AN ORDINANCE 
To Provide for and Regulate the Inspection of 
Steam Boilers. 
It is hereby ordained by the people of the City of 
Detroit; 
Section 1. All stationary steam boilers and also 
all steam boilers used with portable engines operated 
in the City, shall be inspected at least once in each 
year, and shall in such inspection be subjected to a 
hydrostatic pressure in the ratio of one hundred and 
fifty pounds to one hundred pounds, as the working 
powrer allowed such steam boilers, and it shall be 
unlawful for any person to operate any steam boiler 
above mentioned in this City which has not been in- 
spected as herein provided. But this ordinance 
shall not apply to boilers in use on vessels and duly 
inspected by inspectors under the laws of the tfAited 
States. • 
Sec. 2. No person shall have charge of, operate 
or manage any steam boiler described in the preced- 
ing section without a license therefor from the 
Mayor as hereafter provided. 
Sec. 3. For the purposes of this ordinance there 
shall be an officer of the City of Detroit, to be known 
as the Inspector of Steam Boilers, whose term of 
office shall be three years, who shall be appointed 
by the Common Council on the nomination of the 
Mayor, and have a salary not exceeding $1,600 per 
annum; said Inspector sha'l be a competent and 
practical engineer, a good judge of the construction 
of steam boilers and engines generally, and ex- 
perienced in their operation and uses; he shall 
qualify as other officers of the City, and shall furnish 
a bond to the City of Detroit, with two good sure- 
ties in the sum of $10,000, for the faithful discharge 
of his duties. Said Inspector shall have authority 
to employ an assistant when necessary, who is a com- 
petent and practical engineer, to aid him in the per- 
formance of his duties, whose compensation shall 
be fixed from time to time by the Common Council, 
but shall not exceed the rate of $1,000 per annum. 1 
Sec. 4. All persons desiring a license under the j 
provisions of this ordinance in the first instance 
shall file an application therefor with the said Inspec- 
tor, stating experience and qualifications, with 
recommendations in each case of at least two well 
known citizens, sh >wing temperate habits and good 
character. The said Inspector shall carefully ex- 
amine each applicant as to his qualifications, and 
upon the termination of such examination at once 
file with the Mayor the application of the person | 
examined and his report as to the fitness and quali- 
fication of such person to take charge of and opera'e ■ 
steam boilers. Upon the receipt of such application 1 
and report and consideration thereof, the Mayor 
may issue a license to the person desiring the same, 
upon his executing a bond to the City of Detroit 
with sufficient sureties in the sum of two hundred 
dollars for faithful compliance with the charter and 
ordinances of said City. Licenses so issued may be 
revoked or suspended as in other cases where licen- 
ses are required, or upon the recommendation of said 
Inspector. Each license shall be for the terin of one (1) 
year, and every person receiving the same shall pay 
to the License Collector the following sums: For 
each person in charge of a boiler above forty (40) 
horse power, ten (10) dollars; for engineers in 
charge of a boiler between forty and twenty (40-20) 
horse power, seven (7) dollars; for every engineer 
in charge of a boiler below twenty (20) horse 
power, five (5) dollars. 
Sec. 5. It shall be the duty of the Inspector of 
Steam Boilers to make a thorough examination and 
inspection of all steam boilers mentioned in section 
one hereof, at least once in each year, the material 
used therein and the pipes, valves, flues, tubes, con- 
struction and workmanship thereof, and if he consi- 
ders any such boiler defective in any particular and 
in any danger of exploding, he shall so state to the 
person in charge or to the owner thereof, and from 
thenceforth it shall be unlawful for such person in 
charge or such owner to operate said boiler until 
properly repaired and a certificate issued by the In- 
spector as hereinafter provided. 
Sec. 6. It shall be the duty of the Inspector after 
testing and examining any steam boiler and approv- 
ing of the same, to issue a certificate to the owner 
or person controlling the same, containing a permit 
to use such boiler for one year unless sooner found 
defective, and also to state the maximum pressure 
of steam which said boiler shall carry. Said certifi- 
cate to be signed and verified by the oath of the In- 
spector. 
