New-York tribune., 1895-01-22
SELECTIONS FROM THE MAIL
INSPECTORS WHO DO NOT INSrECi'
THE STEAMBOAT INSPECTION SERVICE HAULED
OVER THE COALs-A CHANGE IN
TILE LAW NEEDED.

To the Editor of The Tribune -,
Sir: Recent issues OF your esteemed Jourhai "
onto n dosire 10 explain the causes which have lea
to the present remarkable and peculiar cohu''io''S
existing in the local Office OF the steai"ooa' "
spect!on service, and II a service there'h Vi ."
years will enable me to assist you snail oe p''
to do so. ..Ao.,
Permit me. then to suggest that the steamboat
,rs,action soryice exists the purpose, primarily
NJ inspecting steam vessels in order that the hVes
and property of those using them may NC '
guarded II would be in order. then' 10 '"tu',e
whether inspections are made OF steam .e''e's "
this port You will be astonished' anu ''e pD'
r,,u also II YOU give publicity to this letter "
,,or ,bot fow If any inspections OF steam VesSeis
oro made in this harbor although they al possess
certificates saying that they nave pee' ''p p a.,
and arc safe and seaworthy for the business j"
which they engage To untansie t"'S p'
should be the first step toward REFORM ,
Whom the owner the agent OF u s'e"",e' g.
49,, hr irsnoction the steamers name ana where
ho ia located are entered In a book, ana al do
sistant inspector of hulls and an as',''a
spe-tor OF boilers are assigned damn io'"'
flied out which directs each assistant 10 eN
for insnecton" the said steamer. The reverse s'oo
Of this blank form requires the assistant inspectors
., IN I'm the statement that the witnin steamer
was inspected" at such and such hours .>o'e t"a'
the assistants sent to examine LOT h''p'0'
and returning say that the steamer was ''p
rho,. are not required to say that they Inspected
he
ri ,uoe,iop NOW arises Who did inspect the yes
sol, Tho Ia requires that the vessels be inspec'eo
and the law also requires that 'he 'ooa' ,''
not the assistants shall inspect theh' WV, "
matter of fact, the assistants are suppoSe' " '
snect II YOU are permitted to examine any let
tors they write supplementary OF their aheseu eN-
o,rinations YOU will find over and over again, tha'
they use the word inspect as defining "hat '"ey
have done instead Of examine. which 'hey are
directed to do. This is a techhicai put '
polnt The local inspectors do not accompany tne
assistants on these examinations sometimes 'ie
oee,s,onts may be at Perth AmDoy. y j. al North
port L. l.. at Sing Sing or Peekskii or at al u
these points the same day ara IL "ouid De mn
posshe for the local inspectors to be present per
sonally at all Of these places at the same hour on
the same day.
In 1870 a solicitor OF the Treasury Department
stated that in the exercise of duties involving as
cretion and Judgment those duties couIu ho' NC
delegated and the decision further stated that as
sIstant inspectors not empowered 10 perform
a,v NJ ,be duties devolvlng upon local inspectors
So the law requiring local inspectors to inspect
and the law officer Of the Treasury Department.
having declared that they may not delegate 'n''
duty to assistants. and that assistant inspectors
may not perform any Of the duties OF local nspec-
tors and f. being physically impossible for the
local INSPECTORS to inspect all Of the steam Vessels
I'm their district expedents are resorteh 10 "rich
necessitate a violation OF the law instead OF us
rectinca,ion Were the officers OF the steamboat
spcctiOn service 10 make IL Cfdr I" NV"S'cH'
that the duties imposed upon local inspectors in
the port OF New-York cannot be complied ~ith
and that the law is therefore evaded In order 10
get the semblance Of an inspection OF steam yes
sells | believe that Congress would Immediately
roctifv such an anomaly. And | assert that the
executive officers OF this bureau conniving at
fraud rather than to request the change that Is so
sadly needed.
II steam vessels thus alleged to have been In
spectod meet with disaster traceable 10 the IN
competency or neglect Of the assistant inspectors
who examined them FOR inspection. and theh as
serted that they had been inspected. the local IN
spectors who make aihiavits that they IN
spected the steamer. that they FOUND hef sa'e
and seaworthy that they found her possessed
OF the oauipment set forth upon the face OF said
ccrtidca;c when as a matter OF fact. the local in
spectors who swear had never personany, eN-
ainincd the vessel or her equlpment-the local in
spectors. say. liable to ten years in the peni
tontiary, the accident nv0Nes loss %. S nr,'. U
OF official negligence This Is very ye', serious
OF affairs local inspectors making atfdsSts o
10 facts which they know nothing psrsonny aoTs. Iss
excep. through the reports OF assstan's' b IN ~
jury and prosecuted by the United states Dis
trct-Attorney because ot alleged nslioie.tSy !"
that was burned Hell Gate. The jury stood SIX
TO six but II they had agreed that the Inspection
inspectors woud have been liable TO ten
years imsonment and D yet the i9Sa' bmt n
thc boat was inspected by Andrew craft and
ANanIgr gSi thai fsss men Mere ncompe
tcn,' the.r conduct was never Investigated. they
Continued Tor years af,erwari to examine vessels
lor inspection which one bui they ever in,
to swear that they Ghe locals id inspect
The local inspectors never have any voice IN me
selection appointment OF these assistants whose
acts ~ any time may land the locals IN the peni-
In l.S5 an assistant inspector by the name OF
Patrick " Reilly was appointed whom hs = s& local
peient perform the duty for which he was ap- |
pointed. Twice Local Inspector Mathews made |
the man to any duty for which he (Mathews was
summarily removed FOR alleged insubordination.
spectors dcsrous of retaining their positions.
sistSnts since this incident.
cal inspectors for patry salary OF s220o year;
are willing to constantly stand In the SHADOW OF |
the peniicntiary liable 10 become an inmate at any
time because OF the derection OF any one OF their
sixteen assistants, and il Is equally remarkable that
hut are permitted TO 20 scot 'ree, no matter now
terrible the consequence of their incompetency or
What value can attach to n service whore the men
men who assume the responsibility are penalty liza
BILE and yet make no effort t. have the Jaw changed
these alleged examinations for inspection or In
spect,ons whatsysr you choose 10 can .neni sats
nifty from disaster on steam vessels we may well be
lIcve, does not result from such methods or per-
i s wen here to state that 50 able juris, @s the
ury, attached his name to statement which de-
cared ma me duties Of assistant h nspec,ori are
true. Yet this statement is twelve years Old.
despite which the same conditions exist. What must
think OF the efficiency OF the service so admins
tered To leave uncorrccted such glaring anoma-
lies? Therefore. y a result OF twelve years In that
service and OF fifteen years close observation OF II:
say deliberately. that IT s misnomer-a farce In
and OF the service. have publicly stated these
abuses. but they Still remain uncorrected.
70 verify what | have alleged. ask you TO as
sign n representative OF your journal TO visit the
local Inspectors ofice in this port, and to ask TO
hc shown the blanks used In assigning assistant
Inspectors for duty. and that you carefully note
tho wording OF the blank. and the writing filed IN
by the assstants that you also examine the certif-
rates OF inspection ISSUED. how they are ned out
and by whom their facts sworn to- Ask II a
small rubber stamp Is not used to indicate in an
obscure corner Of these certificates that they were
"Inspectcd by -- assistant inspector OF hulls"
.L.Iu-.A A.--.-A l-Ll..