Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1859-09-29
CLEVELAND, THURpAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER %, 1859.

~ lhe loP VI ile Pipe, Which mole or SAFETY
valve did not save the heater after all Your
correspondent Is not alone in further assert
ing that even IL there had been good and
sufficient safeiy-valye, the heater was trap,
liable to blow up at any moment. SuppOsing
the water left in IL to have boiled ont, tae iron
would have got red-hOt next the furnace
Then suppose it to be determined to pump
through the heater again, would the fire have
been drawn till 1t cooled down Probably
not. The water would have been turned into
the heater, and, as everybody knows, the heat
er would have turned the ship wrong side out
ward in its vicinity Even in the case of ex-
traordinary vigilance, any ignorant stoker
had it in his power by simply turning a cock,
to blow up the ship. II is rather n difficult
thing TO blow up a well-made boiler. The
men who pump in water when they see on the
guago before their face that the water is low,
and the men that sit on safety-yalves, kno,o
that they will be first killed. and nobody
thinks heater will explode, and even the
chief might have thoughtlessy precipitated
the catastrophe.
The author Of the heater, then is the guilty
party. We know pretty certainly who did
not father it. Mr.. Scott Russell at first re-
fused to have il at all, and it was at last put
on without his consent The builders of the
! screw engines did not attach it to their six
boilers, though similarly urged. II was gem
orally known to be an unsafe trap-it had
blown up on steamers before--it had in q
safer form, even, been abandoned on the Col
Inns and Cunard ships. TWAS, doubtless, the
work Of person who has caused untold loss
to the Company, and who is very enormously
supposed to be the original designer of the
Great Eastern. The inquest will show.
The effects Of the explosion were, in many
cases. very singular. 70 observe them went
down into the stoke hole as soon as it was
cool enough, climbed up tho boiler and the
ragged remnant of the chimney, and thence
to the third deok from tho tOp--the one under
the grand saloon | then went to the same
place again with Capt. Comstook and Mr..
Hobbs. We found that most OF the inside
shell Of the heater had gone up with the large
section of the outside she'll, the rest being
crushed and distorted, and q part of it being
| scattered about the room. The outside shell
had torn part way in a row of rivet holes,
straight round. 1t was not otherwise much
mutlated. The large beams in front and be-
hind the funnel were bent and partially bro
ken. The floor was ripped up and splintered
for six or eight feet around, and the state
room doors and partitions on either side, as
well as the furniture, were very much shat
tered. The whole room looked like country
Wuuu iONSt tuil VI klnullnRs 1ht hNAb iNuh
above, the saloon, was, by contrast with its
former splendor in worse condition, though
really not so much mutiaied. The walls
were somewhat hlaokened by smoke the mir
rOrs were generally shvered into fine pieces,
the graceful columns broken, and the gilded
ornaments torn and scattered. The furniture
was generally broken. and the whole floor,
( which was somewhat sprung upward, was
strewn with the wreck. But most singularly,
n large mirror within two feet of the volcano
was wholly unbroken, while all the others,
far and near, were thrown down and shat
tered. The piano, forty feet from the funnel
was much injured, but the books on the
r shelves, within u yard Of the ascending pro
Q iectles, were not even thrown down. Th'
/ skylights were, of course, destroyed. Tn,
a fine staircase leading into the forward part o
Il the saloon.-the ladies' apartment was to
!. tally demolished, as well as the house over Il
9 Falling pieces broke many skylights all owe
h the ship.
e Before morning all the debris was removed
20 floors were temporarily mended canvas wa
( nailed over yawnlng holes, and, as far as pos
ID sible, the appearance Of disaster woa onncea
ed.
1t Much has been said about the strength
h the ship-that this explosion would have do
1t suoyed any other vessel. All this may /
y true,-nolhng outside the longitudinal bulk
J. heads running on either side Of the saloo
a was injured or disturbed, and the whole etiec
y was confined to the Immediate vicinity OF th
Q, funnel. But ID must be remembered that tn
A. space ID very large, and that the pressur
W was oxeTted mainly inward and upwarl
n Had it been an outward explosion, with IL
r upward vent, the damage would have bee
y immeasurably greater. II is feared that tn
y boilers are much injured. If 80, the ship wi
d be detained some months.
., AT 80 o'clock, as we had begun to breath
10 easily after the grand catastrophe, anothC
,r stared us for q moment in the face. As III
Il helm was severely strained to get out of II
N way Of tho ship which seemed bound for
Sc collision, and as our vessels PROV was turne
s. square towards Beeohy Head, not five mile
rs from it, one Of the littlo ropes snapped m
n control was lost Cap. Harrison had objec
ly ed to ropes, and had provided chains, whiC
he in the course Of half an hour were rugged, Il
oh ship being steered in the meantime by n su
r. Elementary tackle, provided for such accident
IN The after donkey engine constantly assistt
at the eight men at the wheel in steering, and
n this emergency was especially useful. Ju
n. at this time one Of the paddle-engine oylinde
ly was working water and the wheel was scare
IL ly making two turns por minute, and Il
* cylinder packing of one of the screw engin,
In which had given trouble ever since we star
- ed, was now grinding and groaning in an 9
he traordinRry manner,-and besides all thi
lie there was not n rag Of canvas on the shi
he So the idea of going onto the rocks was
e. least momentarily suggested. About 8 oolot
ht the passengers fnallyswent down to tea, but
he was n gloomy company. There was but oil
nc topic, and every new light revealed bad fe
ty lures.
as AT 10 o'clock this morning we cast anohC
er in Portland Harbor A more glorious d'
III could not be imagined. and fleets of yaoh
's- and steamers came out too meet MS, wi
he salutes, and music, and cheering, little kno,
up ing that the great ship carried dead al
cd dying They soon seemed to discover th
ct something was wrong--that q chimney W
sr, missing-and for an hour after we cast anch
y they sailed round and round us in silenC
ss at last q boat came to remove the passenger
de and then the sad truth was for tho first Tin
Ill told; and il was at once flashed TO the RENT
m. est parts Of the kingdom. Some intercstil
ID matters as 10 the ships speed and perlC
er mances | will reserve for another letter.
sr- TUBAL CAIN.
or A SINGULAR CASA case of rather a sing
FOR lar character was tried at our court last wc
ne Some time ago a lady, the wife ofthe Postmt
nd ter nt Salem, got on the cars OF the O. Q. q
ire r Il. at Crestline, intending to go to Sale
ghe had alonp with her a cOuDle Of small chi