The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1851-01-30
ALFRED SANDERS, EDITOR.

nose o. lnsalnrated steam, decomposition or wa
ter aud ignition Of the gases which torn Il, elec.
tricity, &c. s.4 Asa
Speaking Of electricity ! heard something The
other day WHICH ma, be new 10 yon as It wa. 10
me. A course Of experiment. are now being
made in France 70 show that this is The des,rupc
tive agent. Such an amount Of electric ity ha.
been senera'ed BY one boiler that by connecting
u with an iron rod with the earth cha.m ha.
Oeen formed TO an immense depth, lag. oak have
been shlvered to splinters and other experiment.
performed which throw new light on this seb-
4 ject.
i y evident that such explosions as those o.
the Knoxville and Anglo Norman are caused by
some Immense force instantaneo,ssly applied. For
did tha force accumulate gradually the boiler
wonld give way long before The force arrived Al
such power as to throw large double -Aned boil
er distance Of 800 =, as in the case ofihe Knox-
vile; or cause entirely to disappear boiler 30 n.
long, IS q. wide and &. high, as strong a. man
can make, a. in the Anglo Norman's case.
We have explosions ofa different nature some.
times, arising from pressure Of Legitimate steam.
when the effects are far less devastating. In no
way can the explosion or all the boilers Of boat
at the same time be accounted Cor, excep, there
be sn instantaneous explosion in the boiler
Whatever be the theory all agree that The cause
Of all such explosions Is a want of water in The
boilers How IS this to be prevented! B hav-
ing engineers who understand their business, and
| attend to it
Ihese is no post man can hold on earth IN Il
requires SO thorough scientific education as that
Of engineer. He has more in his power, more
under his chafge, and more human life al his dis
Posal than any man on the boat.
Yet how different is the case from This. Who
and wha. are the engineers on the river. A toy
has no trade. no education, he finds OF forms an
acquaintance with some first or second engineer.
who 10 help him along t.k-. hin, with them a.
"srikrr." Each boat has two Of these, one
stands watch with each engineer. They learn
TO turn The "throile valve siet on the sieam,,
araise aiever,', back her. and ego abeal on
he'll" for which services they receive from ai2
to $500 per month. II VI i.sE NJ 1.sss
Tnis is all right enough except that they were
not tit Tor II When they CONNIE need They
should have Iearne TO make an engine before they
run one. They shoulsl.haye learned thei, trade
IN The shop. Should know something OF the
principles OF mechanics.
Wei, 50 they SO on year or two, learning
nothing, studying nothing, knowing nothing,
from the very fact tina, nothing is required by the
men who employ them. They get along so as 10
curse the fieinan, sing put ashose her up,'' and
are made second and in short time FIRST engineer;
aa unfit Tor either situation as they were Tor s,li.
keIs. The consequence is the sacrifice Of some
hundred lives. ss3 s.e51
never saw one Of these "str,kers'' study any
thing in my life. The consequence is there is
not one engineer in ten xho can calculate the
surface OF their own safety valve. Talk TO them
Of so many afmospheres or so many pounds OF
steam-they may talk Of il, but they don't know
what il mems. idon't say there are no excep-
tions 10 this description, butthey are lew. **
That boiler of the Knoxville was one ofiihe
creates, cn,iosites ever saw. There il lay
qnartering across the Ladies' Cabin Of the Griffin
Yeatman, ha,ifg destroyed two state rooms as il
passed through them +
Now il is very evident 10 every observing man,
that that boiler was disposed to enter the cabin
through the doors Of the state rooms, &, not hav-
ing injured The roof particle) but the builder Of
the boat not having calculated the doors for a
passenger Of such indelcate dimensions, il mnst
per force, having had free pas'ase bestowed up.
on il, somewhat injure the state rooms in accom-.
plishing lis entrance. II is moreover evident 0
ms nj nd that had those state rooms been occnpi-
ell, the occupants must necessarily have been
some What bruised or slightly squeezed.
The supper was on the table waiting for the
crew of,he Martha Washington, When The boiler
came annhi,a.ing the table and lis load. So the
crew were saved BY being late 10 supper. The
ladies Of the Griffin Ysatman on the contrary were
saved BY being seated at ,he,snpper table. So
tina, this accident leaves the question in ny mind
unsettled, whether AZ individual in this world
better beear'y OF late 10 supper. Let's see, in the
frs. instance had they no, been "iaie to supper
they would have be com oelled 10 have "got out
| OF the way" In the second instance had they
no, "go, out Of the way they woa,d have been
.slate to supper.n Ergo-under some circum-
stances il is better fr man to sget on. the way
under others 10 be "!ate 10 snpper.'
Bot broke Oft so short on The other pnge did
no: tell you all. In Prussia and some Other itu.
ropean countries. Government has established
schools for the education OF engineers. These
schools grant Diplomas, AMI no person i, allowed
to serve as engineer unless he possessesa diric-
ma. This is the only plan our government can
adop, that will ever diminish the number OF ex-
plosions. g e.9 aa issifs
Now sir, I have given ,ou knowledge on this
subject, free gratis, for nothing, eco cts. posage9
and hope shall never be obliged 10 reeurto il
again. I got into il and cat it short as soon as !
could and at the same time give aaperfect nm
derstandpg oft. But Ihave encroached upon
your time and pa'ience-but hold--no excuse il
necessary--ths nature of the case excuses me.
! Why?-roa't yiie on 'en. Any wonder that