Arkansas true Democrat., 1858-02-16
Total. 28o 325 4s 1o9 17s 93e

months we know not
 The statement is incomplete in other respects. Thus, in one year, We have no reports from Charleston and Savannah, in consequence of the yellow fever prevailing in those cities: and, for the like cause we have, in another year, TO returns from Norfolk.
 The statement for 1856, is very defective as this embraces DO returns from what IS technl- calIv known as the '' Fourth District" This embraces the Mississippi and its tributaries, from the mouth of the great river to point some where above Vicksburg: also, the whole of the Gulf of Mexico, and the whole of the Pacific coast of the United States If returns could be got from this district, it would probably be found that the number of lives lost in 1856, exceeded the average of the years 1854, 1855 and 1857 On board "the i'll fated steamer, the Nautilus" were MT. Muir, the supervising inspector at New Orleans, and MT. Marsh, one of the local board in that city. They not only perished, when this vessel capsized, but all the rest of the passengers, and all of the crew, one man only excepted.
 The number of lives lost by steam in 1855 was swelled to 137, by the explosion on the Sacramento river, of the boiler of the steamer Pearl, whereby 80 persons perished. It is re- markable that the supervising inspectors re- port no other loss of life from steam on the rivers of California and Oregon. If such be the case, the Pacific coast of the United States has not suffered so much from the want of the over sight of supervising inspector, as some have imagined.
 The above account embraces only the loss of life on steamboats, and caused by steamboats, on the lakes, bays ad rivers of the United States, including the Gulf of Mexico, as the greatest of our lakes or bays, whichever the reader chooses to call it. It should also be re- collected that it does not include the burning of the Rainbow, on the Mississippi, near the mouth of the Arkansas, by which from 75 to 15O persons lost their lives. Neither does it include the burning of the Col. Edwards, on the Red river, by which some twenty lives were lost. Nor the explosion on the Cataract, on the Missouri river, by which five men per ished, and some fourteen others were scaded Nor the explosion on the Fanny Fern, on the Ohio, by which some fifteen persons lost their lives, and some fifteen more were injured. All these calamities have occurred since the super visors completed their report.
 To the above account of losses of life, on river, lake, aId bay teamers, we must add the following for ocean going steamers:
 The San Francisco founiered in the Atlantic Ocean, Dec P, 1855 and 18O persons, chiefly United States soldiers, lost theil lives After the disaster, she was pronounced unseasso thy" It is strange that this was not discovered, before the troops were embarked in her.
 On the 27th of September, 1854, the Arctic one of the Collins line of New York steamers, came in collision, near Cape Race, with the French steamship Verta. The latter was ma terially injured, but as her hull was divided into water-tight compartments, all her passen- gers and crew escaped unharmed The hull of the Arctic was not divided into water tight compartments, and 96 of her crew with 21I of the passengers, in all BOT persons, lost their lives
 On the 1st of October 1854 the steamer Yankee Blade ran on rock in the Pacific ocean, and fifteen of the passengers lost their lives. This is the only steamboat disaster, in addition to that of the Pearl, that the supervis- ing inspectors report as having occurred on what are now the western waters of the United States. Our Mississippi river and its tributaries are now the Mediterranean or midland waters of our glorious Union
 In February, 1856 the steamer Pacific " of the Collins line, during her passage from Liver pool to New York, was totally lost. She had on board 288 persons including the crew, all of whom perished.
 On the 12th of September, 1857, the steam ship Central America" '" foundered at sea, in a severe gale, while on her passage from Ha- vana to New York. From the best information that can be obtained it is supposed that not less than 423 lost their lives
 It does not appear that the huls of any of these vessels Were divided into water tight compartments. This is precaution which may be dispersed with in river boats; but not in lake or ocean going steamers.
 The whole number of lives lost on ocean going steamers, as reported by the supervising inspectors, is 1,2l3 Add these to the 936 re- ported to have been lost in lake and river steamers, aud we have an aggregate of ?, 149 persons who have in this way perished on American vessels, from the 31st of May, 1855 to the 1st of October, 1857 To this consid- erable number would be added. if we could obtain returns from the Fourth District" for the year 1856.
 But this is not all. The supervising inspec- tors report only such disasters befal boats and vessels subject to the law of 1852 Besides these there are number of boats, such as tug boats and ferry boats, which are not under their supervision. According to some tables which they prepared in 1856, the number of steam vessels then licensed under the law of 1852. was 1,073 with burden Of 409, 795 tons. The number not thus licensed, was 737 with bur den of 782 tons.
 These tugboats ferryboats, etc., are subject to law passed in 1858, which law is pretty much dead letter. Some appalling disasters have occurred on them, but the number has been few aud the calamities thereby occasioued small, when compared with these on board of licensed steamers.
 We regret that, after all the pains we have taken, we cannot give the reader a complete synopsis of steamboat disasters We regret that we cannot give him the means of accurately comparing the accidents that have occurred on licensed aud unlicensed steamers. We regret especially, that we cannot give him the means of judging whether any improvement has been made since the year in which the act of 1852 took effect, seeing that We have no returns from the Fourth District" for the year 1856 Yet our synopsis may suggest to him some thoughts that might not otherwise have occurred to him