Arkansas true Democrat., 1858-02-09
Steamboat Matters

est mans earnings. But, then, steamboats, or at least steam boilers, explode also, and with them goes many an honest mans life.
 The scene is sometimes varied by a boats being burned to the waters edge, but then the loss of life is even greater than is caused by the explosion of boilers.
 In most of the uorth-w western States, the peo- pie have the choice of being killed or maimed, either on railroads or steamboats. But, we of the southwest, and especially in Arkansas, have no such alternative. Steamboats are our only mode of conveyance, when we wish to travel to any great distance.
 In April, of last year, two Of our citizens started on journey to the east, one of them in pursuit of health, the other in pursuit of busi- ness. At the mouth of the Arkansas, they were received on board the splendid Missis- sippi steamer the Rainbow" Before they reached Cairo the boat took fire repeatedly, and once, about two o'clock in the morning, was saved from total destruction only through the interrnediation of some gentlemen who were amusing themselves with game of cards
 At Cairo, one of the travellers took the cars; but the other continued on board the Ram bow" Itis not great distance from the mouth of the Ohio to the mouth of the W abash, but before our fellow-townsman could land at Mount Vernon, in the neighborhood of which resided a gentleman whom he wished to see, the first rate steamer Rainbow" came in collision with "the first rate steamer Julia Dean." The lat ter was sunk and five of her crew were drowned The traveller who landed at Cairo, had, on his return narrow escape. He then took passage on board " the fine steamboat, the Henry Chau- teau" But the boat had proceeded hardly one hour on her voyage from Cairo, before she took l fire. By some accident, demijohn, contain ing alcohol. was broken in a room immediately | over the cook room. From the cook room the flames proceeded in all directions and had a most terrific appearance. Fortunately, some body had presence of mind enough to throw the broken demejohn overheard. And fortunate ly there were very few passengers in either the | ladies' or the gentlemen's cabin. If there had been many passesengers on board, the confusion would have been great that the flames could not have been extingushed.
 The steamboat " Rainbow" appears to have been, to say the least, particularly unfortunate. | Another of our townsmen relates that in voy- age he made on her, in the year 1854, she took fire several times. On one of those times, the alarm among the passengers, especially the la dies, was very great. The danger of destruc- ton was imminent.
 For our own part We had heard so much of the Rainbow '' that we had determined never to take passage on her, but rather to stay at the most unpleasant point on the Mississippi for days in succession, waiting for another boat. But all acquainted with her character One of them having his sisters Tn company, took passage or board of this famous boat at Napoleon. She had proceeded but few miles up the river before she was totally destroyed by fire. Ou townsmau, and those under his immediate charge, escaped; but great many other persons (the number is variousy estimated, at from '; to l50) lost their lives.
  to which four of the citizens of Little Rock, (; town containing between 5000 and 4OOO in habitants,) have been exposed in steamboa travel and three of those within the last ter months.
 Since these things are SO, the reader may bs apt to exclaim, why does not the law interfere To such we reply in the language of Dr. John son:
 "Of all the Ills that human kind ndure,
 How few are they that laws can help or cuie."
 On steamboat, nothing can supply the wan of skill and care on the part of the captain and other officers.
 If this answer be regarded as not satisfactory and it be urged that though law cannot dc every thing, yet law may do something, we re- ply that in 1852 Congress passed most elabo- rate act with the intention of preventing steam boat accidents. But, either the law is not hat it ought to be, else its provisions are not pro- perly enforced.
 A friend of ours who takes particular inter- est in the subject, travelled recently from Little Rock to Cairo, and back again, by steamboat. He conversed freely with the pilots. engineers. aud other officers of the boats They told him that the provisions of the law were very care lessy enforced, and he saw nothing that would enable him to contradict the assertion.
 On neither the Arkansas nor the White river, has any mishap, attended with loss of life, occurred in the last two years But, this affords no argument either in favor of or against the law. The Arkansas and White rivers be- long to the district of the supervising inspector, who resides at St. Louis. From the best ac- counts we can gather, he has not, in the last two years spent more than four or five days in the Arkansas portion of his district The con- sequence is, that some of the boats have been navigating with regular papers, and some with out them. Some of the pilots and engineers have had their licenses and some have not Yet all, we have already stated, have pro- ceeded with equal safety.
 We have heard of one poor man who went all the way to St. Louis, to get his lcence; but, not finding the supervising inspector at home, and not knowing that the local inspectors had power to grant him a licence, returned without it. Now, it never was intended that pilots and engineers should travel thousand miles to get their licenses: but, such is sometimes the effect of the law as at present administered. It is plain that if it is intended that the law shall be effective in the waters of the State of Arkansas and those bordering thereon, there must be some officer to enforce it, nearer than St. Lous There ought to be a local board at Memphis. It is long stretch from New Or leans to St. Louis, and still longer from New Orleans to Louisville. Boats require inspection 1 in the middle as well as at the commencement and termination of their voyages.
 From the Evening Post. The Manufacturer Lobby Expenses. Washington, Jan. 7, 1858.