Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1872-07-04

-. ~"os ~sOA~ ~66Ao6~eS VIII
Waters flowing into tho Gulf of Mexico.
H158; aggregate tonnage, 4, ,19O,84Ss
1.-The lakes, 1895; aggregate tonnage, 5s1, ;
Pacific coast, 6l7; aggregate tonnage, 1922.
Total number Of vessels inspected. 12,s1s:
total tonnage, 3,744, 1859.
Average per annm, 500; average tonnage,
The aggregate number of casualties
for the same period was 52G, distributed
and caused as follows:
Atlantic coast-by fro, IS; explosions, 10;
collisions, 81 wrecks, Is. Total, 1O2.
Waters flowing into the Gulf-by fire, 8S :
explosions, Is collisions 81; wrecks, 2; sink
ing, ns1. Total, $50. ~
sions, u; wrecks, II; sinking. 8. Total, s..
Pacific coast-6y fire, 2 explosions, 4; COL
lisiqns, a; wrecks, g. Total, i6.
TotaEby fro, 191 j; explosions, Sc; COLI
81. sy9nss; s 81 wrecks, q sinking, 100. Grand to-
The casualties were accompanied or
resulted, so far as known, in the loss of
l,473 human lives, as follows:
: On the Atlantic coast-by fire, 19; explo-
ts,ons, 1A collisions, 10; wreck, 156. Total,
Waters flowing in'o the Gulr-by fire, 455 :;
explosions: ~ 2lS collisions, 10; wrcck,1 sink
Tho Lakos-by fire. 81; explosions, So; COL
ilisione, S.; wreck, 58 : sinking, 4: Pctaf, 235,
Pacific c0ast4bv explosions. IL; collisions,
q; wreck, 100. Total. 206.
Total by fire, $50 explosions, 399; c0llis-
IONS ION! ~ wreck, 4o5; sinking, as. Grand to-
It will be perceived that out of a total
Of 526 Casualties Of all kinds, :339, or
nearly two thirds, involvingsa loss of
713 lives, or nearly one-half the aggre-
gate, occurred on the Western and 9TH
(r rivers embraced under the general
4esfgnation: of 'twaters flowing into the
Gulf Of Mexico" It:also appears that
there were lost I'm all, by boiler 'explo-
sions, 399 lives, of which 218, or more
than hall, were lost on the same waters.
But the most startling tact is the loss
of life by fire, as compared with other
casualties. -
One hundred and fifty-one casualties,
or nearly three-tenths of the entire
number, iare due to this destructive
agency. Out of 1,473 lives, $50, or
considerably more than one-third, owe
their sudden termination to this fear
full cause. But the proportion, when
we compare localities, is yet more as
tonishing. No less than As deaths oc-
CURED from this cause in "waters flow
ing into the Gulf" while but 1O1 are
charged to the account of all the rest
of the country combined, including the
Atlantic and Pacific coasts, their tribu-
taries, and the lakes. In other words,
more than four-f1fths of the entire loss
of life by fire on board steam vessels
during the last four years, occurred on
the Western, Southern, Ind South
western rivers.
= It appears that in the space of two
years four vessels were burned by COM
bustion of oil, and SO lives were lost
while, If we add two vessels fired by
the burning of hay and the 274 deaths,
and forty more from the upsetting of q
stove, we have an aggregate of 407 lives
lost in less than three years on the
waters in question, through the direct
agency of explosive or combustible
articles. The loss of property from
the same source foots up as follows:
Accompanied by loss of iife. ....... $3.50, 900
Not accompanied by loss of life. .... $4,000
Cases in which tho fire originated in
cotton, but without loss Of life " 281 600
Total. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 81, ,1OO, 900
Here we find upwards of million of
property and more than 400 lives des-
troyed on these waters in four years by
fire, the origin of which is traced d.
rectly to the carrying of combustible
articles.
This, however, gives but an made.
quate idea of the vast amount Of prop
erty destroyed by casualties Of all
kinds on these and other waters of the
United States during the four years
covered by the report from which the
following statement is condensed:
Destroyed on the Atlantic coast. ;. $5,91l, $50
Destroyed on waters flowing into
the Gulf of Mexico. o............... 6,O23,650
Destroyed on the lakes. 1,24685O
Destroyed On the Pacific coast..... 19l 500
Total. al............. ...... SIS, ,s7a, $50
To this must be added for casualties,
where no return of the amount of prop
erty destroyed has been made, and
which, taking the returns actually
made as guide, are estimated at over
six millions in the aggregate, and we
have total of nearly twenty millions,
or about five millions annua ~.
In: transmitting the report from
which the foregoing results are de-
rived, the Secretary of the Treasury
expresses the opinion that, for various
reasons, the statistics thus furnished
are more likely to be defective through
under estimates than through exagger-
ated statements of the losses referred
TO-
The report, as showing the result of
four years. experience, may be summed
up in brief, as follows:
Total number Of casualties. ... SIG
Average per annum. m................ 131
Average per month. Observation-Disclosures. 10
Total number Of lives lost. ..... 1,473
Average per annum. .......... ;. 1868
Average per month. h............ 80
Value Of property lost testimated> SO, ,00O. 600
Average per annum .......... 80. 5000, 600
Average per month. ............. 4l6, ,6S6
More than ten casualties, involv ing
a loss of over $400, 900 every month.