Chapter IX: Rules of the U. S. Supervising Inspectors Relating to Lifesaving

LIFE BOATS

The capacity of lifeboats shall hereafter be determined by an allowance of 15 cubic feet for each person carried.

Equipment for lifeboats.

All lifeboats on ocean steam vessels shall be equipped as follows:

A properly secured life line the entire length on each side, festooned in bights not longer than 3 feet, with a seine float in each bight.

One painter of manila rope of not less than 2¾ inches in circumference and of suitable length.

A full complement of oars and two spare oars.

One set and a half of thole pins or rowlocks attached to the boat with separate chains.

One steering oar with rowlock or becket and one rudder with tiller or yoke and yoke lines.

One boat hook attached to a staff of suitable length.

Two life preservers.

Two hatchets.

One galvanized-iron bucket with lanyard attached.

One bailer.

Where automatic plugs are not provided there shall be two plugs secured with chains for each drain hole.

One efficient liquid compass with not less than a 2-inch card.

One lantern containing sufficient oil to burn at least nine hours and ready for immediate use.

One can containing one gallon of illuminating oil.

One box of friction-matches wrapped in a waterproof package and carried in a box secured to the underside of the stern thwart.

A wooden breaker or suitable tank fitted with a siphon, pump, or spigot for drawing water, and containing at least 1 quart of water for each person.

Two enameled drinking cups.

A water-tight receptacle containing 2 pounds avoirdupois of provisions for each person. These provisions may be hard bread or United States Army ration. The receptacle shall be of metal, fitted with an opening in the top not less than 5 inches in diameter, properly protected by a screw cap made of heavy cast brass, with machine thread and an attached double toggle, seating to a pliable rubber gasket, which shall insure a tight joint, in order to properly protect the contents of the can.

One canvas bag containing sailmaker's palm and needles, sail twine, marline, and marline spike.

A water-tight metal case containing 12 self-igniting red lights capable of burning at least two minutes.

A sea anchor.

A vessel containing 1 gallon of vegetable or animal oil, so constructed that the oil can be easily distributed on the water and so arranged that it can be attached to the sea anchor.

In addition to the equipment already required in lifeboats, there shall be provided a hand pump with a plunger of not less than 2 inches in diameter, and a discharge pipe of sufficient length to reach clear of the boat's side.

Steam vessels carrying passengers and which enter the War Zone shall have each and every lifeboat which is carried under davits equipped with mast and sail and proper gear for same, as required by this section.

Food or provisions to be carried in lifeboats.

The food or provisions required to be carried in lifeboats may be hard bread or the "United States Army Emergency Ration." Food which produces unusual or immoderate thirst, such as corned beef, salt fish, etc., will not be allowed, under any circumstances, as lifeboat provisions.

When hard bread only is carried in the lifeboat, there must be provided in addition thereto at least ten United States Army emergency rations.

How lifeboats shall be carried.

Lifeboats on cargo steamers shall be provided with a separate set of davits for each lifeboat required. When this requirement makes it necessary to install additional davits, it is recommended that the additional davits be of the mechanical type, to facilitate quick and safe launching. The old type of davits with "turning out gear" is not considered as mechanical davits.

Additional life-saving equipment.

Cargo vessels shall carry sufficient lifeboats to accommodate every person on board, and in addition thereto shall carry a sufficient number of approved life rafts to accommodate at least twenty-five per cent of the total number of persons on board.

Precautionary measures.

Before entering the War Zone all the lifeboats and life rafts shall be cleared away and made ready for launching, and the master or officer in charge, shall assure himself that all the required equipment is in the lifeboats and life rafts, in good order, and ready for immediate service. Steamers which are not equipped with mechanical davits shall have all the lifeboats swung out (weather permitting) and ready for immediate launching before entering the War Zone.

Future construction.

Cargo vessels contracted for after May 1, 1917, and serving trades within the War Zone, shall be equipped on each side with lifeboats of sufficient capacity to accommodate all persons on board based upon an allowance of 15 cubic feet per person, and in addition thereto shall be equipped with a sufficient number of approved life rafts to accommodate at least twenty-five per cent of all persons on board.

Handling of the boats and rafts.

