New-York tribune., 1904-08-06
NAY CARRY ONLY 1850.
REJECT 1000 PRESERVERS.
Tnanectors Find Rotten and Sinker'
Belts on the Grand Republic.

anoe.
end Republic in the spring allowed her to
c.-~v Only s 700 passengers, she has often sailed
with many passengers in excess OF that number
On one excursion she is said 10 have carried 10
West Point six thousand people.
Her huH and boilers were found TO be SOUND
~ most of her life belts were worthless. When
,r,-,Q-- overheard they sank at once and when
5-sv-r aboard again they had absorbed from two
- f0vr pounds OF water OF her old cork life
-reservers three hundred were condemned and
even hundred os the new belts, filed with capoc'
,-e~a sent back 10 the manufacturers as being
,,5e- the prescribed weight The old life pre-
ss-vers we're so rotten that in most cases they
could be torn apart, the rotten canvas yielding
"a the pressure Of the thumb
The Grand Republic was reinspected by super
,-s.-a INSPECTOR Rode and Inspectors Todd
and Nolan. OF Buffalo; Taylor and 0Brien. Of
Mobile and Abramson. OF Louisville In pur-
s,s7c4 q the demands Of the federal authori-
...r -ra Grand Republic after tying up al her
yrse+ Tj4riath-sr. pier. had her ares banked ana
he steam blown from her boilers. The IN
.ner-r-s did not reach the vessel until nearly
. M Even tneu the Boilers were not cool
ero1gb 10 be inspected, and Inspector Rode or
6ere6 them flushed with cold water. The boilers
vra-e rliru1ely inspected Tests OF their power
N resis; the water pressure, hammer ana otheF
tests were given. Then the inspection o. 'he
huu was finished. and both hull and machinery
,a-a rronounced 70 be n good condition Stories
- taer circulated by a labor body that her
z..l,s gaggas er9idships- After completing his
inspection Inspector Rode said;
..-r1a brU % the Grand Republic IS n good
condition The drop or sag. which the rep
rssan+a-ives Of the Central Federated Union said
srfs-ed. a, the hearing last Tuesday before the
FEDERAL Commission, need cause no alarm The
,ssr, there Is only the natural drop which ap-
vesrs IN al stearrboats OF the size OF the Grand
Republic"
The measurement OF the hull anidshlps
shovrad g slight depression. which the inspec-
tors expected 10 find. The big beams az this
roint showed no signs OF strs-n The inspec-
tors did not look with approval on one portion
Of the interior arrangement OF the craft The
main stairway, the only one running from the
main 70 the upper deck Is Immediately over the
lamp room Should a slight fire start in the
lamp room. which IN its contents IS not unlike
the cuddy in which the fire on the Slocum origi-
mated the flames would almost Immediately eat
through the stairway. cutting of the passengers
on the upper deck The inspectors made no
formal protest against the stairway. as its meas
u7ements were IS ample ss required by law.
Three varieties OF life belts were found on the
craft There were the OlG style NE Dc4LS, i--LS-
with solid slabs OF cork; the round preservers.
filed with granulated cork, and the new life pre-
servers, stuffed with the shredded vegetable
fibre known as kapoc- The kaDoc filed life pre-
servers were found TO be utterly worthless seven
hundred Of them being returned 10 the manu-
facturer because OF being deficient in weight
To pass successfully the government test. each
life preserver must be ahlA 10 sustain. when IN
the water. a dead weight OF at least twenty-four
pounds. This the kapoc belts could not do. The
life preservers made q sorry showing al around
The old ones. filed with e-anUIated cork, ripped
easily. and their contents filtered out Ike saw
dust Il was this kind OF a life preserver that
vas found 70 be a dead weight and not support
st tie tine Of the Slocum horror. One Of the
new kapoc filed belts was thrown overheard
with twenry-four pounds Of scrap iron attached
Care had been taken 10 secure exactly twenty
four pounds Of iron and II two minutes the belt
was entirely submerged. When drawn aboard
again il was found 10 be water logged, having
gained in weight over four pounds in the short
interval it was immersed The other belts filed
with kapoc were examined separately. and each
was found lacking. They were al condemned
The new fbre is imported from Java and Japan.
and Il has been asserted that II Is much more
buoyant than cork The tests Of the Grand Re-
pubAcs kapoc belts yesterday. III Of them prac-
ucaily brand new. showed that the STUFF is not
much more buoyant than q sponge
As the Grand Republic was found 10 be in
good condition with the exception Of her life
preservers and one life raft. Inspector Rode
allowed her 10 sail for Coney Island after re-
cuc-ng the number Of passengers to be carried.
No one connected with the squabble which
arose over the reinspection OF the Grand Re
public Knew yesterday whether OF not the vessel
~oA4d Dc lDel-ed for the trips made IN violation
y ne orders Of the federal authorities \ tone
~ ne s-up-Jo-Jhe-other-feIlows kind per-
80 me oIIceS Of the steamboat inspectors,
me custom House and the United States Dis
ClCt Attorneys Office. Inspector Rode said that
d. las Up 10 the Collector Of the Port The
S3L-.Lor 70 the Collector said that il was now
y 70 the United States District Attorney
once. which placed the responsibility for frt6er
~eloL or the law division the Custom House
i-e o-1ce OF United states Assistant Dis
~ attorney Young, II charge OF the case Il
a. SAD that under construction Of the law II
- "lal made a VOCATION and what con
sut0ted trip, the Grand Republic might bs
"7le liable 20 penalty OF S27 90
IRON The Office Of the solicitor 10 the ColIec
- cane the statement that II was the opinion
= ne law department OF the Custom Hous,
L-41l no court WoUI. Construe as a separate trij
s'e navigating OF - vessel along the river from
'lA one Landing 20 another 4 trip accordin;
% acrntrsl5y law. was from destination 70 des
r1.-~llJl- ouL whether this applied TO the Grant
iN@5 1ul-- had not yet been settled
HE the Grand Republic escaped yesterda,
..g ILoTl!ed by the government for penaltie
---F.e4, she cid not escape being hbeiied by
-4-el states Marshal OF the Eastern District
fep1esent.ng the Tie1tjen & Lang Drydoc
NoElpa1y, Of Brooklyn.
The civil process on which the libel IS base
d served over week ago. Some time befor
-e clsasteT the General SlOcum, the com
5-Ny mace certain repairs and alterations o.
Ia vessel fer the Knickerbocker Steamboa
-CApany. The amount involved IS So 70t
~A-en has not yet been paid. AS the hull O
s-e General SIocum has been appraised at onl
se'VDo by commission Of which Mr- Lang @
ne cTycock company was a member, the Gran
ssepublic was libelled in her stead The SUI
u said 70 be 8 friendly one, brought simply I