Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1871-04-02
LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES
Passed at the Third Session Of the Forty first
Congress.
TPUBLIsHED BY AUTHORITY
GENERAL NATURE.-NO. 35.l

GENERAL NATURE.-N0. 35.
AN ACT to provide for the better securit,
of life on board of vessels propelled il
whole or in part by steam, and for 9th
er purposes.
Be 1T enacted by the Senate and House o
Representatives Of the United States o
Anaericd IN Congress assembled, That nt
license, register, or enrolment shall b
granted, or other papers issued, by any
collector or other chief officer of the Gus
toms, to any vessel propelled in whole OIL
IN part by steam, until he shall have sa
tisfactory evidence that all the provisions
OF this act have been fully complied with
and If any such vessel shall be navigated
without complying with the terms of this
act, the owner or owners thereof shall for
felt and pay to the United States the sum
of five hundred dollars for each offense
one-half for the use of the informer, and
for which sum the steamboat or vessel SC
engaged shall be liable, and may be seized
and proceeded against by way of libel in
any district court of the United States hay-
ing jurisdiction of the offense,
SEC. 2. And BEL further enacted, That
every steamer so propelled, and carrying
passengers or freight, shall be provided
with suitable pipes and valves attached to
the boiler to convey steam into the hold and
the different compartments thereof to ex-
tinguish fire; and every stove used on
board of any such vessel shall be well and
securely fastened, SO as to prevent it from
being moved or Overthrown, and all wood
work or other ignitible substances about
the boilers, chimneys, cook-houses, and
sstove-pipes exposed to ingnition shall be
thoroughly shielded by some incombusti-
bic MATERIAL in such a manner as to leave
the air to circulate freely between such ma
terial and woodwork or other ignitible
substance; and before granting a certifi-
cate of inspection, the inspector shall re-
quire all other necessary provisions to be
made throughout such vessel to guard
against loss or danger from fire.
SEC. 3. A9sd be 1t further enacted That
every steamer permitted by her certificate
ofinspection to carry as many as fifty pas
sengers, or upward, or any steamer carry
ing passengers, and shall also carry cot
ton, hay, or hemp, shall be provided with
a good double acting steam fire-pump, or
other equivalent apparatus, for throwing
water; said pump or other apparatus for
throwing water shall be kept at all times
and at all seasons ofthe year i'm good order
and ready for Immediate use, having at
least two pipes of suitable dimensions, one
on each side of the vessel, to convey the
water to the upper decks; to these pipes
there shall be attached, by means of stop
cocks or valves, both between decks and
on the upper deck, good and suitable hose
of sufficient strength to stand a pressure of
not less than one hundred pounds to the
square inch, long enough. to reach to all
parts of the vessel and promptly provided
with nozzles, and keptin good order and
ready for immediate service. And every
steamer exceeding two hundred tons bur-
den and carrying passengers, shall be pro-
vided with two good double-acting fire.
pumps. to be worked by hand ! each
chamber of said pumps shall be of suffi-
cient capacity to contain not less than one
hundred cubic inches of water; said
pamps shall be placed in the most suitable,
parts of the vessel for efficient service,
having suitable well-fitted hose to each |
pump, of!at least one-half the vessel in
length, kept at all times in perfect order, !
anu shipped up, and ready for immediate |
use and on every such steamer not ex-
ceeding two hundred tons, one of such |
pumps may be dispensed with, and each |
fire-pump thus provided for shall be sup
piled with water by means of a suitable !
pipe connected herewith, and passing |
through the side of the vessel so low as to |
be at all times under water when she is
afioat; and no fire pump thus provided |
for shall be placed below the lower deck of
any such vessel and every steamer shall |
be provided with a pump which shall be |
of sufficient strength and suitably arranged
TO test the-boilers thereof But the capa-
city of one hundred cubic inches, as herein
required, shall not apply to steamers now
in service. - 81.
SEC. A. And be it further enacted, That
no loose hay, loose cotton, or loose hemp,
camphene, nitro-glycerine, naphtila. BEN
zine, Ibenzoie, coal oil, crude or refined Pc
troleum, or other like explosive burning |
fluids, or like dangerous articles, shall be
carried as freight or used as stores on any |
steamer carrying passengers nor snail
baIed cotton or hemp be carried on such |
steamers unless the bales are compactly |
pressed and thoroughly covered with bag
ring or similar fabric, and secured with |
good rope or iron bands; and every bale
of cotton or hemp that shall be shipped OF
carried on any passenger steamer without
conforming to the provisions of this sec
ton shall be subject to a penalty OF five |
dollars: which bales shall be liable to seiz-
ure and sale to secure the payment OF such
penalty: nor shall gunpowder be carried /
on any such vessel except in case OF
special license granted by inspectors as
hereinafter provided; nor shall OH OF
yitriol. nitric or other chemical acids De
carried on such steamers except on the
decks or guards thereof, or In such otner
safe part of the vessel as shall be prescribed
by the inspectors. Refined petroleum
which will not ignite at a temperature iess
than one hundred and ten degrees oi
Fahrenheit Thermometers, may oe caIIieu
on board such steamers upon routes Wnele
there is no other practical moae OF e.ai, =,
nortino II and under such regulations as
shall he prescribed by the board OF super
vising inspectors, with the approvai OF the
of the Treasury, and oil or spirits
of fnrnantine may be carried on any such
stoa mo-, when the same shall be put up IN