New-York tribune., 1908-06-21
CONFLICT IN LAWS.

The federal laws concerning excursion stssr1boa.,
are not in a desirable state There are conactu,
and antiquated provisions while motor boats wbsca
carried g. 10000 passengers about New York Las,
year, are practically exempted By the anc,sn.
statutes. Authority Of supervision is divided b.
tween the steamboat inspection service which Ia
under the bureau Of commerce and labor. and ths
Surveyor of Customs. under command OF the Treas
ury Department There would be chaos II tbs
Treasury and the commerce and labor officials ai
not cooperate in rather extra-legal way Last
year Surveyor C1arkson recommended federal lsg.s-
Iation motor craft and excursion boats generauy
but no action was taken by Congress
That the Washington officials appreciate the dan
gers of overCrowding on excursion vessels vss
shown b. recent letter from them to CAPTAIN
Harris and the local board OF steamboat insvec-
tors asking them 70 confer with the customs de-
partment and make joint report on the stems
taken insure the safety Of excursion-goers thiy
summer. Collector Fowler and the steamboat IN.
spectors made reply that they wanted forty tsm-
porary tn1pectors appointed and paid by the Treas.
ury Department Oen more than last year,, and ths
use Of a good steamer for patrol purposes aorr
with two three gasolene launches as tenders Ths
steamer Dalzelne. used last year. drew 200 nzrh
water General CIarksOn, accompanied by a Few
inspectors will be aboard the patroling steamer
good part Of the time, the lookout for violations
of the law. His men Will take particular notice OF
motor boats. as well as accompanying trips Of ths
Coney Island boats, the Patten and Sandy HOOK
lines. the fishing boats and miscellaneous excur-
sons. The patrOIIing will be in the North and East
rivers down the bay and up Long Island Sound as
far as North Beach. The inspectors will make is
a point to scout for excursion craft from Newark
Perth Amboy and such out-of-the-way Places
whose passengers may not have been counted at
embarkation, and these steamers viii be boarded
and their passengers counted
The capacity of an excursion steamboat as ai
down by arbitrary rule. seems to be ratnsr
joke. Eight square feet of deck space-just sooa.
room for a camp stool and a man not too 1at-ma.
be allowed for each passenger There IS SB me lOf
each passenger carried above capacity specds
permit under Section 466 Revised Statutes, seems
10 allow the special squeezing OF passengers %
special occasions. Each passenger is entitled U
one life preserver Of the kind that floats. rule 0l
the Board Of Supervising Inspectors proyides u4-
barges towed by excursion steamers shall os II
closed by good and substantial rail not lesS mai
three feet high II would seem that such a TaA
would afford small protection to beer-fled paFfY'
and. furthermore, the barge itself, built Of dry "
fammabla wood, lighted by kerosene lamps .
night, without fire apparatus. lacking steam pO"s.
and quite helpless when cut sdritt for any rssSo-'
needs more than a low fence 10 make II sAs
for the conveyance Of hundreds OF people ero"us-
on its decks. General CIarksoI has recommends
that barges be rebuilt strengthened, equipped VIII
auxiliary steam power and lighted by otner Hl7a-'
than unprotected kerosene lamps. which 1snHns
clamba kerS are likely 10 knock over.