Washington sentinel., 1853-10-13
HENRY MEIGs ON BOILER EXPLO-
SIONS.
AMERICAN INSTITUTE,

/. 31scfO IOIh3 oCt. 1000.
l have caused to be published in the news
papers frequently for many years past the fol
lowing opinion, viz:
When in Georgia, in 1901, on drawing the
parts of DR.. Prentsss new steam engine, the
boiler of which was cylinder with contained
hue, so that being surrounded by the water all
the heat was applied.
When Mr.. Fulton first started steamboat
from the Battery, / cautioned him as to the
formation Of the gases, and an explosion more
terrible than that of gunpowder. He observed
that his safety-valve would always carry off the
surplus steam. / admitted that, with proper
knowledge and care, the danger was almost
nothing; but for want of care the accident
would happen; that the two gases forming wa
ter-the oxygen and hydrogen-would be form
ed, and an explosion Of most terrific character
would occur. | have never found q man who
would listen to this opinion. However, at the
great Hague street explosion, published it
at length, without finding one coinciding opin-
ion, although all admitted the inconceivable
power of the cause.
stated that when the oxygen and hydrogen
which form water are separated, it was with
velocity Of two hundred thousand miles per
second; that one such explosion was inn
mensely more powerful than all a years thun-
der storms united That, as nearly as / could
calculate the effects, the force exerted on
square inch of the Hague street boiler must
have been something like seven millions OF
pounds on q square inch. The whole power
exerted by that boiler, at the moment of explo-
sion, was more than twelve hundred millions Of
pounds, moving with precisely the relocity OF
hghtning. That when one drop Of water in a
boiler is converted into it--oxygen and hydro
gen-every other particle of water in that boiler
is sometimes converted, Just as the firing Of
one grain of gunpowder fires all the rest, but
very slowly when compared with the gases. ]
also drew into the comparison the explosions
of the Eliminates of silver, gold, DC.
In this year, 1853, we have Mr.. Faraday Is
opinion expressed in his latest lectures: s1ln a
mixture of two parts by measure of hydrogen
with one of oxygen, the two gases remain
calm, tranquil, quiescent; transparent, color
less as the atmosphere ITSELF giving no indica-
ton of their power; there they are tranquil
unchanged, unacted upon, and would so re-
main, for anything we know, to the end oftime.
Do not, however, imagine that the mixture of
the two gases in that jar contains in itself no
elements of power. A force of the most extra
ordinary kind is there-a force which, il we
reduce 1t to a certain standard Of comparison,
and such standard is not wanting, will be found
to equal the poacer Of many thunder storms"
Heat applied to it. and an explosion of tre-
mendous power takes place; and its result is
nothing bit icateri To me, the whole range
of natural phenomena does not present a more
wonderful result. 1t is one over which pom
der again and again with wonder and admira-
ton. To think that these two violent ele-
ments, holding in their admixed parts the
power of tchole thunder storms, should wait in
definitely until some cause of union be applied,
and then rush furiously into combination to
form that bland, unirritating liquid-,cdter, is
to me, confess, a phenomenon which con-
tinually awakens new feelings of wonder as
often as | view it.