From the electric engine room, the after tunnels, and the forward pipe tunnels escapes were provided direct to the working passage on E deck and thence by one of the several routes already detailed from that space. From the crew's quarters they could go forward by their own staircases into the forward well and thence, like the third-class passengers, to the boat deck. The stewards' accommodation being all connected to the working passage or the forward main first-class stairway, they could use one of the routes from thence. The engineers' accommodation also communicated with the working passage, but as it was possible for them to be shut between two water-tight bulkheads, they had also a direct route by the gratings in the engine-room casing to the boat deck. On all the principal accommodation decks the alleyways and stairways provided a ready means of access to the boat deck, and there were clear deck spaces in way of all first, second, and third class main entrances and stairways on boat deck and all decks below. STRUCTURE. The vessel was built throughout of steel and had a cellular double bottom of the usual type, with a floor at every frame, its depth at the center line being 63 inches, except in way of the reciprocating machinery, where it was 78 inches. For about half of the length of the vessel this double bottom extended up the ship's side to a height of 7 feet above the keel. Forward and aft of the machinery space the protection of the inner bottom extended to a less height above the keel. It was so divided that there were four separate water-tight compartments in the breadth of the vessel. Before and abaft the machinery space there was a water-tight division at the center line only, except in the foremost and aftermost tanks. Above the double bottom the vessel was constructed of the usual transverse frame system, reenforced by web frames, which extended to the highest decks. At the forward end the framing and plating was strengthened with a view to preventing panting and damage when meeting thin harbor ice. Beams were fitted on every frame at all decks from the boat deck downward. An external bilge keel about 300 feet long and 25 inches deep was fitted along the bilge amidships. The heavy ship's plating was carried right up to the boat deck, and between the C and B decks was doubled. The stringer or edge plate of the B deck was also doubled. This double plating was hydraulic riveted. All decks were steel plated throughout. The transverse strength of the ship was in part dependent on the 15 transverse water-tight bulkheads, which were specially stiffened and strengthened to enable them to stand the necessary pressure in the event of accident, and they were connected by double angles to decks, inner bottom, and shell plating. The two decks above the B deck were of comparatively light scantling, but strong enough to insure their proving satisfactory in these positions in rough weather.