74 STABILITY OF VESSELS AS AFFECTED BY DAMAGE, ETC. 



Reid, happened in the case of the Empress of Ireland in the St. Lawrence River. If a 

 large amount of side were opened to the sea, and an intervening longitudinal bulkhead con- 

 fined the entering water to one side of the vessel, the loss of buoyancy and decrease in trans- 

 verse stability might easily result in disaster to the vessel. 



I mention this matter of stability in connection with the work of the London Confer- 

 ence to show that it was not overlooked ; but, in the discussion which ensued on bringing up 

 the question, the practical difficulty of doing anything satisfactory in any reasonable time ap- 

 peared so great that it was decided that this particular subject must be left to the skill of 

 individual designers. I have no doubt that if designers are not unduly hmited by owners, 

 the result will be satisfactory; but, if they are limited by owners in such a way as to impair 

 the integrity of the design under certain conditions of damage, then it does seem to me that 

 a naval architect of the right professional feeling will deliberately decline to have his name 

 associated with such a design, and I feel quite sure that such a stand by eminent profes- 

 sional men would prevent any one interested in taking any chance in such a serious matter. 



Mr. Gatewood (Communicated) : — The object of the paper was to continue the sub- 

 ject of "Safety at Sea" one step into the region which, for reasons which were explained by 

 the Chairman, the International Conference refrained from entering. It can be seen that 

 any set of regulations which covers completely the requirements of safety in regard to 

 "buoyancy" and "trim" and yet fails to cover the requirements as regards "stability" leaves 

 the matter in a position where the skill of the naval architect and the conscientiousness and 

 knowledge of the manager of the vessel must be called on to supplement the regulations, 

 before safety is enhanced. 



In any design of mixed freight and passenger vessel, there is a limit to the amount of 

 freight which can be carried in the 'tween decks consistent with obtaining a margin of 

 stability sufficient to prevent capsizing when one or more compartments are filled. This 

 limit can be determined by the naval architect, under assumptions corresponding to those 

 made by the International Conference in detennining the height and spacing of bulkheads. 



If a vessel turns on its side before sinking, it is presumably safe to state either that 

 there was not sufficient stability or that the stability was not properly safeguarded. An 

 analysis of the records of collisions, I feel confident, will show a large number of cases where 

 this has occurred. The fact that the Titanic did not turn turtle before sinking, although 

 such a large proportion of one side was open Jo the sea, should not be used as an argument 

 that precautions as regards stability are unnecessary. Had the damage to the Titanic oc- 

 curred amidships instead of in the fore body, the loss of stability would probably have 

 proved the cause of a more fearful disaster and of a much larger loss of life. 



It is to be hoped that if any legislation is enacted by Congress in accordance with the 

 condition which was attached by it to the acceptance of the report of the International 

 Conference, it will take the form of additional precautions in connection with the safety of 

 the vessel, rather than in connection with the means of leaving the vessel. 



The Chairman : — I am sure you will permit the Chair to offer to Mr. Gatewood the 

 thanks of the Society for his admirable paper, and that we regret very much that he was 

 not here to present it in person. 



The next paper on the program, No. 9, "The Thermodynamics of the Marine Oil En- 

 gine," by Mr. John F. Wentworth, will now be considered. 



Mr. Wentworth presented tlie paper. 



