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Steamboat Inspection Service Suffers Los S in Resignation of Uhler Many Constructive Changes Have Been Made in the Rules and Regulations During the 23 Years of His Leadership —The Scope and Responsibility of In- spection Has Been Steadily Increased George Uhler, supervising inspector general, BY D. N. HOOVER Deputy Supervising Inspector General N ORDER to get a correct picture in perspective of the man who has served as supervising inspector general of the steamboat inspection service for the last 28 years, it may be well to tell something of the his- tory of that service. The act of congress approved July 7, 1838, which provided for the inspection of the hulls and boilers of steam vessels, was the first legislation upon the im- portant question of “the better secur- ity of lives of passengers on board of vessels propelled in whole or in part by steam.” By this act the inspectors were appointed by the dis- trict judge of the United States for the district in which the vessel was inspected, and were paid by the steamer the sum of $5 each for each inspection. This act provided for lifeboats, sig- nal lights, fire pumps and hose, and also for iron rods or chains in place of rope for steering gear. The boil- ers were inspected every six months and the hulls every twelve months, and it was also required that steam- ers employ “a competent number of ‘ experienced and skillful engineers.” Certificates of inspection were re- quired “to be posted up and kept in some conspicuous part of the boat for the information of the public.” The act of July 7, 1838, was modified by the act approved March 38, 1843, which provided for additional steering ap- paratus, but exempted certain vessels from the requirements of the pre- vious act. An act of congress ap- proved March 8, 1849, provided for signal lights for all vessels. The act of congress approved Aug. 30, 1852, was really responsible for the es- tablishment of the present steamboat inspection service, and was known as the “steamboat act.” This act amended the act of 1838, and pro- vided for the appointment and pay- ment of nine supervising inspectors, and for local inspectors at various ports. It also provided for life- boats, life preservers, other life- saving equipment, for the licensing of engineers and pilots for passen- ger steamers, and for the stamping of boiler plate. This act is’ therefore the foundation upon which the whole superstructure of the steamboat inspection service has been raised, and it was modified and amended in minor particulars by the various acts of March 3, 18538, April 29, 1864, June 8, 1864, March 3, 1865, and July 25, 1866. es Service Founded in 1852 The act of congress approved Feb. 28, 1871, gave us what is really the present law upon the organization and administration of the steamboat inspection service, and _ although amended and changed from time to time it is, in fact, the basis of our present practice. This act provided for the appointment of a supervising 21 steamboat inspection service, from April 1, 1908 to Dec. 81, 1925 inspector general and created a board of supervising inspectors, desig- nating also the time and place of meeting of said board and defining the duties thereof. It provided for the inspection, testing, and stamping of material entering into the construc- tion of marine boilers, a provision which has proven of the highest value and importance in the prevention of explosion and loss of life. It will thus be seen that the steam- boat inspection service is one of the oldest in point of continuous exist- ence in the Federal government. There now exists the possibility that this service will be united with some other arm of the government, or that it will be abolished entirely. Whether or not this comes to pass, the fact remains that the functions that have been exercised by the service must be continued by some arm of the gov- ernment. If the general rules and regulations prescribed by the board of supervising inspectors as those rules and regula- tions existed in 1903 are examined and compared with the general rules and regulations as they exist in 1925, it will be found that the pres- ent edition is full of constructive de- tails that have been adopted in the last 23 years, all of which shows the strong guiding hand of General George Uhler, because they have been largely his work. At the time (Continued on Page 52)