Puget Sound Fleet Hit with Heavy Fines
Sixteen steamships were penalized $750 each for failing to carry adequate life-saving equipment, according to the Collector of Customs.
PORT TOWNSEND, Feb. 16.—Collector of Customs C. W. Ide today threw a bombshell among 16 Puget Sound steamboats by fining each of them $750 for failure to carry sufficient life-saving apparatus, life-preservers, etc., in good condition. Among those fined are the steamers Flyer and Athlon. These fines are the result of the recent tour of inspection by the revenue cutter Grant.
“Collector of Customs C. W. Ide today threw a bombshell among 16 Puget Sound steamboats.”
Safety regulations on the Sound have always been a point of contention between commercial operators and federal regulators. Today, oversight remains as critical as in 1904, though the focus has shifted from simple life-preservers to complex environmental and navigational compliance.
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