GRAIN AND COAL CARGOES.

"EX LUCE LUCELLUM."

Was it guile, or a dream?

Do I wonder and doubt ?

Are things what they seem?

Or is visions about?

Is our civilisation a failure?

Or is the Caucasian played out?-BRET HARTE.

HE recent losses of new, or comparatively new, iron steamships, laden with coal or grain, has called very serious attention to many facts connected with their proportions, construction, fitting, and loading. But the most startling fact of all in connection with the subject is that the great majority of them were new steamships of a special class, built under a special rule, and classed as 100 A1; that is to say, they go over the seas (or rather did go until they disappeared) bearing the imprimatur of the highest and best classification society in existence, as evidence that they were fit to carry any and every description of perishable cargo from and to all parts of the world. The fact that so great a number have disappeared, after being so guaranteed, may, we think, be legitimately called a startling fact. The majority of these ships possessed in common certain marked characteristics, viz., narrowness, depth, length, water-ballast tanks or double bottoms, square midship sections, low freeboards, two decks and three tiers of beams, small crews, bulk cargoes. The reason why they had bulk cargoes is plain; the reason why they had comparatively small crews is plain; but the reason why so many of them should have possessed the other characteristics to which we have referred is not at first sight plain. That the majority of them were strong "girders," or strong oblong boxes is evident, and the cause of their disappearance is clearly not to be sought in any element of structural weakness of the hull.

It may be that coal not being a "perishable" cargo they were not classed to carry coal.-ED. N.M.

In one or two cases the skylight arrangements were perhaps flimsy, and may have helped the loss; but this is not at all a common characteristic running through the series. Just as some years ago there was a class called "awning-deck" steamers, now, we think, going out of use; so at the present moment there is a fashionable type of steamships in which the register societies have enumerated the majority of those recently missing with bulk cargoes. Looking round with a view to finding some cause for the present fashion, it is possible that it may be found in the encouragement given to the development of depth over other proportions by the special Rule 41 and Table G of the Committee of Lloyd's Register. In the same way and to the same extent that a set of ships, including many which were exceedingly dangerous when laden down with a full cargo, was called into existence some years ago as awning-decked ships; so now it is abundantly clear that a class of so-called "three-decked" ships, including many exceedingly dangerous, when not loaded with care, has sprung into existence. Ships exceedingly strong as girders, but exceedingly ugly as parallelopipedons; safe enough when properly loaded and with ample clear side, but veritable coffins with four feet or less clear side, when carrying certain cargoes, raised on the platform composed of empty air spaces at the bottom of the ship.

"Alter

How has this state of things, culminating in these dangers, come about, and how is it to be remedied? To these pertinent questions Mr. Benjamin Martell, the chief surveyor of Lloyd's Register, has found an answer, to his mind, satisfactory: "It is the fault of the tonnage laws," Mr. Martell assures us. the tonnage laws so as to exempt a good deal more of a steamship from tonnage measurement, and," he comforts us, "the evil is cured." The completeness of this suggestion, as combining at once a statement of the cause of the creation of structures which, when badly loaded, are fraught with danger, and of the cure, is so sweetly innocent and simple that we cannot pass it over, even if we would. First, however, we must place Mr. Martell on our own side as a witness to the alarming magnitude of the danger under certain known conditions, of certain ships, built under Rule 41 and

Table G. In making our remarks, we wish to be understood that we can find no fault with those who administer the classification rules; those officers are as desirous as any of us to contribute to the safety of life and property, and it is towards an amendment of the rules, rather than a censure on their administration, that our remarks, so far as they apply to those rules, are directed.

Mr. Martell testifies as follows:

"The demand for cargo steamers during the last year or two for the trying Atlantic trade, and the generally-depressed condition of other trades, have caused many owners to send vessels across the Atlantic in mid-winter who doubtless would otherwise scarcely have thought such vessels suitable."

"As the steam-carrying trade became developed, and steamers became built for longer voyages in the Baltic and Mediterranean, greater length was given than in the earlier vessels, while all the objectionable features of extreme fulness of form and flatness of floor were retained. Two principal causes doubtless operated to retain these features in cargo steamers."

