baggage which shall occur from any defects as stated in the notice prescribed in the preceding section. No kind of instrument, machine, or equipment, for the R. S., 4491. better security of life, provided for by this Title |R. S., 4399-4500] shall be used on any steam-vessel which shall not first be approved by the board of supervising inspectors, and also by the Secretary of the Treasury. 108. Manning of vessels. No steamer carrying passengers shall depart from any R. S., 4463. port unless she shall have in her service a full complement of licensed officers and full crew, sufficient at all times to manage the vessel, including the proper number of watchmen. But if any such vessel, on her voyage, is deprived of the services of any licensed officer, without the consent, fault, or collusion of the master, owner, or any person interested in the vessel, the deficiency may be temporarily supplied, until others licensed can be obtained. 109. Inspection of hulls and life-saving appliances. The local inspectors shall, once in every year, at least, R. S., 4417. upon application in writing of the master or owner, carefully inspect the hull of each steam-vessel within their respective districts, 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 passengers and the crew, 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, anchors, cables, 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 equipment. 110. Inspection of boilers. The local inspectors shall also inspect the boilers of all R. S., 4418. steam-vessels before the same shall be used, and once at least in every year thereafter. They shall subject all boilers to the hydrostatic pressure; and shall satisfy themselves by thorough examination 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 and around the flues are sufficient; that the flues are circular in form; that the fire-line of the furnace is at least two inches below the prescribed minimum water-line of the boilers; that the arrangement for delivering thefeed-water is such that the boilers cannot be injured thereby; and that such boilers and machinery, and the appurtenances, may be safely employed in the service proposed in the written application, without peril to life. They shall also satisfy Sec. 14. themselves that the safety-valves are of suitable dimensions, sufficient in number, and well arranged; and that the weights of the safety-valves are properly adjusted, so as to allow no greater pressure in the boilers than the amount prescribed by the inspection certificate; that there is a sufficient number of gauge-cocks properly inserted, June 19, 1886. and suitable steam gauges to indicate the pressure of steam; and that there are reliable low-water gauges; and that the fusible metals are properly inserted so as to fuse by the heat of the furnace, whenever the water in the boilers falls below its prescribed limits; and that adequate and certain provision is made for an ample supply of water to feed the boilers at all times, whether such vessel is in motion or not, so that in high pressure boilers the water shall not be less than four inches above the top of the flues; and that means for blowing out are provided, so as to thoroughly remove the mud and sediment from all parts of the boilers, when they are under pressure of steam. In subjecting to the hydrostatic test boilers usually desig nated and known as high-pressure boilers, the inspectors shall assume one hundred and ten pounds to the square inch, as the maximum pressure allowable as a workingpower for a new boiler of forty-two inches in diameter, made in the best manner, of inspected iron plates, onefourth of an inch thick, and of a quality required by law, and shall rate the working power of all high-pressure boilers, whether old or new, according to their strength, compared with this standard; and in all cases the test applied shall exceed the working-power allowed, in the ratio of one hundred and sixty-five to one hundred and ten. In subjecting to the hydrostatic tests boilers usually designated and known as low-pressure boilers, the inspectors shall allow as a working-power for each new boiler a pressure of only three-fourths the number of pounds to the square inch to which it has been subjected by the hydrostatic test, and for which it has been found to be sufficient. Should the inspectors be of the opinion that any boiler, by reason of its construction or material, will not safely allow so high a working pressure as is above described, they may, for reasons to be stated specially in their certificate, fix the working pressure of such boiler at less than threefourths of the test-pressure. All boilers used on steamvessels 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 steampower allowed. No boiler or 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 dangerous from defective workmanship, age, use, or other R. S., 4420. cause. In applying the directions of the preceding section [4418] to steamboats used exclusively for towing and carrying freight on the Mississippi River and its tributaries, the local inspectors shall substitute, for such boats, one hun dred and fifty pounds of steam-pressure in place of one hundred and ten pounds for the standard pressure upon standard boilers of forty-two inches diameter, and of plates of one-quarter of an inch in thickness; and such boats may, on the written permit of the supervising inspector of the district in which such boats shall carry on their business, be permitted to carry steam above the standard pressure of one hundred and ten pounds, but not exceeding the standard pressure of one hundred and fifty pounds, to the square inch. One of the safety-valves may, if in the opinion of the local R. S., 4419. inspectors it is necessary to do so, and the steam-registers shall, be taken wholly from the control of all persons engaged in navigating such vessels and secured by the inspectors. Every boiler manufactured to be used on steam-vessels, R. S., 4428. and made of iron or steel plates shall be constructed of plates that have been stamped in accordance with the provisions of this Title [R. S., 4399–4500]. Every person who constructs a boiler, or steam-pipe con- R. S., 4429. necting the boilers, to be used on steam-vessels, of iron or steel plates which have not been duly stamped and inspected according to the provisions of this Title [R. S., 4399-4500], or who knowingly uses any defective, bad, or faulty iron or steel in the construction of such boilers; or who drifts any rivet-hole to make it come fair; or who delivers any such boiler for use, knowing it to be imperfect in its flues, flanging, riveting, bracing, or in any other of its parts, shall be fined one thousand dollars, one-half for the use of the informer. Nothing in this Title shall be so construed as to prevent from being used, on any steamer, any boiler or steam-generator which may not be constructed of riveted iron or steel plates, when the board of supervising inspectors have satisfactory evidence that such boiler or steam. generator is equal in strength, and as safe from explosion, as a boiler of the best quality constructed of riveted iron or steel plates: Provided, however, That the Secretary of the Aug. 7, 1882. Treasury may grant permission to use any boiler or steamgenerator