The Sun.
London, England, 1856-11-19 00:00:00

THE STEAMBOAT RIPLOSION 01. TILE

MERSEY.

LIVERPOOL, Nov. 18.
An inquest has been held on the body of Joseph Pear-
am, one of the firemen on board the steamtug Iron
King, who was killed by an explosion on board that
vessel while steaming on the Mersey on Saturday morn-
ing. The facts as to the effects of the explosion were
stated in l'he Sum of yesterday, but the evidenoe of Mr.
Edward James Ross, engineer, appointed by the Board
of Trade to examine the machinery of passenger steara-
tugs at this port twice a year, threw additional light
upon the cause of the accident.
He said—At the latter end of last month I was
sailed on to examine the inside of the boilers and the
engines of the Iron King. I made the examination,
and considered everything was right, whereupon I
gave a certificate. I took every precaution that I could
suggest before passing the boilers. There were two
safety valves. Several times since the 25th of October
I have been on board the Iron King and always examined
the safety-valves, and found them in good working order.
Her boiler is a circular boiler, supported in the middle
by a great many tubes, called Galloway's tubes. The
boiler is made by Galloway, of Manchester. I have
made a thorough examination of the boiler since the
explosion. The diagram produced, No. 1, shows the
state of the boiler before the explosion ; and the diagram,
No. 2, shows its appearance after the explosion. I made
an examination of the safety-valves, and found them in
good working order. They did not appear to have been
in any way tampered with. The boiler is a perfect
cylinder, both in shell and fire-furnace; it is, in fact,
what is termed a high-pressure boiler. When I made the
examination on the 26th of last month I should say I saw
about seven or eight men working in and about the boiler.
At that time I saw Mr. Griffiths, who superintends
the whole of Messrs. Warden's boats, but I did not see
the engineer on board the boat then. Something passed
between Mr. Griffiths and myself on the occasion about
the narrow water space between the boiler. I asked
him how he found the water place, and he told me that
there was a considerable quantity of scale in that place.
I then told him how necessary it was to have it all
removed ; and he said he had given the men strict
orders to do their best to remove it. Some two or three
days after this I asked Mr. Griffiths whether he had
done as he promised and removed the scale. He said to

the best of his belief it was removed, but that the space
was so narrow that it was impossible to feel, let alone to
see, down the space, but that the engineer of the boat
bad told him that the scale was all removed. Upon
the strength of that I gave the declaration. I attribute
the cause of the explosion to the collapsing of the sides
of the flue of the port boiler ; and I believe the Gal-
loway tubes gave way from the pressure of the flue. I
found two of the tubes broken off about half way down.
I attribute the collapsing of the flue to the scales or
sediment having collected on the side of the flue,
thereby preventing the water getting to the plate, which
thereby came red hot. The sediment in the narrow
place I have spoken of•would have the effect of keeping
the water off the plate. When the water is kept from
the plate the plate soon becomes very hot, and the pres-
sure of the steam may then force the plate in. That is
by no means an unfrequent occurrence, and it some-
times occurs from the boiler getting short of water.
I do not consider in this case that the boiler was
short of water. I consider a sufficient sediment
would oollect in the narrow water gauge—such as
I found after the explosion—in the course of about
two months ; I speak of the sediment I found OR
the examination which I made. If the sediment had
been removed which I saw on the 25th of last month,
when I examined the boiler, I don't think it could have
formed in sufficient quantity again between that period
and the day of the explosion so as to cause the ex
plosion. The collection of sediment is sometimes
occasioned by the want of prevention on the part of the
engineer, in not blowing the water sufficiently off. I
am decidedly of opinion that the sediment I saw should
have been removed before the steam was got up. There
was no steam-gauge to the boiler. I consider that all
steamers ought to have one. It was the duty of the
engineer of the boat to see that the sediment was re-
moved before the steam wag got up. I consider a
steam-gauge a very great safeguard against explosions.
By Mr. Aspivall—These boilers of Galloway's have
not been long introduced into use on board steamers,
though they have been used on land with fresh water
for a considerable time. The narrowness of the space I
alluded to is a great objection to those boilers, because it
is exceedingly difficult to clean, and also difficult to as-
certain wheth,r they are cleaned or not. That objection
occurs more strongly to me now after the explosion, but
before I was a great advocate of these boilers. It would
be quite impossible for a man to get through the narrow
water space. It is not possible for a boy to get through
entirely, so that it would be difficult to see whether the
space was properly cleaned. As far as I know, I believe
,everything was done that could be done to clean this
part properly on behalf of the owners and the men em•
ployed. I see now the non-adaptation of those boilers
fur the use of salt water.

