New Orleans daily crescent., 1866-06-04

/
dressed, and left without giving their names
THE NEw STEAMBOAT Law PAssED.--Ihe new
steamboat law, having passed Congress aiew days
ago, we give the following abstract Of its man
features;
Section 1st. provides that if any engineer or
pilot licensed in pursuance OF law snali' 70 sae
hindrance of commerce, refuse 70 seIIe un s ~ b;y
steam vessel as authorized 6y tls ,,t teutn ~ fopn5
license for any reason deemed nsufhelent OF louho
4 untrne in fact by any supervising inspector OF
board Of local inspectors to whom complaint @ shau
be made or ahsl fail to deliver 10 t1e appuGauis
for smcb services at the time of such refusal, Il
he ssma shan be demanded, statement IN writ
ms signed by such engineer or pilot OF the reasons
tbsrefr or If any pilot shall refuse to admit INTO
the pilot house wibk him any person or persons
whom The captain s6r owners of any steamboat
NAV desire to place there for the purpose of ac
tquring the knowledge of plotting, his license shall
\ be Immediately revoked.
\ Sec. g That when boilers are so arranged on a
steamer that there is employed a water connect
| ing pipe through which the water may pass from
boiler to another, there shall also be provided
similar steam connection, having an area or open
ing into each boiler OF at least one square lnch tOr
every two square feet of effective heating surface
contained in any one of She boilers so connected
half the fue and all other surface being computes
as effective. And no boiler shall hereafter pc AZ
/ lowed under the rule established by law, greater
| working pressure than $50 pounds to the square
inch and the temperature of the water used IN
| applying the hydrosfatiG test shall IN no case e&
coed 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Sec g. That one or more additional safety
valves of such dimensions and arrangement as
shall be prescribed by the board of supervising
inspectors, shall be placed on the boilers OF every
steamer, and shall be loaded TO pressure not eX-
ceeding five pounds above the working steam
| pressure allowed; and shall be secured by the
Inspector against the interference of all persons
/ engaged in the management Of the vessel or her
machinery, and instead of the alloying metal now
/ required by law to be placed in or upon the aues
4 of high-pressure boilers, there shall be employed
plugs or rivets of pure tin inserted in such places
/ aud such manner as shall be prescribed by the
1 board Of supervising inspectors; and good and
/ reliable water gauge and full set of gaugeeocks
/ shall be provided for each boiler, whether con-
/ nected or otherwise.
/ III Sec. l. That no steamboat boiler hereafter built
to which the heat is applied to the outside of the
she'll, shall be constructed of plates of more than
three-tenths of an inch in thickness, the ends or
heads of the boiler only excepted; and if employed
on rivers flowing into the Gulf of Mexico, or their
tributaries shall have not less than three inches of
| clear space for water between and around its in
| ternal hues. And steamers hereafter built which
shall employ four or more boilers set in battery
shall have the same divided in such manner that
| one.hah as nearly as may be- of the number of
i boilers employed will act independently Of the
other half so far as relates to the water connec-
| tom but the steam from all the boilers may be
connected as provided by this act.
| Sec. s. No steamer carrying passengers shall
| carry baed hay or straw on the deck or guards,
unless the same can be completely covered to pre-
vent Ignition from SUBSEQUENTLY $100 for each
ohense, No coal oil, petroleum or spirits Of tur-
4 pentine to be carried on any steamer, except
under the same restrictions and penalties now pro-
I vided by law for the carriage of camphene and
other explosive, burning fluids and materials which
ignite by friction and such rules as the secretary
Of the treasury shall approve
i Sec. s. Barges carrying passengers, while in tow
of q steamer must be provided with fire buckets,
axes and life preserYers. For aviolation penalty
Sl00.
Sec. Z. Steamers used as freight boats shall be
subject to the same inspection and requirements
} as required for ferry, tug and canal boats.
