194 SUGGESTIONS FOR REDUCING THE LOSS BY FIRE ON VESSELS. ' 



may be difficult to locate. All wires in the hold, in engine and boiler spaces, 

 where cargo is carried on main deck and outdoors should be in iron conduit ; 

 switchboards should be of slate or other non-inflammable material and well 

 clear of the woodwork back of them, and if the bulkhead is wood it 

 should be covered with heavy asbestos or a steel plate or both. The writer 

 has seen on a large passenger steamer a yellow pine switchboard placed 

 against a yellow pine bulkhead; needless to say it started a fire. It is 

 probably impossible to prevent the use of torches in the engine and boiler 

 rooms, but the man in charge should be cautioned to see that they are 

 carefully used and not left about when lighted. Fires from this 

 cause are numerous — in one instance a lighted torch was left hanging on 

 a wooden stanchion; in another instance, on the top of a boiler; again, 

 alongside an oil barrel, and so on. Engineers must be impressed with 

 the necessity of extreme caution in this respect. Though the practise of 

 using torches by the engineers and firemen cannot be prevented, the use 

 of torches and candles by stevedores and cargo trimmers can and should 

 be stopped ; only closed lanterns or incandescent lights should be allowed in 

 the hold of a vessel. In parts of the country the labor unions insist that 

 candles be used, but the shipowners should take a firm stand and put an 

 end to the practise. 



The most hazardous type of steam vessels and one that for 

 structural reasons always will be dangerous from a fire standpoint is the 

 wooden tug-boat. For ease in maneuvering, to get around docks quickly 

 and to turn in a small space it is desirable to have a tug small; to tow 

 heavy loads and move large vessels it is necessary to have it powerful. 

 The result is a boat as small as can be designed to carry the machinery 

 powerful enough to do the work required, the boiler usually being the 

 largest size that can be installed, and just as close to the woodwork as the 

 law permits. To allow an ample passageway on deck on each side, 

 the house is made narrow — so the boiler is entirely surrounded by 

 woodwork placed as closely as possible to it. To make matters worse, on 

 board the average tug there is a platform or grating over the boiler where 

 wet lines are placed to be dried out. Dirty clothes and overalls are kept 

 there, and frequently even cans of oil. Inside of the house, over the boiler 

 where the ventilation is poor, the heat becomes excessive, and the wood- 

 work around the stack is ignited, or, where there is a tight platform fitted, 

 the bunker sides will catch fire. A large percentage of the tug-boat fires 

 originate in this way, and they could all be prevented if good air space 

 was left all around the boiler, and proper ventilation was provided over it 

 to allow the hot air to escape. Many stack umbrellas have a flange on the 



