THAMES ENGINEERS AND ENGINE DRIVERS' PROTECTION SOCIETY.

Thames Star, Volume VI, Issue 1842, 27 November 1874, Page 2

THAMES ENGINEERS AND ENGINE DRIVERS' PROTECTION SOCIETY.

We have much pleasure in giving insertion to the following manifesto of the above Society, as a means of directing attention to an important subject :—

An Act to Pbovide fob the Inspection and Regulation of ceetain KINDS OF MaCHINEBY IW THE COLONY of New Zealand. August 31st, 1874. , ■

On the morning of January 24th, now nearly a year ago, occurred one of the most frightful casualties that has yet taken place on the Thames Goldfield, viz, the Kuranui boiler explosion. It is not our intention to enlarge on the horror of this or accidents of a similar nature, but we, as the Thames Engineers and Engine Drivers Protection Society, deem that we should not be doing cur duty if we did not draw attention to the fact that up to the present—beyond passing the .Act which we give the title of above—no steps, so far as we know, have been taken to give practical effect to this legislation. The necessity for action, not or.ly for our safety of life and limb, but for the protection of owners and xisers of steam, is as great, nay, indeed, greater to day than it was on the 21th of January last; and, to quote from the exhaustive report of the Royal Commission on this point, " The cause of the explosion and circumstances leading to it are those surrounding many boilers on the Thames Goldfield at ieast, and which, if not met with preventive measures, may at any time take effect, and from situation aad surroundings be capable of equal or greater destruction to life and property." This is the deliberate expression of opinion of no mean judges ; and why, we ask, is this delay in putting in force the Act specially framed to guard as much as is possible from these calamities, which

have been 'stated, and correctly, may be reduced to a minimum, if not entirely prevented, by competent periodical inspection. An article ia the Quarterly Journal of Science on the subject of Steam Boiler Legislation, by Sir William Fairbairn, Barfc, L.L.D., FJK.S., has much in it of great interest. Tbe Manchester Steam Users' Association, founded about 20years ago under the original title of " The Association for tin; prevention of Steam Boiler Explosions, and. for effecting Economy in tbe Eaising and use of Steam," was, established by a few: gentlemen connected with manufactories and carried out by Sir W. Fairbairn and the owners of mills for the reduction of those calamitous events—steam boiler explosions. _ it has ever since been in active operation, and -while increasing in tbe , number of its members, has proved of great service—not only to them, but to the public generally. The investigations and experiments conducted by the Committee, having conduced to improved forms and secure principles on which boilers should bo constructed. After the abpvo Association had been in wort ity some years, several joint stock companies' were established for carrying out inspections accompanied with insurance. It will be readily understood, however, that the object of a joint, stock company must be the promotion of dividends, and as it has beeen proved by experience that inspection is very costly, while insurance is very cheap, it is evident that the introduction of the joint stock principle would militate against the efficiency of the inspections, and that it would tend to promote insurance rather than inspection. In uraiice of boilers will not restore life after a fatal explosion has occurred, while the companies make no provision for the families and representatives of those I killed or injured. Insurance generally, 13 I not condemned as a principle, as it is advantageously adopted in shipping, fire, ( and life, but is satisfactory only so far as !no inspection is required; as applied to boilers with the view of preventing explosions it is net satisfactory, since this end'can only be obtained by constant and costly inspection—which the demand for dividends.on the part of the share-holders-will tend to diminish to the lowest possible point. It is on these grounds that inspection carried out by joint stock insurance companies cannot admit of comparison with that of yoluntary honorary associations, whose sole object is—careful inspection for the prevention of steam boiler explosions and the saving of human life. The Committee of the Manchester Steam Users' Association, with a view of preventing explosions on the one hand, arid without unduly interfering with the liberty of the steam, user on the other —a problem of some difficulty—drew up a report on the subject, giving conclusions which had been arrived at after 15 years experience. This report, after giving statistics of number of explosions and results, says that boiler explosions are not a necessary consequence of the use of steam ; but they are preventable. That though complicated in result, they are simple in cause: arising in main from bad boilers, bad either in construction, or bad in condition. That six explosions are due to bad boilers, through the neglect of the boiler maker or boiler master, for every one due to the neglect.of the boiler minder. That competent inspection is adequate to 1 detect the badness of the boilers, and thus to prevent, by far the greater number of the explosions occurring. The Committee arrived at the conclusion that it was necessary to enforce inspection by law. This Association, as already stated above, was founded fifteen years ago for the administration of a system of voluntary periodical inspection with a view to the prevention of steam boiler explosions. The experience of that term of years has shown that inspection is adequate, but that voluntaryism is not: inspection has succeeded; voluntaryism has failed. The difficulty is not with the boilers but with the boiler owners. Inspection will prevent explosions, but the owners will not have their boilers inspected. Nothing but coercion in some form or other will meet such cases. Thatalthough it is necessary in the interests of the public that inspection should be enforced bylaw, it is not advisable either m the interest of the steam user or the public at large, that that inspection should be undertaken by any department of the Imperial Govern* ment. Such a course, ifc is feared, being likely to be a pource of annoyance to the, steam user and hamper progress. Improvements being made from day to day the system would require to be constantly modified. In order to secure the efficiency of the inspection,,let the administration be national, and undertaken not for profit but for public safety.: To prevent ifc becoming stereotyped and old fashioned, and to render it capable o£ adaptation to the constantly altering and growing requirements of the boiler, let it be administered by a series of district boardse, lected by the steam users themselves ; the board having the power of : making sucli laws, rules and regulation}, from time to time, as-might be found/ necessary for conducting the service. Such a mode of administration would, it is thought, not only secure efficient inspection adequate to prevent explosions, but also be considerate to individual steam users, and bo found not to hinder but to assist engineering progress. On this system the inspection would be enforced by law to render its adoption universal; it would be administered by the steam users themselves to prevent its becoming arbitrary; and, finally, it would be founded on a national basis to secure its accomplishment. Such were the conclu. sions at which the \Manohester Steam Users' Association arrived after mature deliberation. This is a very meagre resume of Sir William Fairbairn's article in the Journal referred to, but it is quite sufficient to prove what necessity tnero

Vexists for some immediate action, and what good may result when inspection is , properly carried out. ' The Commission have gone very fully into the question in their report on the Kuranui, and have considered three methods of dealing with the subject. First — Non-interference, but enacting penalties for neglect or explosions. Second—A voluntary system as exists by means of four or five large associations for that purpose in England. And lastly a Governmental inspection. The Commismissioners ultimately decided on the plan of Governmental inspection, which they indicate very comprehensively in their report, adding, "This, we believe, ought to be provided for as socn as possible. Now, the interesting question is, what has come of it ? What have we beyond the passing of the Act referred to ? The season o< all others in which, if there is to to be any inspection, it would be most convenient for the steam users themselyes to be carried out is rapidly drawing near. The Act is ready, and after a careful examination of it it seems quite to me^phe case. The question is, who is to act? It was not without some trepidation we ventured to ventilate this question as a society ; but we feel it duo to ourselves to do so.