The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-12-18
TO PREVENT Loss OF LIFE.
How the Governments Keeps an Eye
on 1000 steam Vessels

How the Governments Keeps an Eye
on 1000 Steam Vessels
The annual report Of the supervising In
spector general Of steam vessels has just
been received. It contains some interesting
facts concerning the steamboat services Of
this country.
There are In all the United States over
1900 steam vessels running in what is called
navigable waters and subject 20 the steam
| boat laws. This, Of course, does not include
a large number OF little steamers, yachts,
etc, on the inland lakes and streams that
do not come within the jurisdiction Of the
service.
In the Savannah district, which includes
the territory between Savannah and Caps
Canaveral, Florida, there are 100 steam ves-
sells, in the navigation of which, last year !,
764 licensed steamboat officers were en-
ployed.
The steamboat service Of the United
States increased last year 341 vessels The
number OF masters, mates, pilots and enRi-
neers employed in the navigation Of that
number Of vessels was IS.
The steamboat inspection servics is a
branch OF the government OF which very
little is known, comparatively. Its real
object is TO guard against and to prevent
accidents and loss of life How we'll the
objects Of the law have been accomplished
Ia this respect is shown in the fact that
during last year but six accidents 70
marine boilers or steam pipes occurred,
whereby fourteen lives were lost, notwith-
standing at least GOO. 900 passengers
were exposed during the year to the pos
sible chance, reduced to minimum through
careful inspection Of explosion of upward of
10000 boilers in use on Z, 405 steam vessels;
whereas the accidents TO boilers In use for
other than marine purposes throughout the
United States, as reported in The Loconlo-
tire, issued by the Hartford Steam Boiler
Insurance Company, for tho calendar year
| OF 1880, other than on steam vessels, was
19S. Total number of persons killed 206.
Total number injured 342
In the valley of the Mississippi and the
Gulf OF Mexico, up to the year 1919, there
were 1856 steamboats,, Of which number
there were lost by explosions 16S. In the
year 1851 there were running in the whole
United States 800 steamers, Of which 100,
| or IA per cent. of the whole number, were
lost The number of lives lost was nearly
or quite 200, or one to every two vessels in
the service. The number Of passengers car
ried was 80. 204, 691. The number of lives
lost in the fiscal year ending June 80 1891,
SSS. is but one to each twenty-one vessels
employed. 1t is estimated that fully
| 600 900, coo passengers were carried during
| the fiscal year, making one life lost
to each l us, l47 passengers carried.
One single accident, that of the loss OF the
steamer Sea Wing on Lake Pepin, Mississip-
pi river, July l3, destroyed by cyclone,
| more than accounts for the increased fatal
| ity OF the year, the number OF lives lost on
that steamer being ninety-eight out of a
total OF 215 persons on board. The general
| opinion of all persons who witnessed the
storm was that its force was sufficient to
wreck the stoutest steamer ever built for
Mississippi navigation, and that, therefore,
the accident was unpreventable by any
human agency or foresight, except, per-
haps, such timid foresight as would seek
safe harbor upon the appearance Of every
rain or storm cloud that shows itself above
| the horizon.
The work of the service in the Savannah
district is probably more thorough and
more rigid than that in almost any other
district The local inspectors, Headnan
and Lee, cover the entire coast and inland
| territory, from the Savannah river south,
| to below Jupiter, Fla, all the inland navi-
gable streams, the Savannah, Altamaha,
Ocmulgee, Oconee and st. Marys rivers,
Georgia; and the st. Johns, Indian, Hail.
fax. HillsborouRh and dozen other smaller
rivers 10 Florida, and the navigable lakes.
Annual inspections are made of the hulls
the boilers and all the machinery and equip.
ments OF the vessels.
Every licensed officer OF the steamboat
SeIfACob luhSbcE, LIhbe, pllOb ADQ engineer Is
examined and licensed annually, so that the
inspectors, under the supervising inspector
Of the district from Baltimore to Cape
CanaYeral, who is stationed at Norfolk.
have a record Of every person In a position
of responsibility employed In the running of
steam vessels, and are able, through having
an eye, as it were, on the entire army OF
steamboat employees, to place the RESPONSE
bility for any wrong and any violation of
the laws at once without tie possibility Of
an escape.
The entire personnel Of the service. which
is branch of the treasury department, in
cludes 152 officers They have nothing TO do
with foreign vessels and only have the
supervision Of those vessels In navigable
waters, which are propelled by steam. Naph-
tina launches and sailing vessels do not come
| within their jurisdiction. The service is
| directed by the supervising inspector geu&
| eral, Gen. J. A. Dumont OF the treasury de-
| partment. Under him are the supervising
| inspectors of districts, the supervising in-
| spector of the Third district, which includes
Savannah and ali territory as far north as
Cape Charles, being ]. W. CAST of Norfolk.
Va. Then come the local inspectors which
have the direct charge Of the districts to
which they are assigned. Fl. D. Headman
and w. q. Lee are the local inspectors of
the district Of Savannah. Their repors,t
which are now being closed up for the year
ending Dec. 81, will show large increase
in the number cf steam vessels employed
in Georgia and Florida.