The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-07-12
SOUTHERN PRESS
WASHINGTON CITY.
MONDAY, JULY IL, 1862.


the proceedings in the Senate on the bill to
amend the act for the better security of psssen-
gers in steamers. It is intended to operate
chiefly in theWest sndSouth- west, where steam
boat accidents more frequently occur-and with
peculiar propriety it is offered by Senator DAVIS
of Massachusetts, State the most remote and
the least acquainted, with the high pressure nav
igation Of the West and South. On the second
reading of this bill the mover offers about one
hundred and fifty amendments as if to show the
high degree of acquaintance with the subject
with which he undertook to prepare the bill
originally. And these hundred and fifty amend
ments are voted for by the whole body of the
Senate without debate, which thus shows the
intuitive know ledge of the subject that grave
body possesses, and its extraordinary fitness to
legislate on 1t.
The bill thus amended creates host of fed
eral Offices with high salaries and fees, and i'm
poses multitude of useless, imprscticabe and
vexatous restrictions chiefly on the steam navi.
CATION Of the Mississippi valley.
Of all the wonders Of this age the steam nav
igation of the Mississippi is perhaps the most
wonderful. ucomprehends more steamers than
are on the wheF Atlantic and Pacific coast,
and perhaps more than in all the world besides.
1t is the creation of the last forty years. and be-
gan almost with the settlement of that valley
And now notwithstanding it is the work of
single generation of civilized men, the steam
marine of the Mississippi valley affords an ex
tent and an amount of comfort and luxury of
steam transportation superior to any other part
of the world. If a man were to look for steam
er combining in the greatest degree the elements
of comfort, luxury, speed, and elegance, he
would not find her on the Thames, the great
avenue of worlds commerce to its capital at
London, and the abode of more wealth than
elsewhere, he would not even find it in the
finest of the Collins steamers whose mainte-
nance is now claimed ofthe country. at the cost
Of millions as a question of national glory, he
would not find it in the semi-barbaroas States
Of continental Europe to which our people 60
for civilization, but he would find it in boat
that transfers the affluent planters and merchants
of the Mississippi to and from the State of
Kentucky and the Ohio valley. This magnifi.
cent boat, the Eclipse, commenced her career
last spring. We are not informed whether she
pays expenses, or whether, if she does not, any
Western or Southern member will have the
hardihood to present her bills to Congress and
ask for the deficit to be paid out of the public
purse, for the glory of the country.
The system of steam navigation in the Mis-
sssppi valley has risen to it's excellence by the
freedom from restriction it has enjoyed Now it
proposed forCongress to interfere andSenator
DAVIS, of Massachusetts,, offers his bill 1t is
true, ne has taken counsel of number of highly
respectable and experienced steamboat naviga-
tors of that valley. But we beg leave to protest
agrlnst incorporating the theories of any com.
mittee of this kind into the statute law of the
land. The Senate does not understand the
subject-nor does the House. Nor could they
even after debate, as long as that on the Com
promise or on Intervention.
The grand pretext for Congressional inter-
Ventlon in steam, is to prevent the loss of life
from explosions, &C., and Senator DAVIS shows
from statistics, that this is greater on the
Western than Eastern waters. He does not,
however, appear even to have suspected that
there is slight difference in the navigation of
streams four thousand miles long, with boats
that stop hourly to take in, and put out passen
gers and freight, and that of daily or nightly
nes, as in the east, of one or two hundred
miles distance with ample intervals for reftting.
A western steamboat voyage is from five to ten
days duration, stopping on an average perhaps
eight times day. An eastern coast voyage is
about ten hours, and sea voyage six to twelve
days without stoppages.
Now about nine-tenths of the explosions on
the Western waters result from these frequent
stoppages. But we may be told boats in the
North river stop frequently These stoppapes,
however, are at fixed points, and almost for
fixed time to put out and take in passengers. On
the Ohio and Mississippi, however, the stop
pages are irregular as to time and place-the
boat calling wherever signal is made, and stop
ping to deliver passengers and freight wherever
required Hence the peculiar liability to explo.
sion on the Western waters. A degree of care
and vigilance is required there which no other
requires. And making due allowance
for all the difficulties of Western NAVIGATION.
we believe the explosions are not greater than
elsewhere.
But we shall not argue the question. That
would require volumes.
AS for the comparison of Senator DAVIS be.
tween the loss of life on Western and Eastern
waters he might as we'll compare the Hudson
TO the Mississippi. The mail line from Cincin.
natl to Louisville, which is about as long as
from New York to Albany, has scarcely lost
lie oy accident in twenty five years.
congress intends to prevent accidents in
the west BY law, it had better enact that the
rivers OF the valley be divided into streams one
or two hundred miles long, or prohibit boat.