Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-10-11

We alluded a few days ago to the happy
effects which had flowed from the laws passed
by Congress for the security of the lives If
passengers on board Of vessels propelled in
part by steam on the waters of the United
States, and found in that fact motive and
encouragement for such cooperative and leg
islation the part of all maritime nations
rs shall seem most eXpedient TO prevent fIe-
quent appalling disasters at sea.
The first act passed by Congress having for
its special obj"ct the better protection of life
on our rivers and lakes was that which became
n law on the It'll of July. 1888, and TO which
the several acts subsequently, passed have
been am ndments. This act. from the gen.
erality of its provisions well as from the
inadeauacy of its sanctions, failed in a great
measure to realize the expectations of its
trainers and hence, from time to time amend
atory acts have been passed with the view OF
supplying the experienced defects of the
original bill.
Notwithstanding the repeated legislation
that was had on this subject, il was found, in
the year 1850 that the loss Of lite on board of
steamers, so far from being diminished. was
actually increasing in an alarming degree,
and the attention of Congress was therefore
turned once more to the subject, daring the
session of 1851 and 1852, for the purpose, if
possible, of devising such system of regu-
lations as would throw additional gaurds and
securities around the steamboat navigation If
our waters. As the result of these renewed
efforts on the part Of Congress the act Of
August so 1852, consisting Of forty sections,
and designed to be very complete in its pro
visions and stringent in its penalties, vas
framed and passed That this act has
been beneficial in its working cannot be
doubted in the face Of the statistics. which
show a marked reduction Of casualties since
the date of ils enactment.
The law, it may be remembered provides
forthe or alton of a general supervising
hoard of Inspectors, whose duty it is to dire ct
and control the insp ctions made i'll the diff:
ferent parts ,i the country il such manner as
10 secure uniformity of practice on the part
of the local boards From the last official
report of this supervising board we cite the
undoubted advantages which have attended
the enforcement of his law:
This law has now been in operation five
wears and whatever may have been the result
of it's operation whether beneficial or other
wise those results cannot now be with pro-
priety considered fortutous by those unfriend-
ly TO il. a. was claimed 10y them during the
early wears of itG operation. But these results
Whatever they are, we thinkmay be fairly at
tribu,ed to the operation of the law. With
the view of aScertaining from the facts of the
case SO far as practicable. what have been
these results, we present Il comparison of the
total loss of life upon the Western rivers, from
accidents and casualties which the law is de-
signed to prevent, during the five years I'M
mediately prior to this law going into opera
tion. with similar losses during the five years
the law has been in force. Weare comppall d
TO confine this comparison to the Western RI
yers as we have no statistics of the loss during
that period on the Northern and Eastern
waters.
"7Je Of loss of life; for fUe years prior TO The pas
age of The La,0, on Western tOdters.
s.This table has been made from Lloyd's
Steamboat Directory of Disasters on the Yves
tern Waters and embraces the five years i'm
mediately preceding the passage of the steam
boat law-that is, from 1913 10 1852, both
wears inclusive. This is the best aud most
reliable source from which this information
can be procured. IL is we'll known, however,
that even this does not embrace all OF the dis
ssters that occurred durng that time; indeed
there are comparatively few of the collisions
aud other disasters or like character given,
aud memoirs If this board we'll remember
a.. several very disastrous explosions that took
place which are not enumerated IN that
work.