, 1860-11-13

lf1uol Inc EeH 1osE Tlmea.I
The following, written for New York, ap-
plies with grcat force to chlca2o. 1t derives
great additional interest from the occurrence
zps tho. terrible catastrophe which shocked our
.fftizena: only day or two since -,
4. The eauzesBf boiler e1ploek66Ihse been
70 thoroughly Investigated wRA fEHueas,
ta!at the only safe md reaBpfiAk efhHni to
fdke abpqt nteM1R th3t they &E7e,e1 a1dden-
{ .tal-ttt3t: :the3Ef2tn dAeays bs r4lte4k44 that
eley .1AI3- aEe.1A:I41--nethluE, eghluE, more nu<bs than:
t1id f13@s3e elil:1aatt :1a struction, ofrecklcs9:
>stRsEsna5eu*f R ES16 6akT either electricity or he
@-stsogen.eas.A be only gas that can be set fri:
7ff'-a boatrT} ran be u cause Of explosions, Is
quite impossible. On this subject The leading
chemists OF Europe hare given m unanimous
oFlnlou. sustafuet ty rne uust Cunc tustyE eY-
Periinents. Not only is there too little elcc-
1rs'ty genera sdt Q4t tb3 p dtnl, Of the boiler
the earth. And there can be too little hydro
gen gas mdde II 4 b61lt RIO eduse an explosion,
,.Yhllc; what Is made viii rot i. iAhout
there = oxygen from without admitted to 1t,
alter Ehich the steam would trEtentiynition,
even there We're heat enough present to.ig
n1tc the explosive compound. Withbut dctai1.
thing Short OF ! complete essay on tie subject
would enable the npro!cssionalreader to con-:
vince himself. 1t Ia sufficient for. present puE.;
-poscsito mention that the very bcst profess,
slonalopinfon, or rather belief, IS, that all e1-
,plosioEs 1egiH with tho Simple, and In itself
lasmitss rupture due: to oVerpr4sure. or Of
pressure. While i part Of u boiler may be i've.
times ftr6hgef than The ordinary force tending
to rupture it., {tk4s fs the.commou proportion
OF actt1ai TO working strcngth,) another part,
one pate or one stTi p of plate, or single Joint
OF slnsle rivet, may be 70 defective Us to be
on thd point Ct Iqptaripg, from the first, and
may At last yield at Il minimum pressure, CIR
: Tyins total destruction with It. There Is 4
difference IN the quality Of the best boiler
plates (which is fearful enough to cquteuulate:
but Whcu We consider that cheap plates are
made, (which, instead Of Carrying Cd 060 pounds
to the.sg1aTe Inch, will break intopieees under
. heavy blow from q kand.hamiper. and that
there are thousands OF s,eau-enki1e. owners
Who ate wiling TO risk everything to save first
cost, who invariably set the cheapest work;
and, moreover, thastoe 1pe1Y. boi!er.makers
are capable Of using any thing, which tie out
side public Tllt Fecosnize IL Iron, woshalI ob-
serve where We stand "A to tla. original, quality
Of the:boiic7s which strain and SIMMER above.
around, and beneath us IN our daily aalk.
But the gradual deterioration Ut Boilers is
probably the leaain8 cause .of their failure
and I'd This and It's detection mud remedy We
Wonu diFect especial attentioD.i Amoug the
l,9l8 bpAers un4cr Inspection blythe Manchcs-
found TO be in dangerous conditidT and 100
man unsatisfactory condition from the frac-
ture OF plates, while There were e cases Of
dangerous and 152 cafes af unsatisfactory cor-
fosion, besides. other: defects. ,One explosion
only occusrcd; :tnstead Of perhaps 90: which
must have taken. p1ace, without this rigid sys-
Hat lfm a, oi eHan.nsatpn. t DurinE the month OF
this Assoclation:-made 7U5 Wills, md 1lscor-
cred among Tho serious defects which were
u once femcdted, II eases of-'corroxhpn. Is of
fracture, ~ safety valves out Of order: Ii rres
su1cIsauges inaccurate, IL wafet-gauccs de-
tecsiyc,'lo blow-oh cocks dangerous, and e
furnaces ont o. shape: there .Were 80 boilers
without Siass Wattr.5augc5, 81 without blow
oli cocks. Is without .back- -pressuro valves, II
,,, Snhon't nnssute-gauscs, and 4 with 1nsiblc,
lue=a are BOILERS which arc Under 9onst,r+
inspection. just think or it,, We sLonld lEc
70 EuoW the state of several hunltcti boiIcrsin
sh1a ctty that are not inspected; md Of the
,eores o1 1hem enas haze tever been looked at
~ an engineer since thcy CAME into service
boilers (which we-e not only bought at the
lowest fguEe, bnt which dte at the exclusive |
mercy Of raw laborers who never atte1nrt tn
discover defects, and who could not rccoanfzt
Them when pointed out and exphainsd: The
ofeakasr OF iron fixtures End structures is a
most common circumstnnte, aud because this
irst simple fracture is usnally the end Of rhc
matter, ~e tllinEyczy lightly Of lie multitude
Of causes" which are constantly at wnrk Il.
streyine tina texture Of the metals. but aftsr.
thc rupture Of boiler plate, there usually fnl-
lows an explosion, aud NC are alf.acn 1t thr
terrific results, as' II tl,cre WAS ANYTHING IN
l,1eccqcnted or unexpected abo1f Them. Willie
It Is always more economical, in the. long nm.
to prevent disaster by rigid examination anli
palts. no Icfy fearful results scrn-
orally occur froE4 letting defect ehow;ftseff il
1allure 1s in case Of vehicles, iraplemeufs. and
any machinery, except that'ef ratiwaysiahil yes-
sele:- BUT "c cannot a1lor.lto risk the rupture
Of boiler: p1ate::: :::of lion which ii almost INV
other service MIGHT fail tharmIek5lv epan"i;
me most rigid scrutiny will sometimes over
iook fatsl ;defects-ia5tcad of:.which: nine
tsnths s1 OF all ourboile1s are nerer examincd at
Al. ~ ga 49,. .';.:
People may undertake to Fneer at tic theo-
r.es and deductions Of scientific men, and to |
nslst On; tue 1mpenetrnble mystery Of boiler
explosions. One Thing, however, 'they must
1dmlt that the metal Of boilers i exposed to
unusual c3uaes toF deterioration. and that !
[Asn and weak yosal wilI.'pot resist n eetfa;n
20 Assc.y astha5o known upitbrnitv |
1na stEe49ti: simple as this Is, tits cpon.b.
L. the owners q bollers Njll only praetice Rfat
:ar;lv aey ocsn 11ESs teftole elanshtera VIII
It least make some. show Of caution bFsrk-
ectiny their boi1era to frequcut and comfetent
Inspection, the public should, and We htue It
Fill, brand them ,as wilttilly arcc6eory fo The
nn1der Of ary victims whom their boilers c.
,,loasng: MAJ EIA ::And:that there ase hpp-
lleos VI 9oness ea1a1n to R!ou aP, no sntelugent
,yTsGn ut; Mao Y at al familiar with the subject,
oa the whole. we.advIse the tsaiScltr, Il, he
eta OUT On the joftrncys bf the coming vinter.
= view OF tue rotten boilers and bFidpos. Tho
lnder plates and 1ihder appointments Of ships