The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1873-03-13
slIlPyvRnCK q & sUsIxnss.

K
British Parliament from Derby, has
been Investigating the oauses Of the
terrible loss Of life aud property in tho
merchant marine Of bis county,. aud =
few weeks since published I book full
ofths most astonishing developments.
According to these statements England
would appear to have Is many men
wiokedly regardless of human life q
- have in cur Fisk and Vanderbilt
ela,s. mon only in name, whose . sol.
desire Il the accumulation Of wealth 1t
al h,z,sds. He N.Y. q great number
OF ships are regularly esnt 70 81 il
such rotten AID otherwise ill.prov,dsd
state that they can only reach thsi.
destination through foe weather, aud
= large number are 30 overloaded that
it is nearly impossible for them, also,
to reach their destination if the voyage
is at oil rough, from these two causes
alone rather moro than half Of on,
losses arise" His book, which is 10 it.
self an oddity in book.making, is chief:
~ devoted to actual cases and statistics
and not to theoriz;ng. The loss of lite
on the English coast, and within ten
miles of it, has averaged for eleven
years past 700 a year. Underman.
nicg is given as one cause, Is where ,
full rugged ship sailed for the Baltic
Sea With bat eleven men on board in
place Of so to 100 as was proper, and
steamer of 1900 tons left Liverpool
for the East with only 8 deck hands.
Over-iusur.uoe is a fragrant evil and
the money to be made BY it ID tho mo.
tive for these criminal acts and omis.
sions. One owner, on trial, confessed
that lost vessel Of his cost but 81 500
aud was Insured for $1,000; another
vessel valued at $4,000 vas insured fol
$4,000 ; . third ship was bought foz
$37 900 and insured for $65, 1000.
Defective construction il illustrated
by tho use Of ''dsvils" or sham bolts,
the heads only being Of oepper-to
cheat the inspeotors-ths rest of iron,
aud At times only a head was used
there being no shaft At al, just enough
real bolts being used to keep the ship
together till she WAS launched. The
surveyors fousd 70 stdevils'' ia on,
ship. Ofa feet of 81 vessels thus
built in 1867, ten have already been
lost.
Overlooking is another grave fault.
One owser notorious for this evil prac.
tiee lost IL ships in two years, and los
lives. Mr.. Plimssll threatened thil
man with exposure IN the House Of
Commons, and since 1869 no furthe,
losses have occurred in his service,
showing how readily much Of the los.
Of lite and property may DO prevented.
One man sent ship in stormy No.
7ember into the boisterous Baltic Ia.
den with railroad iron till her mai.
deck was two feet ten inches below tn.
level of the water, the government rul.
requiring it to be over two feet abov,
water Of course she went to the bot
tom. Some Of these soopndrels hav.
achieved such > foul raput.sioa thai
1a'urance Companies have Obliged
persons seeking to insure their goods "a
sign q statement that they would moi
be shipped in any vessels belonging t.
90 and. 10.
Mr.. Plimssll's timely publication
has produced . profound sensation in
Great Britain and Legislative inter.
terence is imminent. We are aware Of
cases in this country not unlike many
narrated over the water, and doubt not
that right investigation of our mercau.
tile shipping would unearth-or I'm.
Water-many strange things.