July 9.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 1565

davits, and be long enough to reach the water when the
vessel is light; and hooks are not to be attached to the
lower tackle-blocks.

(5.) EQUIPMENTS FOR COLLAPSIBLE OR OTHER BOATS AND
FOR LIFE-RAFTS.—In order to be properly equipped, each
boat shall be provided as follows:—

(a.) With the full single-banked complement of oars,
and two spare oars.

(b.) With two plugs for each plug-hole, attached with
lanyards or chains, and one set and a half of
thole-pins or crutches, attached to the boat by
sound lanyards.

(c.) With a sea-anchor, a baler, a rudder, and a tiller, or
yoke and yoke-lines, a painter of sufficient length
at each end of the boat, and a boat-hook. The
rudder and baler to be attached to the boat by
sufficiently long lanyards, and kept ready for use.
In boats where there may be a difficulty in fitting
a rudder a steering-oar may be provided instead.

(d.) With the following water and provisions, &c., viz.:
sufficient water for three days’ supply at one
pint per day for each person the boat is certified
to carry; lime-juice tabloids, 4 oz. for each
person; chocolate, five days’ supply, allowing
1 oz. per day for each person; plasmon-jelly made
with 75 per cent. of plasmon-powder added to
25 per cent. of gelatine and kept in airtight tins
containing 1 lb. each, five days’ supply, allowing
¼ oz. per day for each person; biscuit, five days’
supply, allowing 1¼ lb. per day for each person;
matches, tinder, flint and steel, and supply of
brimstone wick; six blue-lights; twelve fish-
hooks and three fishing-lines. The water shall,
so far as practicable, be kept in airtight
metal tanks, or otherwise in proper kegs, to
each of which vessels a dipper or other approved
means of getting the water without waste shall be
attached. The other articles enumerated in this
subsection shall be kept in airtight and water-
tight receptacles with screw tops, and such re-
ceptacles shall be securely fastened in the boats
and life-rafts. In the case of collapsible boats,
the water and provisions, &c., may be stored in a
proper receptacle on the ship placed close to the
boats, in which case they shall be placed and
secured in the boats as soon as the boats are
opened and spread out ready for lowering.

(e.) Life-rafts shall be provided with water and with
provisions of the same kinds and on the same
scale as boats, as set forth in subclause (d) of this
clause, to be kept in similar receptacles, each of
which shall have a screw top at each end so that
it may be unscrewed whichever side of the raft
may be uppermost, and with suitable equipment,
including a mast and sail and four oars, securely
attached to the raft; a painter of sufficient
length; sea anchor; twenty fathoms of hawser;
and a sheath-knife, attached to the raft by a lan-
yard.

(6.) ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENTS FOR BOATS OF SECTION A
AND SECTION B.—In order to be properly equipped, each
boat of Sections A and B, in addition to being provided with
all the requisites laid down in Rule (5), shall be equipped as
follows; but not more than four boats in any one ship require
to have this outfit, and where boats of Sections A or B are
carried in lieu of boats of Sections C or D, this additional
outfit need not be insisted on:—

(a.) With two hatchets or tomahawks, one to be kept in
each end of the boat, and to be attached to the
boat by a lanyard.

(b.) With a mast or masts, and with at least one good
sail, and proper gear for each.

(c.) With a line becketed round the outside of the boat
and securely made fast.

(d.) With an efficient compass.

(e.) With one gallon of vegetable or animal oil, and a
vessel of an approved pattern for distributing it
in the water in rough weather.

(f.) With a lantern trimmed, with oil in its receiver
sufficient to burn eight hours.

(7.) NUMBER OF PERSONS FOR LIFE-RAFTS.—The number
of persons that any approved life-raft for use at sea shall be
deemed to be capable of carrying shall be determined with
reference to each separate pattern approved by the Marine
Department; provided always that for every person so car-
ried there shall be at least 3 cubic feet of strong and service-
able enclosed airtight compartments, constructed so that
water cannot find its way into them. Any approved life-
raft of other construction may be used, provided that it has
equivalent buoyancy to that hereinbefore described. Every
such approved life-raft shall be marked in such a way as to
plainly indicate the number of adult persons it can carry.

