The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-08-01

EXPLOSION ON BOARD THE ENTIRE SyATE-We
have received from cur special reporter the pro-
ceedings of the coroners jury, held at Fall River,
over the victims of the unfortunate explosion O.,
board the Empire State. The report contains all
the testimony taken up to Wednesday night and
will continue to be published as fast as it is re-
ceived.
The most rigid scrutiny should take place in
reference to this calamity. We believe the line
to which this steamer belongs carries more freight
and passengers than any other on the Sound
Large numbers Of ladies and children are always
on board, and public confidence has been placed
in its good management. But great calamity has
occurred. and the causes of it must be thoroughly
investigated 1t will be seen by the testimony
that the starboard chimney was heated red hot
at its top, and that the circumstance caused some
alarm, but that an engineer who was spoken to
on the subject stated that it was not dangerous
nor unusual. The testimony Of Mr. Hill, the
local Inspector for the district, attributes the ex
ploson to defective sheet in thesteam chimney
whichhad been overheated for the last twomonths
although iron becomes red hot at 1000 degrees
and loses its strength at 600 degrees! The tes-
tmony of Mrs. Sarah A. Douglass was important
inasmuch as she deposed that she had heard Mr.
Ketchum say to his wife, that the boat was not
fit to go in; that there was hole in the boiler:
that he did not wish to go that trip, and that the
boat would prove a coffin for all on board. This
testimony was confirmed in its important parts.
by Miss Cook who was present at the CONVEX
saton. 1t is also in evidence that number
of boilermakers were on board for the purpose
of making usual repairs, and, according to the
chief engineer the accident was owing to the
great heat Of the fire, which took the life out Of
the iron," melted the rivets, doubled up the sheet
(of the fiue) in the chimney preventing the es
cape of the steam up the smoke pipe, and drove
it through the furnace and ash pan. This eypla-
nation is not satisfactory and further examination
will be necessary. A defect in the iue is admit
ted to have existed by an engineer, and one
fireman testified that he was afraid of the
fue! If this is so, il was criminal in
the owners and officers to have run the
vessel at all until it was repaired. To carry
thirty-one pounds of steam pressing upon de-
fective fiue was dangerous and an unwarranta-
bic experiment. The steam chambers Tan Anne
rican idea) which surround the lower part of the
smoke pipes on board of our steamers, are con-
sidered an economical contrvance-they heat
the steam to high degree, increase its elasticity
and power, and give more effect to its expansion.
But as they are not surrounded with water and
are heated intensely in the inside, they soon lose
their toughness and strength, and require con-
slant care and watchfulness A very few weeks
service weakens them materially.
Under these circumstances, it is OF the utmost
Importance that the public should know all about
this casualty, in order that they may understand
what are the risks they run in travelling in
steamers The American practice Of carrying
high steam in low pressure boilers-for tits nothing
else than this-may give speed. but it is the
cause of most Of those dreadful accidents We are
so often called on to record.
The system Of United States inspection does
not seem to work very well. Explosions fright
fully increase valuable lives are continually lost,
and nobody is to blame. We will recur to this
subject again when we have obtained the remain
der Of the testimony.