AMERICAN CLASSIFICATION OF AMERICAN VESSELS. 101 



greater weight on matters of construction and design. There is much to be accomplished 

 by tile Bureau in strengthening its forces and making affiliations for appraisal of damages 

 and salvaging, but the record of the past five years argues well that these matters will be 

 fully and ably dealt with. It has been well said by Mr. Walter B. Norris that "though 

 the western frontier is gone, and with it the historic incitements of democratic character 

 which it offered, the sea remains with its majesty, its independence and its call to imagina- 

 tion and courage, to keep alive the democracy and idealism which it helped to create in the 

 typical American." 



The typical American is returning to love of the sea and the opportunities it affords 

 for advancement and accumulation of wealth. The American Bureau of Shipping has 

 awakened to its opportimities and is strengthening its forces and enlarging its borders to 

 meet the revival of interest in the merchant marine of the United States. 



There can be no doubt that it is the patriotic duty of American shipowners, underwrit- 

 ers and builders to aid and encourage the Bureau in its efforts to build up an organization 

 which, with its affiliations, shall be second to none in the world in the service rendered in 

 classing, surveying, appraising, underwriting and salvaging vessels owned by the shipping 

 interests of this country. If we are to have a prosperous growing merchant marine, we 

 must also have an American classification society, capable of rendering aid of the best class 

 to every phase of the shipping industry. 



DISCUSSION. 



The President : — Mr. Dobson's paper, "American Classification of American Vessels," 

 is now before the Society for discussion. We will be glad to hear from any member. Due 

 to the apparent reluctance of members to discuss naval and related matters this morning, we 

 are comparatively well ahead of schedule time. Those who wish to submit their comment 

 upon this entirely safe and important subject will have plenty of time in which to present 

 their views. 



Professor Herbert C. Sadler^ Member of Council: — I would like to say, in connec- 

 tion with the American Bureau of Shipping, that frequently we have come across certain 

 criticisms of the rules. These criticisms generally take the form that the rules lack sim- 

 plicity as compared with the rules of some other organizations. I think it has been the expe- 

 rience of a good many men that it is a little easier to get out scantlings or midship sections 

 from the rules of some other societies. That point, I believe, is being taken up by the Ameri- 

 can Bureau now in the endeavor to make the rules as workable as possible, and I would also 

 like to point out this fact — that fundamentally the rules of the American Bureau of Ship- 

 ping are more logical than some of the other societies, they are more flexible, and give the 

 designer a little more scope, as the steps are not so great as in some of the others. If the 

 Society would do a good deal of the work of tabulating instead of every individual having 

 to do it, it would be of great advantage. 



Mr. Hugo P. Frear^ Member of Council: — I regret to say that I have not read Mr. 

 Dobson's paper and did not anticipate making any remarks on it, but in view of the apparent 



