The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-01-13
ras poARp Or SUPERVISING INSPECTORS

TIE BOARD or SUPERVISING INSPECTORS.
# will be recollected that in 1882 Congress passed
~ 10 provide for the better security of the lives Of ps
.,uge ON board vessels propelled in whole in part
~ steam This law divided the United States into nine
5.rics which given in charge OF supervising In
Dtor. whose duties to labor in their respective
districts for the promotion OF the interests OF navigato.
and OF preventing essening the large number OF steam
ho.t accidents by which many lives have been lost
The srectors ae required each year fog the
purpose Of revising the rules by which they governed
IN their action of adding to them such regulations =.
may be required Their last meeting was held at Louis
yiIle kentucky, in October last
In their annual report the Secretary OF the Treasury
the hoard say that 1.-The law has been in operation
ave wears and whatever may have been the result of its
ra,aton whether beneficial otherwise those results
ammo, now be with proprey considered fortuitous by
tbos. unf1iendy it, claimed by them during the
early wears OF It's operation But these results whatever
they are We think may be fairly attributed to the opera
ton Of the law" From the table accompanying the
eoort we learn that during the five years preceding
the passage OF this law there fifty steamboat acct
dents by which thousand hundred and fyGps isre'
ee lost During the five years subsequent to its passage
the number of these accidents reduced to s-ven by
which one hundred and a;rtyro hs lost thus show
ing oonclusivey the beneficial influence which il has
erted
The board OF opinion that the time is approaching
when experience in the operation of the law will not only
Justify but require for prompt a1d efficient exc
cution of its provisions that all the rules aud regua
lions by them shl be revised compiled and
pdexd for the greater of the inspectors and
others interested Alterations and additions were neces-
sarily frequent after the law first went into effect but
we're decreasing with experience and it had been in con-
of alterations and additions that the board
had heretofore thought it nudcious to put these regala
tions into more perfect arrangement and permanent
form.
The accidents most frequent and destructive were
those by fire The board had sought to reduce their
frequency BY every in their power and for the ae
compishent of this purpose had passed several resou
tons in regard keeping all extinguising apparatus
in perfect order and reliable for prompt in OF ne
cessity
Accidents by collision though much less frequent than
formerly still continued occur and often with the
most disastrous results These collisions however
CURED frequently between passenger and uninspect
ed steamers other vessels than between inspected pas
senger steamers As safeguard, the board, in 1854, had
,ae resolution that steamers should be fitted with
steam whistle After three years experience in its use
the great Importance and value of the change now
universally admitted, and the board have no doubt
that the introduction Of the whistle for this purpose has
the means OF aNoulnS many coiiiniohS uc iuoS VI
much property and probably of many valuable lives
In speaking Inflated litepreservers, the board say
that having become satisfied that they were not such
rpreservers as the law contemplated resolution was
PASSED at the St Louis meeting in 1855 that in
dated life preseryers should be passed by the local
boards At the last meeting, very full and satisfactory
evidence having been presented that tin life preseryers
were liable to very serious objections, and were not such
IA the law contemplated, the board passed resolution
that they should not hereafter be received a compl
snce with the law.
The board submit that collisions between inspected
steamers rarely occur and that the great majority Of
cLes of this character with uninspected steamers
or sailing vessels The OF these accidents with
Inspected il frequently the result Of an inter dis
regard on its part of the rules imposed upon those in
spectei under the law These accidents most
auenty with sailing vessels in the night in consequence
OF the vessel showing light In the opinion of the
board both these classes OF collisions might be reduced in
number BY some slight preventive enactment by Con-
grcsa
committee having been appointed to examine the
patent detachable deck saloon cabin of Mr. w. r,
Jackson Of Baltimore reported that in their opinion il
was most successful attempt to combine such struc
e with the present arrangement of the upper works OF
steam and other vessels, but they would not hold out
the idea that such float raft would furnish positive
security If embarked upon rough and tempestuous sea-
but that il would doubt, properly proportional and
ballasted be of much value in of the sink
ing Of ', ssels in comparatively smooth water
The board had determined hereafter not to license
engineers minors or persons under lawful age
The committee having in charge the investigation OF
corkiacket fepreservers reported that they believed
them be very valuable article for the purpose de
sgnsdat all times reliable not subject to injury from
exposure and easily deranged and when made in the
manner described easily adjusted to the body and
when curcd thereto leave the limbs entirely
bced and free he used either for their preservation
or the assistance of others The board passed resolution
directing the local boards whes. lifcpreservers
required either in fitting out steamers to suppl,
the place of those which may have been condemned,
10 pass any form Of e-preserver the filling of which
of cork dust or shavgs the refuse of cork cuttings
They also directed to require that at least onetenth
such -preservers shall be OF suitable size for children
and Of properly decreased buoyancy The board subse
quently passed resolution making il the duty of thu
local inspectors 10 require cork jacket life preseryer t.
he placed in each berth, of them fol
each person that the steamer al accommodate.
The labors of these inspectors have been aruous and
nremittng and their beneficial results ente them e
great credit
From Richmond Enquirer
asgea,t THE GRAVE OF PATRICK HENRY
Until very recently and the people not only of Vim