Flooding arrangements are fitted to the magazines, shell rooms, and spirit rooms, proper stop-cocks, with locks, being fitted in each case to prevent the possibility of water being let in by mistake or by evil design.

As the stand-pipe valves control the lower compartments of the double bottom only, it is not necessary to have the means of working them when water has got beyond the inner bottom to the main compartments of the ship; but this is not the case with the other valves, and consequently they are all worked from the main deck, except in one or two instances, where it was impossible to get the necessary rods higher than the lower deck. Means are provided in every case for indicating whether the valve is open or shut. If the working of these valves is properly understood, water which enters the ship in any compartment may be conducted through the drain pipe to the pumps in any other compartment; but as the drain pipe is of the same size as the bilge suctions of each circulating pump of the engine condensers, viz., 12 inches in diameter, it will only convey a sufficient quantity of water to the engine-room compartment to supply one of these pumps. In order, therefore, to render the second circulating pump available in case of accident to any other compartment than the engine room, 12-inch sluice valves are fitted in each bulkhead close down to the inner bottom-these valves, like the others, being worked from the main deck.

In ships of this class the pumping arrangements are necessarily complicated, and require not only the greatest vigilance in looking after such minor details as the proper marking of valves, the staying of rods, the insertion of brass bushes at pivoting points of levers, &c., &c., but also require on the part of those who have charge of the ship constant attention to keep every part in working order, and careful study so that in an emergency, at a moment's notice, they may know how to use the appliances with which the ship is fitted.

But to return to the Russian ships. The difficult navigation of the Baltic probably renders accidents somewhat frequent, and that may have something to do with the attention which Admiral Popoff gives to appliances for raising sunken vessels, for stopping leaks from the outside, and for increasing the pumping power in his ships. As instances of this I may refer to the Russian air-bags for raising ships, and Makaroff's mats for stopping leaks, both of which have been tried recently in England, and have attracted a considerable amount of attention. Lieutenant Makaroff, while devising means of pumping water out of the ships, has not forgotten that the most effectual way is to stop it from getting in; and his mats are so far appreciated in his own navy, that every ship has been supplied with them since 1870, and the seamen are regularly drilled in their use. They have been successful in saving at least two ships-in one case, the monitor

Lava struck on a rock, and in the other the Admiral Lazareff was accidentally rammed by the Admiral Spiridoff. In both instances the mats were adjusted without difficulty, and the ships steamed safely into harbour.

The Russian pumping arrangements resemble those I have described for the German ships in having a main drain pipe of about 12 inches diameter, but it is differently arranged. Fig. 1 (Plate V.) shows the details of the valves: A and B are double-valve boxes capable of letting water into the drain pipe, either from above the inner bottom by the valves c, or from the double bottom by the valves d; E is a single-valve box which lets water in from the double bottom only at f; G is a sluice valve which divides the drain pipe into separate portions. By the lower valves D and F all the water in the double bottom may be pumped out except that which is within about 6 inches of the outside bottom. This water is pumped out by the pipes H, leading to a fore-and-aft pipe K in connection with the fire engine L. Downton's pumps are also connected with this pipe. The fire engine will also pump from the inner bottom by the pipes M. N is an ejector. Its connection with the drain pipe is shown in the section Fig. 2 (Plate V.) Fig. 2 also shows a centrifugal pump a, connected with the drain pipe at b, and discharging below the water line at c. The drain-pipe valves are made a little larger than the drain pipe; for instance, a 12-inch drain pipe would have 14-inch valves, as that is found to be an advantage. In the Peter the Great two centrifugal pumps and two ejectors are fitted, in addition to the fire-engine and Downton's pumps. One 12-inch pipe is found to be sufficient to supply both pumps and ejectors, as they are distributed along the length of the drain pipe, and the water will flow in either direction to them. An advantage of this arrangement of the drain pipe is, that should it be desirable upon going into action to sink the ship a little lower, water may be let in and the double bottom filled, by merely opening the valves; and if it is required to lighten the ship quickly, the whole may be pumped out in about ten minutes.

The centrifugal pumps are much more economical than the ejectors as regards the amount of steam used for the quantity of water pumped out. Each centrifugal pump has its own engine attached, and is supplied with steam from the main boilers.

On the other hand the ejectors are very light and inexpensive, and they occupy very little space. For these reasons it appears to me that they would be especially valuable in passenger steamers; for, in a case of dire extremity, the whole of the steam in the boilers would be available, and the ship might be kept afloat for a sufficient length of time, either for the passengers to escape in the boats, or for some means to be applied on the outside for stopping the leak. The Admiral Popoff is to be fitted with a Friedman's (Austrian) ejector, and a Morton's (English) ejector, with the intention of trying them

against each other to see which is best. In these ejectors a pressure of 16 pounds of steam is sufficient to lift water 20 feet; 30 pounds will lift 40 feet; and 75 pounds 90 feet.