(8.) BUOYANT APPARATUS.—Approved buoyant apparatus
shall be deemed sufficient, so far as buoyancy is concerned,
for a number of persons to be ascertained by dividing the
number of pounds of iron which it is capable of supporting
in fresh water by 32. Such buoyant apparatus shall not
require to be inflated before use, shall be of approved con-
struction, and marked in such a way as plainly to indicate
the number of persons for whom it is sufficient.

(9.) LIFE-BELTS.—An approved life-belt shall mean a belt
which does not require to be inflated before use, and which
is capable at least of floating in the water for twenty-four
hours with 15 lb. of iron suspended from it. Life-belts are
to be cut out 2 in. under the armpits, and fitted so as to
remain securely in their place when put on.

(10.) LIFE-BUOYS.—An approved life-buoy shall mean
either—

(a.) A life-buoy built of solid cork, capable of floating
in the water for at least twenty-four hours with
32 lb. of iron suspended from it; or

(b.) A strong life-buoy of any other approved pattern or
material, provided that it is capable of floating in
the water for at least twenty-four hours with
32 lb. of iron suspended from it, and provided also
that it is not stuffed with rushes, cork-shavings
or other shavings, or loose granulated cork, or
other loose material, and does not require infla-
tion before use.

All life-buoys shall be fitted with beckets securely seized,
and not less than two of them shall be fitted with life-lines
15 fathoms in length.

(11.) POSITION OF LIFE-BUOYS AND LIFE-BELTS.—All life-
buoys and life-belts shall be so placed as to be readily acces-
sible to all persons on board, and so that their position may
be known to those for whom they are intended.

(12.) WATERTIGHT COMPARTMENTS.—When ships of any
class are divided into efficient watertight compartments to
the satisfaction of the Marine Department they shall only
be required to carry additional boats, rafts, and buoyant
apparatus of one-half of the capacity required by these rules;
but the exemption shall not extend to life-jackets or similar
approved articles of equal buoyancy suitable to be worn on
the person.

(13.) Every ship, whether steam or sailing, shall carry two
approved contrivances for showing a light in the water, such
as Holmes’s small danger-signal light, attached to life-buoys
placed in a handy position on deck for readily throwing over-
board.

——

INSTRUCTIONS AS TO THE INTERPRETATION OF RULES RE-
SPECTING LIFE-SAVING APPLIANCES.

Capacity and form of lifeboats.

1. As regards the boats of Section A, B, C, and D, Rule 1,
   the Surveyors will see that the requirements of the rules are
   observed, and that the capacity of the boats, and the number
   of persons they are fit to carry, are ascertained by Rules 2
   and 3 (clause 2 of General Rules). In measuring boats the
   length and breadth are to be regarded as the extreme dimen-
   sions measured to the outside of the plank. The number of
   persons for which a boat is to be passed is, however, subject
   to the further condition that the space in the boat shall be
   sufficient for the seating of them all, and the proper use of
   the oars. That this requirement is fulfilled must be ascer-
   tained by practical experiment in all cases before a declara-
   tion of survey is granted, unless one or more boats in a ship
   are of the same pattern, when one only of such boats need be
   so tested. Lifeboats (except those of Section C) should be
   built whaleboat fashion, both ends alike. In ships which
   have been fitted with boats previous to the rules coming
   into force, square-sterned boats need not be condemned if
   fitted with the required amount of buoyancy, but all life-
   boats of Sections A and B subsequently supplied or supplied
   to new ships must be built whaleboat fashion. All col-
   lapsible boats, and all boats whether collapsible or not if
   constructed of any material other than wood or metal, must
   be in accordance with a pattern approved by the Marine De-
   partment before they are passed as a portion of the life-
   saving appliances required by the rules.

Stowage of boats.

2. All boats required by the rules to be placed under davits
   are to be kept fit and ready for use, and when they are swung
   inboard and resting on the chocks the chocks are to be so
   constructed that the boat can be at once swung outboard
   without requiring to be lifted by the tackles—i.e., it should
   not be necessary to do more than take the weight of the boat.
   The manner in which the additional boats not requiring
   to be placed under davits are to be stowed will vary in dif-
   ferent ships, but they must be stowed to the satisfaction
   of the Surveyors, so as to be as readily available for use as
   is practicable, having due consideration to the circumstances
   mentioned in the rules.

In all cases where boats are stowed on skids, a batten and
space platform of about 2½ in. planks should be fitted from
skid to skid, under and alongside of the boat, to serve both
as a support to the boat, when being launched forward or
aft, and as a platform for the men.