170 CARGO TRANSFERENCE AT STEAMSHIP TERMINALS. 
of the vessels in port, and they are thereby enabled to accomplish more. Asa 
matter of fact, many vessels are lying in port idle on account of the excellent loading 
and unloading facilities which have been introduced in the last few years, and it is 
decidedly striking that the mechanical apparatuses for unloading have reached 
such a high state of efficiency, thus enabling fewer boats to do the same amount of 
business. 
Sir WILLIAM HENRY WHITE, Honorary Member:—I think sir, that the author 
of this paper put his finger upon the fundamental principle of handling cargoes, 
when he said that all arrangements for loading and unloading cargoes should be 
governed by the nature of the service to be performed. While that is a very broad 
generalization, it is perfectly true—I heartily endorse it, but it covers a great deal of 
ground. The pictures that we have seen thrown(on the screen illustrate attempts 
which have been made to fulfill that condition, and indicate how varied may be 
the solutions. 
Speaking as a naval architect, I would like to say that ship designers ought 
always to provide as far as possible in the designs of all ships the means of readily 
shipping or discharging cargo; they ought in fact to make ships suitable for their 
services. 
An extreme illustration of that principle has been shown in steamers in which 
that rapid shipment and discharge of cargo which is essential to commercial success 
has been secured by special structural arrangements. Naval architects know per- 
fectly well that such ships as those cannot be sent over the ocean to carry freight, 
but seagoing ships can be and are being designed in which similar facilities for ship- 
ments and discharge of cargoes have been provided. Iam well aware that a Whale- 
back once came to Liverpool—in fact, I visited her in that port. She got there and 
got back again to America, and that is all that need be said about the trip; because 
we know perfectly well that the attempt to adopt the Whaleback system, which 
was made in England, resulted in the development of quite a different type for 
seagoing work. It isafact, which ought to be recognized, and which I always en- 
deavor to bring into prominence, that in later years great skill and high scientific 
work, in my judgment, have been devoted to the design and construction of cargo 
steamers in England. Weare apt to think about big steamers and costly warships, 
but we ought not to overlook the fact that some of the most remarkable 
developments and important applications of scientific principles to the construction 
of steamships in recent times are to be found in cargo steamers. Their hull-struc- 
tures, their equipments for handling cargo, the arrangement of the hatchways, and 
formation of the holds, so as to facilitate loading and discharging—these and other 
features have received careful consideration, and the construction of cargo steamers 
has been vastly improved. 
In carrying out these improvements, designers have run up against serious 
difficulties in the due maintenance of the structural strength. I could tell you of 
cargo steamers which have broken and sunk, because the cargoes they had to carry 
