American watchman and Delaware advertiser. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1822-1828, 1824-06-01
From the Ne1C York GGSette,
HIGH STEAM.


to the Etna, is calculated awaken the deepest feel
ngs, ard It seems to be the duty of every one, so far
as It is IN his power, to guard his fellow citizens
against exposing themselves to such hnrrld occur.
rences. his and every other fatal accident
nected With steam navigation, we have ever heard
OIL has been owing to the use of high steam. The
boilers OF low steam vessels have frequently burst ;
hardly season passes when il does rot happen to
one or other OF the boats running from this city ;
but when it does happen with low pressure no
mischief ensues--there is no explosion. The mo
ment the steam is let out oil the boiler it loses Its
elastic quality and oil course has force the slight
partitions which always enclose the boiler suf-
hcent to resist 1t; the boiling water tails into the
bottom Of the boat, and the worst that can happen IS
that the feet and legs OF the workmen who may be
employed in the lowest part oil the vessel the
boiler may be scalded; but even hi, has not hap
pened with low pressure engines in more than one
or two instances but with high pressure it total
~ different " heneyer high steam boiler bursts
there is an explosion which carries every thing be.
tore it. 1t is as uncomfortable as lgnited gunpow.
der. Not only does it tear away every thing that
loPposes 1t but it scaters the water which is not
converted into steam and which is heated greatly
above the boiling point, in all directions
| we have been taught by the most horrible expe-
rlence that these are the effects OF the xposon Of
high steam boilers yet those who interested in
may be rendered saie-But it should be known,
and the purpose Of this communication is dem
onsfate, thai is impossible to make heI. secure.
Inc only means OF safety is what is called aisty
yalve--that is to say, there is aperture in the
boiler. over which there is cover loaded with
weights to such degree, as that Wien there is a
certain pressure by the steam on its in eror surface
VIII rise and relieve the boiler from any pressure
above that which il is intenAed to work the ma
n ior IL, - ;ct.s LII, ,orJ-
with two hundred poo s each square inch OF
he surface oil the boer, the boiler would be made
capable of bearing three hundred pounds each
square inch, and the safety valve would he loaded
with two hundred pounds, and OF course would
rise when the pressure of The steam was any thing
above this upon each square inch of its interior sur
| face; and as the boiler would bear three hundred
pounds, ii would seem there would be perfect safety
when 1t could only be exposed to pressure OF two
hundred pounds. This would undoubtedly be true il
he strength oil The boiler could always be preserved
But the misfortune is. that the whole strength OF
/ boiler may be destroyed in ten minutes. A boiler
i which upon experiment may have been found ca
paole OF bearing thousand pounds on the square
1 inch, may ten minutes afterwards be incapable o.
sustaining pressure o! ten pounds. II from &C
cident, as by leak, from the carelesness of ar
i Engineer the boiler is left without sufficient water
to cover all that part of the metal which is in con
ure and feasibility is oally destroyed, and this eff
eci is more certainly produced by letting water II
Il upon the metal when it is in this heated state.
becomes what artificers call nealed, and piece G
copper quarter OF an inch thick, which has beef
! subjected this process, becomes as tiable as
rat'tail file, and may be easily broken with the fin
,Igers.
II Suppose then that a boiler has been weakened b.
these means II might burst before it was sub ecte
tfo "a hich he al ~
ye It might endure until the weight on the safet
valve was nearly 1t might, Tor instance
. when the safety valve was loaded with two hundre
pounds, not give way till the steam had reached on
tihundred and ninety-rine pounds. But the bursting
, Iof boiler with pressure any thing above twenty
FIVE or'thirty pounds, must be destructive.
4 Low pressure engines work with from ten (,
Twenty pounds on the square inch--they seldor
. carry more than twelve or fifteen pounds wherea
nj high pressure engines sometimes calculated
I'll carry from hundreds TO thousands Of pounds on tn
square inch. A low pressure engine can do n
: mischief and the art oil man cannot make hlg
e pressure safe. The safety of boiler consists in IT
e weakness; danger is in its strength. ii boiler
so weak. as that it will not bear more than twenty
five pounds on the square inch, it can do no harm
But if it be made capable OF carrying more Than fit
pounds pressure, nothing has yet been invented
IS render it secure. Nothing guarantee thus
/, who trust to il against carelessness or accident.
II Unfortunately, high steam boilers can be cor
struced at less COST take less room, less weig
ofty and be employed at less expense of fuel tina
low steam boilers and therefore they will be uss
s. in steam navigation, unless the cupidty of tho'
who do not hesitate TO expose the lives of their e
h. low citizens for gain be restrained by the egisaur
d And. sir. it is respectfully submitted, whether II
10 late horrible catastrophe, and others Of the same
ID ture which have been experienced, does not ca
h lon our lawmakers for their nterDositOn, upon Il
IN same principles that have led them TO make proyi
ions relative to the storing and transportation
, Igunpowder. FULTON.