Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-03-22
NO MORE EXPLOSIONS.
All Steamboat Boilers Over 10 Years
Old Must be Drilled.
THE FIRST TEST UNDER THE LAW.
River Men of This City Agitating the
Repeal Of the Act.
THEY WANT TO CARRY OIL BARRELS

The United States authorities have issued
new rule which will place stronger
safeguard around steam boilers, and proba-
bly, put stop, in a measure, to the great
loss of life on steamboats, caused by the ex-
plosion of boilers
The new law is causing great amount
of indignant comment among boat owners
of Pittsburg, and an effort will be made to
have it repealed.
The first boat to be inspected under the
new law was the towboat Scout, of this city.
Inspectors Neeld and eSullivan carefully
examined her yesterday, and issued certif-
cate for another year.
The boilers of the boat are about IL years
old, and to find the thickness of the plates
holes had to be drilled in them. This neces-
sarily takes a great amount of time, which
means greater amount of money to the boats
when the river is falling and the tows have
been made mp to go out. 1t takes about day
to make an inspection under the new law, and
about the time it is completed and steam has
been raised again, the river may have fallen to
below coalboating stage.
CLEAR CUT AND CONCISE.
The following is copy Of the new law:
Any boiler having been in use 10 years or more,
shall, at each annual inspection thereafter, be
drilled at points near the water line and at the
bottom of the she'll of the boiler or such other
points as the local inspectors may direct, to de-
termine the thickness of such material at those
pr hniIers st te ma n c anS ne
thickness OF such material Shall be determined
thereafter at each annual inspection, and the
steam pressure allowed shall be governed by such
ascertained thickness and general condition of the
boiler.
In speaking of the matter yesterday Inspec-
tor Neeld said II understand that the Coal
Exchange Is going to take some action on the
new law, and they will probably make an effort
to have it repealed They claim that it is a
positive injury to their business but do not
recognize the fact that it is a measure for the
preservation of human life. When boiler has
been in use a number of years it
CoRRoDEs ON THE INSIDE
and in some weak spots in the plate it becomes
very thin. This continues for some time until
the pressure is too great, and the boiler bursts
1.-THE boilers of boat have to be inspected
every year, A boat may arrive in the city just
about the time the inspection is due. The river
may be falling, and they want to get out as
soon as possible with tow. Naturally they
want to get the inspection over as soon as they
can, and in most cases it takes but short time
for us to do the work Under the new law.
when boiler is over 10 years old, we have to
have it drilled and riveted up again. With a
large boat this will take about day. The
river men say that by the time we are through,
and they have their boilers pumped up again,
the water may be too low for them to go out"
The result of the inspection of the Scouts
boilers showed the sheets to be 25-100 of an
inch thick. They were when built 26 and had
only been worn l-100 Of an inch. The
hydrostatic test showed pressure of lS7 pounds
to the square inch, and the engineer was allowed
a working pressure of lbs pounds.
MAKING ANOTHER KICK.
The river men are also going to agitate the
repeal of the law prohibiting them from carry
ing empty oil barrels on steamboats,. Captains
Cox and Chancellor, of the up river packets
say they are losing hundreds of dollars by the
prohibition. They have been doing good
trade carrying the barrels between this city
and all points up tie Monongahela. The rail-
road companies are now getting this business
and charge over twice the rates on the boats
The object of the latter law is to prevent gas
explosions in the holds of steamboats,. Empty
oil barrels generate hydro carbon gas, which
if gathered in sufficient quantity will run along
the decks of boat until it reaches her boilers
Then there is an explosion. t-,
1t is said that some ofzthe boat owners are
getting over the law by having some water put
In the barrels.