Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-07-27
STARTS STEAMBOAT
INSPECTION QUERY
Commerce Department Finally
Begins Long Delayed Serv-
ice Investigation.
EASTLAND TRAGEDY
HASTENS THE INQUIRY
Charges Against Great Lakes Dis
trict Are Most Emphatic-Reor-
ganization Now Probable.

ganization Now Probable.
Rigid investigation of the personnel
and methods of the United states
steamboat inspection service probably
will be one of the direct outcomes OF
the capsizing of the steamer Eastlano
in the Chicago river. The talk OF IN :
vestigation of this branch of the gov
eminent is common about the Depart
,ment of Commerce offices here. and
with the arrival of department officials
lat Chicago it is believed that some
| phases of the invest cation of the serv-
ice will he gone into.
| There have been demands from time
to time for an investigation of this
branch of the government service. but
the officials have put it off. from time to
time. Very recently, it is declared. the
demands for Investigation became more
and more pressing and the officials, it
lis understood, put it off further by
lsaying that reorganization Of the
service would have to be made as a
result of the seamans act. At the
thine of the corsanization of the serv-
of this new law, it is believed to have
been the plan of the commerce ofh-
Gals to Investigate thoroughly the
service methods. However. the turn
ing over OF the Eastland has brought
the matter TO the foreground. and it is
probable that the investigation Will not
! be delayed further
/ The cries for investigation of this
branch of the government have been
greatest in the great lake inspection
districts.
Criticism Spurs on Inquiry.
| There is already criticism of the de-
partment's methods in sending steam
r.; boat inspection officials to investigate
the disaster when this service had
had charge of the inspection of the
| Eastland and the issuance of her per-
nit. This criticism, it is believed, re-
suited in Acting Secretary Sweets sug-
| gestion to Secretary Redfleld to go to
Chicago, and the sending from here of
Solicitor Thurman. the departments
| law officer.
Acting Secretary Sweet explained
! that it was not necessary for the de-
partment to order the steamboat in
spectors to investigate the Eastland
/ disa ster, but that it was the duty OF
/ the inspectors under the law to do SO
| as soon as they heard OF the disaster.
! 1t was made plain by Mr.. Sweet that
the department intends to go thorough
| ~ into every phase OF the catastrophe.
/ even the makeup of the personnel in
| the great lakes district. The records
| on file here of the men who passed on
the safety of the Eastland and who
were responsible for the issuance OF
! her certificate to carry $500 passen-
gers are without a flaw. said Mr.. Sweet.
| However" he said, officials cannot
always be sure of the faithfulness of
| every subordinate"
Responsible Man.
1t also has been learned at the de-
! partment that the Eastland for a long
! time had been known as an unsafe
I boat. June : the vessel was given an
! excursion permit to carry 2.1S3 pas
! sengers and a crew of seventy. But
! July > there came a letter to
the steamboat inspection headquarters
i here, saying that the inspectors had
amended her original excursion certif-
cate so as to permit her to carry $500
passengers and seventy crew. Robert
| Reid, inspector of hulls, was RESPONSE
/ bic for this amendment.
While the department wants to know
| if any of its employees have been lax
in their duties, it was said this morn
ing they are nevertheless not going to
take snap judgment They want to
! give everybody a fair hearing.
| The reason for the change in the ex-
cursion permit for the Eastland in less
than a month goes unexplained at the
! department., which keeps only a card
! index of boats inspected, showing the
dates of inspection. the place, the
amount of life-saving equipment and
the place where the certificate is filed
The original certificate with all Of the
details of inspection is kept f1led at
the customhouse in the district in
which the boat was inspected. The
notice of increase in the number of
! excursion passengers came only as in
formation for the department to be
| added to the index card Tor the East
land.
Although both Secretary Redfeld and
| Assistant Secretary Sweet have recon-
mended that George Chler. supervising
spection service. now on the Pacihc
coast, should proceed to Chicago and
participate in the investigation. it is
not known whether Mr.. Uhler will
J go there His assistant and, at the
time of the accident, acting head Of the
! steamboat inspection bureau here. D. N.
Hoover, jr., is now In Chicago.
Cloud on Service.
However. it is pointed out that
officials other than those connected
with the steamboat inspection service
are wanted at the scene Of the investi-
CATION at this time, in view Of the cloud
which has fallen over the service as a
result of the issuance Of a certificate
to a vessel which had for years been
known as cranky" The construction
Of the vessel will enter largely into
the Investigation, it is declared. Mr..
! Hoover, the assistant supervising in
spector general. it is pointed out, is
not practical steamboat man, and has
not served on any vessel. He was
! raised in the bureau" it was said at
been promoted through the various
grades of clerkship. He was rushed to
Chicago to make an investigation a
few minutes after word of the disaster
was received here.
| Both Secretary Redfield, who was en-
joying his vacation in New York state,
land Solicitor Thurman arrived in Chi
cago today to take charge of the
governments side of the investigation.
It was said today that 1t is probable
that Acting Secretary Sweet will fol-