196 AN ELECTRICALLY PROPELLED 



The matter of the weight and economy of the engines of the class of steamers 

 under discussion I am going to refer to Mr. Orrock, the joint author of this paper. 



Regarding the loss of life which has been taken up in such great length and 

 detail, it is not a question of the number in a miUion who are lost or because three 

 or four persons in a million in the city of New York lose their lives, for I am one in 

 a million and I do not care to sacrifice my life on that account. 



It would be desirable to have from the excursion steamboat company a state- 

 ment which would show the falling off in the excursion business immediately after 

 the fire on the General Slocum. The excursion business in New York Harbor has 

 often increased very rapidly, but has fallen back directly upon a serious accident 

 taking place. We, as engineers, are dealing with progress and development. We 

 are not deaUng with business as it exists to-day, or protecting property in existence 

 to-day, as against property to be created. We are dealing primarily with property 

 to be created. I could understand a very natural motive, on the part of all steam- 

 boat owners of the present day, to maintain that the boats they have are the very 

 best that can be made for their purpose, but that position might have been main- 

 tained relative to any buildings in existence before we commenced this era of 

 fireproof buildings. It cannot be maintained to-day; and whether we will or will 

 not be able to produce a steamboat which is really fireproof, is something which 

 remains to be seen, but if it can be produced and is found to be practical, then it 

 will be the new standard of construction and will be continued. 



In this paper we have simply taken a problem which exists and shown the 

 steps which to us are apparent and can be accomplished. 



The second speaker, Mr. Berry, spoke of the cost of operation. The cost of 

 operation of these boats, if we are to consider them as a power-producing plant 

 and means of transportation, should be less. Whether it can be shown to be so, 

 is something which has to be taken up and tested out. As to the matter of the 

 greater amount of power, certainly there is a greater amount of power. If an 

 engineer has learned anything, broadly speaking, he has learned that if he has to 

 undertake any problem which is, in any degree, new, the one thing which he should 

 have is plenty of power. It is not necessary that he should use all the power, but 

 have it there, and in advancing any form to construction which is an improvement 

 over previous production, it is desirable to have a surplus amount of power. 



As to increase in cost, there certainly would be an increase in cost, but we 

 would never have had the modern office building if some one had not had the 

 initiative and courage to increase the cost of construction of those buildings. 

 There is nothing in our modern Ufe but shows increased investment, two or three 

 times over in many lines, and the result is economy of operation, earning power 

 and maintenance, and I think the whole tendency of modern development is toward 

 greater investment and surer return on money. 



As to the remarks of Mr. William H. Fletcher, he stated that the cost would be 

 too great. It is simply a matter of the cost as against the earning power. 



My experience with regard to the number of people traveling on these excursion 



