The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-09-14
pc.cau,,on. for Steamboat safety.

precsut,on. for Steamboat safety.
wish the recurrence of any appalling ca
tastrophe like that of the Lady Elsin. there is
the usual outery OF horror, followed by sub
dued melancholy. and ending in the most COM
plete apathy and indifference. II II genefaiiy
assumed ut the outset that somebody Is 10
blame but the ELAINE and impotent concin-
sion" is always arrived at, that OF the multi
tude Of accidents by water aud land wnich
make travelling in America. almost as hazaid-
ons as war. no one has ever yet been punished
for the Wholesale murder involved in each OF
these terrible disasters. SO tar rs the Lady
Elgin is concerned, ii does not sppear that
taere was any neglect of the usual and neces-
ssry vigilance, and that the ordinary lights
kept burning AT night were increased by the
Illumination that accompanied the festivities
of the excursionists on beard. 1t is undoubt-
eddy true that accident OF this kind are some
times unavoidable by the utmost exertion OF
human wisdom and foresight; bat there are
obvious prevenures by which their tTaslcai
consequences may, to a great extent, be avoid
cd and upon the adoption Of them the travel
ing pubtic aud the whole community have
TJSa1 10 insist
one Of these is water-tight compartments
with which some Of our sea-golag steamers
xre already provided, and which are frequent
~ found in the vessels OF England and other
foreign States, where the value OF human life
is al all appreciated. Among the many acct
dents by collisions, we do not rememh her one in
which vessel having water-tlght compart-
Tueuts has been sunk, or even disabled SO that
she could not reach port and safely discharge
her cargo of humanity. Another means of
safety, and one which is REG uired by law, is a
certain number of life boats aud lfe-preser-
vers, and the means OF promptly eAtlnguish-
ing fire. In the majority of instances. no W.
ever, there is merely an apparent and exter-
nal com liance with The requirements of the
aaw the means Of safety adopted being wholly
unreliable IN case OF necessity, and having
noihing but the appearance of precauton,
and thereby spring the public with a conf
dence which is undeserved, and sometimes
leads them 10 their destruction. A friend OF
ours, on + trip upOn a popular vessel, had the
curiosity 10 test the life preSeryers, aud found
that some of them il was impossI bic TO initiate,
and IN others the buckles, by which they were
fastened 10 The body, were OF such worthless
material that tney broke upon the slightest
strain. The New York Herald says that an
aitache OF that paper, on his way 10 Albany
IN enc Of the large river palaces of the Hud-
son. personally ins pected The facilities OF the
boat for saving the lives of the four hundred
and Atty passengers then on board. Upon a
superficial examination she appeared TO be
abunGaptly provided with these facilities and
20 be safe she was spacious and beautiful.
She bad Il force pump for extinguishing fires
Ifs-boats, ana life buoys, and life preservers.
On trying the force pump, however, it was Il
long time before il could be made 10 work at
all, and when il did, threw a stream Of water
only ten feet, on a boat over three hundred feet
long. The largest life boats were found In
such iuconVenieut localities that it would oc-
cupy twenty minutes 10 launch them. OF the
twc hundred lite-preservers over one-halt
were totally unseryiceahe from requent in
deniaiIons and perfOrations. Yet this steamer
was kept running at her utmost speed in or
der 10 reach Albany TO make a railroad con-
uection. II an accident had happened most
of the passengers must have persisted. The
same steamer was afterwards lost by coming
in collision with sailing vessel.
II Is obvious that the laws passed by Con-
gress to ensure the safety OF steamers, and
which ought also 10 be extended to sailing
vessels, must be made more searching and
stringent. l. is entirely pTac tea bic to ascer-
tain not only whether each vessel is provided
with the number Of life boats and life pre-
servers now required by law, but whether the
former are III i location to be i'm medatey
launched in an emergency, and whether the
latter ares sound and serviceable. These precau-
tons, wi III the addition Of wa ter-tight COM
Pdrtmeuts, would render steamboat travelling
IS secure rs any other mode of transportation.
and save The public at large from the terrible
loss OF life ana anguish OF mind inflicted Pc
Tic6icaliy upon il by such accidents as that Of
he Lady EigIn