River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1910-01-06
INSPECTION Of
BOILERS URGED
Commissioner Beck Believes in
Compulsory Law
0NE-THIRD NOT INSURED
only Safeguard Now Is the Inspection
BY Casualty Companies-1o,884
Deaths Since 1967-No State
Law Now,

Nadison.-Jn his forthcoming report
+ d. Beck, commissioner of labor and
vital statistics. devotes several chap
ters to the subject of boiler lnspec-
tion and the need of legislation hav-
ing for its purpose the protection OF
life and property from the conse-
auences of ignorance and negiect
which too often are found in this con-
nection among those who have to do
with the operation of these very nee
essarv appliances in the economy OF
modern life.
"Many injuries are directed to the
bureaus" says the commissioner, "un-
der the erroneous supposition that
this department has the authority to
inspect boilers. In Wisconsin, accord
ing to the last factory inspectors re-
port, there were 2,485 firms using
steam power The number of boilers
in use was Blob and the horse power
of the same was 478,9 41. There rs no
state law requiring any Inspection OF
examination except the power that is
granted to city councils by chapter
925, ito provide for the inspection and
regulation of stationary steam engines
and boilers No city has taken adj
vantage of this right and the boilers
in this state remain uninspected I'M
less insured by some casualty COM
pany.
Section 1853 provides that Any
one having charge of any steamboat
or railroad train or of any other ap-
paratus for the generation of steam,
who shall from ignorance or gross
neglect, or for the purpose of excelling
in speed, cause a collision or wreck,
or create or allow to be created such
an undue quantity of steam as to
burst or break the boiler or other ap-
paratus in which it shall be gen
Grated, by which any person shall be
killed, shall be deemed guilty of man
slaughter in the third degree"
Commissioner Beck has prepared
table covering a period of II years
and showing the number of boiler ac-
cidents in Wisconsin in that time and
the number of persons killed or in
jured. The table shows remarkable
increase in the number during the
earlier years of the period up to 1895
and the following total results: Num-
Der Of accidents, 145; persons killed,
"a; persons injured, 1853.
Attention is called to the fact that
in this country the death rate, per ex-
plosion is more than twice as great
as in England, where a system of in
vestigation and publicity has a cor
receive influence.
He suggests that there is an invit-
ing field for enterprise to establish in
surance companies to do business in
this line. The object of boiler insur-
ance, it is pointed out, is not so much
to reimburse for losses due to explo-
sion as to prevent explosions in the
first place by a system of adequate
and systematic inspection.
But Commissioner Beck shows that
in Wisconsin only about two in three
boilers are insured, and the one-third
not insured are always fraught with
possibilities of disaster.
The commissioner suggests state in
spection.
The report shows that the number
of accidents for the United States and
the adjacent parts of Canada and
Mexico is most striking. The Stats
tics have been kept since 1867 and in
the last year the number of explosions
had passed the 10000 mark while the
total number reached 1854 persons;
injured, 1854.
Commissioner Beck reviews the
Pabst boiler explosion in Milwaukee
which occurred November 1, 1909,
which resulted in the death of one,
the serious injury of another and a
net loss of some $15O,OOO.