Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-09-18
EXPLOSION OF SHAREHOLDERS.

EXPLOSION OF STEAM BOILERS.
WAsHIsGToS, SEPTEMBER IL, 1852.
Messrs EDIToRs The explosion Of steam boilers of late
years. in defiance of legislative enactmsnts have become
so numerous that the community have become justly
alarmed and excited at their frequency My attention
attracted by the following notice Of the of ex-
plosion of the Reindeer: Us
'sThe cause of the explosion is evident. In order to
lose time in starting, the fires kept up and the
saetyvave is closed during the stoppage Thus an I'M
usual pressure of steam is collected in order to drive the
boat from the dock with much impetus and rapidty as
if she had not stopped at all AS long as this mass OF
steam is kept in the boiler the pressure is not too great
be borne but with the shock Of letting ii out upon the
engine its expansive force brought into sudden action
and either the boiler ITSELF or in the present case,
pipe bursts and death and destruction are the re-
suit The whole comes from the endeayor to make the
shortest possible trip and from making the safety Of those
board matter Of less consequence than hours diff
ference In the passage" t.
In almost every explosion the boat has been on the
point Of starting This writer has given incorrect
for the explosion of the Reindeer in atribung it
to the removal of pressure Any child Of twelve
old would tell him that any removal Of expansion les
it force But my object is show the Of
plosions in steam boilers, and suggest a remedy.
The cause is simply the formation of hydrogen gas. /
will prove this by showing the modus operand in the de-
compoSiuVu VI anu itS component paris WutcT
is composed of hydrogen one part, oxygen eight The
simplest method of decomposng water as follows Take
retort porcelain tube, bundle Of bright iron
wire, and bladder gasbag fitted for the purpose, fill
the porcelain tube with the wires tie the bag and
introduce the retort put into the latter water and you
ready to begin the operation. Place body Of
Goals around the porcelain tube, lamp under the reor
and the steam will be forced through the wires and tube
the wires must be heated red heat the vapor of
Steam coming into contact with the heated iron is de-
composed the oxygen is retained by the iron, forming
oxyde Of iron, and the hydrogen is given off from the
tube which conducts il into the gas bag For every eight
grains of weight acquired by the iron fortysix cubic
inches of hydrogen weighing grain has been evolved
The iron in this is substituted for the hydrogen
taking its place with the oxygen to form the oxyde Of
iron, while the hydrogen is set free The oxyde Of iron
resulting from this action is the black oxyde which
the smith strikes off in scales under the hammer being
mixture Of protoxyde and psroxyde.
The boiler then plays the part of the retor the furnace
the lamp, the tubes fues the wires and the steam
Jacket the gas holder When the water is low and the
tubes fues exposed above the water line and
quire red heat, the vapor of water (steam is decom
posed and hydrogen is rapidly formed Of all gases this
is the lightest and most explosive. Its effects
terrific than that Of gunpowder of the strongest decorating
compounds 1t is only necessary to combine with about
onethd Of oxygen gas make it explosive variety Of
experiments have been made burn hydrogen and
together but the of them have resulted in terrible
explosions Professor HARE, after experiments
enabled to accomplish this object by very simple
arrangement, termed by Professor SLIMAs the COM
pound blow-pipe
The question arises how the decomposition of
in boilers be prevented the formation of hy-
drogen gas stopped, and remedy invented by which
boilers will not burst i.
Nearly all boilers explode opening the safety valve
the steam rushes out in concal FORM the base of the
uppermos this leaves space in the centre of the
through which the crcumambent atmosphere rushes
supplying of course oxygen If then, the water is low
and the vapor decomposed and hydrogen gas is formed
the supply of oxygen instantaneous explosion
The method then to prevent the oxidation of the tubes
nues Is to plate mem wfn silver.
Let any take the apparatus above explained and
instead OF bright iron wire introduce plated iron wire
and he will find that the water vapor of water steam
viii not be decomposed; showing fully that hydrogen
cannot be formed without oxidation This simple rene
dy, very expensive, will efectually prevent most
explosions.
Every engineer is well aware that when the from
the upper cock has blue appearance there is danger
but every does not know that this blue appearance
indicates hydrogen gas in fact it is hydrogen gas and
in state Of naammability The fame of this gas light
blue, and only burns when in contact supplied with
oxygen. As it is the ghtes Of all gases and rises to
the upper part Of the steam jacket pipe could be in
roduced into the upper part of the steam jacket and
conducted to the fire engine rooms where the fireman
engineer could occasionally try the cock and ascertain
the formation Of hydrogen by the color of the steam or
jet Should the jet appear of blue cast by having this
pipe continued cupboard and under the water line the
could be allowed to escape through this tube and steam
would then take its place in the boiler With this safety
pipe wei attended and the upper tubes plated out lew
explosions could possibly take place Z tx X,
As we cay in claims for patents, do not claim having
discovered the method herein mentioned in making hy
ogen gas but only the safety tube and the plated ues
and tubes 3Td $50 ssEtNruf rt. b n t..' ..a
Silver meits at ,2S0o Fahrenheit 20o Wedgwood,
and iron becomes of red heat cherry red 1902
Fahrenheit, or l9o Wedgwood There is then no kel-
hood of the silver plating melting before the tube be
covered with water should they any time become bare
The engineer should open his safetyvalve until
he has tried the upper cock in the boiler Should the
steam appear blue and indicate hydrogen then he should
certainly keep his safetvalve shut and work of the gas
through his cylinder This will If strictly attended TO-
save not only his own life, but that Of many others