ment to own the right to any machine required to be used, to prevent any jealousy and envy arising from individuals reaping profit from their employment. The test of the value of the machine or machines could be submitted to the judgment of the President or one of the departments; and as there is such a republican spirit of resistance in our people; to direct force, it would be advisable to enforce the use of the machines by indirection, not by enforcing their use in all cases by a penalty for non-user, but by an increased fee to be paid on the license of steamers declining to use them. This plan would leave it apparently optional with the owners to use the preventive or not; and I would farther suggest, that there should be submitted to the owners, a choice of one or two machines which the government decide upon to be most efficient preventives, as a further seeming liberty of selection, as a less arbitrary course than enforcing the use of but one.

I would suggest that the manufacture of them be adopted by the government, or that the machines, if the making of them would be left open, should undergo a careful inspection under instructions from the President or one of the departments.

The law should require the boilers to be subjected not only to inspection, as is now done, but that their strength and deficiencies should be tested by the hydraulic press. That the test should be applied frequently, and the degree of pressure which the boiler would be allowed to endure, should be stated in a card, to be hung up in the cabin, certified by the government officer. That in case of new boilers, they should not be tested and inspected until they had been severely heated (steam up) for twenty-four hours. My reason for that course arises from the knowledge that sometimes boilers are made of piled iron, not sufficiently welded, in which case one layer will, by the application of the heat of the fire, and the pressure of the steam, separate; and the lower layer will bag, as it is called, so as to be visible on looking into the fire-place. Piled iron may be as strong as any iron if it is sufficiently welded; if it is not well welded it may exhibit its defects on the boiler being well fired up. The Johnson, it is said, had new boilers. It is difficult, perhaps impossible, to tell the strength of iron boiler plates before they are used. It can, perhaps, be generally told by the workman who makes the boiler.

I would suggest, too, that the owners give bond not to permit the boat to be run beyond the permitted pressure, and that the engineers be sworn to preserve the heat within the limits. Besides all this, there should be penalties inflicted upon injuring purposely, or maliciously interfering with the safety guards used by the boats.

I feel confident that, if this mild course were adopted by Congress, we would hear of few explosions, and no disastrous ones.

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JAMES DUNLOP.

No. 7.

Extract from the letter of James E. Saunders, collector of the port of Mobile, Alabama.

"In such cases it is generally impossible to ascertain the causes of the accident. In a majority of instances I think they are attributable to carelessness. The regulations of the acts of Congress in reference to steamboats, have been lately generally strictly enforced in the district with the exception of chain tiller ropes, and from my observations engineers will not observe the regulation as to opening the safety valves when they land for a short time for passengers or fuel."

No. 8.

Extract from the communication of Edward Green, collector of the port of Alexandria, Virginia.

"It seems to me that many of these disasters might be prevented, could tribunals be established in the various ports or States, clothed with authority to examine the numerous applicants for the office of engineer, as to their capacity for the situations they aspire to; without doubt the cupidity of boat managers, or the interest of friends, frequently place men on board as engineers totally unworthy of the appointment."

No. 9.

Extract from the communication of Henry Hicks, collector of the port of Wilmington, Delaware.

"In endeavoring to account for the absence of explosions for so long a period I may be permitted to remark, that in my opinion it is as much owing to the judicious selection of officers, as to any superiority of machinery, notwithstanding the acknowledged perfection to which our mechanics have attained in its construction."

No. 10.

CUSTOM-HOUSE OFFICE, ST. Louis,

April 11, 1848. SIR: In answer to the interrogatories addressed to me in your circular of the 7th of March, I respectfully answer in the order they are set forth, so far as I am able.

The boiler inspection, most men of practical knowledge agree, is a mockery, as now performed; a mere procuring of the fee without any beneficial result. I do not know of any case where the inspector ever has any but an outside view of the boiler; and is never known to examine the inside further than to look in at the end. The inspector should be required to examine the inside as well asthe outside. The common lengths for boilers at this port are 26, 28, 30 and 32 feet. It is utterly impossible to form a correct opinion by looking in at the end, and the inspector should be required to make a thorough examination. This additional duty would much increase the labor, and the fee should be increased accordingly.

An objection evident to all,conversant with the duties of an inspector, is the manner and term of the appointment. Under exist. ing laws the appointing power is vested in the United States district judge, who lives one hundred and eighty miles from this city, and consequently must know but little, of his own knowledge, of the applicant. In addition, the office of inspector is regarded as a life office, as there is no time designated for his commission to expire. My own opinion is, that the term of office should be changed to four years, and that the power of appointing should be vested in a government officer, a resident of this city, who would be presumed to know something of the applicant for office, and of the duties to be discharged, and who would have power to remove from office for a non-performance of duty or other good cause.

