Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1866-02-24
RTEAn EXPLOSION.

The vital Importance Of the subject o
steam explosions, warrants US in throw.
ing all the light upon it that can be ob
tanned. We find the following by tn,
river editor Of the Cairo Times, vouchel
by that paper IS eminently a practlca.
man, who has been an engineer for e
least ten years:
Our theory Of boiler explosions is a,
follows When one or more boilers be-
longing 70 the same battery, and having
cOnuecJing pipes 10 the Others. become,
exposed 10 a greater degree Of heat than
the Others, more steam is, Of course, gen
Grated therein and in the case Of tubular
boilers, IL Is generated with such intense
rspidity that the pressure cannot escape
through the openings into the other
boilers 80 as 70 equaliZe the pressure
upon al, and consequently that parIIcu-
lar boiler viii resist the entrance into II
self Of fresh water TO supply the place
Of that which has become steam,
the water naturally going into
the other boilers, where there
is perhaps only a few pounds less resist
Rnce. BY this means the super-heated
boiler IS speedily emptied Of water, or a,
lesst partially 50, and if it does not ex-
plOde while in this condition, ii certainly
will IS soon as the fires under il slacken
sufficiently 10 allow the pressureo Of steam
In the other boilers 10 force the extra &C.
emulation Of water they contain back To
lie proper level in the super-heaUed one.
This water enters a boiler, the fues and
whole body Of which is now red hot, and
the extraordinary generation Of steam
which Immediately takes place, some
idea OF which may be gathered by
throwing water Oh q red hot stove OF any
other heated iron, is Of such magnitude
thsC safety valves or throttle valves are
entirely inadequate 10 allow il to escape
the pressure on the interior Of the
boiler Immediately rises hundreds of
pounds, and the strength Of the boiler
being unable To resist 50 tremendous a
pressure, an explosion almost instantly
occurs.
This state Of affairs viii occur much
more readily with a battery Of tubular
boilers than with one composed Of the
old fashioned two, three or five hued
boilers, because they generate steam so
much more rapidly than the others, and
IN case Of Al extra heat under one boiler
would cause it to be emptied so much
more rapidly. The case, however, NAV
and does occur in the old fashioned boil
ers, but il is so much longer in reaching a
dangerous crisis that q watchful engineer
may discover the water becoming scanty
IN the middle boilers, in which the phe-
uOUenon generally occurs, and apply the
proper remedy, which ii would be TO open
the fire doors and hue caps Of that par
Gculsr boiler before the water becomes
100 low.
There are, unfortunately, too many
engineers who do not try the guage
cocks in their middle boilers, but suffer
them to "grow up" as It is technically
called, 50 that they cannot be used, and
who trust entirely to the new tangled
water guages with floats, which some
sharp Yankee Congressman, whose re-
latives manufactured the things" has
succeeded in forcing steamboats, by law,
TO Use. On some steamers we have seen
neither gUage cocks or water glages used
on the middle boilers, and we have not a
doubt in our mind, but that many Of the
explosions on q Western rivers NAV be
attributed TO the above theory, as nearly
all have occurred On boats which had
three or more boilers. Although the mid
die boilers OF OIL steamers containing
three Or more would naturally be more
liable TO explosion from the above cause.
yet ~tWO-UOuer boats are not entirely free
from danger. The writer Of this WAS
engineer on the steamer Hartsville, a
twO-boilsr boat Oh the Cumberland river. /
the boilers Of which were continually /
'svaFping water with each other when
ever the fuel happened % be Of an extra
Combusdble quality. He has frequently
passed the greater portion ofhis watch"
the after end Of the boilers, engaged in
alternately opening and shutting the
small dOOrs in the fire bed, as Il became
necessary TO cool down one or the other
her eccentric kettles Several en-
had refused 70 run on the Harts-
vile ! u consequence Of this popularity.