Arkansas true Democrat., 1858-05-04
Another Steamboat Bill.

| 1onrs, etc,
 PENNINGTON. ] ---------> -->s--zv~+>- Another Steamboat Bill. ' We are indebted to friend at Washington \ f.r d copy of the bill reported to the Senate by ! Mir. Benjamin.
 \ Like the bill reported to the House, it re- qures ferry boats, tug boats, etc, etc, to be in to be navigated by licensed pilots and engineers. ' Like the bill reported to the House, it re- | laxes the regulations respecting the carriage of ' spirits of turpentine, and other dangerous ar | tcles.
 ' The bili reported to.the House contained a \ section giving inspectors power to summon wit nesses before them, and compel their attendance | by the same process as il courts of law. And another empowering the inspectors 10 adminis- t4r all oaths necessary in the perform nee of their official duties. Both these sections are omitted in the bill reported to the Senate
 The House bill provided for four additional board- Of local inspectors. The Senate bill provides for one only, and that a; Oregon city, If some parts of the country are now utterly neglected, we see not what chance they will have of being better attended to, when the number vi boats under the jurisdiction of the inspectors shall be increased nearly one half.
 The House bill proposes 10 enact-
 That instead of the existing provisions of liw relating to the Use of fusible alloys upon high pressure boilers, there shall be substituted fi>.ble plugs or rivets of pure tin, of such dimensions, and inserted in such positions is shall be prescribed by the inspectors.
 For shall" the Senate bI substitutes "may.'
 As cur Washington City correspondent re- marks, "thi,, in ,ne prescott state Of the super vising board is probably equivalent to establish ing the iii plugs by law" It is So, because the whole weight of the official influence of the supervising board and of certain local boards will be brought 10 bear in favor of the tin plugs, and against the fusible alloys. To this utu- enca q large class of boat owners will read ly yield, because the tin plugs will cost less than M Evans safety guard. That large class of en- gineers who are not duly impressed with the great danger there is from excessive heat in boilers, will yield also, and quite reaily.- The tin plugs melting at 442 degrees of Fah- | renheit, corresponding with pressure of 360 pounds, will not "anuoy" them when they wish to make a display of speed in passing a town, or when they wish to beat rival boat in race The case stands thus:
 l. Congress passed law, which, among other things, provided that fusjble alloys should be l applied in such manner as to let steam es- | cape" As the object of this law is to provide 1 for the security of passengers on steam vessels, the rational interpretation of this clause, is to i let steam escape in such quantities as to afford reefr
 | ?. The supervisors took measures to have the fusible alloys prepared at the navy yard at Washington where as it was out of the proper line of business of both officers and men, alloy was prepared that could not be depended upon.
 5. When the alloy was applied, it was for the most part in plugs and open tubes, so as to be subject to the pressure of the steam as well as the heat. In this mode, it is worse than use- less, because the tin and the bismuth are driven out leaving only the lead which will not fuse at less temperature than 612 degrees
 f. The manufacture was transferred to Prof. Booth of the mint of Philadelphia, who was whole year experimenting before he could pre- pare alloys that could be depended upon. All this time, consequently, many boats were left without suitable alloys.
 | 5. At their meeting at St. Louis, in 1855, the \ supervising inspectors at last convinced of what l they ought to have been convinced long before, | passed resolution condemning the use of fusi- ble alloys when so applied as to be subject to the pressure of the steam. They also approved | of what they were pleased to regard as safety guard, one inch diameter affair, without stufiing box, or the other appliances necessary to consti- ute good instrument.
 ! 6. Soon after, an explosion occurred on boat furnished with one uf these mongre contriyan- | ces. The local inspector who made an exami- nation immediately after the catastrophe, testi 1 fes that the contrivance was i'll made, and that the spindle fitted So tight that it would not turn round when the alloy did fuse.
 '. Some explosions occurred on some boats on the waters of Alabama, which boats were supplied with what was called an Evans safety guard. Testimony shows that they were SUD- piled with wretched apology for the safety guard, quarter inch affair; and that in the case of one boat, the spindle was so rusted that it re- | quired a wise to turn it round If we argue in lavor of any apparatus whether steam guage or safety guard, we always suppose it to be well made and in good order 5. local inspector at St. Louis, entirely mis- taking the nature of the operation of the safety guard, and the particular evils it is intended to avert, found that the alloys melted at different degrees of pressure. This was proving noth- ing to the pont as the alloys are intend to melt whenever the boiler or the steam acquires cer- tain degree of heat, no matter what may be the degree of pressure
 9. Mr Tolle, an engineer at Cincinnati, made some careless observations on the opera tions of the fusibe alloys, and spoke unfayora- ! bly of them.