New-York tribune., 1872-06-17
DANGEROUS STEAMBOATS,,
A CHAPrER FOR pLEAsURE-sEEKERs.

CHAPTER FOR PLEAsURE-SEEKERs.
WHAT BOATS NOT TO TAKE FOR A DAYS EX-
CURsION-LIsT OF THE GOOD, BAD, AND IN
DIFFERENT-OLD HULKS WITH ROTTEN
BOILERS IN USE FOR PLEASURE TRIPs-THE
UNITED STATES INSPECTION DEFICIENT.
Thousands Of pleasure seekers and lovers OF
pure air will shortly traverse the river and bays In the
numerous steamers advertised excursion steamers
Bearing in mind the fate OF the Weshed, IL becomes
an important question what the condition Of these
boats are what IL the age OF their boilers, what the
facilities FOR escape OF accident what quantity OF
steam they allowed TO carry Many boats that ply
regularly between this city and different points are
nearly worn out their boilers Old and some OF them
salt water for making steam while advertised as eN-
curson steamers" unsafe crafts which have been
condemned unfit TO ply regular routes and are now
used to make voyages to the Fishing Banks. Cholera
Banks, Coney Island and other places. On nearly all
OF the steamers the epreseryers situated that
excited persons In time OF danger would he unlikely 10
find Them while all Of the erry-boats the lifeboas
are without davits Of lowering them in they
should be needed In haste.
Engineers state that when the safety-valve and
Government valve are both wide open, and the
boiler is blowing of steam, the outlet is not suf
ficlent to prevent the increase OF from two TO hve
pounds steampressure in the boiler above the point
where the blowing of began. The steam increases IN
most OF the boilers Of boats faster than the openings
Of the valves will relieve them The Government valves
are nearly always set TO blow OF at the highest
point Of steam the boiler allowed TO carry. making IL
douby necessary that the inspectors should be exceed
ngy careful in their examinations of the boilers that
come under their charge.
THE GOVERNMENT INSPECTION DEFECTIVE.
Steamboat owners unite in saying that the inspection OF
boilers by Government Inspectors lis exceedingly care
less and unsatisfactory Many OF the inspectors after
notifying 10 the engineers the object OF their VISIT give
~ fha laff
fill the boilers with cold water to ascertain the hydrosa-
tic pressure while inspector stands by the gauge ana
when the specified pressure has been attained aud no leak
appears in the boiler he tells the engineer tits "a right
the certificate is furnished forthwith. The inspec
tors seldom test the boilers in any other and hardly
ever go inside ascertain whether there are any weak
OF soft places When 1t is remembered that all the ex
pers who testified in the OF the Weshed sad that
the only safeguard against disaster lies in an eAamina
t0n Of the outside and inside Of the boiler testing in
all parts with the hammer, il will be readily understood
how utterly insufficient is the present practice Of the in
spectors law passed by Congress- TO go into effect
on January 1872 requiring all steamboats, 10 be supplied
with an additional steam gauge to be locked by Govern
ment Inspectors and arranged that should the eng
neer al any time use steam than his certificate al
lows him, pencil within the case VIII mark the number
OF pounds he has used and stand the record OF offend
ing For some unexplained reason not more than five or
six steamboats, which navigate Eastern rivers are fur
spectors do not insist upon their use.
There are few of the steamboats, in these waters that do
not use salt water their boilers and not single case
where fresh water used exclusively on boats plying to
places distant more than 20 miles from the city. The
practice is TO fill the boilers with fresh water at the dock
and feed thereafter with salt water In cases thar
could be discovered condensers used such as ocean
steamers have to convert salt into fresh before
using it in the boilers The reason given for not using
them or having tanks OF sufficient size to hold fresh water
for the trip that economy OF space the great desder
atum on river boats and that to sail fast they must sail
light, and they have not the room to spare.
In no case are steamboats, required TO be supplied with
feboas of eapacitylequa 10 the whole number OF pas
sengers and the life are practically useless
ON occasions of panic or danger great loss of life Is al
most certain TO occur But hfebOats and cork jackets
are OF avail when, as in the case OF the Ep-
silon the boat blown 10 atoms and 1t therefore II
matter Of the greatest to the travelling pubic
that measures should be taken at once 10 insure more
rigid examination of these engines Of destruction, m.-
named boilers.
The following tables of river steamers and feryb0ats
whose respective ages are more six years,
piled from information obtained from the ONCE OF the
United States inspector OF steamboats, and the state
ments may therefore be regarded the official record
1t will be observed that the number Of life preservers
outside the matter OF their nutility- entirely made
auae TO the wants Of possible emergencies. The number
which steamers are IequIeu 10 carry must NC oiu "
the average number o; passengers carried by the vessel
but as accidents usually happen when the boats
crowded. many persons occasions of pcnics OF pleas
ure excursions would be unproyded for and great loss OF
life ensue.
In looking over the list Of steamboats, whose names
appear the reader will recognize many old hulk;
that have been old for years. yet these will shortly be
loaded to their guards with human beings bent on pleas
ureseekng and who may perhaps in the Of the
Westaeld be going 10 their deaths.
EXCURSION AND RIVER STEAMERS.