Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-04-21
RIVER AND WEATHER.


The river is still receding at this point, |
with feet scant on Harpeth Shoals.
Weather cloudy with light rains.
The LewelIen arrived from Evansville,
and cleared again for the same port
The John Lumsden departed for Cairo,
and the Lawrence for Cincinnati.
The Robert Moore was due last night,
and is advertised for return TO Cincinnati
this evening at 4 o'clock in command Of
Capt. John Ferrell
Mr. Wilson, clerk of the Spray, tele-
graphed Capt. Boyd yesterday that his
steamer would leave Cincinnati to-day for
this port.
The Alpha was hourly expected last
night from the Upper Cumberland.
The Ella Hughes is looked for tonight
The Talisman, from Cairo, is due to-
day.
Four suits were dismissed from the Su-
perior Court of Cincinnati on Monday for
want of jurisdiction, on account Of the de-
cision of the Supreme Court, that a writ
cannot be brought against steamboat, as
such, in State Court. These are the cases:
Ross & Co vs.. steamer st. Cloud, Jacob
Cuban VS.. steamer Emma Floyd, Ohio
Valley Insurance Company vs.. steamer
Tennessee, and Boatman's Insurance Com
pany VS.. steamer Tennessee.
Still another river paper has been started,
called the KdRGlotG Ricsr TrGUeler. 1t is
circulated free on board the Kanawha river
packet Annie Laurie. The papers of this
class now published are a follows: The
EieetUO0d Reflector, for the Cincinnati,
Pomeroy and Marietta packet Fleetwood
the Ohio Rj0er Traceger, for the steamers
Bostona, st. James and Ohio No. &; the
| OltGrnler, for the Cincinnati and Marietta
packet Charmer; the KGRGsohG R5Cer
! TrdceleT, for the Annie Laurie; a paper,
name not remembered) for the Kanawha
packet Mountain Boy; the Riclm0nds
| Headlight, (the father of them all, printed
on board the Richmond, and the Grand
Eros T0rchligLt, printed on board the
steamer Grand Era. They all depend on
their advertising patronage for support.
The st. Louis Democrat gives the follow
ing suggestions from an old boatman;
Among the problems engaging the think
| ing portion Of the steamboat community,
none is of moreimmediate importance than
that of better security of life and pro-
perty on our rivers.
An analysis of the accidents on our
| Western rivers for the last six years will
show that at least three fourths were the
result of the cupidity of the Captains, sane
toned by custom-particularly in the case
| of the down steamboats,.
To any man that will stop at Cairo or
Memphis and observe our Western steam
ers going down the river, the wonder viii
not be that there are SO many disasters,
but that they are so few.
The boats load so deep that they are
only RATS of produce, and if they should
happen to spring a leak, the men who
would risk themselves going into the hold
to find and stop it, mustbe reckless of their
lives indeed.
Among the many suggestions for i'm
provement in the steamboat law, the SUI
pervising Inspectors should be requested
to recommend an addition to the new
steamboat law now before Congress to the
following effect
1t shall not be lawfnl for any steamboat
navigating any of the inland waters of the
United States to load deeper than within
one inch of space for every foot of water
they draw between the lower part of the
throat of their deck beams and the water;
that is to say, boat drawing ten feet shall
have her guards at least ten inches clear OF
the water as a margin in case of accident.
If there was law compelling all steam
boats to keep their guards one foot clear of
the water, it would be better for the safety
of all. 1t would add to safety, as the
guards being so high out of the water,
there would be no danger from the swells
raised by the wind-as in the case of the
Chas. l.. Avery-or by meeting boats,
starting them up from the hull, or from a
guard beam being broken out or started
In case of springing leak, there would
be margin enough to allow of the boat be-
Ing beached when there would be a proba-
hility of saving her.
If such law was put in force, all steam
boats that would be built would have at
least eighteen inches added to their sides.
The extra hight would make them less LA
BILE to bend, twist and break, whilst it
would not add one inch to the draft. The
addition of eighteen inches to the Thomp-
son Dean would not add twenty-five tons
to her weight.
by Telegraph
PITTsBURG, April Electromagnetic
eleven feet five inches and falling slowly.
Allegheny eleven feet seven inches. Green's
boro fourteen feet. Weather cloudy
Thermometer 50.
LOUISVILLE, April 2O.-Arriyed-K
Putnam from Pittsburgh, and departed for
| Nashville to-day.
CINCINNATI, April 20-Arrived- Emma
Floyd from Nashville.
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