New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-08-12
NO NEED FOR BOILER EXPLOSIONS.

To the Edifor Of The Tribune.
SIR: Several boiler-men examined the West
Held boiler last Saturday The iron shows the wicked
parsimony Of whoever purchased 10 and allowed IL
W enter INTO the construction OF steam DOier' n
gentleman who has spent several hundred t0usand
uohars III experimenting with steam-Doilers 10 solve
practically the problem Of making steam safely, has
proved That the simple cause OF steam-b0er explosion
10 IN oVerPressure OF steam upon boiler which is not
STRONG enough 10 hod IT. Among other practical eX-
permeRts which he has made are the filling OF red-bOt
boiler three times In succession cold water without
bursting it, and also raising steam to tho enormous
pressure Of $50 pounds per square inch without danger
II there had been anything like gunpogi force
the Wesfeld boiler the only vestges OF the steamer
and passengers would have been fragments of human
beings and chips ef floating upon the water Suppose
barrel OF guDpOwder had burst inside the hull OF the
steamer what would have been left Of 1t and lie passen-
gers In this explosion OF the boiler. only
and upper works Of portion OF the boat were torn out
and the hull left apparently uninjured. Mechan
cally considered, IL mild affair." compared with the
explosion of q stationary boiler carrying higher pressure
Few people have idea Of what IL going on IN boiler
ia regular service Thirty pounds per square inch was
strain % over tuns upon every square foot Of the
Weseld boiler. This not great II the iron was
good but terrible with such iron used, and Is IN
daily use under the sidewalks in hr0uged thOr0ughfare
In the latter the strain Is apt TO be over Io
tuns per square foot, higher steam Is carried On
cylinder boiler 30 feet long by 30 inches in diameter with
not uncommon pressure Of 100 pounds per square inch,
there is constant strain OF 1000 uns. Think OF
1900 tun ship at the wharye., and suppose the boiler
could be set Oh end and cosehtting punser arranged
and This huge ship placed upon H. and II can he imagined
what force is liberated by the sudden rupture OF
boiler filed with expansive steam. There force enough
in steam account for the terrific effects OF an expo
sion, without being over scientific ana mysterious
common laboratory phenomenon Is often Wit
Il oil ~
until the air is expelled from between
the atoms Of the water This water has then an almost
metallic sound when Shaken a, its faiicles arr CON
pacted together Ia this condition the %I,er VII az
heat rapidly, but not part with u Tree a.
when the air kent the particles OF water asunder no
den b1nicsI sfrirgure of the water will evolve
mas ~ steam in.fa1aneously which Will often shater
the hls or OthOr words, produces boiler cAposOL'
Stir Your cup of hot coffee with spoon, and u gives
of a volume OF steam. Now violently disturb the vast
volume OF water highly cEUE'd WIN nt~' VI 'tg.ll
boiler and heavy volume OF steam IS instantly gwen
or the expansion OF which is local IN lts enect
and which tho safety-vaiye Is not always hu
equate to relieve. The boiler gives way al tho
point whore tho force Is ezertcd on the same
principle by which a candle can ne shot rom gun
through board, when II could not DE soHy !olc e
through by hydraulic press Ihe power - coLcehtLea
upon ne point FOR an in.tant and the ponl g!v,s
way Of it IS weak before the force can dlse 'ti 'tl
larger surface. The above Is only one OF several Iet-
produced by sudden generation OF steam ana M
guantity Of st6am when the water is In the condition
described aboye-such as suddenly Forcing IL . la 80
quantity or water nom the pump ana JheIspy
tho water, or throwing open lars s,a" H'i rT
nd
fhe sudden iurch OF "a steamer ny the passengers
ruDpiHg 10 one side after the has been heeed
ers causing the water "swa.h in them, thus her-
ating steam, in the explosion OF the new steamer
Yosemite the Sacramento RIVER. LoWness Oh wafer
NAV cause ues To become red hot, and highly super
heat the steam which rapidly forms Masses OF steam
then suddenly evolved a. before dt9crpeu may Dtcohe
suddenly aud unduy expanded by minfhg Win ihs
atrd steam al time Wneh Tue oOIct i "eaet
most probable result II Is impossible TO even ioqeh.
in letter, upon all the natural CAUSES on ba.
enc
impossible gas theories to account iOr great
a few simple reasons will show why steam-boilers
may not strong enough 10 resist the aclOu when
often occurs in them one is the cr!muay eeonomeal
ideas OF owners pay four cents per pound for poor
iron when good costs double the price. They OFTEN
beat down the boler-maker IN price, and he must, m
together The owner then cheapens the wages OF the
attendant there Is enough to insure the worst re-
seam on the fragment OF the Westfold boiler at the
Police station hict may have been made by the expan
sion and contraction OF the poor iron OF which u ~ com.
posed But looks though 1t done by the scarf
ing chisel Of a careless boiler-maker IN bey-
calkIng This is very common occurrence;
Not disintcrested man who ought to know what good
0oOd one saws il was fair iron" and then adds, lit
was not properly welded IN the rolling mil' But the
fair character OF the iron As he says, more Wisely,
It was properly welded II should have been rolled
then cut piled IN the furnace and rolled again, ahi
the process repeated until molassas candy IL worked
and rewOrhed had become refined and tough IL was
there Further renemeut would have added 10 It's cost,
and the maker might not have sold II az profit
Adopt the sensible French law and make every steam
user responsible for property ana Ive- oot n rS
aud the number OF 1rghtful casrophes VIII diminish
IN the same that railroad accidents have, since
juries pOuuce upon the managers WIN anu
heavy verdicts Every man Will then be forced by nus
best materials. workmanship and attendance hat money
as a steamboier. !. c.
Newport, Aug r, 1871.