The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1869-09-14
OFFICE u. s. Inspectors STEAM VESSELS.
IOTTTGyTr,Tw Eanf 1890 z

LOUISVILLE, Sept. II, 1869. }
james. n Lalse, ESq., Collector Of Customs
LOUISVILLE Ag.'
SIR: We herewith transmit to Won. as
required by the fourteenth section OF the
act OF Congress, approved August 80. 1852
our report aud eclsion ia the case OF the
Cumberland. on the Ohio River. near
Shawneetown, Illinois. on tile morning OF
the Nth OF August, 1859, by which lament
liable lives We're lost, and the boat and
cargo partially destroyed.
We have had occasion, In our investiga-
| tons of the cause OF this terrible disaster,
TO Summon large number OF witnesses,
many Of whom were living at points OF
distance from this local office, and the de-
lay consequent upon the failure OF some to
attend such SUNNI onR Is the reason why an
earlier report in the case has not been Civ
en- TO you and the public.
But believing the evidence already col
lected is sufficient for probable solution
OF the case. aud having access to some re-
cords and other evidence bearing upon the
previous history ofthis unfortunate steam
er, we Will proceed to give our verdict,
framed in accordance With such facts as
are a our disposal.
1t appears. from an examination OF the
records OF this steamer that she Was built
in Cincinnati, Ohio, ia the yea 1868, aud
was o. the stern-Wheel class, and register
ed 353 56-lOJ tons burden. She was provided
with three hign-pressure boilers 70 feet
long and forty inches I'm diameter, with
five 9-inch fiues in each, or iron - As Inches
in thickness.
This We sci was subsequently, sold TO the
Government or the United States, and
converted into gunboat OF the class
known as The tin-clsd, and was used IN
such capacity under the naval name of
KepwOok until the close OF the rebellion,
when she was purchased by some parties
at Cairo H., and RENTED and placed ia
the Evansville and Cairo trade, and ran as
a regular packet, carrying freight and pas
Since that time said boat has underwent
several inspections at the hands OF Mr..
Guthrie, Su pervising Inspector OF the 9th
late fdnnlfCafpl q
certificate OF inspection. taken from the
files OF he Surveyors ONCE at Evansville,
1last) on the 18th OF Decefn Der, 1868, at said
port OF Evansville, by the officer just
alluded to, and that said vessel and equip
ments were pronounced safe, and In con-
formity 10 the requirements Of law regu-
latiug such matters. But upon the point
Just stated we must be allowed here to ex-
press grave doubts as to its truth and faith
iulnes-, for we have the sworn testimony
Of two witnesses who were on the steamer
at the time mentioned, that the said su-
peryising Inspector Guthrie was not pres
EFT at the time Of the Inspection spoken
Of, but that the discharge OF this high and
important trust was commissioned by him
to one James l.. Aubte, a. engineer, and
at the time q resident OF Evansville, Indt-
ana. This delicate and responsible uty
was therefore performed by an agent not
commissioned by the Govercment for
such purpose, and in direct viola
OF this branch Of the public service. We
have no reason TO believe that the boilers
OF the Cumberland We're tested at the Time
mentioned In such manner as the law re-
quires, or 50 as 10 have developed such
weakness as must have existed at the time
OF sad inspection. It is also clearly estab-
lished that the boilers OF the Cumberland
were not provided with the fusiDle alloy
lin plugs), as is required 10 be placed in the
fiues OF the boilers OF steam vessels by the
third section of the act OF Congress ap-
proved July p, 1896.
An examination or fragment or por-
ton CT the exploded boiler Cthe only one
we re able to secure), shows u at II came
from a point on the top OF said boissr to
which the steam-dTu leg was attached,
We have tried the same by 9 standaTd
wire gauge, and find that the inside Ian
measures 1913 OF an inch in thickness. and
that the iron IS perfect and Of fair quality
but from the point 0uside OF the shelI, and
to which the DANCE OF the said leg was
riveted, the iron Is wasted by corrosior
descending seYelaI inches below the
water line, revealing an edge at the place
ruptured OF scarce one-sixteenth Of an inch
No portion OF the fragment alluded TO
s. oWs any evidence OF absence OF water az
the time, nor is there any mark (yislble)
that the sheet has at any time been over
heated, as would be shown by the absence
of water below the file line.
Mr.. Robert Redeem, the first engineer,
who was on watch at the time Of the ex-
plOslOn, states that he had just tried the
water, and found II flush Ia all the cocks,
and that, hearing the bell tap for the lead
and noticing that the engines were labor
ing as II in ahOal water, he had returned TO
the engine-room, and had not remained
when The boilers exploded, Carving tic
whole battery into the river on the star
board side Of the boat. This statement is
c0rroDorated by VIM. Lewis (the watch
man) and Henry Hess Cook, who posi-
tiveIy swear that they saw Mr.. Redden try
the water az the time spoken OF, and that,
IN their judgment, there was plenty OF
va ter in the gauges at the time, they
Judging by the sound, with which they
state they were familiar.
We have considerable testimony, from
boiler makers at Evansville, W DO worked
on the boilers OF the Cumberland at differ
ent times during said boats continuance
in the trade. They uniformly state that
safd boilers were d fficult to patch on &C
count OF the close proximity OF the nues to
me sides and bottom Of the shell. But
thew state, with one exception, that they
considered them in good ana safe condl-
ION al The ttne or Completion or such re
pairs. 49, -. -..
M coats VINO says that from a period OF
eo1.e ave or six weeks previous TO the ex-
1,Ioefon he did not consider them safe on |
leo~uut of the clCseneSs OF the dues before /
mentioned, and the frequent tinkering to |
vghfch they had been subjected. These
boiIers defective as they were held to be In |
Conformation. had been successfully run fer
. neriod of about six years without any
eeTfous trouble to them except an Occa-
sfonal burning Of sheets and staining
upon the rivets, an occurrence not unusual /