The jury returned a verdict of accidental death, coupled
with an opinion that the boiler was one of improper con-
struction for the purpose.

LLOYD'S SHIPPING.—(This Day.)

LONDON, Nov. 18.—Wind this day at noon, N.W. ;
light aiis and hazy.
The Louise, of Dundee, from St. Petersburg, for Liver.
pool, has been totally lost off the coast of Norway ; crew
landed at Christiania.

PORTSMOUTH, Nov. 18.—Wind W. to N.E.—Sailed—
Istamboul, for the Cape of Good Hope.
BELFAST, Nov. 17.—Wind S:—Arrived—Kennymede,
from Baltimore. Sailed—Elizabeth Morrison, for New
Orleans.

MARYPORT, Nov. 17.—Arrived—Edwin, from Quebec.
GRIMSBY, Nov. 19.—The schooner Coln., of and for
Colchester from Shields, sunk near the Dudgeon on the
17th inst., after being in contact with the Norval, of New-
castle ; crew saved.

MEMEL, Nov. 18.—It is blowing a dreadful gale at W.,
but as yet no damage has been done to the shipping.' The
Haff is clear of ice.

(PER ELNOTRIO TELEMittPR.)
LIVERPOOL, lirbcinesday Morning

Wind N.W.

Arrived—Lydia, from Charleston ; Hawk, Quebec ;
Marianne, Amsterdam ; Favourite, Bt. John's, N.B. ;
Snowden, Newfoundland.
Sailed—Henry Clay, for New York ; Henry, Mobile ;
Caroline, and Shepherdess, Calcutta ; Columbia, New
York ; Silistria, New Orleans ; AlbauiAn, screw steamer,
Trieste ; Egyptian, screw steamer, Malta ; London, New
York; Gladiator, New Orleans; Alegro Da Minho, Gib-
raltar ; .zEolits, Stettin ; Hernda, Port-au-Prince ; Neros,
Rio Janeiro ; Margaret Arendina, Trieste ; Ostzee, Zuri k-
zee ; Henry, Mobile ; Moult, Azores ; Golden Grove, Mar-
seilles ; Medora, Pernambuco ; Pearl, D'ordt.
QUEENS GOWN, Nov- 17.

Wind variable.
Arrived—Gratitude, from Odessa; Dominica, Quebec.

(Br SUBMARINE A.ND BRITISH TEE,EGRAPFL)
GRAD Wednesday, 10 a.m.

Wind W. ; tide three horns' ebb ;
Arrived, Nov. 19—Sandale, from Pera ; Eliza, hantzic ;
Margaret, Guernsey ; Bing, Cronstadt ; Lionno, Grave-
lines ; Trent, Colombo.
Sailed, Nov. 19—Panther, steamer, for Boulogne ; Nep-
tune, Hamburg; Alacrity, Cape of Goo,-1 Ho.pe.
DEAL, Wednesday, 9.45 a.m.

Wind, W.N.W.; light and fine.
Passed, Nov. 18—Dona, from London, for Santander ;
Robertson, from Hartlepool, for Beyrout:
Passed, Nov. 19—Malcolm, from Shields, f, w Alexan-
dria ; Viscount Melbourne, brig, from the weAtward, for
the north.
Sailed—W. E. Routh, for Naples.

A man named Travers was yesterday remandek i from
the Lambeth Police-court on a charge of garrot, ting a
Mr. Moore, residing at Pleasant-place, Lambeth. The
offence was committed in Temple-street, between t, welve
and one o'clook yesterday morning.
The brother of Castles, the fireman on the train: that
came into collision on the Ist inst., says that it i e not
true that his brother took the " perilous leap" attributed
to him. He was picked up very near the spot w:hers
the original met.