The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-02-08
Melville Bull Should Send
Directories.
A Steam Engineers View of
the Licensing System.
Thinks All Men in Charge Of Boilers
Should Be Examined.

The Hon. Melville Bull is doing splen-
did work at Washington aud evidently
intends that Rhode Islands interests
shall not suffer from any lack OF effort on
his part TO promote them. AT the same
time he VIII probably be somewhat dis
appointed TO find that such an old estab-
Iished institution ss the Providence
Journal does not know his name. In a
special dispatch printed this morning,
telling OF the favorable action OF the COM
m.tlee on claims OF the national house,
on a bill &c reimburse Mr.. Henry A..
Webb Of this city for United States bonds
stolen more than three decades ago, II
says the bill wss introduced by William
Bull. What does the genial Melville think
of that. OF course it may have been an
error of the telegraph operator or the
intelligent compositor who manipulates
the keys of the type-setting machine,
but the general public does not under
stHnd how such errors can be made, and
will insist that Mr.. Bulls only course in
such a case should be 10 send TO The
journal enough copies of the congress
sional directory To equip each depart
ment. Then there will be less danger OF
finding his efforts created to q legislator
who does not exist.
Ex-senator Carmichael OF Shamrock
was in the city yesterday and when asked
about Row affairs were going at the State
Agricultural College said that everything
thsre was processing smoothly and that
the only complaint made was the one
that was made at the beginning OF that
lnstitution-thst Is thst II is locsted at
fAA 49, N 49, - a -
Kingston. Mr.. Carmichael, when he was
in the Senate, was greatly interested in
the matter of boiler explosions and the
best means OF preventing them.
lie was very fsvorably impressed with
the suggestion of compelling all engineers
to pass an examination TO determine
their competency and bad he remained a
member OF the legislature a, little longer
he would probably have prepared a bill
providing for the examination OF engin-
GERS.
This matter has greatly interested the
engineers and the really competent ones
among them are said 10 be in favor Of the
licensing system. The Co slipper had a
talk with one who is expert at his bust
ness and he talked very freely on the SUBJ
Iect. "Some years ago. he said, ''there
was a movement on foot to require engfn-
GERS to pass an examination and take out
a license. Nearly all of the men that /
knew andwho were reliable and competent
were in favor of it. i wal a very strong
supporter of the project, but although
much talking and discussion were in
culged in, we did not gain the point
aimed at. About this present movemen mt
which ! understand Is on foot, / nave not
heard much, but / hope it will be success
full. /, for one, will do all ] can to help
it along, because j believe 1t ought to
succeed.
"There are many men who claim to be
engineers who are not competent 10 90
the work. 1t is from these that the chief
danger of explosion comes. An ignorant
man, no matter now earnest or honest he
may be in his efforts TO run q boiler, may,
through his ignorance, cause the death OF
many PERSONS. The State insists that a
druggist shall serve a long apprenticeship
and after that shall pass an examination
to prove his compel ncy. Now, suppose
a druggist makes a mistake in putting up
a prescriptions that would, at the worst
endanger n life, that OF the person Tor
whom the medicine is intended. On the
other hand, a mistake on the part OF an
engineer in a mill where hundreds OF
working people are emp,oyed, might
mean the death OF scores OF them. There
fore, i say'the state hould step in and
make such regulations as will make il
inn ossible for an incompetent man to
be placed in a position where his igno-
rance may cause a catastrophe"