SUGGESTIONS FOR REDUCING THE LOSS BY FIRE ON VESSELS. 193 



in metal trays to catch the drip and all wooden shelves on which oil is kept 

 should be completely covered with metal having the edge turned up, and 

 all joints soldered. Large oil-cans should have self-closing faucets. No 

 oil should be kept in partially filled barrels; when a barrel is opened, it 

 should be emptied at once. 



Metal receptacles with rolled joints should be provided for carrying 

 waste. It is quite common to carry waste in burlap bags, placed frequently 

 near the oil supply, so that it gets saturated with leaking oil. It appears 

 difficult to impress on engineers the danger from spontaneous combustion 

 from oily waste, though fierce fires are caused by it. 



Lamps have been a fruitful cause of fire on ship-board. Glass lamps 

 frequently break or crack, and should never be used. All lamps should 

 have metal bodies and they should be secured in their sockets with clips 

 or some device which will prevent their coming out when the vessel rolls. 

 They should be carried in substantial wall brackets, or suspended from the 

 ceiling, and be well stayed to prevent swaying. It is a custom on many 

 vessels to use common table lamps, which are very easily upset by the 

 vessel striking something or rolling heavily, and their use should be pro- 

 hibited. Not long ago a steam lighter on Long Island Sound collided with 

 a sailing vessel; the shock upset a table lamp in the house aft. All the 

 crew rushed to the bow to see what damage had been done, and the fire 

 started by the overturned lamp was not noticed until it had gained great 

 headway. The crew were compelled to abandon the vessel, which was 

 totally destroyed. Lamps should always have proper shields to protect the 

 woodwork over them. It is common to see the paint over a lamp scorched 

 and blistered. One may be left burning when no person is around, and a 

 fire start and get beyond control before it is noticed. Owners should 

 impress on their masters the necessity of taking care of lamps properly. 

 Lamp rooms are required by law to be lined with sheet-metal, and in addi- 

 tion to this they should be made absolutely oil-tight on the bottom, and 

 for at least a foot up on the sides; all laps and all nail holes being soldered 

 over, and any openings in the floor for pipes or rods should have a collar 

 or flange around them to prevent leakage of oil. 



In the lamp room of a large steamer a 3 -inch hole was punched in the 

 floor for the steam extinguisher pipe. An oil barrel in the room sprung 

 a leak, and the oil ran through the opening and spoiled a quantity of wheat 

 in the hold. Had this oil been ignited it is improbable that the vessel 

 could have been saved. When electric lights are used the installation of 

 the wiring and fixtures should receive careful attention. Of necessity the 

 wire runs in many inaccessible places and a fire caused by defective wiring 