Although powerful centrifugal pumps and ejectors have been fitted in the Russian ships, it must not be forgotten that they depend upon the main boilers for steam, and consequently would be useless if the water rose sufficiently to put the fires out; but this point has not been neglected, and auxiliary engines and boilers have been fitted on the lower deck. In the Peter the Great, Merryweather's engine has been selected on account of its extremely light weight, and the rapidity with which it may be brought into

action.

The quantity of water which may be thrown by centrifugal pumps and ejectors fitted in the manner shown, is enormous, as it depends upon the size and number fitted, the only limit being the quantity of steam which the main boilers will supply. Messrs. Stone of Deptford have just brought out a pump which is capable of throwing twice the quantity of water thrown by a Downton's pump of the same size; and although these bid fair to become most valuable as manual pumps, and should not be spoken lightly of, yet nothing that may be done in that direction can hope to compete with a combination of centrifugal pumps and ejectors such as I have described.

But Lieutenant Makaroff does not stop here: he proposes to fit centrifugal pumps, to be driven by gearing on the propeller shaft, as shown in Fig. 3 (Plate V.) By this arrangement he is confident that without disconnecting the screw a ton of water per minute could be thrown for every 8 indicated horse-power developed by the engine, and if the screw is disconnected a ton of water per minute for every 3 indicated horse-power; so that engines of 8,000 indicated horse-power, such as many armour-clads are fitted with, would be capable of throwing about 750 tons per minute without disconnecting the screw, or about 3,600 tons with the screw disconnected. Whether he will be able to find sufficient room for the pumps, and be allowed to carry out this idea, I cannot say.

Great facilities for pumping have recently been claimed as one of the advantages appertaining to circular ships. I have therefore shown, in Fig. 4 (Plate V.), the arrangements which have been introduced by Admiral Popoff in the ship which bears his name. The dotted lines represent water-tight divisions of the double bottom, and the drawn lines the main water-tight bulkheads. Pipes from the various compartments are led, as shown, to the inner circular bulkhead, within which three pumping engines are placed on a flat, raised as high above the keel as possible; the pumps are supplied with india-rubber hoses, long enough to reach either of the pipes, so that all three pumps may be applied to any one compartment of the ship.

An important advantage of the centrifugal pumps is that they are capable of driving air as well as water; and they may, if desired, be used for ventilating any compartment of the ship, the necessary pipes, of course, being provided. In many ships it is difficult to get sufficient draught in the stoke-hole without artificial appliances; in some of the monitors special fans have been required for ventilating the cabins, mess decks, &c.; and in emigrant ships especially good ventilation is needed. In all of these cases centrifugal pumps would be capable of serving a double purpose.

This leads me to the second part of my subject, viz., ventilation, and I would urge the importance of it, not solely on the grounds of health and comfort, but because explosive gases are generated by some descriptions of cargo, such for instance as coal, and many serious accidents have occurred through the neglect of proper ventilation.

The frame spaces of iron ships and the hollow iron masts form excellent ventilating pipes. The masts especially are good uptakes, and should always be fitted with open covers at the masthead, and with perforations at the heels, so as to allow foul air to pass up.

I may here observe that in arranging uptakes the greatest care should be taken to convey the foul air away to the upper deck by distinct pipes from the hold and from each deck; for, if this is not done, there is a liability of the living deck becoming contaminated by the gases from below.

Another observation I wish to make is-and this is a point which, as far as my experience goes, has received very little attention—that means should be provided for closing all ventilators in case of fire. This is especially important in the case of the iron masts, for if a fire breaks out in the hold, in the vicinity of an iron mast, the mast at once becomes a tall chimney, and will create an enormous draught to fan the flames. The Times, of the 21st January last, contains an instance of this. Under the heading "A Perilous Voyage," it gives an account of a fire on board the River Boyne, Captain Rice, bound for Valparaiso with a cargo of coals. When near Cape Horn it was found that the coal had taken fire, and most praiseworthy exertions appear to have been made to put the fire out, but without success. Fortunately they were near the land, and found a snug little harbour, in which Captain Rice ran his ship on shore and scuttled her. The flames were thus quenched, the water was then pumped out, and he ship went on her voyage again. In Captain Rice's letter to his owners, an extract of which was given in the Times, the following paragraph occurs:-" Anchored in six "fathoms, stiff sandy bottom, the smoke by this time coming out strong from under the caps "of the fore and mainmasts." It is obvious that the masts in this case must have created a draught, which materially increased the fire; and further, if these masts had

been fitted with valves by which the upward current of air could have been stopped, or if the captain had caused the mastheads to be covered over, the probability is that he would have put the fire out without having to scuttle his ship.

In view, therefore, of the serious consequences arising from a fire at sea, I venture to suggest to shipowners, surveyors, and underwriters, that the propriety of enforcing some means for closing all ventilators, and especially iron masts when used as such, is a question worthy of their most serious attention.