Wheeling times and advertiser. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1839-1849, 1848-01-04

d'oiaA 'bs rT!vi-sgo o. DO epins . poren;s
tear.
is there one individual either ct home or o.
broad, either a sufferer BY The calamity or
proud This success and fanried freedom rom
casualty in his superior judgement md knowl-
edge who will attribute blame to him7 We
say again this is one of these terrible casual
ties TO which neither The blame OF ignorance
or indifference can bs attached
, 1t is customary on The river for ths Owners
b or tdpI to Employ one engineer aud h- the
2ud with their sanction Mr. Vennun was
The brsi engineer, Mr LIE. who Is KILLED..
the 81. Mr. Nennu a Is represented 10 us asa
inliy competent enSineer& he has been some
yearso The river in that cspacity. Mr. Lyle,
! The II who hal chirgs Of the engin at the
/ time, was good machinest. d steady, tenn
/ perate & well meaning mau as were the " hole
crew. There are different r.porls as TO Mr.
Lyles supposed capacity as an engineer He
had certainly but little experience on the riv-
er. Some good engineers assert that they b.
lieced he was perfectly competent, Others that
aside from this accident, they should have
seid he was not competent. The event prove.
that he was not competent; but The owner,
fully believed he was or they would never
have trusted their lives and property in his
charge.
The boat ran down fully as VIII as any
boat on her first trip. Lett Cincinnati on
Tuesday, thronged with passengers. Abopr
II O'Clock at night. the Isl engineer retired
leaving the boilers well filed With water and
all right. About II O'Clock in the morning
the boat stopped 10 miles above Mays,ilie to
put out a passenger or passengers, she was de-
tanned rather longer than usual. her bow being
thrown up little on "a bar tue engine was
put in ion, aud at TIE first stroke buck.
the explosion took place
The M4ysviIe paper states that there was
waterin the baiisrs, so state SON. OF the pas.
sengers, 'ae engineer in c1srga, with his dy.
ing words sali be believed there was water
in the boilers.
This is mistake. No expl sion of the
kind, destructive, powerful. awful as this has
been, could occur unless the water was en-
hausted and thv steam was converted int gas.
1t probably occurred in this way There was
much floating s!ush ice in the river, AMI the
tendency OF the pumps is 10 draw that or a.
nythlng else that will g into them. When
there is this ice it is OF daily occurrence, and
g
rly ascertsin5d by aying the hand on the
supply pipes, or engineers who have been
long time on the same boat, deec; the stop
page OF the pump by the sound. The pumps
must have been stopped in this way beiore
the boat stopped, at the instant the bow of
the boat struck, surging the little remaining
water IN the boilers back, il is possible the
engineer tried his guage cock and III hi
there was walter a very short time would
be required to consume that little supply OF
water, an. to convert the steam into explo-
slve gas. Ga rdslng the throttle valve 10
start the engine, the atmospheric air as well
as cold water would produce the explosion
1t might be that backing the engine relieved
the pumps OF that which clogged them, and
let IN water to produce the explosion but
that Is not necessdry--the atnosph eric air
communicated by the throttle valve would
do it as well. That there was MOI water is
proved by the force OF ha explosion and the
fact that the iiues collapsed.
! All The officers vera ~ duty that are ever
required, aud all Vera sens rate and we'll
disposed Yet we viii not deny that there
was d fault. The engineer should have
known his pumps were working. and his boil.
ers filled, by the various means known to IN
Old and observdnt engineer.
THE REMEDY FOR SUCH EVILS.
We believe that schools for engineers and
board OF comml ssioners for their complete ex-
animation will do mach TO remedy he evil,
-"d We '-0"'a au9S'sl me appointment OF
such a board for Ibis city and the pledge by
the board OF trade that they Will paironizt ouly
such boats as employ engineers that have pass.
ed examination by said board Steamboat ex
blossoms have become rare as steam has be-
come better understood