Wheeling times and advertiser. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1839-1849, 1848-01-04
As.
GEN. ZACHARY TAYLOR.
THE STEAMER \. n. JOHNSToN-THk
FACTS

another column, as nearly as they have YET
been obtained, has cas- deep and general
gloom over our city. There has seemed
cloud upon it, since the first announcements
as though Il pesdleuce had appeared am'hs
MS. Tie sad catastrophe has gone INTO our
households. our families. aud made sadness
and desolation the presiding spirit thereof
It's but natural that many stories should
be circulated among us. and abroad 10 "e
nreiudice of those connected with the lnsiru-
mont Of such destruction. We neither unite
with nor countenance these. IL Is our duty
as "a public journalist. to disregard everything
which close Inquiry does not substantiate. give
true information to the public, and ask the
candid attention Of that public both at home
and abroad. We shall endeavor 10 be candid
and impartial, and ii thsr~ 49, Pe's0"' WV
a., -, nnow OF things connected with
il that we do not know or state, we ask them
to examine as closely as we have examined
and then repor; the result of their observa-
tons.
The steamer a. y. Johnston was one Of the
first elias, boats. We considered her, when
she left the wharf. the best boat ever built in
Wheeling. Her boilers were made OF care
fully selected Juniata Iron of the very best
quality, aud lected with the utmost care.
They were made by Messrs. Hobbs d Tay-
Tor of this city, good engine builders, of con-
siderable experience aud perfect success here
tofJre, aad we say now that were we 10 en-
gage in building engines, we would, III view
OF tits very explosion, go TO them for work
in preference to others whose work had not
been tried; for we assert, and all who are ac-
quainted with steam and its effects, will sus-
tain us in the assertion, that the force and
destruc'iUensss of the explosion sholos the
qpork to b, Of tho best character, the b,ilsrs
nsp AID unhurt and tie iron of the best quail
ity
BY examining the statement of the Mays
vile Eagle it will lie seen that the boilers
were all torn from their beds; one of the bo-
lers was thrown 100 yards, striking with great
tcfcr, anather teariDg away all the stanchion,
that support the cabin, and plunging all un-
known distance into the water; another was
bent ana crushed up and thrown from its bed.
The weight OF each OF these BOILERS is % to
3 tons, their iastenngs equal TO tons more,
sni yet they were hurled as by an earthquake;
was or was not the boiler of good iron, which
resisted tae pressure OF steam aud the escape
OF gas until head SO powerful took placel-
We assert that covering OF an hundred feet
deep Of solid wrought iron, could not have
resisted the force OF the explosion. Boilers
give way, steam pipes burst, &c., and very
little damage is done, because they burst by
defects in work or iron; but when all ex plo-
sion ike ibis takes place, we are sure there is
no detect either in iron or work.
1t is asserted that the pumps were not in
order. Ga her trial trip to Marlinsvillea day
or tNo before she left, one of the pumps dId
not work well bat lhe other was ample ID
supply the boilers. However, the detective
pune was taken up and very small hole
the boat lei, Tor Cincinnati with every thing
il perfect order, and we would as soon have
AIKEN passage on her as on any boat on the
Ohio. Ii i, ctten the case, that after trial
detective sheet has to be taken out OF a boiler,
which the utmost care cannot detect when
making them, the strtin only showing the
flaw. This may have been the case in the A.
n. Johnston, at Cincinnati; we have not yet
learned positively whether such was or was
not the case. and ii is immaterial. II new
sheet was put In, 1t was well put in as the
force OF the explosion shows. We can only
ray upoa this point that the boat, boilers,
pumps aud whole engine, were new and good
MANNING TIE BOAT'-This boat was
jointly own BY Capt. BeEnet, commanding
They hal Jointly invested in the boat itself
about $1,000. Capt Bennett had in her
nearly all he was worth, h. was on board
him, H bad ruu the river at an early
day Tor some time, and became conversint
with steamboats, and The duties of officers and
meu In 1887 he purchase The Arcade, run
her Tor som' years captain, and when she
VAS worn OUT, lie built and commanded other
boats. He las been Tor ten years Coz. SANITY
IN command OF boats, and has acquired her
ever he Is known, the character OF an upright.
careful, n5rgetic and successful! man. We
have often travelled with him and we know
none more 50. We would this day 90 ON
board oi a boat under his command, for New
Orleans or anywhere else, as soon as with any
man on the liver. He had his own lie and
all he had in The world al stake. Would he
have gone out when he supposed there was
the least dausen VIII any man who knows
Capt Bennett, believe that he would have
nshed movement II the exercise OF good
cool Judgment h5d told him there was any
danger 10 himself or Others? No: and thers
wts 40 more than there would have hr,n j.,
ANY noat on Tie river. The destruction wac
from one o. thoss terrible accidents Thai mini.
have been remedied il known, but yhi,b ~
ordinary hun1n foresight could guar aoa;,s,
Mf A. \ Johnston; another owne, -
active in'C rest in The boat induced his psr,ns,s
to insist upon naming The boat d ller him b,..
been Tor many years well known here ms .
SUCCESSFUL merchant and cautions mo,
whose philanthropy no one doubts, and whose
energy Is rarely exceeded, For a year or tv,
past he has invested portion of his means
III boats IN which he has taken am active in
terest; aud over which he has exerci.adaoaI
'"oal parental care aud consideration. us
was en- oesfd with his wife and two children.
confident Of safety and proud OF that in which