very rapid 

 strides in the last few years, and in order to keep up with this progress, new rules and regu- 

 lations have been added from time to time ; these should be collected and brought up to date. 

 The committee, representing, as it would, all sides of the subject, with the assistance gained 

 by properly conducted hearings should be in a position to produce results that would be of 

 great value to the entire country." 



I wish to take this opportunity to solicit the hearty co-operation of all members of the 

 Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, to the end that we may impress upon 

 the Government the necessity of a committee to revise the present rules and regulations, 

 and if I am entirely in order, and I know that the chairman will correct me if I am not, I 

 will make a motion that a committee be appointed by the Chair to draw up a resolution, 

 subject to the final approval of this meeting, calling the attention of the proper government 



