Aucust 8, 1972] 
the iceberg was sighted from the “crow’s nest” 
on the foremast. Her fate was sealed, because 
the nature and longitudinal extent of the injury 
threw open to the sea more than one-third of her 
length, and destroyed the watertight subdivision 
of that portion of the vessel. In the annex it is 
stated that the transverse bulkheads which formed 
the watertight partitions of the Titanic in the 
damaged forward portion were so spaced that if 
the four foremost compartments had been simul- 
taneously flooded, she might have remained afloat ; 
but when the forward boiler-room was also flooded 
the ship necessarily foundered. According to the 
standard of subdivision hitherto accepted as suffi- 
cient for mercantile steamships, it would have 
sufficed to have made provision to keep the 
Titanic afloat when any two compartments were 
flooded simultaneously, It will be seen, therefore, 
that the accepted standard was considerably ex- 
ceeded in the great ship; but in consequence of 
her loss it is obvious that there must be a recon- 
sideration of that standard and of the methods 
of subdivision to be adopted in future. Trans- 
verse watertight bulkheads have been preferred 
for most mercantile steamships up to the present 
time; they were used almost exclusively in the 
Titanic. Horizontal watertight partitions and 
longitudinal vertical watertight bulkheads are com- 
monly employed in warships, and have been used 
in a few passengér steamers in association with 
transverse bulkheads. It seems probable that a 
similar practice will find favour in mercantile 
marines after what has happened. A strong de- 
partmental committee has been appointed by the 
Board of Trade and is now at work. Lord 
Mersey recommends that this committee should 
deal with the whole subject, and it may be anti- 
cipated that this course will be approved. 
Boat equipments and life-saving appliances in 
passenger and emigrant vessels have been exten- 
sively criticised and discussed since the Titanic 
was lost. It came as a shock to the general public 
to be told that the provision made in that ship, in 
the form of boats and rafts, was only sufficient 
for the accommodation of one-third of the total 
number of souls she was licensed to carry by 
the Board of Trade, and that the boats, &c., 
actually carried by the Titanic were considerably 
in excess of the accommodation required by the 
official regulations. Yet these facts were well 
known to all persons familiar with the mercantile 
marine, and with shipping legislation; and the 
arrangements were not considered unreasonable, 
because losses of life in ocean-going passenger 
steamships over a long period of years had been 
trivial. Moreover, great practical difficulties stood 
in the way of making larger provision for boats 
and rafts which could be so installed as to ensure 
their efficient use in case of emergency, under 
ordinary conditions of weather at sea. A cry went 
up in the Press demanding the immediate pro- | 
vision of a minimum number of boats and life- | 
saving appliances (rafts, collapsible boats, &c.) 
which should ensure accommodation for every 
human being who might be carried in any ship 
i) 
NO. 2232, VoL. 89| 
NATURE 
583 
under her Board of Trade certificate. Lord 
Mersey’s Court was instructed to consider and 
report on the existing rules and regulations of the 
Board of Trade. Section 6 of the annex deals 
with that subject, tracing the history of the regula- 
tions in detail and giving the reasoning on which 
they have been based. Lord Mersey’s conclusions 
may be summarised as follows: Boat accommoda- 
tion should, where practicable, be carried in future 
for all on board passenger and emigrant steam- 
ships; the officials of the marine department of 
the Board of Trade were blameable for omitting, 
during many years, any revision of rules made 
in 1894 for the boat equipment of ships, although 
there had meanwhile been an enormous increase 
in the dimensions and tonnage of passenger 
steamships. These rules are now under con- 
sideration by an advisory committee of ship- 
owners and others appointed by ‘the Board of 
Trade, and it seems probable that a sensible in- 
crease will be made in the statutory minimum for 
boat accommodation, although the provision re- 
commended by Lord Mersey may not be enforced. 
In the annex to the report it is made clear that 
although only 711 persons were saved in the boats 
of the Titanic out of 2201 persons on board, the 
total accommodation of the boats carried was sufhi- 
cient for 1178 persons. Furthermore, it is stated 
that at the time of the collision there was a dead 
calm, and exceptionally favourable conditions, 
which enabled the boats to be lowered in safety 
and to be navigated without danger until the Car- 
pathia arrived. One other fact must be men- 
tioned. Modern passenger steamships of the 
largest dimensions have their boat decks situated 
from 60 to 70 feet above water, and consequently 
the most moderate rolling motion of the vessels 
would make it impossible to lower the boats 
safely from that great height, while passengers 
would necessarily find it difficult and dangerous 
to enter the boats when swinging at the davits. 
These and other important features of the prob- 
lem must be considered by the advisory com- 
mittee before fresh rules are framed, and it is 
fortunate that members of the committee have 
‘practical knowledge of the working conditions 
in sea-going ships. This is obviously not a 
subject for amateur legislation. It is understood 
that revised regulations will be submitted to 
Parliament by the President of the Board of Trade 
during the autumn session, in accordance with 
the Merchant Shipping Act. 
The final recommendation made by Lord 
Mersey is perhaps the most important, and it 
deserves quotation in full :— 
“That (unless already done) steps should be 
taken to call an International Conference to con- 
sider and as far as possible to agree upon a 
common line of conduct in respect of (a) the sub- 
division of ships; (b) the provision and working 
of life-saving appliances; (c) the installation of 
wireless telegraphy and the method of working 
the same; (d) the reduction of speed or the 
alteration of course in the vicinity of ice, and 
(e) the use of searchlights.” 