Sec. s. Imposes penalty of $500 and forfeiture
OF 0fhee, ii any person connected, as a member
or otherwise with any association of steamboat
pilots, engineers, masters, ,.or owners, shall accept
or attempt to exercise the functions Of the Office
of steamboat inspector.
4 Sec. 8. All vessels navigating the bays, inlets
rivers, etc. of the United States shall be subject
to the navigation laws; and all vessels propelled
in whole, or in part by steam, shall be subject
all rules and regulations established for the gov
ernment Of steam vessels in passing. All vessels,
navigating the waters Of the United States except
upon the high seas, must be under the control and
direction of pilots licensed by the inspectors of
steam vessels; vessels Of the United States ex-
cepted.
Sec. 10. That all sea-going steamers, carrying
passengers, and those navigating the chain OF
northwestern lakes, shall have the life boats re
CURED by law provided with suitable boat Olsen
gaging apparatus. SO arraigned as to be operative
| by one person, by which they may be disengageC
at pleasure from the tackles by which they art
} lowered into the water.
3 Sec. H. River steamers navigating waters flow
ing into the Calf of Mexico, shall carry the follow
ing lights, viz: One red light on the outboard side
of the port smoke pipe, and one green light on the
outboaTd side of the starboard smoke pipe; these
lights to show both forward and aft, and also
abeam on their respective sides. All coasting
steamers, and those navigating bays lakes, or
other inland waters, other, than y.boats, and
those above provided for, shall carry the red and
green lights, as prescribed for ocean going steam
ers; and in addition thereto central range of
two white lights, the after light being carried at
an elevation of at least fifteen feet above the light
at the head of the vessel the head light to be so
II constructed as to show good light through
twenty points of the compass namely from right
ahead to two points abaft the beam either side
around the horizon.
Sec. ~. The annual compensation to be paid to
steamboat inspectors for the districts Of Philadel
phia, St. Lonis, Cincinnati and Pittsburg shall be
one thousand eight hundred dollars.
CLIPPINGS FROM OUR EXCHANGES.
+ ST.. LOUIS, May 3O.--The Mississippi continues
in lts steady rate of decline but we heard no COM
plant from the boatnen navigating its winding
ways, either above or below.
The Missouri river IS on therse again, and under
gong general Improvement at all points. Ad-
wees from the upper portion of the river state that
, all the small streams are flushed with water.
Steamboat stock has not been so low for ten
years as now, there being no sale for them at any
price, we KNOW OF several good steamers that
could be purchased at astonishing low figures but
nobody seems to care about investing in that kind
II OF property but the time will yet come, and not
be great while either, when the commerce of the
western rivers viii undergo revival that will as.
tonish most everybody.
Let the country get once fairly settled, and a
good crop raised, both North and South, and we
venture the assertion that business will soon revive
and assume degree of activity unequalled for the
i past twenty years. No doubtour merchants and
boatmen will gladly welcome the time for the
present season has not only been marked by a
limited trade, but very improbable one.
i The Mohawk and barges continue loading for
New Orleans, and will leave tomorrow. The
Il Albert Pearce for White river, Stonewa for the
Missouri and the Platte Valley for Yicksburg, are
4 also billed for tomorrow.
i The Scientific American Of this week gives an
engraving that shows new paddle wheel which
is designed to avoid the objection which attaches
+, to the common wheel. 1t is intended that the
paddles or bucket shall enter and leave the
water very nearly the same as paddle would be
neld in the hand and turned at the end of the
stroke.
The buckets are not parallel to each other, but
are arranged at right angles so that, as they
emerge from the water edgewse, they will present
lhe bucket, which Is just entering, in the most fa-
soranle position for propelling the boat. The up
5 pst part Of the wheel-that which is not iul-
r mersed-has the buckets edgewise, or nearly so,
mus avoiding the atmospheric resistance that is
. l~9eiuehS ~ 70 the common wheel. The engraving