The Deadly Cost of Lax Oversight on Puget Sound Steamers

Your correspondent in Snohomish is very correct on the idea that he denominates 'shoddy boilers,' or in other words, iron that has been removed from the stove to the steam room. I would like to ask him who should have more knowledge of the dangers to life and property that would result from carrying such in a steam-boat boiler than the firm, the owners? And I would also ask who causes these remeans to be shown in someone’s boiler, if not to economize and increase profit by performing the duties of an engineer? Is not the government inspector to blame? After the blame to steamboat owners, are they not themselves to blame? If the rewards of the boiler inspector's office were curtailed, and the number of applicants' papers for boiler-maker positions, the number of steamboat captains (who illicitly hold licenses as 'engineers and boiler makers') would be found to be in the majority. If there is a fault in the owners of these boats, they are themselves to blame; for through their indifference with the government they have done everything in their power to lower the life-saving standards. The government has given a law, which, if well enforced, will place a good monitor over the bosses of the boats and force them to do their duties honestly and carefully, and see that which will cause a sudden stop to the causes of the deaths of all boiler explosions, and who will not be influenced by the bills and other wealth of the companies.