The Express.
London, England, 1847-09-14 00:00:00

tying of this valve, whereby the pressure was rendered
extreme. I have repeatedly spoken to the captain about
this. He ones asked me what I thought would be the con-
sequence of an explosion; and I said that every life on board
night be sacrificed, as the engine was • high-premium one,
and that Clark had better mind what he was about. One
Friday, a man named Butters took Clark's place, and
he instanly liberated the valves. I never PAW any one but
Clerk meddle with the valves or any other part of the
machinery. The reason of my leering was, that on a
Sunday in Apo& Clark had a great deal of gin to drink
with two conalasisms, and I had Whet the menage-
mast of I* and let ro the valves ; truce-
dialety misieguell thigh and I asked him if he knew what
he Wee alba TIA. been we. then laid at the Adelpbi pier.
I bed boa as .mama) wain in the boiler, like stays
to ea lettilt=iwandve aise7l4ledous Cla
acctstliftfinetitlid
not et go valves. This was after I had locoed them, and
be had re-tutees& them, put on more coal, shut the doors,
and put the jenny up. There were about 400 persons on
board at the time ;it was near noon on the Sunday. There
is • regular steam-gaage, indicating the pressure; when the
valves were tied down, it frequently stood at 411 or 44 ; but
after they had been so two or three minute*, the
water got mixed with the mercury, and it was
in such an agitated state that we could not tell what
was the pruritus of the steam. The highest I have seen
it indicate wax 44; beyond that, it became confess& from
the mixture of water with the mercury. I never hoard what
was the exact pressure the engine was intended to bear ; it
isnecesPmsary for the englnee
chr te know this. A pressure of
to the square in is generally considered the
maximum; at that pressure, the valves were made to lift.
I have seen them do so. I have also seen Clark put a fire-
bar, weighing perhaps 'albs., acne. the levers of the safety-
valve, in order to Masses the resistance of the steam ; he
would place it between the spindle of the valve and the end
of the lever, moving it backwards and forwards, so
as to regulate the pressure. Clark and I frequently
had weeds about his management of the engine; but
there was no other quarrel between us. He used
to say that it was no business of mine, that '
be was placed there to make the boat go, and that he must
do so. I reported his oondnet to the captain. After the oc-
currence I have spoken of in April laid, I left the boat, and
went en board the Bee. I was di charged on the Saturday
ler 41rwraihis.: 411 eltadasurbeli;tialwrateirir :saw" w
games an station I bad made on the Sunday preceding to
the captain ; be said I was not a fit man to be us employed ;
that a great Reny people had left the boat in consequence
and that I should no longer be employed by them. I told
him that if Clark was suffered to go on as he had done, sooner
or later there would be • fearful accident. He (Mr. Smith)
said that they knew Clark to be a very trustworthy man.
I knew Mr. Smith to be one of the proprietors
of the boat. I told him distinctly that Clark
was in the habit of tying the valves, and that the practice
was most dangerous. While I we. in the other boats (the
Aat and Bee) I have MA Mr. Joyce come down aad examine
the engine, to see that there was no improper pressure. I
did not see him do this on board the Cricket.
1 By the Jury : When I was charged by Mr. Smith with
making an oration and frightening the people away, I told
him that I had only quietly spoken to the captain, and that
no one but him and the boat's crew heard me. He said he
did not believe me. There were three gauges for ascertaining
the quantity of the water ; bat I never knew the engine to
fall short; she fed remarkably well. We had two pumps, '1
but seldom had occasion to use either. Hid the valves been
Ist liberty they would always have acted of themselves
beyond a certain weight. The bar was put across,
I suppose, to increase the weight when the strings
were untied; but the bar remained, whether the valve. I
were secured or not, and thus increased the reeislasce to be
overcome before the valves would rise. No material acci-
dent occurred while I was on board the Cricket, except
that, one night, in April, I was nearly suffocated in packing
a trunnion, by an escape of steam. I we. not on board
when she took fire. I was on board when she was run into
by another boat. I am not aware that she never ran
straight after that; my business was below.
By Mr. Chambers: Since my discharge from this boat I
have been in the Magnet, which goes to New Dieppe and
Harlingen. The captain and I had a few words, and I was
discharged.
The Coroner doubted the relevancy of this cross-examina-
tion.

