The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1852-03-24
stean.boat Explonons.
70 the Editor orhs Union

MIR EDITOR have read with ordinary feelings oil
Indignation communication which appeared Ia your paper
OF Friday last upon the subject OF steamboat explosions
containing as does the most unpoyoked attacks upon
alarge and meritorous class OF citizens and utterly
unsupported il is by argument or by proof.
should have hailed with pleasure any honest effort to
call the attention of Congress and the country TO the
subject OF disasters upon steamboats, and 10 point out the
by which their might be in whole In
part prevented And such the proesssd object OF the wr
ter II requires however but cursory glance perceive
that his real object 10 cast odum upon the whole class
Of steamboat engineers, without any exception whatever
and TO hold them 10 the scorn and exeeraon of the
community as solely chiefly responsible for the awful
loss of human life and property Surely the Of phi
lanthropss cannot be extinct and mankind needs
be growing better tor writer is not conen with be.
wang in set phrase and honeyed speech the loss of life
the tears OF the widow and the suerings of the orphan
but his charity plumes itself for yet a higher flight
and, the close OF near column. he makes the pous
and precious confession that " il gives him pain TO per
senate class of men, the guilty parcipators and
tragic actors in these fnghtful scenes and this, too,
without pretext oil argument or a shadow OF proof
Your correspondent. however defective in argument, is
certainly not wanting in bold assertion He assumes
that "publc opinion attributes all the awful explosions
which have occurred TO the ignorance, neglect of duty,
recklessness of engineers and, by his statement,
shows concusvey that ignorance and eckessness By
confined to that class of men, II he were to
brand with this charge Of this body of humble bnt
deserving men. he would be liable 10 prosecution for
libel II is therefore with commendable prudence that
he hurs his accusations from his abode of darkness and
obscurity, anonymously, at the whole body, and then pro-
ceeds insult the good sense of the community by assert
ing that these stupid conclusions and sanderous asper
sons are not his but theirs. little further, he forges
himself and admits that the public have drawn such
conclusions; and, with degree oil mpudence truly
sublime, undertakes the task Of giving shape and
centraon public sentiment upon this great subject"
And this is from who praes of " bold defiant
gance and is wondrously squeamish respecting the
ployment of modest terms in the memorial of the en-
gineers.
To this individual, whoever he may be, have few
words 10 say by way OF admoni,sn If You have
which is fit for the public give it, that the community
may be enabled to Judge whether you likely TO know
anything oil the subject you have taken in hand or are
pretender proud 10 be the vehicle OF calumny Or
for an obvious reason, you love darkness rather than
light, give nj least the semblance of argument TO
prove that engineers have any very strong inducements
TO blow themselves up, and how and why is that this
species OF suicide Is popular among them you say it
is Tell US something about the delusion prevailing
among the people that the captains control The engineers,
and that the latter invariably the first victims OF
blossoms Tell us about the rise and progress of your
sympathy with suffering humanity upon this subject and
how you could reconcile to your newly awakened
science after piling the agony you had already
DONE TO add that "ncomprehensibe and manageable
sentence OF no other consolation than the cherries hope
that the dear may have persisted without having
been blown 10 atoms, and scattered to the four winds Of
heaven" Tell US, finally, how it is that an individual
like YOURSELF pretending to be anxious about human
lfe can be soreccss about what is far more valuable
human character. must tell you frankly. that 30,
have given stronger evidence OF the latter than the forme
sentiment.
But you have shown no slight hostility TO the memora
presented to Congress by the steamboat engineers;
you say that they claim, in very modest terms,
control the selection oil inspectors, and virtually charge
them with seeking 10 retain the exclusive management
and control OF engines and boilers, by legislative sanction
extending 10 their arrangement and inspection"
pass over your laundering language, and the charge
BIZ denial that any such proposition is contained in thu
memorial and destitute is your assertion OF ever
FEASIBILITY, that question much il you have read lh,
document you are employed TO defy you Il
quote from the printed memorial in support of you
charges or TO meet, in fair argument and the face of day
the facts and arguments which are contained init.
JUSTICE.