SAFETY OF LIFE FROM FIRE AT SEA. 41 



The steel and wooden steamer Commonwealth operating on Long Island 

 Sound has i,8oo automatic sprinklers distributed throughout the interior of the 

 steamer, staterooms and lockers, not exceeding 8 feet from center to center in any 

 place. This system is divided into thirty circuits, each with a 4-inch diameter 

 main from a manifold located in the engine-room on the main deck. 



To this manifold the main discharge from a 16-inch by 12-inch by 12-inch 

 duplex fire pump is connected. This pump at all times maintains a pressure at the 

 manifold of 100 pounds per square inch and is fitted with a governor to maintain 

 this pressure in case of the opening of any of the circuits and sprinklers, and is 

 also fitted with a throttle by-pass which can be operated from the main engine- 

 room. 



Supplementary to this system is a thermostat system with mercury thermo- 

 stats located not over 12 feet centers with all wires run in conduit, and divided into 

 circuits corresponding with the sprinkler circuits. This system terminates at two 

 annunciators, one in the main saloon and one in the engine-room, indicating the 

 circuit number. The opening of a valve of corresponding number on the sprinkler 

 system manifold supplies water to the sprinklers at the fire. 



In addition to the two main annunciators on the thermostat system, small an- 

 nunciators are located throughout the saloons to determine the location of a fire 

 within a range of a few staterooms. All the annunciator drops, besides showing 

 the circuit number, indicate the location on the steamer and ring 8-inch alarm bells 

 located in the crew's quarters, engine-room and saloons. 



While this sprinkler system will undoubtedly prove efficient if the valve is 

 opened while the fire is in an incipient condition, the chances are that there will 

 be some appreciable delay and the fire be beyond control. It must be borne in 

 mind that the great efficiency of sprinklers on land has been due to their automatic 

 and immediate action, which can only be accomplished by maintaining the sys- 

 tem under water pressure or where there is liability of freezing by maintaining 

 air pressure in the system, using a dry-pipe valve. Experience has shown that 

 the slight delay in discharge of water with the dry-pipe system does not materially 

 reduce the efficiency of the sprinklers. 



There are sixty-five hose connections located throughout the steamer, con- 

 nected by copper fire mains with the fire and wrecking pumps, a so-foot length 

 of hose is attached to each outlet, and the location is such that all portions of the 

 steamer are protected. A large donkey boiler located on the main deck is connected 

 to all fire and sprinkler system pumps, and steam is kept up night and day when 

 the vessel is laid up for the winter months or for repairs. A watchman's time de- 

 tector is connected with thirty-eight recording stations so located that in order to 

 make a proper record the watchman must pass through every section of the ship. 



The ocean liners Imperator and Vaterland have 800 automatic sprinklers in- 

 stalled in deck "G" forward from amidships bulkhead to steerage bulkhead and aft 

 from amidships bulkhead to second class cabin bulkhead; in deck "H" forward 

 and aft of the amidships bulkhead. The sprinklered portions of deck "G" are 



