The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1912-01-10
NAVIGATION IS
LESS DANGEROUS
3l4.763,885 Passengers Carried
in Year and Only 392 Lives
Are Lost
S,33s VESSELS INSPECTED
Collisions and Wrecks Cause of
Most OF Deaths
OF Total Number of Deaths, 48 We're
Suicides and 113 Due to Perils
OF the Sea.

Washington. Jan. 10.-There wer,
only 4S accidents in which hut 80.
iiVes We're lost, out of 314,76S.SS5 pas.
sengers carried, during the year endeC
June so last. on the steam vessels re-
lquired by law to report the numbel
Iof passengers TO Supervising Inspector
General Uhler OF the Steamboat In.
spection Service. Department of Com
merce and Labor. OF the whole NUN
Der lost, ll3 We're from accidents in
cidents incident to the perils of navi-
CATION and 4S were from suicide and
other causes beyond the power of the
service to avert: leaving 231 which
can be charged fairly to accident. col
lision. or laundering. This means that
SO2,9Sl passengers We're carried for
each life lost, whether OF passengers or
crew, and from all causes.
CLASSIFIED according TO causes the
accidents and deaths are distributed
as follows: Fire, accidents. 10
deaths; explosions or accidental escape
of steam. IL accidents, AZ deaths;
snags, wrecks, and singing. IL acct
dents, ia deaths; accidental drown
ing, Ill; miscellaneous, 69
The loss of life was due largely to
the following disasters:
On September 3, 1910. the steamer
Pere Marquette No. IS, from Luding-
ton Mich. bound for Milwaukee. Wis.
with cargo of 20 loaded cars, sank
from some unknown cause. Twenty
seven lives We're lost, many being kill
ed by the sea and floating wreckage.
on October 10. 1910. the steamship
Arkadia sailed from New Orleans, La.
Tor san Juan. T. r., carrying pas
sengers and 33 crew The Arkadia was
never heard from again and Is sup
posed TO have foundered and all on
board lost during the hurricane of Oc-
tober IL, 1910.
ON January 10, 1911. the coal laden
barges Trevorton, Corbin, and Pine
Forest, In tow of the towing steamer
Lykens, from Southern Coalport To
Salem, became detached from the tow
ing steamer during gale went ashore
on Cape Cod and were wrecked.
Seventeen OF the crew of the barges
were lost.
on June "a, 1911. one of the nues in
the outside of port boiler Of the
steamer City of ST. Joseph collapsed
while the vessel was en- route up the
Mississippi River 22 of the crew being
drowned by jumping overheard or
scalded to death.
Expenses Of the Service.
During the fiscal year the sum of
$441 ,509.S6 was expended for the sal
aries of the officers and clerks of the
service, and the sum of s101 ,O3996 was
paid for travelling and miscellaneous
expenses, the grand total being s542.-
549.S2, an increase of $14.430.s0 over
the previous year. This increase is
due TO the reorganization of the SER
vice and the installation of the new
filing system, which has made the work
uniform. The expenditure for the year
ending June 80. 1912. will be less than
that for the fiscal year ended June
so. 1911.
Tests of S,9i6 marine boiler plates
were made at the mills by assistant in
spectors. and 3.605 were. accepted 81
rejected.
Life preservers were inspected to the
number of 210.259. OF which 209,5 ,52s
were passed. 730 rejected. These fig
ures show an increase Of 5s.422 in the
number for the previous year
There were l4.OOG officers of all
grades licensed. Applicants numbering
1917 were examined for color blind |
ness, 80 of whom were found color !
blind and rejected. and 1,2S7 passed. |
There was an increase OF 299 i'm the |
number examined and 2s7 i'm the num-
Der passed in the previous year.
There were 1867 domestic vessels, |
with tonnage of 5.i64,7l9. inspected. |
a decrease Of 9S In the number and of |
ls0,1l5 tons from the year before. |
There were 46S foreign passenger |
steamers with a gross tonnage of g.
'30,2G7, examined. an increase of 4. |
with tonnage OF 2O0.S95.
The total number OF vessels of all |
classes inspected during the year was |
$685., with a gross tonnage of S494,- |
,s6. a decrease OF "a in the number |
md an increase I'm tonnage OF 20,2S0 |
Is compared with the figures for the |
preceding year.
Laws Better Understood.
During the year considerable work |
was done in connection with motor ves-
sells. especially the licensing of opera
ors for motor vessels carrying pas
sengers; and IL is stated that the pro-
'isions OF the act of Congress approved |
June .. 1910. relating to motor boats.
ire now better known than before,
with the result that the law is being
effectively administered. The huh in
pection OF vessels is also more thor
,ugh than ever before, and the rule