New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-05-21
THE STEAMBOAT LOBBY.

No End to the Wants of the Steamboat
Ringleaders - Enormous Profits OF
Cheap SteambOats-The Lobby Want
Permission to Reduce the AccOmmO-
datiOns and Comforts of the Poor
Deck Passengers-Acting Secretary
Richardson Furnishes Some strong
Contrasts
We copy the following from the Wash
ington Chronicle:
Is is notorious fact that the cheapest
built and cheapest equipped steamboats, on
our Western rivers frequently pay for
themselves in single year.
Instances are common where the profits
of q boat during a single season have been
more than sufficient to pay the entire cost
of it's construction and equipment. This
kind of business is, of course, commonly
profitable to cheap steamboat owners who
run no risks whatever. The passengers and
insurance companies take all the risks and
suffer all the losses. The former risk their
lives, and the latter their money.
If a cheap boiler of a cheap steamboat
explOdes, and kills the passenger and de-
strOys the boat and cargo, the owners in
many or most instances suffer little or no
loss.
OF course, the owners of the Cheap John
boats are satisfied with the old way of doing
eminent steamboat inspector about their
establishments. They don't want the Sec
rotary of the Treasury to prescribe regula-
tons for their business. They are sop
posed to all such exhibitions of Oneman
power" Like J. Davis, Esq, president of
the late Confederate States, they ''want to
be let alone" They are willing however,
that Congress shall legislate upon the sub
ject, provided, however, that they shall
no 4bo E In
don't object to regulations Of their own
making-oh, no They have submitted
their bill to Congress, and it is found, of
course, TO differ in many important respects
from the existing law. Acting Secretary
Richardson furnishes the following rather
strong contrasts:
"a comparison of the ninth section of the
existing proposed laws, respectively, will
show in the latter a considerable falling off
in the degree of protection afforded by the
former to deck passengers-such, for in
stance, as the clause guaranteeing to them
during the voyage the use of the sDace as
signed to each, and that the same shall not
thereafter be occupied with freight or over
crowded with other passengers This is
omitted in the bill. So as to the preserving
of the gangways or passageways, in the
stowage of freight on deck, III order to
afford deck passengers a chance of escaDe
in case of casualty. This it Is proposed to
restrict to decks where there may be pas
senger cabins, which would, perhaps, be
equivalent to emitting the requirement en-
trely, as such cabins are not usually found
in that part Of the vessel appropriated to
deck passengers.
''The probable effect of these changes
would be, in majority of cases. to leave
deck passengers to take their chances both
Tor accommodation on board and for escape
in case of accident"
1t will be seen from the above that the
Cheap Johns evidently think their duty to
deck passengers fully performed when they
nave collected the fares. The lone man
power people think otherwise But hear
Secretary Richardson further:
ut is also proposed to allow on single
riveted boilers already constructed a work
ing pressure producing tensile strain, per