not constructed of riveted iron or steel plates upon the certificate of the supervising inspector of steamboats for the district wherein such boiler or generator is to be used, and other satisfactory proof that the use of the same is safe and efficient; said permit to be valid until the next regular meeting of the supervising inspectors who shall act thereon. Every iron or steel plate used in the construction of R. S., 4430. steamboat-boilers, and which shall be subject to a tensile strain, shall be inspected in such manner as shall be prescribed by the board of supervising inspectors and approved by the Secretary of the Treasury, so as to enable the inspectors to ascertain its tensile strength, homogeneousness, toughness, and ability to withstand the effect of repeated heating and cooling; and no iron or steel plate shall be used in the construction of such boilers which has not been inspected and approved under those rules. Jan. 22, 1895. R. S., 4431. R. S., 4432. R. S., 4433. R. S., 4434. And the Supervising Inspector-General may, under the direction of the Secretary of the Treasury, detail assistant inspectors from any local inspection district where assistant inspectors are employed, to inspect iron or steel boiler plates at the mills where the same are manufactured; and if the plates are found in accordance with the rules of the supervising inspectors, the assistant inspector shall stamp the same with the initials of his name, followed by the letters and words, 'U. S. Assistant Inspector;' and material so stamped shall be accepted by the local inspectors in the districts where such material is to be manufactured into marine boilers as being in full compliance with the requirements of this section regarding the inspection of boiler plates; it being further provided that any person who affixes any false, forged, fraudulent, spurious, or counterfeit of the stamp herein authorized to be put on by an assistant inspector, shall be deemed guilty of a felony, and shall be fined not less than one thousand dollars, nor more than five thousand dollars, and imprisoned not less than two years nor more than five years. Every plate of boiler-iron or steel, made for use in the construction of steamboat-boilers, shall be distinctly and permanently stamped by the manufacturer thereof, and, if practicable, in such places that the marks shall be left visible when such plates are worked into boilers, with the name of the manufacturer, the place where manufactured, and the number of pounds tensile strain it will bear to the sectional square inch; and the inspectors shall keep a record in their office of the stamps upon all boiler-plates and boilers which they inspect. Every person who counterfeits, or causes to be counterfeited, any of the marks or stamps prescribed for boiler iron or steel plates, or who designedly stamps, or causes to be stamped falsely, any such plates; and every person who stamps or marks, or causes to be stamped or marked, any such iron or steel plates with the name or trade-mark of another, with the intent to mislead or deceive, shall be fined two thousand dollars, one-half to the use of the informer, and may, in addition thereto, at the discretion of the court, be imprisoned not exceeding two years. The working steam-pressure allowable on boilers constructed of plates inspected as required by this Title [R. S., 4399-4500], when single-riveted, shall not produce a strain to exceed one-sixth of the tensile strength of the iron or steel plates of which such boilers are constructed; but where the longitudinal laps of the cylindrical parts of such boilers are double-riveted, and the rivet-holes for such boilers have been fairly drilled instead of punched, an addition of twenty per centum to the working pressure provided for single-riveting may be allowed: Provided, That all other parts of such boilers shall correspond in strength to the additional allowances so made; and no split-calking shall in any case be permitted. No externally fired boiler having its shell constructed of iron or steel plates exceeding an average thickness of thirty one-hundredths of an inch shall be employed on any steam vessel navigating the Red River of the North or rivers flowing into the Gulf of Mexico or their tributaries; and no externally fired boiler employed on any such steam vessel shall have less than three inches space between its shell and any of its internal flues, and not less than three inches space between such flues when any such flues are more than five inches in diameter; and every such externally Feb. 28, 1895. fired boiler employed on any such steam vessel shall be provided with a manhole in the lower part of the front head thereof, of such dimensions as may be prescribed by the board of supervising inspectors, in all cases where the distance between its internal flues is less than three inches. Externally fired boilers having shells constructed of iron or steel plates not exceeding an average thickness of fifty one-hundredths of an inch may, in the discretion of the Secretary of the Treasury, be authorized and employed on steam vessels navigating the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, or salt-water bays or sounds, or the Great Lakes, or any of them, and waters flowing to and from the same, or any of them: Provided, That on inspection no plate that is by this act limited to a thickness of thirty one-hundredths of an inch and no plate that is by this Act limited to a thickness of fifty one-hundredths of an inch shall be rejected for use if found to exceed those dimensions, respectively, if the average thickness thereof does not exceed the limits therein specified, and the amount of steam pressure that will be permitted to be carried in boilers constructed in accordance with the requirements of this act shall be determined from measurements showing the least thickness of the plates. The feed-water shall be delivered into the boilers in such R. S., 4435. manner as to prevent it from contracting the metal, or otherwise injuring the boilers. And when boilers are so arranged on a vessel that there is employed a water-connecting pipe through which the water may pass from one boiler to another, there shall also be provided a similar steam connection, having an area of opening into each boiler of at least one square inch for every two square feet of effective heating-surface contained in any one of the boilers so connected, half the flue and all other fire-surfaces being computed as effective. Adequate provision shall be made on all steam-vessels to prevent sparks or flames from being driven back from the fire-doors into the vessel. Every boiler shall be provided with a good, well-con- R. S., 4436. structed safety valve or valves, of such number, dimensions, and arrangements as shall be prescribed by the board of supervising inspectors, and shall also be provided with a sufficient number of gauge-cocks and a reliable low-water indicator that will give alarm when the water falls below its prescribed limits; and in addition thereto there shall be inserted, in a suitable manner, in the flues, crown-sheet, or other parts of the boiler most exposed to the heat of the furnace when the water falls below its prescribed limits, a plug of good Banca tin. |