New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-08-04


boat the Inspector refused to pass on account OF s
adequate size The cork Jackets were weighed ana an
found TO be one pound short OF the required weight %
life buoys were tested, and!al condemned as lnsuoo
One of the feboats ordered to be Kept on tue pp
deck hung on davits Mr.. Craft stated he shouu 10
ouiro 20 life buoys placed each boat In place ol '
1888 now allowed. The inspection will be cohthueu li
the entire ferry feet has been overhauieu' MI
the Company's Acknowledgment dtuine "0o','i'"
ton stated that in one OF the boats there Is no" por
that has been in the vessel since she was punt 10
years aSo and he would warrant ut sound to-day lie
! Clinton somerset and Columbia were tested yes
| terday and the Union was brought to the Company's
shops and placed in readiness for Inspection to-day
reporter spcnt the day at tho various ferries OF the
! Comnanv examining tho general appearance OF the
boats their lifc-savng apparatus, boilers, and gas
tanks The IS vessels boarded there are Is in ALI
neorlyunifom in these respects. II noticed that
there was frcshlooking ceiling Of boards, slanted like
roof over nearly every OF the gas-tanks which Is
| an acknowledgment that destructive liquids are
! apt to leak through the deck upon tho tanks.
The singular remark attributed to President Smith of the
Union Ferry Company that he would not have the boats
inspected at all, except to satisfy the public Will lead to
good deal OF private inspection. 1t must be acknowl
edged however that 70 the hasy observer the appear
of the boats is good They make scant show Of
small boats and lifepreservers; but the law
will regulate those deficiencies. The small
boats-One nfe-boat OF iron aud a wooden
boat-arc in most cases on the hurreanedeck,
about 10 feet the edge The door leading to the
pothouse and upper deck is kept locked but the deck
hands say that they Chamber up outside and launch
the lfeboat in minute and the wooden one in two
minutes. Each ferryboat carries about 20 oblong life
preservers, capable of sustaining eight ten persons
each. These hung upon the beams over the upper
| deck.
| The following is a list Of the COmpany's boats:
| Hamilton Ferry-New-YOrk. Baltic, and Republic.
These found TO be without noticeable defects
cept those already mentioned which characterize all
| the boats of this line.
| South Ferry-Pacfc and Monticello. These are in
fair condition.
WGll-st. Ferty-Clinton and Somerset. The America,
which was found running there temporarily, was the
only OF the IS in which the gas tank found in
| dark hole.
Fulton Fer77,-The winona, Mneola Union and Amer
lea are the regular boats The Wnona, Mineoa, and
Columbia were found there no discernibe DEFICIENCIES
| could be discovered.
Cdharine Feyrg-The ManhasSet, Peconic, and Nassau
the boats use The Nassau is noticeable for age
having been built in 1884, at which time her boiler was
also built 1t is therefore IT years old. This boiler
repaired last year. patches and new bottom being
| put in.
The Hamilton and Columbia are spare boats. The
former found at the cOmpany's shop and machin
is busy cutting out socketbOlt" in the side Of
the boiler where leak had been noticed. He will put
patch there The engineers say that they trouble
themselves about leaks until the water begins to Grip
through the felt and that they have other way
OF discovering them.
| THE JERSEY CITY FERRY.
On the Jersey City Forty eight boats six in
USE and two used spare boats that in
of accident any Of the boats when the
latter undergoing repairs of these spare boats
put in its place At least 10000 2OOO passengers are
carried this line daily the New York side the
obliged to large going
the boats the door of which is locked until the
is unoaded whereby the risk of accidents in getting
and off is much decreased, but the wise precauton
fortunately does not exist on the Jersey side.
The boat Jersey City, repairing built nine
years since She has one boiler put when she was
built and three times patched about feet long by 10
ee diameter. which rests upon brces within foot OF
the keelson. This may dangerously near. the
keesOn is Of wood and unprotected but apprehension
OF fire from this is felt the lower part of tho
boiler underneath the fires is constantly filed with
This part is called the waer-bOtOm This par
cuar boiler is patched in three places the
bottom about feet by foot size and others
the lower end Of the boiler what is called the
! back connection" each about the size. The en-
/ gncer stated that be considered n boiler, II properly
patched stronger than when because being built in
sections and riveted together it nothing hln
series of patches but this theory finds practical con
| tradction in the of the Westfcid.
The Jersey City provided with two lifebolts and
some 300 100 feproserverS OF escape In
of accident The ebOats would hold about rs or
so persons each while many might cling the
e-lnes running along the side in case of emcrgency
The boats lie bottom up the hurricane-deck, in
place not easily accessible except by good climbers
There davits from which to launch them and il
would be difficult task TO get them in the water espe-
cally during the confusion that usually follows acct.
dents. The jersey City also carries some IS trebuck
cts and five which might be of service in of
fire. they could be got at conveniently. She ia lighted
by ordinary supplied from two iron tanks situated
still uncOmfortaby The tanks themselves are
supplied with gas pumped through pipe connected
with the main on the deck All the gastanks these
boats OF Demarest's patent; " some tubular,
ending in cone, like the illustrated, while others
Obong in shape The pressure regulated by
Of a crank turned by the hand The crank is attached
TO a roller around which end Of a rope is wound,
while the other end is secured to movable pGte in
side the tank whereby the air is compressed sufficiently
force the gas through the jets As the gas passes
through the pipes the crank slowly unwinds and stops
only when the pressure is removed In the neighbor
hood of these tanks there the odor generally OBJ
served about the ordinary hOusemeter.
The other boats this line the J. g. Darcy which
was burned in 1853, and rebuilt the Golden, built in
1850; the NewYork, built 1868 the Newark, built in
1865 the Hudson CITY, built in 1867 the New Bruins
wick built in 1906 and the D. s. Gregory partly rebuilt
in 1856 The boilers all these boats are Of the same
! age the boats and unpatched. They are provided
with lookup valve, the key OF which retained by the
Government inspectors, and which is supposed TO blow
of steam when the pressure reaches pounds though
for aught the reporter knows the inspector either
it may be rusty as that OF the Wested. The engi.
neers on all the boats claim that they have rarely over
! Is pounds
! ERIE PERRY BOATS.
The boats Of the Pavona Erie Ferry COMPANY are
comparatively new and very similar construction TO
those the Jersey City Ferry the only noticeable diff
ference being the arrangement for the supply of gas
The tanks cylindrical, and provided with rubber
top upon which weights placed sufficient force it
down. and cause the gas to flow through the burners