SUGGESTIONS FOR REDUCING THE LOSS BY FIRE ON VESSELS. 197 



lation. These slats should be arranged as shown on Plate 69, having a 

 clear horizontal space between them. The writer investigated five fires on 

 dredges all occurring within a short time of each other, two of which were on 

 the same dredge, a machine which had just been built at a cost of |ioo,ooo. 

 All five fires started in exactly the same way. According to witnesses, 

 there was a slight explosion and instantly the whole dome seemed to be in 

 flame from end to end. In one instance where the fire had been extin- 

 guished very promptly, the inside of the dome was scorched all over, but 

 no one place very badly burned, showing that the fire had not started at 

 one point and spread, but that the dome had been ignited all over simul- 

 taneously. The deductions drawn were that certain gases escaped either 

 through a leak in the uptake or while firing the boilers, and had arisen to 

 the under side of tlie dome and remained th^re, and had then been ignited 

 by a flame from the furnace door while the fires were being raked. Hot 

 air and gases will not descend, and all ventilators and openings made for 

 their escape should be so constructed that this is not necessary. On account 

 of the number of gears, chains, and cables which require slushing or lubri- 

 cating, the amount of lubricants carried on these machines is usually large 

 and little care or attention is given to where or how they are carried. It 

 is not uncommon to see a number of partially filled barrels of oil standing 

 alongside of a boiler, with perhaps a burlap sack of waste on the deck 

 nearby. When the danger of this is pointed out to the captain he vAU usually 

 reply that he is too busy to pay attention to such details, or there is no 

 other place on board to carry it, or he may promise to rectify it, and forget 

 it. As a general thing these machines work in isolated places, or where it 

 is difficult to reach them, and if the superintendent or captain is making 

 satisfactory progress the owners will not visit often, and when they do, 

 it will be to inspect the work being done rather than to examine the machine 

 doing it. There are some firms who keep all their property in first class 

 order, and properly equipped, but on the majority of machines there is 

 •evidence of carelessness and disregard of the dangers of fire and insufficient 

 appliances to cope with one. In some cases there is not even a bucket 

 with which to extinguish a fire, and if one started it would surely result 

 in a total loss. 



Now in regard to fire-extinguishing appliances generally, the most 

 important point to bear in mind is that when these are needed they are 

 needed badly and quickly. Many owners do not reahze this, rather con- 

 sidering the equipment they are compelled to install as a legal requirement 

 that must be compHed with, and they put the necessary items on board 

 with no regard to where or how they are placed. All vessels should be so 



