St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-01-08
The Work Of a Year in the
Inspection Of Hulls and
Boilers.
Some New Mechanical Devices
Which Have Largely Aid
ed the Work.
The Shipman Diamond Suit
Ends With a Nominal
Jingling.
A st. Paul Girl Elopes to West
Superior and Is De-
serted.

John d. Sloane, supervising inspector
of steam vessels, has prepared his aDnu-
al report to Gen. James A. Dumont, and
will go to Washington city next week
and report in person. During the past
year 227 vessels in his district have been
inspected, having gross tonnage of
&c, 1929.
New vessels built, 10.
Gross tonnage of l, 5000.
Vessels gone out of service, IL.
Boilers inspected, 330.
Found defective, Is.
Condemned. q.
Defective as to boiler sheets. 8.
Defective as to wind drums, 6.
Licenses issued to steamboatmen, 1851.
Decrease during the year, 1871.
Cases of violating rules Investigated, 3.
Licenses revoked, z.
Reported for prosecution, l.
Passengers carried. 649, 799.
Accidents by fire, T.
Accidents by collisions, 2
Lives lost in collisions, J.
Accidents by running against snags, 3.
Steamers wrecked D.
Loss of property by fire, S36, $50.
Loss by collision, 81, S69.50.
Loss by snags, 1913.
Loss by wrecks, SlO,640.
Lives lost by accident aside from the Sea
Wing disaster, 3.
The decrease in expenses in the dis
trict from previous year was Sl,635.92,
Notwithstanding the fact that a new
testing machine has been procured, and
local boards have been furnished with
new instruments.
Aside from his regular duties, Mr..
Sloane has done much in the interest of
rivermen He has invented two appli-
ances that are highly recommended by
those interested in boiler inspection,
and has applied for patents for each de-
vice. One of these is michrometer cal
iper for gauging the thickness of boiler
plate. The government requires the
thickness of boilers i'll vessels to be i'll
Spected every ten years. 10 do this it
has heretofore been customary to bore a
number of inch holes in the boiler so as
to use the old style caliper. A great
amount of complaint was raised on ac-
count of the weakening of boilers by
drilling number of such large holes.
The new instrument only requires an
one-eighth inch hole. Mr.. Sloan has
shown the instrument to a number Of
practical men, among them the RiepleS.
of Philadelphia, manufactures of test
ing machines. and they have written
highly commendatory letters in refer
ence to it.
i lG OOucI Improvement 10 W UllC ram
or plunger for a hydraulic machine for
testing boiler plate. When using the
best machines, if it is desired to stop
pumping for a moment to take the
reading on the test gauge or for any
other purpose. the beam would drop
almost Immediately, showing that the
pistons of the best packed jacks leak, re-
lieving the pressure almost instantly,
unless constant pressure is kept on the
fluid. With machine not having the
improved packing appliance invented
by MI. Sloane it is impossible to ascer-
tain the effect of long continued stress
on the steel being tested. By Mr..
Sloane's appliance, pressure of $4,000
pounds will be maintained, without
pumping, for forIy-seven hours. With
this appliance attached to the new ma
chine received short time ago, accu-
rate weighing may be done, showing
that the friction is very slight.