New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-08-09
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE

STEAMBOAT INSPECTION A fAhNL'
.,,s op rOR,rFR MANAGER OF THE
STATEN ISLAND TERRlEs-AN lNIL"''''-'
LETTER.
20 me Edfior Of The frtbV"'' r
SIR: As a native and lifelong reSiueu' "
staten Island ana traveller on the ferr! loi "
rsync crossed the Bay over 5000 times pr"poSo ~
-, enc o,estion won mt in your issue Of the A'h
-, viz do steamboat inspectors do thelt o"" >
o. connected with the staten Island ferries lor may
YEAR. but am not now in any way intereS'e "a, d,
cent for the safety OF myself friends an" ' ~
general My experience leads me 10 an" -.
uon negatively. Steamboat inspectors ""
my time nor do they now 90 1e preDe Questions are
tbev viii ain have 10 Admit the Eoi ANN ne nr"s
NM 10 them and that has not b,ei 'Uu. ~, Go ~ f
'nt invest " tel how ineicieutly IL was dome
,Su ,td Ten wears | iuanageT OF oo,n thS NoI,1
aD1 Sontn aU, onIy two weeks after regular in
orti oal5mc % believe tArlc sun tAlStS tic SAINT
elAosiV' 4, mis- ainpOrtant mattcr-impOrtant not
,rcing public but 10 the owners Of steam
go fafry boats. whose interest Is 10 have no accl-
uts orcur either 90 their passengers or their property
Ta,ortapt work well ana thoroughly used To come down
W. .s-. aied vlth water aud steam up, walk around
tbe 0es and look into the furnaces. certificate was
then given 20 The steam 10 he carried, based more
upog INC acc Of the boiler than from any positive exam
nation 20. IT, condition Now, ask. Is this fair aud
s. raUy lives dopeudi The certifying that All is right
where not only tends 20 a misplaced confidence, and
Tie inspectors iN inc steam 't.UWc' aplS Iu
government safety valve % the biOwOH point, and lock
and sea- t but when boiler is blown To atoms just
after their supervision they tell us the Government
safety valve" not trustworthy, with equal force
esn 49, nc i ,f hi, "a well a. he owners
Of boats who depend upon their examination
All practical and observing men who have anything u
do with steamboats, regard the present mode of testing
boilers "a dcluson and humbug, ending only in Sc
worth the paper il printed ON. No careful manager OF
steamboats, relies ON the Government Inspection only
He mstructs ms boilermakcr or mcnder to carciuill
examine aud test 10y JOes trt a hammer every part OF
boiler where lac expects to find the least Indvn ~
the hammer test over the pressure test so iI 80
upon 10y the lnsp citing Swans II u. ilcS down n
its rcad I'M ID stick of tlm1Cr; q few blows with hammer
will Dive t home No man can ore"h u soHt t 80 ~,
blow with q lead pencil viii Rupture lle smell 20 ihaSh
for the difference between the pressure ana the
10 show Sin further the fabIty Of the pressure test
7 viii C,, ir, rhe evneriencc of Mr. J. l. Parry L.
cal Inspector o.! steamboats, for PhlaaciPha, whom
met az a. officially inspecting the wreck OF the cs1
feId he sad he was e upJu 10 inspect tn. boiler of
-c1 l r.r m IN, Government 10 convey powder
10 The sout. during the war lie applied so pounds NY
safely vt tine boiler taken ont TO be replaced 10y
new one y was then found that the iron only one
eighth Of an inch thick and yet it stood hydraulic pres
gbici VA, SHORTY aitarward taken out on hoist
ing i bIoao Ia two ilom its weight. / asked why
Tho hammer test, which Mr.. Parry admitted
was severe oHe. is not used instead OF pres
examined hen IRON fire aud water, thcy must
be when t.aJ tosr Is applied. 1 aiterward met Nj.
Ightha tN-.s pcotDr OF boilers who also admitted
til supcgrity oi the blow test that of pressure.
Ny opinion Is ti further ulorscd by your correspond
ent Nj g. D.'ulars, practical bjcT-lna1CT, who tells
Nj Matthews Chat lie might easily have detected the
CTdCA s.cct Of the boiler had he sounded lt prop
eTy With e hammer. Now, IL will be asked, why not
employ the slow test If Il j. much superOrl The rca
son s paiu enough IL is neither easy NICE nor clean
work o. 20 inside the boiler furnaces, ash
pitt, back connections. and large nucs to ap-
ply the hammer aud the inspectors IF course prefer
the present agreeable OI doing their work, rs
suppose the requirements OF the law. There
foe tnAE that o. Obtain That thorough and searching
examination which j. necessary to secure the public
from the Westncld disaster, II J. nects-
safy fTg That all boilers should he tested by hammer
sag well a. pressure. Necgtd That steamboat own
should pe Obliged lay the boats up free from fire
water, long enough 20 give ample opportunity Tor
this Third. That the inspectors should be men
having practical knowleise Of boilers and boiler
making ). &. THOMPSON.
beV- York, Aug {, ISL.