Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1853-07-15

ton of the boats to render Il collision unuvoid-
able.
After the steamer was struck, instead of
then stopping, as was declared by the experts
to have been her proper course, she still kept
on her way with all possible speed, until
good part Of the body of the boat was sub
merged. when of course her engines refused
to work longer. No cutlery seems to have
been raised to rouse the passengers and when
at last they became appriscd of their situa
ton, it only to find themselves impris-
oned in the cabin. from which one of the
crew prevented their cgrrss by beating them
back with handspikc, and where the lights
had been cXtinguishcd apparently on purpose
to render escape for them impossible. Before
the steamer. however, had ceased to move
forward. two boats had been launched by the
Captain and crew and had swampcd and they
then let down the life boat and left the At
lantic and her passengers to their fate. The
life boat was picked up by the Ogdcnsburgh,
and that no shade of criminal neglect and inhu
manity might he wanting, the Captain of the
sinking steamer cntrtGttd the CdptdiH Of the
propeller 10 mdke no cGou to Sdrc the drorn
ing ur,tch,s. as there ,ccrc so many Of them
they uOuM certainty sink his boat! This of
course he refused to do. At the imminent
risk of the lives of himself and crew he sue
cccdcd, as we have stated. in saving about
two hundred passengers from the sinking
steamer and from the water. On arriving at
L',;, r. AL
effort to relieve the sullcrings of the passcn-
rcrs saved, bat took the cars and left immc-
diutclv for Buffalo
On these facts, we need not say, the owners
of the Atlantic not only failed to recover
damages for the loss of their boat, but were
themselves amcrccd TO the cxcut Of the dam
age suffered 10y the propeller. estimated at
three thousand dollars. besides the costs Of
the prosecution
This case Of the unfortunate Atlantic may
be rather beyond the average of such eases i'll
respect of the uumhcr of lives lost and of
guilty neglect and inhumanity on the part of
the officers in charge of the boat but for
that very reason we deem it the more appro-
pirate ON which to base few remarks as to
the remedy (and there must he onc) for such
terrible disasters. ltpussrsscs all tlr features
of consummatc excellence in the art Of killing
hv stcam and therefore is the more suggcs-
tive to any one who would understand the
theory and Practise of that art. Where thcn
are we to Look for the remedy for these cruel
massacrcs of human beings This question
4 50 important to the social and commercial in
tcrcsts of tie age, we conceive, admits of Il
ready answer. and the substance of that an
swcr may be OWNED by considering the CON
sequences resulting to the guilty parties,
whether officers or owners. in the ease ust
described. The consequences, in this case,
t as they must be in most others in the present
condition Of things, are, to the owners who
placed the reckless crew in charge of the
steamer, gr,di pccuniary loss only; to the Off
4 GERS. Immediately guilty of the slaughter
t loss Of their oMcial stations for a fer ycars,
@ or at most for hf,. This is practically all that
+ results to the cul pablc parties. The consc-
i qucnccs are of great moment to them, it is
9 true, as puniShmcHtS, but they have littlD
7 weight in the way ofTr eNcnting such accidents
|, in future. The parties at fault are made t.
:, suffer, but accidents are none the less fire.
d qucnt or terrible. Surprising the owners It
J. be still possessed Of means, where is the
d guaranty that their next boat will not b,
l. manned by IL similar crew III he said tina
Is their interest is in conflict with such
II suppOSition, the answer i that thci
IL interest would always seem to require com
$ pctcnt officers, as well before II, after such
= terrible lesson, and Yet nothing i more Ger
y tain than that our steamboats, and railroa
e, trains are now too often entrusted to men Il
e reckless and diSsipatrd habits whose itncs
1t for their position is amatt2r of inference "nl
n, from service ON the schooner or the mail
I'd coach. If the time shall ever come whc
N travelling by steam will he free from cXtraor
tc binary hazard. that condition of things wi
- be the result, we believe, not of punishmcnt'
n however severe, inflicted after the crime
ii committed but of a iudcious system of lr'
r. vcntiVc measures, 80 mex Irahly insisted o
he that accidents, except in rare eases, shall b
Y rendered impossible. But, the system
he mcasurcs-what shall that system be- Not
p- multiply words, in our opinion it should
Of substantially this;
he |. Our Railroad and Steamboat Corpor
c, tons should be required By low to en;ust ii
N, management of their boats ard cars only
lc- men of Intelligence and established characte
ID, Into the details Of the legislation needed to i
Ter force such laws our space will not tod;
nd permit us to enter. Suffice It ON this point
say, thtt We are thoroughly convinced of II
ul- ptactcabiiily of such legislation, aud that Il
- attention Of our lawmakers only need to be
zee rected to 1t, to secure the object desired. II
X truth is, II new force, that Of ste m. of tear
to potency, has been brought into operation
ley late years, and men have not yet come to co
ar prehend that 1t requires treatment peculiar
to itself. They do not see that an agency so Il