All the boats and rafts must be stowed in such a way that they can be launched in the shortest possible time and that, even under unfavorable conditions of list and trim from the point of view of the handling of the boats and rafts, it may be possible to embark in them as large a number of persons as possible.

The arrangements must be such that it may be possible to launch on either side of the vessel as large a number of boats and rafts as possible.

Strength and operation of the davits

The davits shall be of such strength that the boats can be lowered with their full complement of persons and equipment, the vessel being assumed to have a list of 15 degrees.

The davits must be fitted with a gear of sufficient power to insure that the boat can be turned out against the maximum list under which the lowering of the boats is possible on the vessel in question.

The Secretary of Commerce is authorized by the seamen's act in specific cases to exempt existing vessels from the requirements of this section that the davits shall be of such strength and shall be fitted with a gear of sufficient power to insure that the boats can be lowered with their full complement of persons and equipment, the vessel being assumed to have a list of 15 degrees, where their strict application would not be practicable or reasonable.

Each set of davits shall have a boat of the first class attached to it, provided that the number of open boats of the first class attached to davits shall not be less than the minimum number fixed by law.

If it is neither practicable nor reasonable to place on a vessel the minimum number of sets of davits required, a small number of sets of davits may be fitted, provided always that this number shall never be less than the minimum number of open boats of the first class required by law.

If a large proportion of the persons on board are accommodated in boats whose length is greater than 50 feet, a further reduction in the number of sets of davits may be allowed exceptionally, if the arrangements are in all respects satisfactory.

In all cases in which a reduction in the minimum number of sets of davits or other equivalent appliances required by the rules is allowed, the owner of the vessel in question shall be required to prove, by a test made in the presence of an officer designated by the Supervising Inspector General, that all the boats can be efficiently launched in a minimum time.

The conditions of this test shall be as follows:

_First._ The vessel is to be upright and in smooth water.

_Second._ The time is the time required from the beginning of the removal of the boat covers, or any other operation necessary to prepare the boats for lowering, until the last boat or pontoon raft is afloat.

_Third._ The number of men employed in the whole operation must not exceed the total number of boat hands that will be carried on the vessel under normal service conditions.

_Fourth._ Each boat when being lowered must have on board at least two men and its full equipment as required by the rules.

_Fifth._ The time allowed for this test shall not exceed 10 minutes.

2 Lifeboats swung out—1 on each side.

All passenger steam vessels, except those fitted with mechanical davits, shall, when the weather permits, have one of their lifeboats swung out on each side while at sea, brailed into a boom or rail and ready for immediate use.

Equivalents for and weight of the persons.

In test for determining the number of persons which a boat or pontoon raft can accommodate each person shall be assumed to be an adult person wearing a life preserver.

In verifications of freeboard the pontoon boats shall be loaded with a weight of at least 165 pounds for each adult person that the pontoon boat is authorized to carry.

In all cases two children under 12 years of age shall be reckoned as one person.

Marking of lifeboats.

All lifeboats shall have the number of boat plainly marked or painted on each bow, in figures not less than 3 inches high. Where lifeboats are carried on both sides of a vessel, lifeboat No. 1 shall be forward on starboard side of vessel, lifeboat No. 2 forward on port side, lifeboat No. 3 next abaft lifeboat No. 1 on starboard side, lifeboat No. 4 next abaft lifeboat No. 2 on port side, and so forth, the odd-numbered boats being on the starboard side and the even-numbered boats being on the port side of vessel. All lifeboats shall have their cubic contents and the number of persons such lifeboat is allowed to carry plainly marked or painted on each bow in letters and figures not less than three-fourths of an inch high. All lifeboats shall also have the number of persons allowed to be carried plainly marked or painted on top of at least two of the thwarts, in letters and figures not less than 3 inches high. When the letters and figures above required are painted on lifeboats, such letters and figures shall be dark on a light ground or light on a dark ground.

Lifeboats and life rafts kept clear for launching.

The decks on which lifeboats of any class or life rafts are carried shall be kept clear of freight or any other obstruction that would interfere with the immediate launching of the lifeboats or life rafts. (R. S. Secs. 4405, 4488.)

Boat-davit falls and receptacles therefor.

