Directory_and_Chronicle_1869 — Page 502

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AMERICAN PASSENGERS' ACT.

SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That no such vessel shall have more than two tiers of berths, and the interval, between the lowest part thereof and the deck or plat- form beneath, shall not be less than nine inches, and the berths be well constructed, parallel with the sides of the vessel, and separated from each other by partitions, as berths ordinarily are separated, and shall be at least six feet in length, and at least two feet in width, and each berth shall be occupied by no more than one passenger; but double berths of twice the above width may be constructed, each berth to be occupied by no more, and by no other, than two women, or by one woman and two children under the age of eight years, or by husband and wife, or by a man and two of his own children under the age of eight years, or by two men, members of the same family; and if there shall be any violation of this section in any of its provi- sions, then the master of the vessel, and the owners thereof, shall severally forfeit and pay the sum of five dollars for each passenger on board of said vessel on such voyage, to be recovered by the United States in any port where such vessel may arrive or depart. SEC. 3.-And be it further enacted, That all vessels, whether of the United States or any foreign country, having sufficient capacity or space, according to law, for fifty or more passengers, (other than cabin passengers,) shall, when employed in transporting such passengers between the United States and Europe, have on the upper deck, for the use of such passengers, a house over the passage-way leading to the apartments allotted to such, with two doors, the sills of which shall be at least one foot above the deck, so constructed, that one door or window in such house may at all times be left open for ventilation; and all vessels so employed, and having the capacity to carry one hundred and fifty such passengers or more, shall have two such houses; and the stairs or ladder, leading down to the aforesaid apartment, shall be furnished with a hand-rail of wood or strong rope; but booby hatches may be substituted for such houses.

SEC. 4.-And be it further enacted, That every such vessel so employed, and having the legal capacity for more than one hundred such passengers, shall have at least two ventilators to purify the apartment or apartments occupied by such passengers; one of which shall be inserted in the after part of the apartment or apartments, and the other shall be placed in the forward portion of the apartment or apartments, and one of them shall have an exhausting cap to carry off the foul air, and the other a receiving cap to carry down the fresh air, which said ventilators shall have a capacity proportioned to the size of the apartment or apartments, which will lawfully authorize the reception of two hundred such passengers, the capacity of such ventilators shall each be equal to a tube of twelve inches diameter in the clear, and in proportion for larger or smaller apart- ments, and all said ventilators shall rise at least four feet six inches above the upper deck of any such vessel, and be of the most approved form and construction; but if it shall appear, from the report, to be made and aproved, that such vessel is equally well ventilated by any other means, such other means of ventilation shall be deemed and held to be a compliance with the provisions of this section.

SEC. 5.-And be it further enacted, That vessels carrying more than fifty such passengers shall have for their use on deck, housed and conveniently arranged, at least one caboose, or cooking range, the dimensions of which shall be equal to four feet long and one foot six inches wide for every two hundred passengers; and provisions shall be made in the manner aforesaid, in this ratio, for a greater or less number of passengers, but nothing herein contained shall take away the right to make such arrangements for cooking between decks, if that shall be deemed desirable.

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SEC. 6. And be it further enacted, That all vessels employed as aforesaid, shall have on board, for the use of such passengers, at the time of leaving the last port whence such vessel shall sail, well secured under deck, for each passenger, at least twenty pounds of good navy bread, fifteen pounds of rice, fifteen pounds of oatmeal, ten pounds of wheat flour, fifteen pounds of peas and beans, twenty pounds of potatoes, one pint of vinegar, sixty gallons of fresh water, ten pounds of salted pork, and ten pounds of salt beef, free of bone, all to be of good quality; but at places where either rice, oatmeal, wheat flour, or peas and beans cannot be procured, of good quality and on reasonable terms, the quantity of either or any of the other last named articles may be increased and

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