Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-04
.O|S0BbIHG ORDERS
Steamer is g., Operated With
Defective # Equipment.
METCALF WILL ACT
FINE OF $4,000 PER DAT Is IN
EFFECTIVE.
Grand Republic Continues to Carry
Crowds to Coney Island-Gen.
slocum Investigation
METCALr WILL ACT

IF any law can. be found for Furnishing
the Dreamland Company for operating
the steamer Grand Republic which II
chartered from the Knickerbocker Steam
boat Company. other than the imposition
of fine Of $500 per trip for violating the
orders Of the steamboat inspectors of the
government. 1t will be put into operation.
am having the records searched today.
and am awaiting the results"
This statement was made by Victor II.
Metcalf. Secretary of Commerce and La
Dor. to a reporter. for The Star today
when his attention was called to a New
York dispatch which stated that the
Grand Republic was being operated by
her lessees against the direct orders Of
the steamboat inspectors
Orders Ignored.
The Grand Republic, owned by tho
Knickerbocker Steamboat Company. which
owned the General Siocum, and chartered
by the Dreamland Company. yesterday
made four trips from New York to Coney
Island. 1t was crowded with passengers
on each trip. Inspector Rode sent letter
to Nevada N: Stranahan. collector Of the
port. telling him that he did not consider
Ing appliances. The letter was forwarded
at once by the collector to the Secretary Of
the Department Of Commerce and Labor
II the Dreamland Company persists In
been found inadequateiy equipped. the case
Will be turned over to General Burnett,
United States district attorney. and she
viii be libeled by the Department Of Com
In violation Of the orders OF the inspectors
she is liable to fine of $500 AS she Is
scheduled to make four trips day. 1t will
cost the Dreamland Company $1,000 a day
II 1t persists in running her in violation Of
the order OF the federal authorities.
Defective Equipment.
Inspector Rode waited until the Grand
Republic had started on her first trip
yesterday morning before sending his COM
plant to Collector Stranahan. He called
the attention Of the collector to the fact
that the Grand Republic had been inspect
ed and found to- be carrying defective
equipment. that the lifeboats were rotten,
that her boats had no rowlecks, that her
life belts and oars were rotten and that
her RATS did not meet the necessary re-
qutrements. He also Informed the collector
that he had made several attempts to In
spect the boilers Of the Grand Republic.
and that the master Of the steamboat had
refused his request three separate times.
He said that 1t was necessary to stop the
operation OF the vessel and asked that the
proper steps be taken at once by the ool-
lector. ,,, -.
The collector, OF customs is the federal Of
fetal empoweredsT.to collect fines, should
they be. imposed. the inspectors not having
this authority. Inspector Rode said yes
terday that the Dreamland boats would all
be inspected. whether or not there were
any applications for reinspection from the
owners. . The officers of the Dreamland
company. he said,s had taken the attitude
that the boats could not be reinspected UNI
spection, sApparefitiy basing their interpre-
tation Of the statute from the law as 1t
stood before amended
Inspection Imperative.
In speaking Of the matter Inspector
Rode said:
I'VE have asked three times for an oppor-
tunity to inspect the boilers of the Grand
Republic, and each time permission was
refused or rather no attention whatever
was paid to the request. 1t is untrue that
they have offered to blow of steam and
allow US to make the inspection. On the
contrary, 1t is just what they would not do
We will put our inspectors aboard the other
Dreamland boats as soon as possible"
The Grand Republic Is a sister ship OF
the General Slocum, which was burned
several weeks ago.
Secretary Metcalf has received the evil
dence OF the federal investigation into the
burning of the General Slocum- 1t con-
sists Of many typewriter pages. He will
go over it as soon as possible and form his
conclusions. One thing he will carefully
undertake, and that Is the framing of such
new legislation may be necessary to pre-
vent a similar disaster.