Baton Rouge tri-weekly gazette & comet. [volume] (Baton Rouge, La.) 1865-18??, 1866-03-06

Cured on our waters. The first is the be-
lief that any pressure of steam, II uncon-
nected with deficiency Of water In the
boiler, is incapable of producing an expio-
sion. The second, equally dangerous, ia
the belief that what can be done for few
times, with impunity, may be done con-
tinually with safety; for ample, the fact
of having carried steam, on one or two oc-
casions, at pressure of 200 pounds to the
square inch, induces many engineers to
assume that they may continually carry q
pressure not less than this, and be within
| the limits of safety. This is an erroneous
| belief, fraught with danger; for it is an es-
tablished principle, ascertained by expert
ence and careful experiments, that iron ID
sensbly weakened every time it is strained
by more than third of the force re-
quired to break it; 80 that boiler whose
bursting pressure, when new and I'M
strained, j. $50 pounds to the square inch,
may be 80 weakened by being repeatedly
subjected to pressure of more than $50
pounds, as to explode finally at o compare
| lively low pressure.
| Until these two errors are entirely eradi-
Gated from the engineering mind, we must
not expect any material diminution in the
| frequency of explosions on our waters.
| Engineers must also learn that high steam
is of itself always dangerous, and that
| low water, however much to be guarded
against, is to be considered dangerous,
chiefly because it is presumed to produce
high steam.
1fexplosions are to be prevented, or rem
dered less frequent, we must look to boat
owners and captains, quite as much as to
engineers, to bring about this happy con-
dition of things; for it is evident that no
engineer is Of himself DESTROYS of carrying
high steam; he has no motive to prom pt
him to do so, for however insensible to the
danger, he cannot be oblivous to the
many troubles incidental to its use. Gu
pidity, combined no doubt with ignorance
of the danger, induces captains and own
ers to demand fast time of the engineer,
without regard, either to strength of the
boiler, or the pressure necessary to produce
the speed required.
A radical error-the correction of which
would contribute very materially to lessen
the mum der of explosions-is the INSULT
cient capacity of the machinery placed in
boats to produce the ordinary speed with
out the use Of steam, of an excessively high
pressure. In the original construction of
the machinery this error could be cheaply
corrected, involving merely the additional
expense of larger cylinder, with perhaps
an extra steam drum-thus being able to
produce the same mechanical effect with
steam far within the limits of safety, as is
now produced by steam carried to the
verge of danger. But, trifing as the cost
may be, avarice stands in the way of the
happy change. Hence, have no expecta-
ton of seeing it realized until enlightened
public opinion renders this faulty con-
struction Improbable.
In conclusion, cannot forbear express
ing my establishment at the unwarrants-
BILE, (and, l think, lllegaD assumption of
authority on the part of our local inspect
ors, in compelling boat-owners to remove
their tubular boilers, without producing
one particle of evidence to justify their &C
ton. I defy them to give single a1gu-
ment which justifes them in the rejection
of the tubular for the fue boiler, that will
not equally justify the rejection of the Aue
for the plain cylindrical boiler.