"In the first place it was thought, the less the area of midshipsection to drive through the water under the same displacement, the less the propelling power required. And secondly, that as steamers differed so widely from sailing ships in having no topweight of heavy masts, and their stability consequently, when light, was so much greater, that there was less necessity to have a rise of floor to insure sufficient stability in shifting when discharged. Consequently the two great advantages were obtained in having a flat floor, viz.: the reducing the draft of water with the same displacement, and the carrying the greatest cargo under the same principal dimensions, whilst being able to place the engines and boilers as low as possible. The result of this has been to destroy nearly all beauty of architectural form in a large proportion of seagoing cargo steamers, by producing an approximation to a rectangular prism, whilst at the same time, as will be shown, it has at last been the means of introducing a positively dangerous element in this class of vessel."

"Coming now finally to the vessel of the same length, 245 feet, and whose scantlings are continued of the full size to the upper

deck, similar to the vessels referred to which have recently capsized, and whose dimensions, as before stated, were, length 245 feet, breadth 33 feet, depth of hold 23 feet, it will be observed that this vessel has one foot more beam than the spar-decked vessel, but a very striking difference will, at the same time, be apparent in the practice of loading this type of vessel."

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While the spar-decked vessel is supposed never to be loaded below the main deck, and consequently has the space between the main and spar deck only partially filled with cargo, the latter vessel is purposely increased in strength so as to admit of the main, or rather the middle, deck being two or three feet below the water. The effect of all this additional top-weight in the vessel above the main deck may be expected to render the stability small, and calculations show that the margin of stability under such conditions becomes dangerously low. In the case of the vessel I have been describing, whose constructed load line was within 4 feet of the upper deck, the metacentric height was only 0.7 feet. In other words, if the cargo shifted sufficiently to incline her through even a moderate angle, she would be in imminent danger of capsizing thus scarcely creating surprise that such vessels have capsized, and that this has sometimes occurred a few days after leaving port."

:

"From this it appears pretty evident that, whilst the types of steamers have been gradually altering through the stages described, from the flush-decked vessel of one deck and two tiers of beams, up to the vessel with two decks and three tiers of beams, or what is known as 'the three-deck' vessel, in each stage the top-weight being increased and facilities afforded for deeper loading the necessary stability has not been made commensurate with the requirement for the latter type of vessel, and hence there are a large number of cargo-carrying steamers now in existence of this class to which great care will have to be applied in loading, particularly the smaller ones, when they are conveying homogeneous cargoes, if the accidents with which we are acquainted are to be avoided."

"That the double-bottoms fitted to these vessels have in consequence of insufficient beam in some cases contributed to their loss there can be no doubt, but from the remarks one hears all

round it is evident that much misapprehension exists as to the influence which these water-ballast tanks have on the capsizing of vessels of this type."

"The real source of danger to the vessel in fitting these tanks, I need not say, is in lifting the centre of gravity of a homogeneous cargo higher than it would be lifted by ordinary dunnage, and to this extent it renders a vessel more tender when loaded, and if her proportions and form make her otherwise a tender vessel, this influence might possibly render her dangerously unstable, and, without doubt, some of the recent losses may be attributed to this cause."

"The owners of this vessel are well aware that were she loaded quite full between decks, so that her main deck would be under water, as is the practice with most of the three-deck' vessels of the same total depth, in the first gale she encountered when so loaded she would inevitably capsize.

"Hence it is not only a question of beam, but also one of depth of loading."

"Here we have the simple question of less profit on the 80 tons of coal or grain cargo, or a continuance of excessive risk, and from my knowledge of steam shipowners, I am of opinion there is not one would hesitate which to adopt when the two courses are clearly pointed out."

"But notwithstanding that these suggestions may be adopted advantageously, and a more stable vessel be obtained, it still remains, if we keep to the present three-deck' vessels, that we have a type of vessel intended in point of strength to be so fully laden, but that, when so laden, having a very low freeboard, and therefore not the most suitable for encountering heavy seas.'

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To sum up, Mr. Martell's testimony comes to this :—There is a class of vessel in existence "with two decks and three tiers of beams, or what is known as the three-deck' vessel." It is purposely increased in strength so as to admit of the main or middle deck being two or three feet below the water." "There are

a large number of cargo-carrying steamers in existence of this class to which great care will have to be applied in loading." "She would be in imminent danger of capsizing, and this has sometimes occurred