SAFETY AT SEA

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 96, 20 October 1934, Page 5

SAFETY AT SEA

FOR SHIPS OF BRITAIN

STRINGENT RULES IMPOSED

THE PATBOL SYSTEM

The disastrous h'res that have occurred on large passenger vessels at sea, involving loss of life, must give rise, to inquiry concerning the measures taken to prevent and, if necessary, cope with such dreadful contingencies on British ships, writes Captain J. G. Bisset, K.N.8., commander of the liner Aseania, in the "Daily Telegraph." In the first place, it will bo well to remind readers that a fire at sea is in no way comparable with a fire in a. large structure ou shore. Let us imagine for a moment a fire breaking ■'out in a large departmental store, in which there is a staff of 500 trained men and women assistants and, say, 2000 shoppers. As the alarm sounds the shoppers file rapidly into the street out of harm's way. The staff attack the fire with the apparatus at hand, and within a ' few minutes fire engines arrive on the scene and their crews bring into play fire-fighting appliances of the most modern type. Cordons of police keep back the crowds and lend every assistance to- the men engaged. Even with all this organisation and apparatus, there is every probability of the store being burnt out. TIRE IN A GALE. Now take the case of the ill-fated Morro Castle. She was a ship as large as many'a departmental store, and filled with similar inflammable material. With her crew of 240 men and 360 passengers —men, women, and' children, most of whonf- are asleep—she takes fire (luring an Atlantic' gale accompanied by torrential rain, a heavy sea, ;iml an awe-inspiring electric- storm. With her engines stopped, either by necessity or by design, in order to re- . (luce fire-fanning draught, she lies in the trough of the sea, rolling at her worst. The strong wind on the beam blows fire" and smoke over the boats on, the lop side, making it almost impossible to launch them. Waves beating furiously on the weather side make ilia launching of boats there a suicidal proceeding, as they would be reduced to' matchwood in the twinkling of an eye/ , Can a more appalling set of adverse circumstances be imagined" Fortunately, such experiences are extrcmoly nvre. All honour to the men—and women—who stuck to their posts in such a direful emergency. The fire appliances required by Board of Trade regulations for British passenger vessels aro plentiful and offieient, and tho precautions to be taken against fire are exceedingly stringent. Oil fuel used, for propulsion is stored in tanks in. the bottom of the ship, and is-, of such a low flash-point that it must be heated to a temperature of 120deg .and converted into a form of | gaseous, spr&y before it ignites- beneath the boilers. TIRE HYDRANTS. As the ship herself forms an (almost perfect electrical "earth, "it is difficult to imagine that a flash of lightning could affect the oil supply. Fire hydrants, painted a vivid red, and with hoses and nozzles coupled up, ;ire placed within 50ft of one another, throughout "the ship, and the water supply is ricver turned off under any circumstances. Powerful pumps supply these hydrants with thousands of gallons: of sea water per minute. '■Alongside each hydrant is placed a chemical fire extinguisher, and all members of the crew .are trained in.its use. Many fire alarms, of the "break the glass and-push, the button type," are dotted all over the ship, connecting up with indicator boards; on the bridge and in the,engine:rbom." : '•';■ :v'K*.'';.'-;i...'« On the,'principle 1 that prevention', is better thair..eure,-British ships ".'place great faith in .an efficient ■ fire < patrolby day and-night. : , ' ~ - This patrol.is carried out by a ".clock system," as follows:—' In about, fifty isolated positions in Jill parts of the ship, small metal boxes are secured, each one containing a special .key.'.- The patrol man going round carries a heavy circular clock in a Jeather case. At each box he takes out the key and inserts it in the clock. This action stamps the time of each insertion on a paper disc inside the clock. ■This system ensures that all parts of the ship are visited at least once every hour,, and any smell of fire would be quickly detected. In addition to the patrol men, numerous watchmen are stationed on all docks. Isolated parts of the ship, such as storerooms, holds, and bunkers, where men aro not continuously on duty, are connected to the bridge by a series of 2in metal pipes. These pipes end in a glass box, on top of which is a suction fan. Every ten minutes the, fan revolves for two minutes, and any smoke in the compartments would be sucked into tho box. In case of fire, steam hoses can be connected to the pipes and live steam j forced into the affected compartment. IN THE HOLDS. Cargo holds arc also fitted with an apparatus for forcing carbonic acid gas into, them in case of fire.. When all ventilation is shut down this has a tremendous damping effect. Strict precautions are observed as to what cargo may bo stowed in holds, and inflammable oils or acids, or materials such as celluloid, are altogether barred. Engine and boiler-rooms are fitted with foam-making apparatus on a large scale' for dealing with possible oil fires; . The whole crew are exercised at fire drill once a week, during which all appliances are thoroughly inspected and tested. In many cases Thermostat fire alarms are fitted. These cause the alarm bell on the bridge to ring ■when the temperature of the compartment gets over a certain point. Iron fireproof - doors are fitted at short intervals in the alleyways ou :tll decks, and these can be instantly closed, in order to localise tho fire. All members of the crow are constantly • reminded by the officers on rounds that they must raise the alarm at once on tho slightest smell of burning, and if fire is discovered they must attack it vigorously, regardless of what damage may be caused by thoir efforts. Fire-fighting equipment should on no-account be hidden from view. The presence of hydrants, hoses, extinguishers, fire buckets, alarms, fireproof doors, axes, warning notes, etc., serve to remind passengers of the everpresent danger of fire and should cause them to exercise caution. Let all voyagers remember that delay of a few seconds in reporting even the suspicion of a fire, or in attacking a seemingly insignificant blaze, may result in panic and disaster.