It shall be the duty of the master or officer in charge of all vessels to see that the boat-davit falls shall at all times be in readiness for immediate use, and protected from ice, and not painted, and such boat-davit falls on all boats not swung out at boat drills shall be cast loose and overhauled; and it shall be unlawful to stow in any lifeboat articles other than those required by law and regulations. On all steamers over 1,000 gross tons, covered tubs, boxes, or reels shall be provided in which to stow away the boat-davit falls.

Care of lifeboats.

Lifeboats shall be stripped, cleaned, thoroughly overhauled, and painted at least once in every year.

Embarkation of the passengers in the lifeboats and rafts.

Suitable arrangements shall be made for embarking the passengers in the boats, in accord with regulations by the Board of Supervising Inspectors, with the approval of the Secretary of Commerce.

In vessels which carry rafts there shall be a number of rope or wooden ladders always available for use in embarking the persons on to the rafts.

Certificated lifeboat men—manning of the boats.

There shall be for each boat or raft a number of lifeboat men at least equal to that specified as follows: If the boat or raft carries 25 persons or less, the minimum number of certificated lifeboat men shall be 1; if the boat or raft carries 26 persons and less than 41 persons, the minimum number of certificated lifeboat men shall be 2; if the boat or raft carries 41 persons and less than 61 persons, the minimum number of certificated lifeboat men shall be 3; if the boat or raft carries from 61 to 85 persons, the minimum number of certificated lifeboat men shall be 4; if the boat or raft carries from 86 to 100 persons, the minimum number of certificated lifeboat men shall be 5; if the boat or raft carries from 111 to 160 persons, the minimum number of certificated lifeboat men shall be 6; if the boat or raft carries from 161 to 210 persons, the minimum number of certificated lifeboat men shall be 7; and, thereafter, 1 additional certificated lifeboat man for each additional 50 persons: _Provided_, That if the raft carries 15 persons or less a licensed officer or able seaman need not be placed in charge of such raft: _Provided further_, That one-half the number of rafts carried shall have a capacity of exceeding 15 persons.

The allocation of the certificated lifeboat men to each boat and raft remains within the discretion of the master, according to the circumstances.

By "certificated lifeboat man" is meant any member of the crew who holds a certificate of efficiency issued under the authority of the Secretary of Commerce.

In order to obtain the special lifeboat man's certificate the applicant must prove to the satisfaction of an officer designated by the Secretary of Commerce that he has been trained in all the operations connected with launching lifeboats and the use of oars; that he is acquainted with the practical handling of the boats themselves; and, further, that he is capable of understanding and answering the orders relative to lifeboat service.

Manning of boats.

A licensed officer or able seaman shall be placed in charge of each boat or pontoon raft; he shall have a list of its lifeboat men, and other members of its crew which shall be sufficient for her safe management, and shall see that the men placed under his orders are acquainted with their several duties and stations.

A man capable of working the motor shall be assigned to each motor boat.

The duty of seeing that the boats, pontoon rafts, and other life-saving appliances are at all times ready for use shall be assigned to one or more officers.

LIFE RAFTS

Handling of the rafts.

All rafts must be stowed in such a way that they can be launched in the shortest possible time and that, even under unfavorable conditions of list and trim from the point of view of the handling of the rafts, it may be possible to embark in them as large a number of persons as possible.

The arrangements must be such that it may be possible to launch on either side of the vessel as large a number of rafts as possible. Marking rafts.

There shall be stenciled in a conspicuous place on each life raft now in use the number of persons said raft can carry, as hereinafter provided.

Care of life rafts.

All life rafts shall be stripped, cleaned, painted, and thoroughly overhauled at least once in every year.

Equipment for life rafts.

All life rafts on ocean steam vessels shall be equipped as follows:

A properly secured life line entirely around the sides and ends of the raft, festooned to the gunwales in bights not longer than 3 feet with a seine float in each bight.

One painter of manila rope of 2¾ inches in circumference, and of suitable length.

Four oars.

Five rowlocks properly attached.

One boat hook attached to a staff of suitable length.

One self-igniting life-buoy light.

One sea anchor.

A vessel containing 1 gallon of vegetable or animal oil, so constructed that the oil can be easily distributed on the water, and so arranged that it can be attached to the sea anchor.

