New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-11-22
STEAMBOAT PROBLEMS.
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE INSPECTOR
GENERAL.

r,P1sO,ss WITH PBOsE OF FORHsR YEATS--
TESTING or BOILER PLATEs-l SbFLNIiU ~,
AGAINST NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS." ~
CONGRESS
10y TELEGRAPH 40 TnB TRlDUNBI
WASHINGTON, Nov. 2i.--The annual report Of
! rho Hon yussph Nimno H. the Supervising lTPac'or
Gerpral o. STEAMBOATS,, has been finished ana tSn' ="
tho printer It IS dated Gov. Ia iST2 Tho report SHOWS
that the nurrber Of casuaItcs by fire. explosion "nu
wreck during the year 1877 Co. against the hFefaEo
number dJirn the three preceding years Of ~ Fa'
Of properly destroyed by casnsses IN l8l' s560O"';
avcrago va slo 81 property daSrcyed during tho TIRES
preceding war, 81 1902 Hnbrr OF lTes lost by cas-
ualties In 1871 average nuI'berof iyesost by casu
ates durng the three preceding yerrs 81 humoel o
s;c3rert inspect n ~ S7l 325I; slgorage number OF
si,,5 insb@cfej during the tlrga preceding years
8iTo! nT5Ie of I sseS issued phOts and engineers
n iS2 ire; aycra OF CUnt issno1 TO os
and enr2eeis durn, the three pre1edk1s years 29s,
Che .TeLOing STATE nenI shows tls' Ihc ~ - t.
thaa the average for me ibrco prcocsng y ai also
that the average loss o IrOD,ry Wat y per GIL ~,
and the average loss Of e tour per e W es1 t, H
gme appears tbotdtrrlng tue yeG 1911 w 'i'u
Der ~ stelmcrs inspected ttOur per vi Efeitt au
the number Of licenses IS rd - pilot AMI
10 per greater than tho aysraFe for L'rce
years, Tho total lo,3 OF huInla DE % steam vessels
from ail causes during the year vi was ss'I, VIM no
average OF life during ~ preceding years was oNi
Several serious casualties taye OccnIrN .inc. 'i ~
meeting Of the Board. On Apuf II the s2uers OF tue
steamer Oceauus exploded at apolat Oh oe MlssESpt
River about 20 miles above Cairo g. thc|0a Was SUP
sequen.y OuInIu " 0o SnS,st nj sfe1f.~ Bristol %
Narragan>~t Steamship Company came IN collision Wlth
a bri1 I'm NeNp0rt harbor Tho na5.re the damage
done tao steamer not known U1dl Do WIS daco'-
Frtmutiy Ans Was run ashore 30 rne to rr8vent any
loss OF life such casualty 10 Of the largest aE!
most costly steamers in the UuitC oacs, Dy WDlcA tAo
lives Of GO persons were endangered taken - C0LugV
ton with he TACT that the Bristol had out isW weeks
before como collision with another 81 eimor bLe Itet
having been sunk points TO the necessary ~ asSatA
caro- ency In the management 81 sGch Vessels.
the master and pilot in charge Of tbe wheel at IN" Hne
lcansos shall " hall not be suspended or revoked On
Aug TO- the steamer Bienye OF Che Pacific MAI Slanl,
snip Company was burned at sea tolty-'Ae A'e8 Aio
The safety OF life and property on board OF tuls sop
dependent on the efficiency anu list Nortulo ~.
steam-pump suggest the pr0prlety or r.IlHia9
i'm fne ease of tie Benylc prt Of tine cargo consists
OF kerC OIL, matches, and other dangerous atsies
a sch )Oner Long Island sound and sunk n about an
hour aud quarter atcrward The nature OF the GahaSG
WITHIN a minutes before she went down. By Jns
casually % lives ae known 10 nave Deen ~ Io
ton licenses OF the master and nfs ana seeOhI
plots aud suspension for six months or tD license oI
he clicf u alto These officers now being tried
The record shows That TIE Meiis came IN collision twice
tembcr while me steamer Dean Richmond was on nor
plssa. 10 from NcwYOrk 10 Albany hue OK one Ol er
boilers burst. owing to tho thorough elupHtsht W VIZ
boat aud tuo efficiency aad excellent discipline OF her
officers and crew the ire caused ny ne nins uIt'e1
from tle furnace, was sptelIy - 80
i'm TINS case was the failure OF che manager o. me me 10
have the boilers ted ta' sednef n's JcCn ie e
up for several months; On tIe ~ Ci O,,ODri,
Steamship Missouri or the Atlantic Mall steamship Com
|
was burned at sea, "nd ABOUT 90 HNeS VIZ lo1,.
