If this becomes a law the space required would be 8 feet
from floor to ceiling, and this is impracticable, for in all ships the
spaces between decks are adjusted in proportion to the dimensions of
the ship; and if these spaces between decks are changed so as not to
correspond in their proportions with the dimensions of the vessel,
the ship will not work well in the sea, her sailing qualities will
be injured, and she will be rendered unfit for service.
It is only in great ships of vast tonnage that the height between
decks can be increased. All the ordinary-sized ships are necessarily
constructed with 7 feet space in the interval between the beams from the
floor to the ceiling. To adopt this act, with this provision, would be
to drive out of the service of transporting passengers most all of the
steamships now in such trade, and no practical good obtained by it, for
really, with the exception of the narrow beam, the space between the
decks is now 7 feet. The purpose of the space commanded by the act is to
obtain sufficient air and ventilation, and that is actually now given to
the passenger by the 7 feet that exists in all of these vessels between
floor and ceiling.
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