SUGGESTIONS FOR REDUCING THE LOSS BY FIRE ON VESSELS. 209 



weigh entirely too much for a vessel to carry on its displacement. On land this 

 matter of displacement so important to the naval architect does not trouble the 

 architect of buildings for a foundation on old Earth can be made to carry any weight. 

 But on land right here in the City of New York, as well as elsewhere, can be seen 

 the futility of using heavy steel so called fireproof construction, because when a fire 

 of materials within the building takes place the steel construction, be it as good and 

 heavy as possible, will be twisted, torn and bent until it falls into ruins. 



The only surely fireproof building construction is that where the steel portions, 

 uprights and beams, are entirely protected with brick or cement and concrete, like 

 the building in which we are now holding this meeting. Contrast the weight of this 

 structure with the weight that can be possibly allowed in that of a steamboat or 

 steamship. 



No steamboat construction that can possibly be borne on the limits of draught 

 of water can stand afire in cargo on deck, and even steamships with fire in the hold 

 though they reach port are usually flooded and sunk at the wharf by the means of 

 extinguishing the fire. 



The naval architect and marine engineer does the best he can with compli- 

 cated demands and it is not want of thought that prevents his making his work 

 perfect. 



I believe the city of New York has the best Fire Department in the world, but 

 with all its facilities on the stable earth, with its general possibility to fight its fire 

 from all sides, property is destroyed and lives are lost. Can it be expected then that 

 there will never be such losses on steamers with the natural difficulties that attend 

 them to say nothing of the greatest difiiculty of all, that of controlling human beings 

 in time of excitement and danger? 



I have found that the managers of all well regulated lines are most anxious to 

 reduce the chance of loss of life, and in looking up statistics, which I will furnish, I 

 find that including the Slocum disaster, which was most deplorable in every way, 

 and which should never have happened, there are in proportion to the number of 

 persons carried fewer lives lost on our steamers than on our railroads, and more lives 

 lost in the city of New York, with its great fire department and apparatus in the 

 last year than have been lost by fire on our steamers in five years. (Applause.) 



Deputy Fire ChiEE John Kenlon, Visitor: — Mr. President and Gentlemen, 

 while listening to the reading of that paper it occurred to me the subject was not 

 of much interest to you. The author, however, has made many excellent points; 

 he has shown a good knowledge of the duties of a fire chief. 



The modern tendency is to get aU the luxiury possible not alone in hotels and 

 dwellings but in the modern steamship. Every device, every possible means is em- 

 ployed to cater to the fancies and the comforts of the public. 



Let me ask you, gentlemen of this society, if you have kept pace with architects 

 that construct these modern buildings in providing means of protecting life in steam- 



