Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1859-04-01
THE Grand Jury on the Explosion of the
Princess.

The Grand Jury on the Explosion Of the
Princess.
The Grand Jury Of the United States District
Court for the eastern district Of Loisaua havs en-
amined into the late explosion Of the Princess, and.
after q careful and extended examination Of ihe
circumstances which attended the disaster have ar
rived at the conclusion that no ground exists for
the prosecution Of any person connected with the
boat With probability Of conviction. under the
Law governing the cSso-the second engineer and his
assistant then having charge OF The machinery,
having themselves fallen victims 10 the explosion,
aud no living witness heisg found who could be
supposed to be cognizant Of any Of tho immediate
attendant circumstances. They aIso further say:
II is mcet unusual hing for the boilers Of a
steamer to explode under way especially going down
stream. All opinions, so far as ascerts1e1, agree
in aseribing the occurrence to deficiency Of water,
as the boilers were Of unusual thickness, and had
been tested By hydrostac pressure up to 170 pounds
to the square inch Assuming this TO have been
the case, the deceased engineer was The more imms
diately responsible individuals but the jury, from
the evidence before them, feel bound 10 express
their deliberate conviction that much blame rests
elsewhere-sod that the Waehful vigilance and ha>
bitaal caution that should govern the conduct Cf
persons charged to great extent with the ssf
keeping of life and property, was not always OBJ
served.
1t appears that the chief engineer, though in
many respects estimabe man, who would not,
we believe, deliberately do what be knew 10 be
wrong is nevertheless to be censured for Tia fol
| lowing reasons:
LIST. Because, though aEAIe that The second engi,
neer oftcn carried too high steam. though he had
several times remons rated with him therefore, be
still retained him
ID Because after haviuG had important repairs
made o. the boilers he did not report the same 10
fha KaaFd Of prn who mighf have
ed it necessary again TO test heir Strength and
tightnesss.
Sd Because he instructed the strikers or assis-
ant engineers not 10 try the height of the water in
the boilers by the use of the common and simple
gauge cocks, which were placed there for the pur-
pose, bat TO rely entirely the RagHeac gauge, thus
reducing instead of multiplying the means of as
certaining. with certainty, the sta'e of wafer
4th. Because when be went eff his watch at PJrt
Hudson, about two hours run above the point at
which the explosion eocurred-being aware thsttbe
't doctor engine" working too slowly 10 supply
the boilers properly, in case of the speed of the
boat being inerea. Cd by the gene ion Of higher
steam-he did not call the attention of the second
engineer to the fact when be took charge of the
gnes. To the omission OF this preosution il seems
probable, ct least that the subsequent disaster may
be traced bearing in mind the fact that the second
engineer sometimes carried steam higher than al
lowed by law, and that Two occasions at least,
while be watch, the Evans alloy safety-vaves
blew oil steam, the pressure at the time being at
least one hundred aud forty pounds to the square
inch, two and half pounds above the maximum
allowed by the certificate of the Board Of Exami-
ners.
The jury conclude: (" A too fatal sense Of securi-
y, on the part of the officers, has probably led to
calamity that has hurried scores into eternity,
thrown the pail of mourning over q multitude of
human hearts, deprived the community of valuable
Citizens destroyed large amount Of properly, and
shaken nnhlin confdencen