BY DEMAND FOR INCREASED SAFETY. 33 



Freeboard must also be considered in connection with stability and in case of 

 damage. 



Watertightness. — Under this heading would come not only the tightness of 

 the underwater plating, but also the tightness of the plating above water, of the 

 decks and erections, and of the openings in the sides, decks, and erections. No 

 special precautions in addition to those usually taken would seem necessary ex- 

 cept the prohibition of the use, while under way, of openings which would be sub- 

 merged in damaged condition. 



Stability. — This is affected so greatly by stowage of cargo, etc., that a ves- 

 sel which has a large measure of initial stability leaving port may have no mar- 

 gin of initial stability at the end of the voyage. Indeed, the introduction of water 

 ballast is not an uncommon expedient adopted on many vessels, to compensate 

 for the fuel used. Some very successful vessels are unstable when light, and 

 have ample stability when loaded. To provide for a proper amount of stabil- 

 ity by legal enactment would seem almost impossible, especially if possible damage 

 is considered. 



As illustrating the difficulty of making any regulations regarding the stabil- 

 ity, there is instanced the case of a passenger steamer which, while light, was 

 sunk in shoal water, as the result of a collision. The openings were patched and 

 the vessel was ready for pumping out, when the question arose as to what was 

 likely to happen during the process. The curves in Plate 24, marked "no bal- 

 last," show that the vessel would have been stable when first afloat at 30-foot 

 draught, but would have become unstable as more water was pumped out and 

 the draught was reduced to 18 feet or less. It was decided, therefore, to put bal- 

 last on board, as low in the vessel as possible — some 476 tons were added — and the 

 curves in Plate 24 marked "with ballast" indicate that under such conditions 

 there was no lack of initial stability at an}^ intermediate draught. 



Figure 2, Plate 25, shows the level of the water inside this vessel when the 

 draught was reduced to 25 feet. It shows also the relative position of the meta- 

 center and center of gravity. That the vessel would have so large a measure of 

 initial stability in this condition, with the holds' and machinery spaces flooded, was 

 hardly to be expected. 



Some photographs were taken of the vessel just after the collision, and the 

 large list at one stage of sinking indicates that without ballast the lack of stability 

 was far from being imaginary. 



Control. — Suitable steering gear is so necessary that considerable attention is 

 given to the subject in the design of all vessels. While accidents due to lack of 

 control are frequent, it is doubtful whether anything would be gained by any de- 

 partures from the recognized appliances. 



Cases of loss of control of a vessel by derangement of the machinery are not 

 infrequent, but are so much less frequent than formerly that this particular advan- 

 tage claimed in former years for twin screws is nowadays not much discussed. 



