The Washington times., 1915-07-28

Among the most impressive stories
that will be told. by way OF illustrating
the weakness Of the present steamboat
inspection system. will be one dealing
with the amazing processes that per
to Europe last autumn with the great
cargo Of Red Cross supplies. nurses,
and physicians. for employment on the
battlenelds.
It will be charged that the s,.yss ship was
was, in fact, such that II she had en-
countered bad weather great dlsas-
ter might have been the result. The
entire responsibility T. isid at the the dGSe fSe
story Of what happened shows Just Just
wherein the inspection Is bad and the
system makes 1t worse.
The Fundamental difficulty is that
same officials who issue licenses to
ship officers. An officer dares not com
plain against the inspection lest he
offend the people who made the In
spection. and who. also. have the power
visions Of the work. 1t is declared
ought to be entirely separate.
Personnel and Material.
One deals with personnel. the other
with material. 1t 10 even proposed that
they ought not to be under the same
department Of the Government. and 1t
is now proposed that the inspection
service be reorganized and left with the
Department Of Commerce while the
transferred to the Department of
In the Eastland case the charge has
been made that an inspection onciai
for the Great Lakes district & autnosse1o
ger carving allotment from 1000 to
$500, and that shortly thereafter the
son-in-law Of this inspector was mace
position he continued down to the day
Cases not unlike this. In which steam
ship officers are alleged to have secured
were acquiescent when inspection was
bad, or In which they were punished
If they complained Of bad inspection.
are declared to be numerous enough TO
demand attention.
Steamer Red Cross.
One Of these Is the case of the steam
shin Red Cross. When 1t was deter
mined to send a shipload of supplies and
professional people to Europe. .hs
American Red Cross Society Chartered %
which had been in the New York. Genoa
| trade, an old vessel Of about II. .OOO tons
displacement. She had been regularly,
| in this trade. with the consent anu
The event proved. seemingly. that she
ought not to have been certified at all.
Admitted to American registry by
special act Of Congress and rechristeneo
the Red Cross. the vessel was plac in
command Of Capt. Armistead Rust. U:
S. n, retired. 1t was at first intended
that she should carry her old crew.
mainly Germans. but objections Of the
allied governments finally compelled
notifications hat gave her largely a
new crew. composed of Americans.
either native-born or holding full citi-
zenship papers:
The members Of the old crew were dis
affected. and such as remained on the
vessel were in bad frame of mind
Attempts were made to aggravate the
bad conditions on the vessel so as te
voyage to Europe had started. BY
putting some Of the machinery out Of
| order.
1t was particularly and very specirical
ly charged, in the subsequent inquiry
that the ice plant had been tamperec
with The eastbound voyage was. how
ever, made as far as Falmouth. Eng
land. There conditions were found 81
thoroughly as was possible in a week:
Captain Rust had much Of the auxil
iary machinery taken out and inspected
and repaired. He had had no time TO
vessel. and had been compelled to &C
cept the certification Of the New Yor
inspectors and the Hamburg-America
officials. all Of whom passed the boa
as in good order.
The Falmouth oyerhauling developed
that the machinery was in a general.
unseaworthy condition. In one Of tn
large fire and bilge pumps-a highl
necessary and important piece of para
phernalia-it was found that so man,
Of the disc valves were missing as t
make the pump almost worthless. Also
that so many tubes In the boilers ha
been plugged as greatly to reduce tn