The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1882-07-30
Steamboat Accidents-Dificulty of OBJ
tanning the Facts.

Under the present system OF regulating
steamboats, in the district OF New York, the
means of getting the names of passengers in
case of accident, and reporting the facts to
proper officials Immediately afterward. tends
to almost criminal negligence. Since the
first of the present month there have been
five accidents to steamboats, within the i'm
mediate vicinity Of New York, and in no case
has O list OF the passengers been available;
neither were the facts reported within
reasonable time to tho Board of Steamboat
Inspectors. The news OF the accident to the
steamboat Plymouth Rock and the steamship
Breakwater was spread by the vigilant report
ers OF the ship news; that of the steamboat
Rhode Island and the steamship Alhambra
by traveller; that of the steamboat Plym-
outh Rock and the schooner j. Barnard by
the ship news reporters that of the iron
steamboat Pegasus and a freight barge by
waterman; and that Of the iron steamboat
Cygnus and tho tug r. S. Conover by long
shoreman. AS rule, policemen along the
water front know nothing of accidents to
steamboats, in midstream, although the boats
may land at piers afterward.
1t is provided in rule IS OF the Rules and
spectors that whenever a steamer meets
with an accident involving loss of life or
damage to property by sinking, burning, ex-
plosion, or other cause 1t shall be the duty OF
the licensed officers Of any such steamer to
report the same without delay, to the near
est local Board, provided, when from dis
lance it may be inconvenient to report in
person, it may be done In writing, and tho re-
port sworn to before an authorized maHis-
trate." To the majority Of steamboat Cap
tains, without delay" means any time with
In three or four days. They arc very anxious
to keep out OF sight Immediately after IN ac-
cident, and when the reports are sent to the
inspectors they are usually very brief and
meagre. As matter of fact, the inspectors
know very little OF accidents before reading OF
them in newspapers. Besides, under the pres
emit system the Captain OF steamboat meet.
ing with an accident in the night time cannot
report to the inspectors, because they keeI
their Office closed about sixteen hours out OF
twenty-four.
The certainty that. in case of serious ac-
cident to an excursion steamboat or one OF
the large steamboats, that pass through
Long Island Sound, large number Of per
sons would be killed or drowned, makes the
arrangement for getting the names OF pas
sengers, so that relatives and friends can b.
relieved Of anxiety, OF great Importance. Sec
ton 4,467 Of the Revised Statutes Of TIN
United States provides as follows:
1.-THE master of every passenger steamer shall keep
correct list of all the passengers received and devere
from day to day noting the places whore received an
where landed which record shall be open to the inspo
tfon Of the inspectors and officers of the customs at
times and the aggregate number OF passengers shall
furnished to inspectors as often rs called for but o
routes not exceeding one hundred miles the number
passengers, II kept. shall be sufficient"
Collectors or other officers OF the customs
and all inspectors, arc required to cnforc
this provision against all STEAMBOATS, arriN
ing and departing; and the penalty for IT
violation by any steamboat master Is 500
Notwithstanding this, the inspectors adm
that they could not get correct lists of pas
Bengers on steamboats, in n collision In ha
an hour or an hour aiterward; and the
might as well say n month or even yea
In no case OF an accident to steamboats,
late years, where considerable number
person have been killed or drowned, hay
the names of the victims been known unit
long afterward.
In tho case OF steamboats, travelling {
routes OF more than one hundred miles, 1t
known by all travellers that the provisiC
for keeping a list Of passengers is violated
the main every day. Seldom do the purse
OF the Sound steamboats, fill out their lis
with moro than the surname OF each passe
ger who engages stateroom or berth.
tho case of excursion steamboats,. who
only the number OF passengers is required
be taken, the Captains always qualify the