Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from A Run Through the States: Supplementary to From the Clyde to California
The Steamboat Company, guided by past experience, has taken every precaution against fire. Every state room is fitted up with an electric-lamp that can be turned off or on more expeditiously than gas. There are no open fires on board, except those in the boiler-room and the kitchen, which are enclosed in iron bulkheads. N ot withstanding these precautions, there are distributed over the vessel fifty hydrants with hose, that can be instantly used by either steam or hand-pumps, in the event of an unforeseen occurrence of fire. To put these in opera tion, there is practised on board a man-o'-war-like disci pline and drill that become apparent to the voyagers shortly after leaving New York harbour. As the vessel approaches Hell Gate (a narrow channel), where, it is said, there are dangerous reefs under water, the crew take up positions along both sides of the vessel, near to the bow, with all the necessary life-saving appliances at hand. The narrow channel being past, each man re turns to his respective duty, leaving an impression on the observers that what was witnessed was intended more to exhibit the discipline on board than for any real dan ger that had to be encountered on the occasion.
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