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Fire detectors are mounted throughout the upper and lower engine room and the generator room. When a detector is ener- gized, an alarm sounds through- out the alarm system. This sys- tem includes CO bottles with outside pull cables for the galley, generator room and engine room. Portable hand extinguishers are located throughout the vessel to provide additional protection. All quarters on the motor ves- sel Thruston B. Morton, including the cabin areas, lounges, galley and pilothouse are fully air- conditioned. American Commercial Lines, Inc., and Jeffboat, Incorporated are subsidiaries of Texas Gas Transmission Corporation. Specifications Thruston B. Morton Principal Dimensions Length 150' 0" Breadth 35' 0" Depth 12' 6" Draft, Normal Operating 6' 6" Draft, Loaded 8' 6" Displacement, Normal 910 tons Capacities Fuel Oil 61,200 gal. Fresh Water 14,100 gal. Lube Oil 2,825 gal. Propulsion Main engines: Two Alco Diesel Engines, 12 cylinder, Model 251F, each rated 2,100 hp. Mathers Air Controls. Reverse reduction gears: Two Falk, Model 2440 MR Ratio 4,708 to 1. Propeller shafts: 10%-inch- diameter alloy steel forging. Propellers: Two five-blade, 100- inch-diameter stainless-steel pro- pellers. Steering gear: Two steering rudders and four flanking rud- ders, all streamlined, operated by independent hydraulic steering rams. Auxiliary Machinery Main generators: Two 75KW 460-volt, 3-phase, 60-hertz gen- erators, each driven by General Motors Detroit Diesel 6-71 en- gines. Switchboard: Enclosed, dead- front type, New Orleans Arma- ture Works. Heating and air-conditioning: Hot Water Kewanee Boiler 3R6- FO. Dunham-Bush air-condition- ing, 20 tons total capacity. Air compressors: Three West- inghouse compressors, Model 3 VC-B, each rated 23.8 CFM at 250 psi. Sanitary water system: Brun- ner filter, Model AF30, with Wil- son chlorinator. Fuel oil filter: Four Briggs Fil- tration Co. filters, Model BFS-V- VI. Fire Protection: Six fire sta- tions, with remotely started pump, Ingersoll-Rand Model 3x2x8HC 200 gpm at 230 foot head. Fixed C02 system for engine room: Also semi-fixed C02 sys- tem in engine room and portable extinguishers throughout boat. Far left, the Honorable Rogers C.B. Morton, former Secretary of the Interior, and speaker at the christening ceremonies, and far right, Thruston B. Morton, with invited guests, watch Mrs. Thruston B. Morton as she breaks the bottle on the vessel named to honor her husband. Jeffboat Delivers The Thruston B. Morton Shortly after the motor vessel Thruston B. Morton was chris- tened on July 8, 1978, at the River Front Plaza in Louisville, Ky., she joined the fleet of American Com- mercial Lines, Inc., moving tows on the inland waterways system. The vessel was named to honor Thruston B. Morton, former Sen- ator from Kentucky and a nine- year member of the board of di- rectors of Texas Gas Transmis- sion Corporation. A native of Louisville, Ky., Mr. Morton received his early educa- tion in Kentucky public schools and graduated from Yale Univer- sity in 1929. Following his gradu- ation, he worked for Ballard and Ballard, a grain and milling com- pany, and served a tour of duty with the United States Navy. In 1946, Mr. Morton was elected to the United States House of Representatives, serving as Con- gressman from the Third District of Kentucky until 1952. He was appointed Assistant Secretary of State in 1953, and in 1956 ran successfully for the United States Senate. As Senator, he served il- lustriously on the Finance Com- mittee and the Committee on In- terstate and Foreign Commerce, among others. At President Eisenhower's re- quest, Mr. Morton accepted the Chairmanship of the Republican National Committee in 1959, and in 1963, he was elected to the Chairmanship of the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee, a position he held for four years. Since leaving the Senate, Mr. Morton has been associated with several business corporations in Kentucky, including Texas Gas Transmission Corporation. Designed and built by Jeffboat, Inc. in Jeffersonville, Ind., the Thruston B. Morton has been con- structed for use on the Illinois River, with special features which allow optimum performance year- round. Unusually heavy construction of the hull plate, rudders and shafts will aid in icebreaking operations and protect the vessel from dam- age. A double-bottomed engine room gives extra protection from heavy-grounding damage. In ad- dition, the Thruston B. Morton is designed to pull, as well as push, barges to facilitate continuous op- erations in adverse weather condi- tions while minimizing the risk of possible damage to its tow. Powered with two four-cycle Alco diesel engines, the new tow- boat can safely and expeditiously handle tows carrying 22,500 tons or more of cargo. Outstanding features of maneuverability, safe- ty, and crew comfort were built into her design. A closed-circuit television sys- tem enables the captain or pilot on duty to maintain a constant visual check of the engine room, galley and crew's lounge. Radar equipment installed on the new vessel makes possible continuous operation by providing the pilot an electronic picture of the shoreline, other vessels on the river, bridge piers and other ob- structions which may be blocked from view by darkness, fog, rain or snow. A voice radio provides commu- nications with the ACL home of- fices, other vessels on the river and shore installations. An inter- com system facilitates onboard communications, and a mobile telephone sound-powered phone allows ship-to-shore communica- tions. Ship-control equipment includes a Tugmonitor system that brings operating data into a central lo- cation. This system permits con- tinual observance of engine oil, water and fuel pressures, clutch air pressure, and oil and water temperatures for both main en- gines and auxiliary engines. Other equipment includes a swing indicator, a digital water- depth indicator, main engine and steering controls, searchlight con- trols, alarms for the main gen- erators and main engines, and op- erating controls for the electric winches on the main deck. Powered by Alco diesels and designed and built by Jeffboat, the Thruston B. Morton has been constructed for use on the Illinois River, with special features which allow optimum performance year-round. 6 Maritime Reporter/Engineering News
