The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1864-05-09

suoe uIcCtlou al any UOul6nt.
The Chenango Disaster-ImperativsN Ne
cessfty of Reforming tho System Of
Building the Machinery OF Govern
ment Vessels.
1t is beautiful provision Of Providence that
out of their very disasters mankind learn les
sons of wisdom. Many great evil has been
overcome, many giant wrong made right,
many an habitual error corrected, through the
influence OF those accidents and misfortunes
which every day overtake the human race, and
for time overwhelm them with gloom and
sorrow. This result has been realized in the in
vestigation instituted to ascertain the causes Of
the late frightful disaster on board the United
States gunboat Chenango, an event which occa-
stoned unspeakable anguish in many families
Through this investigation very extraordinary
light has been thrown upon the manner in
which the boilers and machinery of many Of
the government vessels are constructed, and
by the aid of this exposure it is to be hoped and
expected that radical reform will be imme-
diately commenced in the entire system of con-
structing these important portions Of our steam
vessels-of-war.
1t appears from the very elaborate charge of
the Coroner who carried on this inquisition
that when the Chenango's machinery was I'M
dergoing test at the dock the danger of an
explosion from low water was so great that one
OF the engineers refused to open the throttle
valve when requested to do so by the United
States engineers on board who represented
that the contract required the engine to be run
wide open The engineer said be considered
bis own safety endangered, and should act ON
bis own judgment. 1t also appears there was
no difference Of opinion among the engineers
examined on the subject that boiler In the
condition OF the Chenango's was unsafe, and
required extraordinary skill to avert an acct
dent. Other facts In this connection are ad-
duced which the Coroner says cannot be con-
cealed. This boiler had been the subject of an
official examination aud report by engineers Of
the United States Navy, and inspected by other
persons, including the one whose arrangement
Of it is charged as the cause Of the explo-
sion, and yet, it appears, no witnesses attempt
to explain certain phenomena which attended
the accident, such as the melting Of the lead
and solder by the hot steam, &c;
and the inventor or patentee Of the
boiler himself remarked that the only
evidence Of low water he had seen was
in the fact Of the burnt hair felt covering
the top of the boiler, samples Of which he had
picked up The Coroner states that "unfortu-
nately there are other facts which point out
very clearly the existence of an organic disease
in these vessels, requiring the utmost vigilance
to guard against" and particular instances are
specified showing where other vessels precisely
like the Chenango have been near meeting q
similar calamity. Briefly, it seems to be the
opinion of the Coroner that the boilers and ma
chinery Of these government ships are defective
to a dangerous degree, and, according to the
opinion OF both scientific aud practical men,
a repetition Of the Chenango disaster may be
expected any time to occur, so long as the
combination which existed in the Chenango is
used
Now, what should be done 10 matter OF such
vital consequence to the safety of human life
and the preservation Of government property,
In the first place q thorough and radical reform
should be promptly instituted In the mode
Of giving out government contracts for naval
machinery. The gross and Ubiquitous system Of
favoritism and jobbery which prevails in the
Navy Department must be abolished by some
means or ether. If corruption must exist in
soy department Of the government in the name
OF humanity let il be kept from imperilling the
lives Of perhaps thousands Of our brave and
gallant seamen. Is it any wonder that men-of-
war lie idle in our navy yards for the want Of
m en- to man them, when the insecurity Of life
on shipboard is SO apparent Good sailors will
never knowingly ship, on board floating cofins,
nor upon vessels known to be little better
than gunpowder magazines, liable to explo-
sion almost at any moment There are SEINE
twenty or thirty vessels Of the same class
and imperfections as the Chenaago now ready
for sea, and, as soon as they can get their
compliments Of men, they will be on the briny
deep. These ships are Of course liable TO SINH.
lar accidents, and unless firm and decided steps
are taken to remedy the defects now 10 fortu-
nately and spportunely exposed we may soon
have to record deplorable sacrifice Of life
and heavy losses to the government. We have
had too much Of this recklessness in navy
matters, involving sacrifices Of men and money,
losses Of government ships, and defeat and dis
aster to naval expeditions, and il is time stop
were put TO II. The whole system Of supply
ing government steamers with particular kinds
Of fancy boilers is fraught with evil
and danger, and, like all our other navy fall
ures and mishaps, is traceable to the corrupt
method Of awarding contracts to special favor
ties and inscriptions jobbers. Let the admin
istration at once change It's laundering and
mischlevous policy in naval contracts, set about
instituting radical reform, especially in the
cases OF vessels Of the Cheuango class-or, what
is better, let Congress step in and overhaul the
whole system Of naval mismanagemsnt--an
We will see that by this one lamentable disaster