A water-tight receptacle containing 2 pounds avoirdupois of provisions for each person. These provisions may be hard bread or United States Army ration. The receptacle shall be of metal and fitted with an opening in the top not less than 5 inches in diameter, properly protected by a screw cap made of heavy cast brass, with machine thread and an attached double toggle, seating to a pliable rubber gasket, which shall insure a tight joint, in order to properly protect the contents of the can.

A water-tight receptacle containing 1 quart of water for each person.

Two enameled drinking cups.

A water-tight metal case containing six self-igniting red lights capable of burning at least two minutes.

A water-tight box of matches.

All loose equipment must be securely attached to the raft to which it belongs.

Life preservers.

Every ocean vessel inspected under the provisions of Title LII, Revised Statutes of the United States, shall be provided with one good life preserver, having the approval of the Board of Supervising Inspectors, for each and every person carried, and every ocean vessel carrying passengers shall have in addition thereto a number of life preservers suitable for children equal to at least 10 per cent of the total number of persons carried.

Ring life buoys.

The number of ring life buoys with which steamers must be provided is as follows: Vessels under 400 feet in length, 12, of which 6 must be luminous; vessels of 400 feet in length and less than 600 feet, 18, of which 9 must be luminous; vessels of 600 feet in length and less than 800 feet, 24, of which 12 must be luminous; vessels of 800 feet in length and over, 30, of which 15 must be luminous.

Ring life buoys shall not be permanently secured in any way, but shall be so placed as to be readily accessible in an emergency. Their location shall be plainly indicated in the vessel's station bill.

One of the buoys on each side of the vessel shall have a life line attached of at least 15 fathoms in length.

_Luminous buoys_ are those having attached an efficient self-igniting light which can not be extinguished in water.

All the life buoys and life jackets shall be so placed as to be readily accessible to the persons on board; their position shall be plainly indicated so as to be known to the persons concerned.

The life buoys shall always be capable of being rapidly cast loose, and shall not be permanently secured in any way. The owner of any vessel who neglects or refuses to provide and equip his vessel with such lifeboats, floats, rafts, life preservers, line-carrying projectiles, and the means of propelling them, drags, pumps, or other appliances, as are required under the provisions of this section, or under the regulations of the Board of Supervising Inspectors, approved by the Secretary of Commerce, authorized by and made pursuant hereto, shall be fined not less than $500, nor more than $5,000, and every master of a vessel who shall fail to comply with the requirements of this section, and the regulations of the Board of Supervising Inspectors, approved by the Secretary of Commerce, authorized by and made pursuant hereto, shall upon conviction be fined not less than $50, nor more than $500.

Line-carrying guns, rockets and equipment.

All ocean steam, pleasure vessels and ocean steam vessels carrying passengers, except vessels of 150 gross tons and under, shall be provided with at least three line-carrying projectiles and the means of propelling them, such as may have received the formal approval of the Board of Supervising Inspectors.

Rockets.

When approved _rockets_ are used instead of guns, there shall be in every case at least three of said rockets, and all steamers that are required under the law to carry line-carrying projectiles and the means of propelling them shall be supplied auxiliary thereto with at least 800 feet of 3-inch manila line for vessels of over 150 and not over 500 gross tons and 1,500 feet of said line for steamers above 500 gross tons; and, except where approved rockets are provided, with three approved service projectile lines and three projectiles. Such auxiliary line and all other equipment shall be kept always ready for use in connection with the gun and rocket, which lines and other equipment shall not be used for any other purpose. (R. S., 4488.)

Requirements for firing tests.

The test rounds required shall be fired from the gun when mounted on its own carriage, lashed as it would be in shipboard use.

The line shall be coiled, faked, or reeled in its own faking box or reel, and the gun, carriage, line box or reel, and projectiles shall all bear the same number and shall be initialed by the inspector, whose report of the test, giving number, date, and result, shall be filed in the office of the supervising inspector of the district in which the test is made.

Service lines and projectiles.

Service projectile lines hereafter approved shall be similar in size to that used by the United States Coast Guard, of not less than 1,700 feet in length, and capable of withstanding a breaking strain of 500 pounds, and the projectile end shall be so protected that line will not burn when fired from the gun.

The projectiles required to be furnished with each gun shall weigh not less than 18 pounds, smoothly turned and finished, with a windage of not more than one sixty-fourth of an inch.

Drill required with line-carrying gun.

