The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1873-03-19

TIE House have q bill (No. ll5)
which is beng lobbyed through,thst re
ouires every owner OF a steam boiler to
have it tested by bydrostatic pump
fifty per cent above the pressure desired
TOT ordinary working purposes, once
year. at a cost OF five dollars tor each
boiler also, to compel all owners OF
boilers to attach low water Indicator
that will give an alarm when the water
falls below a safe line in the boiler,
which ia to be approved by the super
vising inspector. The indicator will
cost each owner OF boiler from sou TO
SIS. and rom evidence that has been
PRODUCED before the committee which
has this bill under consideration 10 OF
yery little or no use, but seems to he
commended only by its providing that
Que man as State Supervising Inspector
and three men, one from each Con-
gressional District as local inspectors;
the former al salary OF one thousand
and the latter at six hundred doilars
per wear, and by the amount OF money
that would be made by the own
era OF patent low water
indicators. The owner OF these Is here
"a Mr. Bradford) and is an experienced
lobbyist, and is working the matter up
aud taking great interest In what he
terms the protection Of "lie and prop
errv," but what really is the creation OF
q inb by which he can sell and compel
every man, firm, or corporation VINO
owns steam boilers, large or small, 10
the State of West Virginia, to buy h's
Indicator and use them on their boilers
| understand they cost about eight dol
Isrs 10 manufacture them, and that
thew are sold Tor $50 TO s75. A close
canvas of the number Of boilers IN the
State nuts the number at 5000, which
at even $50 for each indicator would
make the neat sum OF $250,OOO OF a tax
ON this particular line OF Industry, to
say nothing OF the'cost OF testing the
boilers.
1t seems strange, but Mr.. Davenport
fsvors the bill and spoke in Its favor
when it came up the other day. MI.
Miller also favors the bill. What your
boiler owners will think OF their course
| can only conjecture. This bill is the
completest job that was ever before a
West Virginia Legislature, unless 1t
WAS a similar bill OF 1870 or 1871
which was defeated.
The above is an extract from letter
from Charleston, published in the Intel
Egencer yesterday morning. We have
seen copy OF the bill in question and
believe that it's main features are cor
rectly summarized by the correspond
ent. A good law for the inspection OF
steam boilers is under some clrcu'n-
stances, desirable, though, in most cases
the self interest of the owners OF such
property will lead to the exercise OF
proper care as to it's safety. No man Will
ully uses a steam boiler which he has
any cause to suspect of weakness, and
most men are sufficiently careful OF their
own lives and property to avoid any
very great danger Of boiler explosions.
We have no mesRs OF knowing the
precise number OF boilers in daily use
in this city, but, at a rough guess, put
the number between 500 and 1000, and
vet in ten years experience, without any
authorized inspection such as is con-
templated by the bill, there has been no
explosion that we now remember. There
have been occasional explosions Of loco
motive boilers within the State, and
once in a while the boiler at portable
saw mill explodes, but we believe that
the statistics OF such casualties in West
Virginia will show that they do not
average one per year.
1t seems unnecessary therefore TO
subject all manufacturers to compliance
with the conditions and the payment o.
the charges provided in the State will
Justly feel themselves sggrieved If the
bill iuquestion becomes law.
But even q stronger reason thas this
may be urged against the bill. 1t en-
bodies a corrupt job. The owners OF a
nstept low.water indicator that's really
Of no practical sue and cannot be sold
upon lite merits, are directly interested
in the passage OF the bill. They attempt
ed in 1871 and again in 1872, but
go fo;led in the attemptto secure the