New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-02-08
sTEamBoaT EXPLOSIONS.

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In former times the Mississippi had very unen-
lyiabie Reputation. Among all the rivers 'oi lthe
world, it was the type of the Aperils OF steam
NAVIGATION, The traveller who journeyed It's length
in safety was deemed as lucky as if he had escaped
"a pitched battle OF an epidemic. Numerous were
the Kinds OF hazard to which the unhappy voyager
was exposed. If he escaped the dreaded snag,
the treaeherous sawyer lay in watery ambush in
the next bend; and if he rode triumphant over
both Of these, there was no telling how soon a
collapse or an explosion might hurl him through
the air a crushed and mangled mass. So common
had these, accidents become, that ip the popnlar
belief they seemed to be inseparable Sfrom
river navigation. For at least one steamboat
q week to be blown up, burnt up or sunk, was
thought to be quite matter Of course. If any
sanguine prophet had ventured to predict an i'm
mediate future freedom from at least fortnightly
explosion, he would have been believed to, be
more insane than Millerite; especially if it was
thought that there was some necessary and newt
able association between the Mississippi river and
steamboat explosions. Science might explore the
remotest depths of the boiler test the strength OF
the iron and the nicely Of the workmanship; might
declare that all explosions were attributable either
tosome defect in construction, OF to the ignorance
and inattention Of attendant J, yet people seemed
to cherish the delusion that science was nothing
but presuming humbug whenever she undeftooh
to infringe upon this mysterious domain. s'asS
(. People who are still young can remember the
frightful catalogue Of accidents when lhustraueo
the history OF Mississippi steamboat navigation
between the years 1910 and 1880 The horrible
catastrophe of the Louisiana, by which about 200
persons were supposed to have been Killed out
right. succeeded as it was by other similar acct
dents. finally convinced the public that it was
necessary TO do something, in order to check this
cataolysm Of explosions. Under the general au-
thority to regulate navigation, the matter was
taken up BY Congress- and, in 1859, the celebrated
bill was passed which has ever since controlled
steam navigation throughout the United States.
People who persisted In seeing something in
steamboat explosion 80 mysterious and reconcile
as to be entirely beyoad the reach of scientific
or Of legislative prevention declared
that the law could not possibly do any good.
Steamboats, would explode whenever it suited
them to explode, in spite of laws or law Makers
In the opinion of these people there either no
cause for the blowing up of a steam
boat, or no discoverable remedy. It would be
much BETTER therefore, not to interfere with the
prescrptive right Of explosion by any vain land
legislation. A very short time, how
ever, was needed to prove that at least an approx
imaton to the true remedy had been discovered
The beneficial effects Of the legislation Of 1852
were Immediately discernable. The number of
steamboat explosions was soon 50 greatly reduced
that whereas these accidents had scarcely ELECTED
comment they now excited all the horror which is
naturally attendanton them, Y
If navigation on the Mississippi did not become
absolutely safe it was atleast relieved Of great
of its former terrors. It was found
that after all explosions could to a great extent
be guarded against; and the Inference was I'M
avodable that the lives of vast majority Of those
who had persisted upon the river might have been
saved BY ordinary attention, prudence and capa-
city. But Of late there has been an extraordinary
and alarming increase in the numbersof this kind
Of accidents. Within the last week there have
been no less than four steamboat explosions sac-
companied with great loss of life characterised by
all the terrible phenomena incident to these
tcalamities. The accounts which have reached
us, do not justify the belief that there was
any Immediate Icarlessness on culpability.
But it does seem that, of late years,
steamboat owners have adopted d new style Of
boiler which certainly possesses some advan-
tages but which proves to- be in the highest
degree insecure. We do not knowgto what extent
tubular boilers have come into use but we fear
that rtAey ARE entirely too common We do not
believe, however, that steamboatmen will adhere
to them, when 1t is demonstrated that they are
unsafe. AT least one example Of Difference to
The laws Of humanity has been set by the prompt
from the Cincinnati and louisville line
5f one Of the largest boats on the river, in order
hat her boilers may be changed. 1t is to be
loped that d similar course viii be pursued in all
Eases Of aslnilar kind.at least as soon as public
opinion, corroborated by reasonable degree Of
scientific probability shall demand the change. If
he Tabular boilers are really unsafe they ought
to be ationce removed from all the boats in which
they have been placed. The inspectors we pre-
sdfie fare armed with sufficient power to enable
them to effect this object but if additional egs-
lation is needed, we hope that Congress will fur
nish it in place Of some one or more of Mr..
Summers constitutional amendments. ID
Assek oF &A---- : y - - -'i s52&
New England school books. '1'as
day Or two ago, in looking over a :. Reader
which forms one of the school books Of juvenile
friend, we found piece for defamation entitled
MGenevra,n purporting to be quoted from Samuel
Rogers elegant poem of that name ;sbut it was
50 marred and distorted as TO be hardly recognza-
Bile. We compared it, with the original. from a
spirit Of curiosity and belief that our memory
had played sad tricks since lastwe had perused
Geneva and we were shocked to see not only
the beautiful and touching epithets of the poet
exchanged for others unutterably sordid and com
mon place, but even whole lines interpoiated, at
whose vulgar inferiority the fastidious author
would have reyolted with horror and dsdain.
1t is needless to tell our readers that this school
book was edited and printed in New England
There doubtless were numerous other instances
wherein even the lordly and sonorous strains Of
Shakespeare and Milton, the magnifcence Of Dry
den and the liquid numbers Of Pope were tam
,pered with and corrupted in q. similar. manner
but it Yqs not in our power for want lof time, tt
make the examination, and the book was required
for immediate use by the lad before referred TO-
Such is thelclassical taste of the Boston literat
Where angels. fear to tread, they rush forward
with unblushing eflfontery. The New England
pedagogue, in preparing his primers, alters to sui
his a.v,, saSta INIT only fha snplIpn ,f b;o a vap,