The Washington times., 1915-07-25
INSPECTORS BLAMED
. FOR R|VERD|SASTE
Col. John HANNAH, Asserts Loose
Methods Were Used by serv.
! ice in Passing Boat. >.
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4 ~, Continued from. First PaseJ - -,
not an accident. 1t would not be
right to say that, the officers Of the
line or the inspection officers de-
signed and staged such a tragedy
as occurred in the Chicago river.
But in truth the occurrence cannot
be put in the category Of accidents.
1t was the direct result of the
policy of gambling with human
lives to make dollars.
-. AFTER PROFIT.
The steamboat managers want IL
cense to carry an excessive number or
passengers so that they may pile up
profits. The law clothes the board OF
supervising inspectors with power to
make the rules and to limit the num-
ber of passengers. The steamboat
owners bring pressure to bear upon
The inspectors to the end that the door
Is opened wide and these steamers per-
mitted to crowd their decks with pas
sengers and to equip their boats with
a minimum Of life-saving devices. That
there have not been numbers Of similar
disasters must be attributed TO good
luck and the protection Of Providence
rather than to any protection fur
nished by the United States Inspection
Service or by any regard OF their OBJ
legation to the public on the part OF
the weasel owners. 'f
The Inspection service cannot claim
that 1t has not been warned. Victor
Olauder has frequently been before
the, supervising inspector general and
the committees Of Congress- represent.
ing the Lake seamen's Union and
called attention to the danger Of over
loading He especially directed atten-
ton to the danger Of crowds placed on
boats of the Eastland type. He point
si.e III Oa and ' in such, a an e event % that hun
treds of lives would be lost. He has
not only pleaded with the department
to have the rules changed with respect
to lake steamers but he has pointed
| Lakes. Presumably because he has
represented the interest OF the men
employed upon the vessels his pleas
needed. -.
G., VlndlcateSF OlanQer.
1.-THE Eastland tragedy. vindicates
Olander but whsfeS does 1t leave the
Inspection, service? s7%
ITO obtain @an understanding of the
rule under which the department per-
mits these excursion steamers to load
| all that is necessary is to measure a
space three feet square on your floor.
That space representing nine square
| feet Is a little in excess Of the space al
| lowed each passenger on the deck OF the
| Eastland or any other Of these excur-
| siop steamers loaded to the limit Of
th6ar inspection certificate during the
excursion season. 1t must be remember
ed that this nine square feet includes
| the space upon the decks used as prom
| staterooms. diningand other sa aloonse. the
| cabins in fact all of the floor space
which the passengers occupy or may
occupy Besides the passengers there
| in- benches and tables and all Of the
operating pharphernalia which is on the
| deck. When all of the stateroom and
| saloon and cabin floor space Is substrac-
ted from the total 1t will reduce the
promenade deck space to a mere frac-
| ton of this nine square feet and then
| the crowding upon the upper decks can
readily be understood. To aid your COM
| parison Of this take string twelve feet
long and place IT in a square on the
space Is allowed each passenger
'.An inspection service that will issue
| and defend certificates such as was
held by the Eastland has no conception
those certificates the service has bowed
to the wishes of the ship owners.
Permitted Wrongs.
"The service has permitted the doing
Of the things which were primarily re-
sponsible for the Chicago tragedy. The
service never has and never will be able
to convince the public that ship which
| on May IA going not more than five
miles from shore would be permitted
to carry only 147 passengers should be
permitted to carry on the same route
upon the day following 1000 passengers
and that it can do so and have regard
| for the public interest.
| "The disaster of 1913 on the great lakes
when fifteen ships broke in two and
/ 254 men were drowned in one storm di-
| rected attention to the faulty construc-
tion Of freight boats plying those waters
A few minor changes were made in the
regulations to safeguard the freight
| steamers. But Notwithstanding that the
danger has constantly been pointed out
| in Congress. and there mas been evil
dence of the awakening of the public
and a demand for greater protection OF
travellers upon vessels. the inspection
service has done nothing to further pro-
| tect the lives of passengers. 1t has per-
mitted the owners to send out their
boats inadequately equipped and shame
fully overloaded. 1t required some such
catastrophe to rivet the attention of the
| country on this service. There may be
cause to punish the officers Of the Fast
land. but surely the inspection service
| Is not blameless The men who issued
the certificates should now investigate
the service Of their own act