hull construction than the local inspectors, and (2) it would result in that uniform administration of the law with which the Supervising Inspector-General is charged." It was recognized, however, that to adopt such a system "would be a distinct departure from the principles that have heretofore governed the Steamboat-Inspection Service in the matter of the approval of certain things by local inspectors, as it would place that approving power in the central office, thereby relieving the local inspectors of much responsibility, as well as obtaining more expert advice and a more uniform administration of the law."

This recommendation received the approval of the Secretary of Commerce, but no action was taken by Congress. In the following year (1915) occurred the Eastland disaster, and added impetus was given to the demands for approval of hull construction. The board of inquiry appointed to investigate the sinking of this vessel recommended that a board of competent naval architects be created in the Department of Commerce "to pass (prior to their construction) upon the plans and specifications of all steam merchant vessels over 100 tons burden." Despite this recommendation and repeated urging in the reports of the Supervising InspectorGeneral, Congress has not as yet seen fit to act on this subject. In his annual reports for 1919 and 1920, the Supervising Inspector-General again called attention to the advantages to be derived from such action, both in assuring that ships would, in the future, have the proper stability of structure, and in the uniformity of administration made possible by a centralization of authority. Section 9 of the General Rules and Regulations prescribed by the Board of Supervising Inspectors for the inspection of vessels now provides that "in the inspection of hulls, boilers, and machinery of vessels, the rules promulgated by the American Bureau of Shipping respecting material and construction of hulls, boilers, and machinery, and the certificate of classification referring thereto, except where otherwise provided for by these rules

and regulations, shall be accepted as standard by inspectors of this service." 3

Inspection of Boilers. The inspection of the boilers of steam-vessels was also authorized for the first time in 1838, but, at the present time, the laws and regulations are much more exacting and detailed than those concerned with hull inspection.

The local inspectors shall also inspect the boilers and their appurtenances in all steam-vessels before the same shall be used, and once at least in every year thereafter, and shall subject all boilers to the hydrostatic pressure. All such vessels shall comply with the following requirements, namely: That the boilers are well made, of good and suitable material; that the openings for the passage of water and steam, respectively, and all pipes and tubes exposed to heat, are of proper dimensions and free from obstructions; that the spaces between and around the flues are sufficient; that flues, boilers, furnaces, safety valves, fusible plugs, low-water indicators, feedwater apparatus, gauge cocks, steam gauges, water and steam pipes connecting boilers, means of prevention of sparks and flames from fire doors, low-water gauges, means of removing mud and sediment from boilers, and all other such machinery and appurtenances thereof, are of such construction, shape, condition, arrangement, and material that the same may be safely employed in the service proposed without peril to life; and the local inspectors shall satisfy themselves by thorough examination that said requirements of law and regulations in regard thereto have been fully complied with. All boilers used on steam vessels and constructed of iron or steel plates, inspected under the provisions of section forty-four hundred and thirty, shall be subjected to a hydrostatic test, in the ratio of one hundred and fifty pounds to the square inch to one hundred pounds to the square inch of the working steam power allowed. No boiler or flue pipe, nor any of the connections therewith, shall be approved, which is made, in whole or in part, of bad material, or is unsafe in its form or dang

3 A summary of previous recommendations in regard to hull construction and inspection is given in the annual report of the Supervising Inspector-General for 1915, pp. 23 et seq.

erous from defective workmanship, age, use, cause.4

or other

As in the case of hull inspection, the above legislation has been extended to include ferry-boats, canal-boats, yachts, or other small craft of like character propelled by steam, all vessels of above fifteen gross tons carrying freight or passengers for hire propelled by gas, fluid, naphtha or electric motors, and all tug-boats, towing-boats, and freight-boats. Further, by act approved June 9, 1910 (36 Stat. L., 462), the engines, boilers, and other operating machinery on motorboats more than forty feet in length which are propelled by machinery driven by steam, are made subject to the laws and rules for inspection. Rule VII, Section 10, of the general rules and regulations prescribed by the board of supervising inspectors makes it "the duty of both the hull and boiler inspectors to be present when the boiler is being tested by hydrostatic pressure" and both "shall observe and note the indication on the gauge."

