CO129-274 - Public Offices & Others - 1896 — Page 291

The other arguments urged by Messrs Leigh end

What I urged in

Orange do not at all to my mind justify the withdrawal

or any modification of the suggestion.

favour of booms in the case of Messrs Samuel (see papers

referred to above) holds good as strongly now and ever;

and there have indeed since that date been accidents

into which on behalf of the Board of Trade I have held

inquiry which have further illustrated the risk against

which booms are designed to afford a protection.

And

I therefore and with great confidence and after a full

consideration of all that Messrs Leigh and Orange have

urged, adhere to my former recommendations.

As regards the design of boom submitted by

Messrs Leigh and Orange I see no reason to doubt that

it would prove efficient for the purpose. Indeed I am

disposed to think that a less costly design would probably meet the case, e.g., as I understand the design

it is proposed to cover the wooden boom with Muntz metal.

I do not see that this is really necessary. If the

booms are (as the design would seem to show) of considerable section, it is unlikely that they would be burnt

through (so as to become ineffective as regards the

confinement of the burning oil) within any time in which

such burning oil would be in contact with them.

But in

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