A board has been appointed to investigate
the circumstances alton nag TINS disaster Ine
! c1SuoIties TO the Aets and Bristol point
to the necessity for more ss1ct attention 10 d'tP,no
ON board Of steam vessels liIlly apparent j, iio u
torrance OF having such drills are required by the
rules the service for the purpose or ustiutLHE o
conduct N cases of accident generally Inc aIDlahscs
placed board OF steamers !or the purpose W ''-
vessel and the lives OF the passengers arc oe auU
lsG ~ order 5 ii nfy er y s, 6e tl6roa prac-
. aafT THAR
by strict discipline and frequent lrillns OF te elcs
and Upon steamers carry ing large h uiDcI Vi
passengers, the officers and crow shOud 10 required u
| wear some distinctive badge or uniform.
The law regnres that boiler plates shall be tested for
the purpose OF ascertaimng their tensile strength,
tOug6ness homOgenOusness, and ability 70 Withstand
the effects Of repeated heating cooling. In order
mat his REQUIREMENT may carried effect 10 Il ne
cessary that the steamboat Inspection service D DC
supplied with sufficient number Oh lestiHs mac tes
When uniform system Of tests has been adopto II Is
TO be hoped that boiler plates VAL be rated IN the markets
OF the country according U uSn lt
rather than upon the reputation or various MahuIac-
turers The principal manufacturers OF the country
have called upon TO present pans Oh teslns ma
| chimes designed to meet CERTAIN requreHchS ~nICh
been received, specifications viii be drawn anu steps
taken to procure the machines . .,, ,,o ,si
explosions on steam vessels, the CouIi-
lions attending such disasters are seldom knOW 10 tuo
when known Chere frequently motives Wlch iead 10
suppression OF the real facts IN the case IN course
- risniiio experiments, however, all conditions arc
known ANA properly estimated in arriving at the sOu-
ZION Of the results developed During the last session OF
,l Hill was introduced authorizing such expert
o,Is 90 mi lit be useful and important guard against
tn. h,rstn1 of Tstean boilers. 1 strongly recommend
te OF bill of this character believing that Val
uab information would thus Dc obtained for the DETER
security life aud property ON steam vessels bAperl,
made upon boilers or various IOIsI anu
ON vessels OF the seabOard lakes, and OF western rivers
By the terms Section 4, act OF February 70 lol pas
seuger steamers are ptOhOItcu from Cai t.b DO ~
crude or refined petroleum, either freight or stores
with the single exception that renned petroleum Whlch
viii not ignite at lower temperature Than llJ' tdhrCn-
het ay DO carried such steamers Wheh lnere Is
no other practicable mode Of transporting IT, 1le uls
titled Uroducs petroleum appear IN every form from
the GASEOUS the solid state, ana their range OF ld
inability il very great. OF the OeagenOuS products
the least inammable of which are the padin OILS, are
| believed 20 be quite safe - sperm OF whale OIL
| While every reasonable precluuOn should Do observer
for the prevention OF fires ON steamers our statute Laws
should, nevertheless DC III accord Win tue Laws OF
chemical science and the commercial necessities OF Tue
| cnuntrv therefore respectfully recommend that the
law of Feb 3d. 1871, be 50 amended a. To aOW passenger
steamers carry freight or stores suCh ptoduCs Oh
uetrocum as, the opinion OF chemical experts, slA
be perfectly safe, ana unurr such regulations as shl Ic
,,nve ali danger from TINS cause. 1 also respectfully
recommend that the OnS OF See ., act Oi rcO 20
1871 relating shipment Oi explosive Or dangerous ar
tces be so amended u authorize IN any case OF Such
shipment contrary To law Immediate seizure " atio9
thus shipped attempted 10 DO shipped
steamboat Inspection service cOnslsL OF a SUPER
vsng ieneral 10 supervising inspectors, 20
inspectors OF nus, SO Inspectors vi boilers lee 1'ia
am n,pecOrs nuls three assistant inspectors Of UU
e and clerks inspectors. IL Is the intention OF
the act OF February o. 1871, that tue service SHAH DO
sesustaining without being source of revenue AAdI
object has been fairly attained
The Inspector-G eneral. concludes as follows;
II Ia my sincere desire not only that all reasonable Sc
cures Tor protecting life andp opcry uAy DC adopted
No autigonsm possibly arise DotW1cn the steal-
boat service and the owners d steam Vessels
nes IL be caused by the ndeacretOn u inspectors tho
nreasonae demands OF steamboat owners, OF tue el-
Na E mo