New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-09-04
A CHEMICAL THEORY.

re IAS EditOr Of re frtbWas
SIR; Experience demonstrates that our best
constructed heavy iron boilers IA care OF our most
careful eAgiRoers, explode, and that too, with fuu
gauge Of water, and sometimes ata minimum or low
gauge Of steam Explosions generally take place under
the following circumstances: Starting the engine orc-
ing cold water Into the boiler opening furnace doors
feeding wet faeL Either of these has tendency TO re-
heVe reduce pressure Planning boilere are liablo 70
explode. particularly when on new locomotives ana con-
tanning Oil, AN sseanbOiers exhibit distinct magnetic
poes the upper half, including the steam space VIII
attract the needle the lower half will repelit water
eoatAlns mineral salts will produce DEMONSTRATION by the
electrical attraction Of the metal for the salts The salts
Of glyeerine (oiD when subject to high pressure Oi
RteAn act chemically It, forming stearc marHaro'
and Oeio aetA and Getting free gyeerne FSte or oiS
In water Ut a9o r., containing aiRali' undergo
chemical changes the acids Of the fat abandon the oae
glycerne and take base potash or sooS' lorn
inv row aaltsOap In both instances we havea pro-
duct free eiycerine.
Chemical afnity source Of electrical Disturbance
ana free electricity in the presence OF atmosphere ~
or organic matter undergoing decomposition prouuoes
ammonia, On HS, and ammonia in moist atmoSpnere
ovor solution Of organic inorganic bases az 1T
viii nroAuco the nitrates Of those bases. Glycerlne
readily combines with nitric acid sulphurio acid' ana
the nitrate of potassa and with ntrosuphurc Hcius
forming nitro gycerine, Mobiles blasting OIL ana
it, all insoluble in, and having greater specno eiS'
ty
bath At $500 Soap in steam boilers causes foamlng
ana when boiler foas being no solid water the
iron liable to become very hot and this in the pres
ance Of nitrosenous substances under pressure, will
cause O terrific explosion
chemical analysis Of thel Mississippi River water,
taken below the mouth Of the Missouri showed, among
other impurities nearly grains Of heterogeneous matter
(lbumeD) to the gallon. and II used for steam lin con-
necton with fats or oils and akaes might be set down
extra hazardous at high temperature "The nstao-
y Of all heterogeneous compounds is the striking peculiar
ity." While the elements carbon, hydrogen, oxygen,
and nitrogen) remain exactly balanced the integrity OF
the compound is preserved, but the moment equilibrium
is destroyed cOmmOton follows These elements are
held together by the most tickle af1nes. and have
proneness to decomposition whenever the balance OF OPP
posing forces becomes deraDged by heat or other mole
car disturbance The carbon and strongly tend to
unite form carbonic acid the hydrogen and oxygen at
tract each other powerful manner to form water WINE
the everreacherous nitrogen displays its weakness by
disposition To combine with the hydrogen to form am,
mOnia and the moment decomposition takes place great
heat evolved and explosion follows. temperature OF
hot So SsGG to ms Spse OF
Hence the cry Of no water in the boiler ana meteo cop
II does seem as though a little attention should be
given to organic chemistry in connection with steam
harbor water used containing all those explosive ele
mcnts and that we might thus readily come 10 selen-
tho solution Of the problem and thereby save money
lives and much property AS 1t s we are just where we
were years ago Organic remains OF snmas ana the
beware of all hydrocarbons containing nitrogen the
Of IN S TsG InS er very
hcke and when they part company they go with iorce
usng water from fats oils heterogeneous substances
with ordinary care is comparatively safe II It gives
steam without HARM except to tho who may he In the
line OF the esc"Re BUT e Icss tban sn
machine liable to explode from high temperature release
disturbance among those tickle elements and # will be
rent at the nearest point OF contact ana torn He paste
board regardless OF seams JOINTS patches or cOooeu
To Illustrate that 1t is not steam pressure that
Steamer New-Engand, from NewYork to Hartford, Oct
Carrying only q R6 GS after be disaster
showed it to be tough and free from saws Steamer
3lsS up AVN who 80 that the
was low steamer Royal Tar PenO6sSpt Bay caught
Here we have evidence Of boilers becoming dry without
1PsGG PURes SSDS eGsO She Blew up at
O'clock g. IN with only 10 pounds pressure, utterly de-
Sressne At pSnve Pa new boiler at the Onaur
iron Works blew mp IN 1857 with full gauge Of water
fire was oxtingushed aud while the neer was putting
The ws S s9d N T%s sSHsn TS@
with organic matter great many terrific explosion,
happened on weSTn SaF Sa o
lowed many instances proved nothing as to the cause
gines with from 100 i4O pounds pressure until the
boilers corroded and rotten and yet they seldom
blow up 1t is the engines that are most liable 10
After % years Of practical oDservatOny Slentlnc re-
search and chemical investigation, coupled win per-
sOnal inspection both inside and ou, OF hundreds OF
boilers Including the wrecks Of many explosions most
respectfully beg depart from the popular theory
thai boilers all explode from Overpressure OF steam
and that The pressure all tunes is alike all over the
inside of a boiler In November, 1885, "saponltylnR
tank blow up In Cincinnati no fire near lu ht0oK steam
from boiler carrying 30 pounds pressure situated III
snoher building The tank blown two squares from
whore II stood This seemed to be poser on low-water
advocates and tile fact published without comment
by leading scientific journal that short time before
had ridcued the theory and carcAtured the writer OF
an article the combustbiity OF organic matter Id
boiler. -, . 49, -. - -.,
houses while burning In Cincinnati about 20 years
IA s an open problem that might perhaps be solved by
taking into that the lard and satpeer simply
changed the eoDfaraton the one into
soap and other into There are many
other facts relative explosions that have fallen under
my observation, all Of which to disprove the low
water overpressure theory When the travelling public
can realize that matter boiled down and cOncen
trated In the bottom Of steam boiler Is explosive, and
that those potent forces be avoided may begin
70 look safety But long they disreRarded
rendnR and sanguinary disasters like that Of the West
field Arthur, Sultana GencO Redstone Kate Kearney,
Moselle, and OtberL A lamentable fact s that men
strive harder maintain theories than they do to find
truth and that there seems to he impossible gulf be-
tween practical aud professional minds that 1t takes
about 20 wears to introduce a simple truth to either
Burlington, I0tDG, Aug. q, ISL A. T. HAY.
HOW TO INSURE PUBLIC SAFETY.
70 the Editor Of The Tribune.