thickness, and what amount of steam to the square inch when sound is capable of working with safety; and whether hydrostatic pressure, or what other plan is best for testing the strength of boilers under the inspection laws; and what limitations as to the force or pressure of steam to the square inch, in proportion to the ascertained capacity of a boiler to resist, it would be proper to establish by law for the more certain prevention of explosions.

SEC. 6. And be it further enacted, That so much of the act aforesaid as is inconsistent with the provisions of this act shall be, and the same is hereby repealed.

Approved March 3d, 1843.

AN ACT to amend an act entitled "An act to provide for the better security of the lives of passengers on board of vessels propelled in whole or in part by steam," and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That no license, register, or enrolment, under the provisions of this or the act to which this is an amendment, shall be granted, or other papers issued, by any collector to any vessel propelled in whole or in part by steam, and carrying passengers, until he shall have satisfactory evidence that all the provisions of this act have been fully complied with; and if any such vessel shall be navigated, with passengers on board, with out complying with the terms of this act, the owners thereof, and the vessel itself, shall be subject to the penalties contained in the second section of the act to which this is an amendment.

SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty of the inspectors of the hulls of steamers, and the inspectors of boilers and engines, appointed under the provisions of this act, to examine and see that suitable and safe provisions are made throughout such vessel to guard against loss or danger from fire; and no license or other papers, on any application, shall be granted if the provisions of this act for preventing fires are not complied with, or if any combustible material liable to take fire from heated iron, or any other heat generated on board of such vessels in and about the boilers, pipes, or machinery shall be placed at less than eighteen inches distant from such heated metal or other substance likely to cause ignition, unless a column of air or water intervenes between such

heated surface and any wood or other combustible material so exposed, sufficient at all times, and under all circumstances, to prevent ignition; and further, when wood is so exposed to ignition, as an additional preventive, it shall be shielded by some incombustible material in such manner as to leave the air to circulate freely between such material and the wood: Provided, however, That when the structure of such steamers is such, or the arrangement of the boilers or machinery is such, that the requirements aforesaid cannot, without serious inconvenience or sacrifice, be complied with, inspectors may vary therefrom, if, in their judgment, it can be done with safety.

SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That every vessel so propelled by steam, and carrying passengers, shall have not less than three double-acting forcing pumps, with chamber at least four inches in diameter, two to be worked by hand and one by steam, if steam can be employed, otherwise by hand; one whereof shall be placed near the stern, one near the stem, and one amidship; each having a suitable, well fitted hose, of at least two thirds the length of the vessel, kept at all times in perfect order and ready for immediate use; each of which pumps shall also be supplied with water by a pipe connected therewith, and passing through the side of the vessel so low as to be at all times in the water when she is afloat; Provided, That, in steamers not exceeding two hundred tons measurement, two of said pumps may be dispensed with; and in steamers of over two hundred tons, and not exceeding five hundred tons measurement, one of said pumps may be dispensed with.

SEC. 4. And be it further enacted, That every such vessel carrying passengers shall have at least two good and suitable boats, supplied with oars, in good condition at all times for service, one of which boats shall be a life-boat made of metal, fire-proof, and in all respects a good, substantial, safe sea-boat, capable of sustaining, inside and outside, fifty persons, with life-lines attached to the gunwale at suitable distances. And every such vessel of more than five hundred tons, and not exceeding eight hundred tons measurement, shall have three life-boats; and every such vessel of more than eight hundred tons, and not exceeding fifteen hundred tons measurement, shall have four life-boats; and every such vessel of more than fifteen hundred tons measurement shall have six life-boats; all of which boats shåll be well furnished with oars and other necessary apparatus: Provided, however, The inspectors are hereby authorized to exempt steamers navigating rivers only

from the obligation to carry of the life-boats herein provided for more than one, the same being of suitable dimensions, made of metal, and furnished with all necessary apparatus for use and safety; such steamers having other suitable provisions for the preservation of life in case of fire or other disaster.

SEC. 5. And be it further enacted, That every such vessel, carrying passengers, shall also be provided with a good lifepreserver, made of suitable material, or float well adapted to the purpose, for each and every passenger, which life-preservers and floats shall always be kept in convenient and accessible places in such vessel, and in readiness for the use of the passengers; and every such vessel shall also keep twenty-five buckets and five axes; and there shall be kept on board every such vessel exceeding five hundred tons measurement, buckets and axes after the rate of their tonnage, as follows, on every vessel of six hundred tons measurement, five buckets and one axe for each one hundred tons measurement, decreasing this proportion as the tonnage of the vessel increases, so that any such vessel over thirty-five hundred tons, and all such vessels exceeding the same, shall not be required to keep but three buckets for each one hundred tons of measurement, and but one axe for every five buckets.

SEC. 6. And be it further enacted, That every such vessel carrying passengers on the main or lower deck shall be provided with sufficient means convenient to such passengers for their escape to the upper deck in case of fire or other accident endangering life.