Section 1, Rule II, of the rules provides as follows:

"The manufacturer of any boiler to be used for marine purposes shall furnish the inspectors of the district where such boiler or boilers are to be inspected duplicate blue prints or tracings fully descriptive of same in detail for their approval, one of which shall be kept on file in the office of the local inspectors and the other returned to the manufacturer." Section 24, Rule II provides that "duplicate blue prints or drawings of water-tube and coil boilers, with their specifications, shall be submitted for approval to the Board of Supervising Inspectors and the design approved by said board, before the boilers will be allowed to be used an any vessel coming under the jurisdiction of the Board of Supervising Inspectors." Thus Section I is limited to the approval of Scotch and similar boilers. It will be observed that the board has thus provided

The provisions of R. S. Section 4430 here referred to will be noted later in this chapter.

for the approval of boiler construction which, in the case of hull construction, it decided it did not have the legal authority to do. A rule authorizing the approval of blue prints of boilers was deemed lawful because of the detailed structural tests already provided in the law for boiler construction. The recommendations noted above for a centralization of approval of hull construction in the office of the Supervising InspectorGeneral also included that of boiler construction.

Inspection of Equipment. In addition to the annual inspection of the hulls and boilers of vessels, the local inspectors are required by law to examine every part of the equipment of such vessels, including life-boats, floats, rafts, lifepreservers, and other life-saving apparatus, fire-extinguishers, hose, fire-buckets, and other appliances for fighting fires, and steering apparatus. In many cases the law prescribes in detail the number and the character of construction of such equipment, but in others the board of supervising inspectors is charged with prescribing standards and rules for the guidance of the local inspectors. The provisions of the present laws, and regulations made in pursuance thereof, relative to life-saving appliances and fire-fighting equipment, are in many cases concerned with technical details, and are too nunerous to be quoted here. In summary form, they provide as follows:

Life-Saving Equipment. (1) Steamers navigating the ocean, or any lake, bay, or sound of the United States, are required to be provided with such numbers of life-boats, floats, rafts, life-preservers, line-carrying projectiles, and the means of propelling them, and drags, as will best secure the safety of all persons on board such vessel in case of disaster. The Board of Supervising Inspectors is empowered to fix and determine, by their rules and regulations, the character of such apparatus and equipment, as well as the character and capacity of pumps necessary to free the vessel of water in case of heavy leakage. The rules and regulations thus made, however, are

subject to the detailed provisions, limitations, and minimum requirements specified in the Seamen's Act of 1915 (38 Stat. L., 1164). (2) Every vessel subject to the laws for the regulation of steam-vessels is required, while in operation, to carry one life-preserver for each and every person allowed to be carried on said vessel by the certificate of inspection, including each member of the crew. (3) By the act of 1871, ferry-boats, canal-boats, yachts, and other small craft of like character propelled by steam were required to comply with such provisions of law for the better security of life as might be made applicable to them, by the regulations of the board of supervising inspectors. This act was amended by an act approved January 18, 1897 (29 Stat. L., 489), which extended the above requirements to include motor vessels of above fifteen tons carrying freight or passengers for hire. An act approved May 16, 1906 (34 Stat. L., 193) also required motor-driven vessels of fifteen gross tons or less carrying passengers for hire to carry one life-preserver, of the sort prescribed by the regulations of the board of supervising inspectors, for every passenger carried.

The latter act was in partial response to the recommendations made in the annual reports of the Supervising InspectorGeneral for 1904 and 1905 for an extension of the laws for the inspection of vessels to include all motor-boats of whatever size or tonnage. Even after the passage of the act of 1906, motor-boats used for pleasure purposes only, no matter what their size or the waters they navigated, were entirely exempted from all inspection. The Supervising InspectorGeneral continued to urge legislation requiring all motordriven vessels, regardless of their size or of the purpose for which they might be used, to submit to a sufficient examination or inspection "to ascertain whether they are equipped with the proper lights and life-saving apparatus, and that the fuel tanks and engine are propery installed."

The repeated recommendations of this officer of the Steamboat-Inspection Service, combined with the rapidly increas