Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1867-06-06

TINE HsANSAN0 20
Omcial sa-pers or the Commits
esoners.
~ for chas. i. Mcpherson, sn4yrrising
Ia.aeeicr. Frts1 District:
su;-We htreai,h present 70 you our
,cDort. Or cur examination and investigation
N he explosion Of the boilers Of The steau or
LAaslur. which cscur,d on the l3sh day Of
May last
The steamer Lansing. was chartered by
the wv. U. IL. Il. Co.. on the 18th day Of
April, 1867, and Owned By Captain j. w.
Stewart, Of Dubuque, and made daily trips
TO and from Rock Island, Davenport and
Port Byron, tsushisg at interusdiatc lana:s
ings. She Wos stem wheel boat Of ll6
tonr, end had two side valve engines, aud
doctor; also twe boslsss twelve sect long,
and forty >one inchss in diameter tho iron
IVES one fourth Of - inch in lbiokness, and
stamped Lake Superior Rolling Mile. o.
II. No. l." with thirty eight three inch
tubes 10 each. She was bsilt at Prairie dss
Cher, in the Fall Of 1868. The engines
and boilers we're made BY Goodenow, Of
Milwaukee, and were new At the time they
we're put into the boat 1iss boiler hssds
we're three cighths Of an inch IN thickness,
and brsced with six three fourth inch
braces she sas com,nandsd by Hugh n.
hughes. frans Campbell. Mate; George
White, Pilot; John c. Bromley. Engineer
Luther Il. Stein, cles md Abe usual essw ~
Cat n aud Deck hands, and with tie Off
GERS amounting 70 thirteen in ell. r.
The Lansing had been inspected by US
on the 18th day Of September 1866, aud
was allowed 10 carry lzo pounds Of s,csm.
We found upon examining the wreck oil
the Lansing" which Was about 800 yards
above the upper pier at Hampton, that the
forward part al the main deck was blown
completely out, aud the stsrboard SIDE
blown out down TO tho knuckles, the man
and sister nelson's broke in two, aud twos
thirds Of the upper works. consisting OF tne
cabin, completely gone. and scattered ior
several hundred yards up end dows the
river bank and adlo,aing fields. We also
found the steam drum, weighing from i've
TO six hundred pounds, l25 yards in On
easteriy direction, also part Of the boiler,
with the safety valve attached, 1856 yards,
the man hole rim, Gre brick, tile and frags
ments Of the boiler l65 yasds, the brick 10
many instances burning and acosching the
grass The boiler sheets were snoatly
turned inside out. We also found parts Of
the Heads with the tubes attached 70 them,
twisted and bent in every direction, show.
ing TO US, most conclusively. that tho boiler
Leads were the last to let 60, and give way.
We could not find upon any part OF the
boiler 81 Gets, Aoy sign ct scale OF incrustss
ton Of former weakness
We carefully examined the safety valve.
which we measured aud found il 10 45-l00
area, and sufficiently large end sufficient for
the free vent aud escape VI steam. She had
no lock up safety valve; the safety valve
VAS insgood working order. We have, since
the explosion. tested the steam guage, and
found u eight younds out of the way, it
indicating less steam than there was.
We are Of the opinion that the starboar
boiler was the iirst that exploded, and
which, in striking against the larb ard
boiler, threw it overheard, parts Of which
In our examination we found in the river,
and also found every indication Of great
heat, on the heads and shells At the time OF
the explosion, and but little evidence of
any hct water from the boilers. The Lar
srng .ad left y s.nport On Monday, the
~ day oI May, ut n bout half past nine A.
crew suitable fer short daylight trade, in
which she was engaged She had IN all
fifteen pas sengoFs and but very little freight
on board. A the time she had landed M the
town of Hampton in Rock Island county, on
the upper rapids, AID for ,he purpose 0. put
ting oil pass II GERS and taking on wood
When h. first landed, tho wind as bic wing,
according g. evidence, up stream, with the
stern quarter.ny out IN therver. She bad,
IA landing. put cut stern line, but before
she bad hnisiaed wcoding, tue wind SHIFTED
across the river from west, anu while in thu
act Of showing Out the stern, which was 20
feet from the shore, tho explosion occurred,
and resulted in killing George White, pilot,
who was Mt the wheel III the time James
Tracy, fireman. who wna al tho fire doors.
William Wasseighsr, cook, whose body
was found in the hull Of the wreck Viii.
liam II. Noble and Mr.. Beebe, passen gers,
who were sitting by the stove in the Tor.
ward part Of the crbin, Henry Curtiss, Of
Dubuque, who, when last seen previous to
the explosion, Was in the office ~ the desk
writing. His body has since been found
and be Is supposed to have been killed
Instantly. The wounded Ne found were
Judge Hubbel, Of New Mexico, Mr.. Oil
plant, Of Davenport, Isaac w. Powell Of
ottawa, H., Mrs. Logan, of Cordoya, III.
md John j. KnedIer, of Rock Island.
We lind sufficient evidence, that the boat
was not aground ut the limo OF the cxp,o>
sion, nor listed by the wind. And do not
att oh any blame or ccnsure 70 Capt Hugh
NJ. Hughes, to- cher with the officers an d
crew. Aud iinl that obey were using every
exeriion at the time to get out from the
landing.
We are Of The opinion, from the evidence
and from the force OF the explosion, doysg.
oped by the evidence taken by us, aud upon
our own examinations aud Investigations.
that tia cause or causes Of the explosion of
The boilers of the steamer Lansing, which
occurred about Il o'clock, NJ, Of the 18th
day o! May, 1867. while laying at tho TO sn
os Hampton, on the Mississippi River, was
produced by scarcity of water in the boil
ers at the time Of the explosion, and by an
over>prsssure of steam, and that the enrin>
eer, John c. Bromley, was negligent and
inattentive TO his duties, and by direc, vio-
la.ion Of Sections i and l2, chapter 100.
under the law of Congress of August 3oth.
1852: IAN act TO provide for the better Sc
curity OF the lives oil passengers on board of
of vessels propelled in whole, or in part. By
steam. AID for other purposes :" and that
we have hereby revoked the license Of the
said John C. Bromley, LIST engineer, for
causing the explosion Of the boilers Of the
steamer Lansing on the 18th day Of May,
1861.
GEORGE W. GIRDoN,
JAMES AcMuRcnY,
u. s. Local Inspectors Of Steamers.
Port Of Galena, June 0, 1867.
The Price ana Prospecs 81 Bread
We have remarked the extraordinary