Democratic Sentinel, Volume 22, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 August 1898 — Devised Plimsoll’s Mark. [ARTICLE]

Devised Plimsoll’s Mark.

Samuel Pllmsoll, who died the other at Folkstone, Eng., was the originator of the famous “Plimsoll’s Mark,” which prevents the overloading of ships and ywhich appears on every merchant vessel sailing under the British flag. Byf a horizontal line the statutory deckUme is marked, below which is a disk llj! inches in diameter, through which passes a horizontal line 18 Inches long, twenty-one Inches forward of the center of the disk ’is a vertical line, with a hol lzontal line (extending toward the disk, which is marked “F. W.” (fresh waaterV To the right of the vertical line are four horizontal lines marked “I. S.” (Indian summer), “S.” (summer), “W.” (winter), “W. N. A.” (winter North Atlantic!), which indicate the depth of (water thoship is permitted to load to in< different seasons. The fresh-water mark permits ships to load to that deprth or its proportion at certain seasons, as the ship rises in the more buoyant salt'water. In accordance with the regulations made by the British Board of Trade the disks andllines must be permanently marked by punch marks or cutting and painted white, thus preventing any change of the mark. The Lloyds agency prescribes that where a vessel is loaded to a greater draft of water than allowed by the mark, or if the maximum load draft be placed higher than the position assigned by Lloyds, the vessel forfeits her character In the register. The disks and Pllmsoll mark must appear on both sides of steam and sail vessels.