Mr. Chambers contended that character was an important
ingredient is an inquiry of this nature.
Cross-examination continued : I have been discharged
from three vessels since April, but not for bad conduct. One
engagement was only temporary, during the inane of the
I engineer. I have a character from all the vessels from
which I hays been discharged. In the Mountaineer we had
a disagreement with the chieftnate, as to the hours we were
to work, and we all left. I left the Magnet because the
captain would not advance us any money at Harlingen. I
was discharged front the Bee for the reasons I have stated—
Mr. Smith alleging that I had made an oration. I had
had no quarrel with Mr. Poletti. the superintendent,
' though I have had words with him, as have the other men.
I was in the Cricket three weeks or a month while Clark
was there. It was his general practice to tis down the
valves ' • he commenced about six clays &MN I entered the
boat. He began these pranks as soon as the boat be to '
lose speed. The strings en the valve might be seen by the
peesengers from the deck ; they could see that they were
tight, When I line spoke to Clark, he did not alter them.
We commenced=yii..the lighter valve; but this not
feekrieg the bated she other also. Them
were two valves to aselMoi sr; two of them were screw-
. valves, the operation of which I did not understand ; but
they could not be tied down. One valve of each boiler
was fastened. The visage indicating the pressure was
numbered as high as two hundred. It would not
act beyond forty-four, on account of bubbles of mer-
cury getting under the water, and causing it to fluctuate, so
that it gave me no indication. After the valves were secured,
the mercury would become thus agitated in about a minute,
provided it had stood at 44 before the valves were tied. I
never saw this happen before Clark came. I have seen Mr.
Joyce, the engineer, on board the Cricket. In ether boats, I
have seen hies notice the valve. I never heard him forbid
Clark to put weights on the valves. Mr. Meacham, Messrs.
Joyces' foreman, has been on board the Cricket while Clark
was there ; bat I never pointed out to him that the valves
ware tied down, though I had seen Mr. Joyce examine
the valves of other boats. Mr. Meacham has been on
board when the valves were tied down; he his
come down into the engine-room, and eirted the
' engine. I only recollect his b ing on board once when the
valves were tied ; he might have been there three or four
times. I did not point out to him the state of the valves, ,
but Butters did so. Mr. Meacham said, " Let them go ; I
know better what those engine will bear thin Clark does."
Clark was not then on bard, and Butters had taken his
place. I never pointed out either to Mr. Meacham or Mr.
Joyce that there was anything in the machinery to prevent
the boat going ILI she wed to ; nor did I point out that the
image did not work beyond 44. When Butters pointed out
the state of the valves to Mr. Meacham, Clark had just gone
out, leaving the valves tied. I was only one week on board
the Bee, of which Butters was the engine-driver. I
never saw the valves tied there, though there is
a string attached, for the purpose of hale, them, to
see if they worked properly. There were similar strings to
the valves in the Cncket ; but Clark did not use those for
tying them down, but some other pieces. When the fasten-
ings were pointed out to Mr. Meacham, he ordered them to
be done away with altogether, and said he did not allow
such praci ;res. I have seen Mr. Manchus come to inspect
the asachitery three or four times a week, and Mr. Joyce
perhaps once. The proprieces frequently took voyage by
these boats: I have men Mr. Smith, Mr. Carney, and Ald.
Thompson do so ; but I never then pointed out to any of
them the state of the valve.. On Isamu the Crick t I did
not say I would do far Clerk ; but I said I felt it my duty
to go to a magistrate, and expose practices so dangerous to
life. I did not my I weld give the company a b—y lift,
net an Mr. James: I wentinto expression of tbe kind.
7, Bythe company's employ in
June, 1846. The en in were then entirely new; lam
certain (dads. They ad been made purposely for this boat.
Everything on bong was new, to the best of my judgment.
Kent was employed fly Masers. Joyce to e'art tee eugines;
all went welt until Clark came, and everything seemed to be
in good condition. (Here a plan of the machinery was shown
to the witness, who described its action.) The valves would
act at 401bs. to the square inch, or a little under. The nee.
eery effect of the tying down would be to create an unfair
strain on the valves, which, continued ter some months,
might injure the best machinery. From the psckage
not being attended to, leakage of the steam would
occur. This would happen wholly independently of the
boiler, and would not be caused by any unsoundness in the
boiler. Butters had been sent from Messrs. Jaycee' factory.
When be found the valves tied he let them go immediately.
He worked the engine two or three hours until Clark re-
turned. Clark was the company's servant, and Messrs. Joyce
had no controul over him, except to watch his movements.
He is now in the company's service, as a sort of superinten-
dent of the other boats. . . _ ... _ _ _ . _

appeared on belief of the friends
of the deceased-Beckley) W ken Clark returned I told hint
what had occurred ;he mid he did not care a d—n for Mr.
Meacham DIN Mr. Joyos either; and he immediately re-
fastened the valves. He said the raid the boat must en, and
he was pot there to make It go. He kept those valves tied
down to the time of my leaving the boat, and I mw them in
that state afterwards.

[Left sitting. The malt will be given in • Second Edition.]

CONTRIBUTIONS TROY MARSEILLES FOR THE
DIIITBIIIIIIIO HIOZWIDRIIII.—A large quantity of fancy
'Aisles and ali haring been for warded by
Mr. TurnbarMlleCsmed6 at Marssillee, the coat:t-
hud= of its bassiaisat vailkets, to be said at Edinburgh,
for the relief of thadisgmassd Highlanders, the Lorde of as
Treasury hare Ova Oat saissiar7 directions that the Name
be forwarded fres of duty for that tarpon.

THE NEW STEAM-SNIP AMERICA, 1,800 tong bar-
then built at the Clyde for the Cunard company, to ply
between Liverpool and Boston, is now being fitted up, and
will be ready by the lit of January next. Her engines will
be 760 horse-power.

A Wives Thur.—Yesterday, a boy about 18
years of age obtained from the footman at the Duke of Bed-
ford's 6, Belgran-equare, • parcel containing 18 boxes of
mortar lamps, ix bran lamps, and wren glues for ditto,
one corn, maw the false pretence that they had bees left
by mistaka. emu lad deo obtained from the footman
at Berl iseeneees, 11, Balgrave-eguare, a new blue morning
sent mein a imam. pretext; and, on Saturday, from a
samlase of home fa the neinity at Portman-nguare, a groat
beelnt led joie less mat home from TOwnend'a
wmeMaemt Bssesikneee. Obeeride. This boy assumes a
mole, of illegal-at red methyl to enter into °Declination
wait win as mat be with goods, from whom he
eollieleaa latermation to induce servants to
IPTCI the geode. sad, notwithstanding the efforts of the