The master of every vessel equipped with a line-carrying gun shall drill his crew in the use thereof and fire said gun at least once in every three months, using one-half the usual charge of powder and any ordinary line of proper length.

It shall be the duty of the inspectors, at the annual inspection, to see that these drills are entered on the log of the vessels.

Placard containing instructions for use of gun and rocket apparatus.

A placard containing instructions for using the gun and rocket apparatus required by the foregoing section and as practiced by the United States Coast Guard shall be posted in the pilot house, engine room, and in the seamen's, firemen's, and steward's department of every steam vessel required by law to carry such gun or rocket apparatus. (R. S., 4405.)

Storm oil.

On and after January 1, 1915, ocean vessels of more than 200 gross tons propelled by machinery and navigating the oceans or gulfs shall carry a supply of oil for the purpose of smoothing the sea or quelling the force of the waves in case of emergency or necessity in the following quantities:

Vessels of over 200 and not over 1,000 gross tons, 30 gallons. Vessels of over 1,000 and not over 3,000 gross tons, 40 gallons. Vessels of over 3,000 and not over 5,000 gross tons, 50 gallons. Vessels of over 5,000 gross tons shall carry at least 100 gallons.

This oil shall be accessible and available at all times, and the location of the supply and the means and methods of its distribution shall be determined by the master of the vessel.

Steamer's name on equipments.

All the equipments of a steamer, such as buckets, hose, axes, boats, oars, rafts, life preservers, floats, barrels, and tanks, shall be painted or branded with the name of the steamer upon which they are used. (R. S., 4405.)

Muster roll and drills.

Special duties for the event of an emergency shall be allotted to each member of the crew.

The muster list shows all these special duties, and indicates, in particular, the station to which each man must go, and the duties that he has to perform.

Before the vessel sails the muster list shall be drawn up and exhibited, and the proper authority, to be designated by the Secretary of Commerce, shall be satisfied that the muster list has been prepared for the vessel. It shall be posted in several parts of the vessel, and in particular in the crew's quarters.

Muster list.

The muster list shall assign duties to the different members of the crew in connection with—

(_a_) The closing of the water-tight doors, valves, and so forth.

(_b_) The equipment of boats and rafts generally.

(_c_) The launching of the boats attached to davits.

(_d_) The general preparation of the other boats and the pontoon
rafts.

(_e_) The muster of the passengers.

(_f_) The extinction of fire.

The muster list shall assign to the members of the stewards' department their several duties in relation to the passengers at a time of emergency. These duties shall include—

(_a_) Warning the passengers.

(_b_) Seeing that they are dressed and have put on their life
jackets in a proper manner.

(_c_) Assembling the passengers.

(_d_) Keeping order in the passages and on the stairways, and,
generally, controlling the movements of the passengers.

The muster list shall specify definite alarm signals for calling all the crew to the boat and fire stations, and shall give full particulars of these signals.

Musters and drills.

Musters of the crews at their boat and fire stations, followed by boat and fire drills, respectively, shall be held at least once a week, either in port or at sea. An entry shall be made in the official log book of these drills, or of the reason why they could not be held.

Different groups of boats shall be used in turn at successive boat drills. The drills and inspections shall be so arranged that the crew thoroughly understand and are practiced in the duties they have to perform, and that all the boats and pontoon rafts on the ship with the gear appertaining to them are always ready for immediate use.

Stairways and deck room.

Every such steam-vessel carrying passengers on the main-deck shall be provided with permanent stairways and other sufficient means, convenient to the passengers, for their escape to their upper deck, in case of the vessel sinking or of other accident endangering life; and in the stowage of freight upon such deck, where passengers are carried, gangways or passages, sufficiently large to allow persons to pass freely through them, shall be left open both fore and aft of the vessel, and also to and along the guards on each side. (R. S., 4484.)

The captain or mate of every such steam-vessel carrying passengers upon the main-deck shall assign to all deck-passengers, when taking passage, the space on deck they may occupy during the voyage, and such space shall not thereafter be occupied by freight nor overcrowded by other persons, nor shall freight be stowed about the boilers or machinery, in such a manner as to obstruct or prevent the engineer from readily attending to his duties. (R. S., 4485.)

For every violation of the provisions of the two preceding sections the owners of the vessel shall be punished by a fine of three hundred dollars. (R. S., 4486.)