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46
CANAL BOATS ACTS.
In accordance with Section 3 of the Canal Boats Act, 1884, I beg to present
herewith the Annual Report on the working of the Canal Boats Acts and Regulations
within the district of the Port of London Sanitary Authority during the year ended
31st December, 1932.
The canals of this country have in the past suffered severely from the competition
of the railways, and now both canals and railways are feeling the competition of
motor-driven road transport. It is natural, therefore, that canal boat owners should
endeavour to meet this new threat to their existence by speeding-up their craft, and
consequently there appear to be signs that here again the horse will be replaced by
the motor. So far as London is concerned, developments along these lines are as yet
on a small scale, and there are at present only seven motor-driven canal boats on
the Register. Nevertheless, it seems desirable that the Canal Boats Act and
Regulations should be amended so as to safeguard the health of those who live on and
work this new type of craft.
The principal dangers are from exhaust gases and from fire.
The position of the engine-room is likely to depend to some extent upon the
weight of the engine and the fuel in relation to the size and build of the boat, so that
the living accommodation may either be right aft or immediately forward of the engineroom.
In either case there should be a gas-tight and fire-proof bulkhead between
the cabin and the engine-room. This bulkhead should go right down to the keel and
should be secured to the hull plating. If the cabin is abaft the engine-room, the clutch
and gear-box should be on the engine-room side of the bulkhead and the propeller
shaft where it passes through this bulkhead should be surrounded by a gas-tight gland.
There should be no direct communication between the cabin and the engine-room, the
entrance to the latter being by means of a vertical iron ladder from the deck. The
bilge under the engine-room will be completely shut off by the gas-tight bulkhead,
and should therefore have a separate bilge pump. The engine-room should be
provided with adequate means of permanent ventilation in addition to the sky-light
and the provision of fire-extinguishers should be compulsory. The discharge of
exhaust gases requires special consideration, because if they are discharged through
a low funnel they are likely to be inhaled by the person steering and may find their
way into the accommodation through the scuttle.
In some cases it may be convenient to have the cabin situated right forward,
but there is no need to insist on this if the above conditions are complied with.
If any revision of the Canal Boats Regulations is contemplated, it is suggested
that a considerable increase in the minimum cubic space per person might be made,
at least in regard to new boats. It would seem reasonable to recommend a minimum
of 120 cubic feet for each adult and 80 cubic feet for each child. A glazed hinged
skylight should be compulsory in the cabin and a cooking range with an oven should
be provided. In steel boats all bare-iron surfaces except those of internal divisional
bulkheads should be sheathed with wood to prevent dampness from condensation of
moisture.
The minimum capacity of the drinking water storage tanks should be increased
from three gallons to ten gallons.
These suggestions have been put forward by Inspector P. W. Coombe, who has
had considerable experience in the inspection of canal boats, and are quite practicable
so far as London is concerned, but may not all be applicable in the districts of other
Canal Boats Registration Authorities.
The Canal Boats Acts and Regulations apply within the whole of the district
under the jurisdiction of the Port of London Sanitary Authority, including the River
and Docks, as a "canal" for the purposes of the Act "includes any river, inland
navigation, lake or water being within the body of a county, whether it is or not
within the ebb and flow of the tide."