Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-02-13

were Iost. In i've cases only ons life
was lost; in Two cases two Iives.i In four
cases three lives, and SO on up TO tie loss
OF tne steamer Suttans in 1854, the most
natal accident" of the kind ever known.
Another singular fact In Connection with
these steamboat explosions Ia thst since
b passage of q congressional enactment
IN 1901. 10 provide safeguards sgsinst acct
dents from this very source, the number
OF casualties has actually been create
q II was before. and this. too. when
tneTe mas Deen no real increase in the num-
Der OF boats employed or in the humble
OF passengers transported. Half the az
gregste tonnage IN all this western rivers
now Is credited to bsrgss, SO that the
steam tonnage IL reduced below the point
II had attained when the owners were hIst
held TO q rigid accountability for All disss :
teFs. During the eighteen years preceding
the passage of the act OF congress-. from
1884 TO 1852, the boilers of tWenty-seven
boats exploded, and one thousand and
two persons were killed. From 1852 to
1870 hfty-iOur boilers exploded and three
Thousand one hundred persons were
Killed. Yet II is during this LAST period
Shab the largest numbar of appliances have
ossn patented for rendering boilers non
explosive, and since thsOWnors have been
heid accountable for sll such disasters, IL
IL reasonable to infer that some at least Of
49, h@@1SRn LOkAlEGAEa 6EAuNH~hAlMEa
and patent plugs have been tired and
found wanting" OF course, such a
state OF sffalrs tends to make river travel
era uneasy. But is 1t not possible that
in b c-Ontrivances TO prevent sx-
plOsiOns lie the causes OF the dis
ssters tbemseiYes7 No only from the
possibility that they nave nsyer been
thoroughly tested, but bscause they are in
tended to take the place Of the Watchful
eye OF the engineer. He is led to believe
that his work can be done by maohi-
merry, and to rely rather upon the locked
"goYernment valve" than upon his own
activity. The case of the West6sld is an
instance Of the result of N engineers
negligence For valves may rust or get
'oiOgged" or caught, and then follows the
stereOtypsd formula in the morning Jour
mails: Steamboat Explosion - Fearful
Loss Of Life" Il is safe to assume that
If the engineer viii use his s~afety-ValVe,
Wster.gaug9, etc, as assistants and not as
substitutes for his own careful attention,
the dangers of steamboat travel would be
materially lessen6d, and such disasters as
the losses Of b louisiana, the Pennsyl-
Ysnis, the WeEthsld and the SuItsna
would bs of much less frequent occur
renee. For it is extremely improbable
that even the winner of the 'Rumford
Medal" would clsim that there is such a
thing ssa boiler thet cannot explode.
BY Telegraph.
NASHVILLE, February 1.-THE river is
swelling, With 81 feet On Hsrpeth shoals.
Tae W6sther is mild and variable. Heavy
reins last night.
EVANSVILLE. February 12-Westhsr
cloudy, with indications of rain. Mercury
56o. River has fallen 1 inch. Heavy ice
running nesrly all night. River Is now
nearly C:esr.
PrTTpBURe, February II. - Weather
mild and thswing fast The MononZahsla
rising only from the les gorge bslOW. A
numb Of steamers are engaged in break
ing ~ he ice in the MonOngShsla above
tins CITY.
LOUISVILLE, February 1.-THE river has
risen Z inches in b past "a hours, and is
still rising, with 4 feet 5 inches in the
canal, and 2 fees 8 inches in the chute.
Weather cloudy and mild. Mercury
ranged from 45o 10 62o. The gOrges are
giving way, and b river is full OF 1Ost-
ing icss The fsrrybOst Wsthen went up
to Utica, and finding ths river clear TO
that point, Cincinnati and Henderson
packets will mnsn on Monday.
Steambostnsn are elated at the prospect
of an early resumption. The Mary Hous-
ton, receiving to-day for New Orleans, is
advertised 20 leave on Tuesday evening.
The new ferrybost OoEcordis, belonging
to the Nstehez and Vidslia company,
mace nSr trlst ZIP 20 QSys
CAIRO, February I2-Arrivad: ). ii. |
Biglsy, from New Orleans, at 2 pm; Mary /
Alice, from New Orleans, at 3 p m; BOsz, |
from New Orleans, at 4 pm; s. b. Long, /
from Memphis, at 4 pm Departed: Dick
Fultou, for Louisville, at 1 pm; Robert
Mitchell. for Cincinnati, at 1 pm; Charles |
3 Church, for Cincinnati, st 4 pm; Il. e. |
Jaeger, for Cincinnati, az 5 PM; Com
monwealth, for New Orleans, 5 p IN: Bosz, /
for Louisville, st 8 pm. The river has
risen 2 inches. Weather cloudy, with in
dicstiOns of rain. Thermometer $40.
NEW ORLEANS, February I2.-NO arri-
walls or departures. Weather clear and
pleasant.
VIoKsBURG. February 12-DOwn: Belle
at z am; Utah sc 9 am. Up: Valid
and barges, al 1 am, The river Is rising. /
cool snd clear.
ST. LOUIS, February 12.-River has
risen 3 inches, but no other change to
note. Westhsr mild, and the ice-gOrge
s~oftening. No rise yet reported in the
Gssconade o. Usage. Privste dispatches
mention a rise OF 2 feet in the Missouri
river 81 Herman, and state also that the
Osege spd G-sscOnade rivers are rising.
Unless this rise assumes greater proper
ions, IL viii have bus little effect here.