New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-08-15
THE FERRY DISASTER.
CORONER's INQUEST CONTINUED.
PROF. THURsTONS REPORT ON THE CONDITIO



PRoF. THURsTONs REPORT ON THE CONDITION
OF THE BOILER.
The COroners inquest, in the case of the
westaed explosion. was continued, yesterday in the
Chamber OF the Boar OF Assistant Aldermen Prof r.
II. Thurston who was employed by the Coroner TO
anime the westfed's boiler and report his observa-
tons the jury In order to assist them in finding
dict read his report He reirained from expressing any
decided opinion OF the cause Of tho explosion merely
porting such facts as he had observed. He said did
not find the explosion OF unusual violence The total
rcsurface of this boiler is l,54 square feet One-hah
or this about square feet, by law considered
effective heating surface in determining the area OF safety
valves The part ruptured OBS OF an inchin thickness
The boiler broken into three partsrst the furnaces
steam chimney and fues second, two courses OF the
shell near the baokhead, together with the head to
which they are attached third single course from the
middle of the she'll separated at Of its longitudinal
seams partially Strengthened and flung against the bot
tom and sides of the boat The seam where the thlrd
part separated has deep channel made by the causing
6niseI and here probably the initial flaw which
caused the rupture. This channel IS cut so nearly
through in some places that 1t Is dieut 10 detect ts
mere cale good metal LETT and III other places lo Oh
an inch of sound iron remains. ~ TINS were tho
weakest place. and the least thickness l-le OF an
inch and the tensile strength equal 10 the average,
the pressure required to produce rupture az rs pUs
per sauare inch. [At this point piece OF
Inc exploded boiler about inches by g. was handed to
the jurors for inspection and one OF them tested III
burst where the least thickness I32 of an inch put
the stronger parts would give some sporS 70 'o
The horizontal the weakest parts OF the 1oler
and their original strength was equal to i2o pounds per
similarly marked portions, cracks running usual5 rum
ryet TO rYSt cut by ,ne SIi, V Dr. Nh and fIs
occurs in the g1rth and Longitudinal seams inc
tbs hoier Tond be constantly undergoing would affect
the seams, and these lines Of weakness might lhi.ato
foru of corrosion The OF weakness mentioned
rirlt explain TIE explosion but 1t did not occur In
consequence Of nsufliciency OF water
inspector John X Matthews testified that he Inspected
the Westeds boiler June r. using the gauge that was
on board, and setting the government waive az y poun
there were patches the boiler but there were no ind
cations of cracks flaws, which might have been de-
teced by hammer His testimony related emery "
tally the same his evidence before the Steamboat In
W T. LchthaT an engineer, explained his theory OF
the xpOsIOn boilers which H. said, might occur from
the generation OF heat Boilers e saa I'M 80 20 , 30
are worked steadily The inquest was ADJOURNED 10
u u. III To-Day.
,How MANY WERE KILLED.
The SIM newspaper accepts for, and applies
TO itself the general condemnation THE TRIBUNE made OF
the disposition to magnify the Wested disaster by ex-
aggeratng the number Of deaths resulting from the
ploslon. In this instance guilty conscience betrays
criminal hitherto unsupported for The Suns account OF
the disaster was confused it impossible to dis
cover what facts it contained THE TRIBUsEs assertion
was that Of the papers placed the casualties AT 3
Justify itself The sun prints list which numbers only
ol according to its CURING and or those Two are
paipabe repettons Henry Korn appears also as Henry
Kane and William schaffers as william sheffield This
alone reduces the numbers OF me sun 10 W.
without accuracy has been the rum OF many oeeter
papers than The sun
WHAT CAPT. VANDERBILT THINKS OF EDU-
GATED ENGINEERS.
Rumors were in circulation yesterday to the
effect that the Staten Island Railroad Company had sold
out its line and it's ferry privileges in order
10 avoid the payment OF damages on account OF the
Weseld disaster Capt Jacob Vanderbilt the President
OF the Company, however pronounced the stories en-
trely groundess He states that he has received notice
OF the opening OF suits by several persons who lost
relatives by the explosion. The amount OF travel
by this line has been somewhat diminished
| since the disaster In answer to the sug-
eestion that engineers required TO be sci entif
such accidents might not occur Capt Vanderbilt replied
But you cant expect 70 get Snen engneers as you
OF your scientific men, anyhow either they're lazy
they're Incorporate; and there ami any peter man
know anything it is true, but the business OF an engineer
but he generally understands that thoroughly our col
Ored gneer Robinson who had charge OF the Wested
boiler of that sort; we'renot FOOLS we Travelled
continually that boat trusting our own lives as well
a. those OF other passengers TO his skill and fidelity, and
wold do it again There better school for en-
than TO be for Is or Is years IN service about tue
well but Capt Vanderbilt" said the questioner, If
the gneer had better the nature of steam
as learned from great variety Of scientific experiments
| by learned mem ,
"Oh bother! he was doing that day precisely as he
had done every years before when no accident
nd occurred what good would II have done for him 10
have known all about your forces OF cohesion, and eX
pansion, and contraction When you educate men In
those sciences they always want to do something else
rather than SOIL their clothes in the oil ana smut on an
enCineroom ana, besides, they then command hlSher
| pay in other pursuits" , -,
Iut would MT it be profitable, all things considered,
for terrycompanes TO employ such hgpreed and tech
ucally educated ngneers might be found NJ
the public favor those lines known to afford such add
| tiona security for trayelersP -. r,..
eve have good enough engineers now. Capt. BREASTED
often said haC OF the best and safest Terry lines
in the world think the fault has been in the location
OF boilers in the hold instead Of upon the guards at te
aide of the vessel OF 100 vessels
sbout this port Where the boilers the guards
an explosion the violence expends itself in the
air and no great mischief is done; but when they re
the hold the steam rips up everything In IT'S struggle
10 get out There the Sound steamers the Bristol ana
tbe Proylence-among the finest In the worid-but Their
boers are in the hold and explosion upon either OF
them will be trig than thns ever heard o.
| GOVERNMENT INSPECTION OF STEAMBOATS,.
| INSPECTORS AND THEIR woRK-NEEDED RE-
| FORMS.
| The steamboat inspection service is a branch
OF the Bureau Of Navigation OF the Treasury Department
There are 10 Inspection Districts to each OF which
| Supervising Inspector is appointed, as follows:
LIST (een,a por Francisco 81, New iorS "a Bamore
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