Sec. 7. The said Inspector shall demand and 
receive from the owner, owners or persons controll- 
ing the same, fees for inspecting bcilers as follows: 
For each boiler of 50 horse power and over, five dol- 
lars; for each boiler less than 50 and over 20 horse 
power, four dollars, and for each boiler less than 20 
horse power, three dollars, but for a double boiler 
or two or more boilers inspected in the same place 
at the same time, the fees so demanded and received 
shall be 25 per cent, less each than for fees for in- 
specting single boilers. 
Sec. 8. To enable him to fully discharge his duty 
the said Inspector is authorized to enter any build- 
ing or place where any boiler herein mentioned may 
ba in the City of Detroit, and no person shall hinder, 
impede or obstruct said Inspector or his assistant in 
the performance of any duty by this- ordinance im- 
posed. Provided, however, that said Inspector, when 
requested by the owners in writing, shall arrange 
times for boiler inspection when the same will the 
least interrupt business. 
Sec. 9. In case the . owner or person in control 
of any boiler is aggrieved by the inspection or find- 
ing of the said Inspector, the matter in controversy, 
upon complaint to the Mayor in writing within 48 
hours, shall tie determined by a board of arbitration 
consisting of three expert and experienced engineers, 
one to be selected by the Inspector, one by the party aggrieved, and the other by the two already selected. 
The said board shall give a full hearing to the said 
Inspector and to the party aggrieved and to the 
witnesses whom they may produce, and the finding 
of said board as to the matter in question shall be 
final and conclusive. 
Sec. 10. Every owner or person in charge of a 
steam boiler to whom a permit and certificate of 
inspection shall have been issued according to the 
requirements of section 6 of this ordinance, shall 
cause the same to be conspicuously posted and main- 
tained in the place where such boiler is in use, and 
every engineer or person receiving a license under 
this ordinance shall cause the same to be con- 
spicuously displayed in the engine-rooms or place 
where he is employed and actually works. Every 
owner or person in charge of any boiler required to 
be inspected by this ordinance shall report the fact 
to said Inspector within 15 days after this ordinance 
shall take effect, and in case of the setting up or 
opera! ing of any other such boiler the owner thereof 
or person in charge of I he same shall forthwith 
report the fact to the said Inspector. 
Sec. 11. The said Inspector shall keep a com- 
plete record of his work, and shall at the end of 
each month report to the Common Council in detail 
the number and kind of boilers by him inspected 
and approved or condemned, also the amount of 
fees by him received and paid into the treasury, to- 
gether with such other information of importance 
as may be deemed necessary. At the end of each 
year he shall file a report showing the transactions 
of the office for the year. 
Sec. 12. Any violation of or neglect or refusal 
to comply with the provisions of this ordinance shall 
be punished* by a fine not to exceed $500 and costs 
of prosecution; and in the imposition of any such 
fine and costs the court may make a further sentence 
that the offender be imprisoned until the payment 
thereof; provided, that the term of such imprison- 
ment shall not exceed the period of six months. 
Provided, further: That certificates of inspection 
of steam boilers issued with policies of insurance on 
the same by any steam boiler inspection and insur- 
ance company, doing a business of inspecting and 
insuring steam boilers exclusively, and authorized 
by the laws of the State of Michigan to inspect and 
insure steam boilers, shall be equally as valid and 
effectual as the certificate hereinbefore provided for 
in this ordinance, and any person or corporation pos- 
sessing such certificate from any such company, 
such certificate being uurevoked and in full life, 
shall be exempt from the penalties by this ordinance 
prescribed. 
And it is further proviueu, That for every such 
certificate issued in this city by any such steam boil- 
er inspection and insurance company, such company 
shall pay into the City Treasury the sum of three 
($3) dollars; and it is further provided, that every 
such company doing business in the City of Detroit 
shall fi e, on or before the tenth day of each month, 
with the City Controller, a statement showing the 
number of such boilers inspected by such company 
during the month preceding, the names of the parties 
for whom inspected, and the places where the same 
are located, and the amount paid by such company 
into the City Treasury during the preceding month. 
In case any such inspection and insurance company 
find any boiler that, in its opinion, is unfit to be used, 
on account of the condition of such steam boiler or 
its connections, said company shall report such 
facts, the location of said boilers and the names of 
the parties for whom such inspection was made, as 
soon as practicable, to the City Inspector. 
Sec. 13. This ordinance shall take immediate 
effect. 
Approved September 20, 1881. 
W. G. THOMPSON, Mayor. 
Attest: Louis Dillmann, City Clerk.