The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1860-09-15

Our readers are already in possession of the
painful details concerning the loss of the steamer
Lady Elgin and nearly three hundred of her pas
sengers and crew. In the comments which we
felt it incumbent upon us to make in relation to
that disastrous occurrence, we alluded to the evil
dent lack of those precautions against casualties of
OF the kind and for which the owners of steamboats,
plying on orr inland waters are bound to provide
If they carry out in good faith the regulations
established by Congress. How few of them there
are who do more than partially comply with the
law every fresh accident that takes place but too
clearly reveals. The rules, as we have previously
stated, require that every steamer shall be fur
nished with supply of Life Boats and Life Pre-
servers in proportion to the tonnage and to the
number of passengers she carries. The Lady e.
gin had three of the former and few, it is now
said-but evidently very few-of the latter,
and this meagre provision was all that made
for the possible danger-a danger but too aw-
fully realiZed-os the loss of three hundred and
eighty-fiye passengers. We do not say that
life boats and life preservers, if full COM
plement of both were to be had, will in all cases
prove reliable agents for the preservation of those
who compelled TO put their trust in them, for
experience shows that they will not When the
steamer Monmouth some five years ago foundered
near the Capes of the Chesapeake, of two life boats
which the Louisiana despatched to the assistance of
the passengers, one upset and lost and the
other failed to accomplish anything. When the
Central -Amaica was lost, the ships boats and
life preservers according to the testimony given
subsequently by the second officer, "proved nearly
the comparative iuefiiciency of the few boats and
life preservers she had on board was equally appa-
rent. Many other instances might be cited to
the effect. There have been, however,
occasions which they have proved to be
serviceable and their use as insisted upon by act
of Congress is, therefore, matter of necessity
until some better means of relief is afforded. 1t
has been through all time the misfortune of inven-
tors, that they have frequently experienced less trou
BILE in periecting ingenious and meritorious thing
than in introducing it into general use. They have
first of all, if it is patentabe article, to contend
with the "BARNACLEs" in office, and when the
sanction of the men 'dressed in a little brief
authority has finally been obtained, the pref
udices Of those before whom the utility of the
Invention is to be demonstrated; the influence of
opposing parties with whose interests it comes
into conflict the cupidity of some, and the trick
cry of others, combine to defeat alike the hopes
Of the paentee and the expectations of the public.
The experience of the inventor of the Detachable
"Safety Deck Saloon Cabin" Mr. w. R. JACK
SON, of this city, does not differ in any respect
from that Of a host of others, from the time of
FITCH and FULTON down to the present day. He
proposes to construct the saloon-deck of steamers
in such manner as it may be readily detached
from the hull of the vessel in cases of sudden
emergency, and by combining the two principles
of the life boat and the raft secure to passengers
the most practicable means of escaping from
the peril by which they may be beset Although |
his plan has not hitherto received that public en-
which is due to its acknowledged |
merit, there are a number of instances on record
in which its voluntary or involuntary appli-
cation, in partial and comparatively inadequate |
manner, has resulted in saving many lives |
When the steamer Monmouth, to whose loss we
have already alluded, was in the act of sinking |
her Captain cut away his cabin and thus floating |
off from the laundering hull saved all but three
persons. When the whale ship Penn went to |
pieces off Cape Hatteras the detached roof of the
ieck-house was the means Of saving all who es-
,aped from the wreck. "Not sonl, " we are told, |
was saved by boats" An attempt was also
made by the crew and passengers of the steamer
Central america to cut away the hnrricane-deck |
or similar purpose but, either from want of
ime, or from the difficulties which prevented its
Execution, the experiment was abandoned Mr.
AcKsoN's plan-as described in the 'UNITED
STATES Mining Journal, of New York." and as
Exhibited in the model which we have inspected
'contemplates the construction of the saloon deck
'of steamers, generally sixty or eighty feet long,
that they may be detached at short notice. and
form buoyant raft, capable of sustaining
large number of persons. Mr. JACKSON pro-
poses to build the deck saloon separate from
THE vessel; the inner and outer ceilings 10 be
''filled in with air canisters and the foor.work
ITO be of heavy oak or pine-the first to impart
''ouoyancy, and the latter to serve as ballast.
Ihus arranged, the deck, when launched forms
ia capacious Life Boat while its Qualities are not
rat all impaired for ordinarv usa nor does If
''occupy more space than the common saloon If
"a vessel SIMS 'he saloon will float off; but in
case OF nre, IL must De launched and rollers
land windlass are provided for such an evil
gency Even if broken in pieces, each part il still
"a raft or Life Boat, available for the preservot;on
'of lfe."
For this invention the Maryland Institute has on
TWO separate occasions, awarded medals. A mum.
Der of our shipbuiders, shipmasters and merchants
nave pronounced it to be "entirely practi-
cable for the purposes proposed" Mr.. CLAcK-