In the year 1841, I built a boat in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; the boiler had been used in another boat. At the earnest solicitation of Captain James May, of that city, I had placed on those boilers "Evans's safety valve," at the time much against my own judgment. A year or so after, when running the boat, from the darkness of the night it became necessary to lay up. On retiring to bed, I gave orders to the engineers to have steam up by daylight; the engineer, as I afterwards learned, passed the order to the watchman, and went to bed also. The watchman, sometime before daylight appeared, fired up, and raised steam before it was yet light. The old safety valve in due time commenced to blow off steam. The man in charge tied it down to prevent the noise, and not being capable of working the engine so as to supply the boilers with water, the steam increased rapidly, and Evans's valve went off and gave the alarm to myself and the engineer. As soon as I ascertained the cause of the escapement of steam, I caused the fires to be cooled down, and the man-head was taken out of the boiler to as

certain the fact if Evans's valve could be relied upon or not. On examining the water, after the man-head was taken out, I found the water had sunk in the boiler to a stage below what was safe, which was the cause of the explosion by Evans's valve, and I believe, had not the valve been on the boilers, they would have blown up. I have known other circumstances occurring on boats on which this valve was placed, and I am firmly of opinion, that when Evans's valve is left free to act, no explosion can occur on boats. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, THOMAS GRAY,

Hon. EDMUND BURKE.

Surveyor and Inspector.

No. 11.

Letter from John D. Elliot, Esq., collector, Natchez, Mississippi.

After giving the statistics of explosions, which have been inserted in table C, Mr. Elliot says:

"In connection with this subject, I beg leave to add that, in my opinion, a law should be passed establishing a board of examiners at each port of entry, before whom engineers should appear and pass the ordeal as to their qualifications. Severe penalties should be attached to the employment of engineers without credentials from the board of examiners.

2. The law should be modified in regard to the payment of fees for the inspection of boilers. No captain will pay an inspector to condemn his boilers. The inspectors should be paid by gov

ernment.

3. In the list of explosions herein given, they were all, without exception, single engine boats. The Queen City' is a double engine boat; but this accident to the connecting pipe I do not term an explosion. I have never heard of a double engine boat collapsing her flues or boilers, with the exception of the 'Harry of the West.' The doctor' (so called by steamboat men) is the best preventive known of explosions, and double engine boats are generally (and should be invariably) supplied with them."

No. 12.

Extract from a communication of T. Mussey, collector of the port of New London, Connecticut.

"If I were to obtrude an opinion on the subject, I should say that these explosions will continue to occur until Congress directs a different mode of appointing inspectors of boilers.

"Boilers are made of iron or copper, consequently the inspector should be well acquainted with the strength and properties of those metals, together with a good knowledge of the elastic power of steam. Under the present mode the applicant for the appointment, without the slightest qualification, seeks the place through the urgency of friends; and when it is obtained, the granting of certificates is a mere matter of course; the fees are obtained, and the public must take care of themselves."

No. 13.

Extract from communication of Joseph Curtis, inspector of steamboats, district of New York.

"With our appointment we received a letter of advice from the honorable Judge Betts, saying: 'I think you may rightly require the owners or masters of boats asking an inspection, to state where it is intended a boat shall run, and in what business, as passenger, ferry, freight, or tow boat; and after being satisfied of her sufficiency for the employment named, to specify it in your certificate. I am of opinion that general certificates should not be given unless the boat is clearly sufficient for all descriptions of navigation, whether the hull and machinery are sufficient and safe for sea service or excursions (ut of the bays; and I would suppose it would be of serviceable influence for you earnestly to impress on masters and engineers a caution against exceeding that limit.'

"In accordance with these instructions, our certificates specify the service, the waters, and the amount of steam we think it safe for the boiler and machinery to carry.

"This new feature in the certificate caused many boats, heretofore inspected in this district, to procure inspection from other districts. The Niagara, a boat plying between this city and Albany, declined taking our certificate, as we would not allow more than 25 pounds. She took her inspection from the northern district, as that was general. On the first of August, one of the boilers of this boat burst, causing the death of two persons. The engineer, in his statement to the public, admitted the pressure at the time to be 44 pounds.

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"We have noticed in some instances the steam gauge giving a false representation; and in many the gauge is placed in a case, or in such situation as not to be seen except by those having charge."