SEC. 7. And be it further enacted, That no loose hemp shall be carried on board any such vessel; nor shall baled hemp be carried on the deck or guards thereof, unless the bales are compactly pressed and well covered with bagging, or a similar fabric; nor shall gunpowder, oil of turpentine, oil of vitrol, camphene, or other explosive burning-fluids or materials which ignite by friction, be carried on board any such vessel as freight, except in cases of special license for that purpose, as hereinafter provided; and all such articles kept on board as stores shall be secured in metallic vessels, and every person who shall knowingly violate any of the provisions of this section shall pay a penalty of one hundred dollars for each offence, to be recovered by action of debt in any court of competent jurisdiction.

SEC. 8. And be it further enacted, That hereafter all gunpowder, oil of turpentine, oil of vitrol, camphene, or other explosive burning fluids, and materials which ignite by friction,

when packed or put up for shipment on board of any such vessel, shall be securely packed or put up separately from each other and from all other articles, and the package, box, cask, or vessel containing the same shall be distinctly marked on the outside with the name or description of the articles contained therein; and every person who shall pack or put up, or cause to be packed or put up, for shipment on board of any such vessel, any gunpowder, oil of turpentine, oil of vitrol, camphene, or other explosive burning fluids, or materials which ignite by friction, otherwise than as aforesaid, or shall ship the same, unless packed and marked as aforesaid, on board of any steam vessel carrying passengers, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and punished by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars, or imprisonment not exceeding eighteen months, or both.

SEC. 9. And be it further enacted, That instead of the existing provisions of law, for the inspection of steamers and their equipment, and instead of the present system of pilotage of such vessels, and the present mode of employing engineers on board the same, the following regulations shall be observed, to wit: The collector, or other chief officer of the customs, together with the supervising inspector for the district, and the judge of the district court of the United States for the district, in each of the following collection districts, namely, New Orleans, and St. Louis, on the Mississippi river; Louisville, Cincinnati, Wheeling, and Pittsburg, on the Ohio river; Buffalo, and Cleveland, on Lake Erie; Detroit, upon Detroit river; Nashville, upon the Cumberland river; Chicago, on Lake Michigan; Oswego, on Lake Ontario; Burlington, in Vermont; Galveston, in Texas; Mobile, in Alabama; Savannah, in Georgia; Charleston, in South Carolina; Norfolk, in Virginia; Baltimore, in Maryland; Philadelphia, in Pennsylvania; New York, in New York; New London, in Connecticut; Boston, in Massachusetts; Portland, in Maine; and San Francisco, in California-shall designate two inspectors, of good character and suitable qualifications, to perform the services required of them by this act, within the respective districts for which they shall be appointed, one of whom, from his practical knowledge of ship building, and the uses of steam in navigation, shall be fully competent to make a reliable estimate of the strength, sea-worthiness, and other qualities of the hulls of steamers and their equipment, deemed essential to safety of life when such vessels are employed in the carriage of passengers, to be called the Inspector of Hulls; the other of whom, from his know

ledge and experience of the duties of an engineer employed in navigating vessels by steam, and also in the construction and use of boilers, and the machinery and appurtenances therewith connected, shall be able to form a reliable opinion of the quality of the material, the strength, form, workmanship, and suitableness of such boilers and machinery to be employed in the carriage of passengers, without hazard to life, from imperfections in the material, workmanship, or arrangement of any part of such apparatus for steaming, to be called the Inspector of Boilers; and these two persons, thus designated, if approved by the Secretary of the Treasury, shall be, from the time of such designation, inspectors, empowered and required to perform the duties herein specified, to wit:

First. Upon application, in writing, by the master or owner, they shall, once in every year at least, carefully inspect the hull of each steamer belonging to their respective districts, and employed in the carriage of passengers, and shall satisfy themselves that every such vessel, so submitted to their inspection, is of a structure suitable for the service in which she is to be employed, has suitable accommodations for her crew and passengers, and is in a condition to warrant the belief that she may be used in navigation as a steamer with safety to life; and that all the requirements of law in regard to fires, boats, pumps, hose, life-preservers, floats, and other things, are faithfully complied with; and, if they deem it expedient, they may direct the vessel to be put in motion, and may adopt any other suitable means to test her sufficiency, and that of her equip

ment.

Second. They shall also inspect the boilers of such steamers before the same shall be used, and once in every year thereafter, subjecting them to a hydrostatic pressure, the limit to which, not exceeding one hundred and sixty-five pounds to the square inch for high-pressure boilers, may be prescribed by the owner or the master, and shall satisfy themselves, by examination and experimental trials, 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 obstruction, that the spaces between the flues are sufficient, and that the fire-line of the furnace is below the prescribed water line of the boilers; and that such boilers, and the machinery and the appurtenances, may be safely employed in the service proposed in the written application without peril to life; and shall also satisfy themselves that the