The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1860-05-02

Board of Local Steamboat Inspectors.
We have been furnished with the follow
ing Report, by which it appears that all
our hopes of obtaining q board of local
steamboat inspectors are dissipated, at least
for the present session of Congress.
The reasoning of the Secretary Of the
Treasury, upon whose adverse opinion the
Committee reported unfavorabIy, will be by
no means conclusive to our boatmen, and
may be warmly controverted hereafter. Our
people are not going {" to give it up So"
Mr.. Niblack, our Congressman, we learn,
has exerted himself to the utmost to bring
about a favorable result in this business, but
without avail. -.
Mr.. Z. b. Washburne, from the Commit
tee on Commerce, made the following
REPORT.
The Committee on Commerce. to whom
was referred the memorial of the Board of
Trade of Evansville, Indiana, asking the es
tablshment of local board of steamboat in
spectors at that city, report:
That the bays and rivers of the United
States are divided into districts with view
Of affording facilities for compliance with
the provisions of the act of August 80,
1852, in regard TO the inspection of steam
boats. gt@l e. -f-E-
On submitting She memorial to the
Treasury Department. the Secretary eX-
presses himself thus
TREASURY DEPARTMENT, March 10, 1860
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge
your letter of the 9th instant, enclosing
petition for the establishment of board of
local steamboat inspectors at Evansville, In
diana, upon which you ask the views of this
department.
In reply, beg leave to state that there
are now established by the act of August
80, 852, upon the Ohio river and its tribu-
tares, local boards of inspectors at Louis
willie, Nashville, Cincinnati, Wheeling, and
Pittsburg, and that by the. existing ar
rangement of the districts of the supervis-
ing inspectors under that act, one district
embraces the OHIO river and its tributaries
from its mouth up to and including Ken
lucky river, and another supervising dis
trict comprehends the Ohio and its tributa-
ries above the mouth of the Kentucky river.
The supervising inspector of the former of
these two districts is at Louisville-for the
latter at Pittsburg. 1t is obvious that un-
der this arrangement the Ohio and its trib-
utaries are now favored with greater faciIi-
ties for inspection under that act than any
other section of the United States of sim-
lar extent and importance. Unless, there
fore, it is the decided policy of Congress to
increase the number of these local boards
in every part of the United States where
property in steamboats, is held, think
there is no occasion or propriety for in
crcasiug the present number of local boards
upon the Ohio river and its tributaries
1t IS evident that the most material
ground assigned in the petition for the es-
tablishment of a local board at Evansville
is founded upon a misapprehension of the
provisions of the act of 1852. Il is alleged
that "steamboats owned in this city have
been III many instances compelled to make
costly trips to Louisville in order to comply
with the inspection laws, and pilots and en-
ginecrs residing in and below this city have
been put to great expense, trouble, and de-
lay by being compelled TO visit Louisville
for the purpose of obtaining their official
certificates" Now, the twelfth para
graph of the ninth section OF the act requires
every local board to inspect steamers whore
there is no local board, and the twenty
second section requires the supervising in
spectorS to perform the same duty. When
ever the owners of steamboats, of Evansville
require their vessels to be inspected under
the law, they have only to serve a reason
able notice upon the supervising inspector
or n local board, ami if their requirements
are not complied with in due time by the
proper inspectors remedy for negligence
on their part will be found by this depart
ment upon presentation here of the necessary
facts. A little foresight, therefore, on the
part of the steamboat owners, as well as the
pilots and engineers at Evansville, in
giving the proper notice in advance, would
eifectnally prevent the expense and delay
stated in the petition.
Unless it shall be deemed expedient 10 ap-
point local boards Of steamboat inspectors
at every port in the United States where
any considerable number of steamers are
owned, am unable to perceive any sutIi-
cient ground for tue establishment of a local
hoard at Evansville. As the@eficieucy of
these inspectors depends in a great degree
upon their constant employment in their Of
fetal duties, this department has heretofore
expressed the opinion, which now beg
leave to repeat, that the existing provisions
of the act of 1882 in regard to the locality
of inspectors, appear to be adequate for or
dinary and probable requirements, except
upon the waters of the upper Mississippi aud
Oregon; and it has accordingly declined TO
ment of new local boards of steamboat in
spectors at any other point. The petition is
herewith returned. s.s i
Very resp'y, your obedient servant,
HOWELL COBB,
Secretary Of the Treasury.
Hon. f. B. WAsHBURNE,