The Cairo evening bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1868-1870, 1869-08-16

sistance In their power. From all &C.
counts every assistance possible was rem.
dered, and the wounded were made %
comfortable as circumstances would ad.
NIT.
The cause Of the explosion, as is al.
ways the case, Is involved in mystery.
The time of the explosion was at the in
slant Of changing the midnight for the
morning, or dog watch, as II is usually
called by steamboatmen, and both en-.
gineers, as we'll as both sets of deck
hands, pilots, etc, were all on deck to-
gether. The engineers testify that the
water In the boilers had been tested on.
ly about one minute before the explo-
sion occurred, as. indeed, must have been
the case, because the engineer coming on
watch always tries the quantity Of water
In the boilers while on his way from his
bed to his position at the engine, and in
'this case the engineer going Off watch
had not yet left the engine room when
the explosion occurred. Whether he had
tried the water In the middle boiler we
could notiearn.
While we do not insist that we Cannot
be mistaken, yetsthe writer is constrained
to believe, from an experience Of eleven
years as engineer on siea IN boats, on the
western rivers, that large majority and
perhaps all of the explosions which have
occurred may be attributed to the care
lessness OF engineers In not testing the
quantity Of water In the middle boilers
as often as that In the outer ones. AL.
though many engineers and philosophers
insist that water In boilers or elsewhere,
when allowed reasonable opening con.
nections, will always remain on level,
and that therefore the presence Of q SUI.
ficient quantity of water In the outside
boilers Is positive evidence OF the same
quantity In the middle ones, our ex.
perience proves that this holds good only
with cold water, or with steam at q low
pressure ;and we have been on steamers
where one boiler would be so full Of wa
ter a. to be working IL out Of the cylin-
ders, while the other was 80 scantily sup
piled rs to not show itself In the lowest
guages. The proof that this was caused
by extra heat is TO be found In the fact
that when the fiue caps or fire doors were
opened under the empty boiler, the water
would In few minutes return. We
therefore have good reasons for be.
lieving that the middle boilers may
become so heated AS to resist the en-
trance OF the water supplied by the
pumps, and become so near empty as to
cease making steam for the want Of wa
ter, and then after the boiler and fiues
become nearly or quite red hot, the want
Of pressure inside suddenly allows the
water from the surrounding boilers to en-
ter the empty and heated one, thus
causing such q tremendous and instant
accumulation OF steam, by contact with
the heated iron, that all the safety
valves on the boat, added to the throttle
valve, cannot ounce 30 allow its escape,
and instantaneous explosion Is the re.
suit.
1t is commonly reported In cases Of ex-
plosion that all the boilers have blown
up. A critical examination, IL possible.
which Is seldom the case, would probably
show that the middle boiler alone ex-
ploded and toe the Others 20 pieces, thus
inducing the belief that all had exploded.
We understand the Cumberland was
insured for $1,000, but not against ex.
plosion.
The wreck Is now lying at the Shaw
neetown wharf, and we learn that the
hull Is not leaking and only slightly in
jured.
Capt. G. d. Williamson, one of the
principal owners, vent up to the wreck
last night on the Armada.
Remember the auction sale OF furni.
turs at p. G.. Schuh's residence, No. SO
Seventh Street, on Wednesday morning
next
Died, In st. Mary's Infirmaiy, in THIS
city, on Thursday the 18th inst, Bridget
McCabe, aged 81 years. Philadelphia
and Galena papers please copy.
To County Omesr~.
Notice is hereby given, that the pub.
lie laws ofIs89 are now in my office for