New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-08-10
TIE FERRY DISASTER.
,,o,,r1NUAT1oN OF THE GOVERNMENT IN
CURRY

ut. Co,,crpment Investigation of the west
.,,o,r,os,on WAS resumed yesterday by Inspectors
pn and Boole in the United states 'Ou'VioO'"
p,lkn9r aud Inspector Low were aiso present. %, tho
Charles II. JansOn, who has oeeH !" 'ue years.
staten Island Ferry Company rs 'ns-N0'
testified as follows ,,oe,on, A. No,
O Do You Know anything about the me- bSSi but ran
.ir | was not on duty that DAY on , th
or ON the Thursday or Friday pie'Iou
Only TWENTY-FIVE POUNDS hill.
q What amount Of steam did 20" o~,
,.Nsp Won run it, \. Twenty-Five lo"'' - e,r
~ M, In re,cr carry any moro N NO. '"'
y p.' 'vu ", ~ carry any more A. Because that
was al The law nloTetb nv The ccrGcatel A. Yes sr
g. Did ycg ky tsc certificate OF the last inspection
A. Not on that boat that the wcstGeli not al
o i, y, ca cary any morel A. Ihe superintendent
sid 50. ,,ou, whore tho certificate was placedi A.
g TO ~ saloon at The tuiShead just above 'He engine
non, nod Won more than steamgauge in the West
hcdf A. No, Yer see more than % pounds of steam
- DI2Vg A don't roco,lect OF ever seeing any I3ore
n iii Won ever either Of the other DoilerS' a.
~ S Won determine tie hight of tie water Wien YOU
81 in The guc-roOm A. No. S''' We ho' '"'S i'"'
III Won ever verify the remens report as TO the
,Sit of the water by an inspection OF the boiler your
M vnu remember whether Won did II on tho last day
,,S YOU we're IN the Wcssnoldi a. won't say Tor GER
il Won ever find the water in the boiler lower than
sE:a.cdby the Grcmanl A. always iou-u 1t JUST dts
he said. ~. ,,,o so,o,, ,alvo On the
ystfeI lI0y,ed when you had % pounds OF steam a.
Yes Sir il would blow az Is; itwould commence blowing
q. XTer the safctY.valve bowed q a. would steam
continue 20 rise up to q poundsf a. IL 'i'o no was WY
O. Did yoG ever see the boiler lealngl Al never saw
AM leaks about IL since the last inspection. -,
o. DO you know when the boiler Was inspected liS''
O. oI How long have you been englnecri A. Eight
Are Won censedI A. Yes, sir Ghe witness czhib-
o. Have yon ever received any instructions from the
superintendent of the Ferry in regard 10 D9WliS u,
ateam in the slipi A. No, sir always blew OH steam
70 suit myself. a.. lin, . yos cir
90 DID the Superintendent ever demonstrate with You
Tor blOwiuc I'm tie spi A. lie asked me why dld not
rguatc my fires to Keep the steam down. ana not
BE Obliged TO blow It off in the slip. ., ,,o,so,
o You infer that the objection ne had was JHe uoso
Yes Sir IT makes very daGIeeaDie n0l.e finding
o. On such occasions when you found it necessary to
sometmes Instead Of that open the cocks and let the
.team tanNsi A. Yes SIR we often blew II INTO
@ d. You lift the safetyvave sometmesl A. Some
times the gets too Lot in the tanks, ana teh We
orc Obliged to open the safety valve -. ,o., ,,,o
O. To best your recollection you never saw the
stedm above 20 A. Not TO my rtCOAetuOn
INSPECTOR MATTHEWS EXPLAINS.
Inspector Matthews recalled, and made an explain
son o. his conduct in regard to the North America re-
forred to by Mr.. Bergman Oh Tuesday. He said that
Mr. Bergman inspected the vessel, tested the
boilers and found them all right, but OBJ
Of the DONKEY pnmp which, Mr.. Matthews said was of
nop s 9 e-iTrssine the Company unnecessarily, as
the inspection took place on Saturday and the vessel was
O. Are Won sure that the pGmp was sufficient to sup
ply the boilers in the engine soppedf A. should
@ Have you any doubt at all to its capacity to sup
ply those boilers a. nave o' numn had been in the
vesseli A. do not ~ 49,. a., ,.., ~
Q You sure that 1t had been there ior se'er Noy
ages pfeyous1 A. Yes, Sir.
Q. Has any additional pump been supplied SINGER A.
o. Do ~ You remember tho dimensions Of that pumps
A think it seven inches iii diameter by Elk inches
Q. How many boilers were therei A; Two, think !
went and looked this pump on that occasion
@ You say you did not sign that ceTtidcateI A have
O. Have you examined that certificate since? A. /
it this mornings the signature does not look 'e my
Mas it customary in the oHice FOR one Of ;!e in
,uNcr 10 sieu certificate after another hai inspected
the boilerl A. 1t the custom whea went INTO the
oilce and has been SINCE
HOW CERTIFICATES ARE SIGNED.
O For what reasoni A. In busy times, when there is
great de al OF work do perhaps. who is out OF
Doors attending his duty may say to Inc. "This eerbn
cate Is all ght-have it made out and sign my name TO
cay Don't send any certificate untl you near from me
again" --..e-... .... o.
the Custom HOusel A. Not that recollec'.
a. DO you know who gave orders to return the GER
Q. Who inspected that bolerl A. Mr.. Bergman
q Had you any special authority as iislgCr Over
Assistant Local Inspector; be, however, assumed an
D. %hrn there was any conflict why did you not i'm
nnedatey refer it TO the Supervising InsPectori A
The wines then dcscrbcd tie manner which he in
tpected the boiler OF the Wtshad M yes oiy on ON I
the first day investigations nc did not enter the
SoSght p he nspeStcd the boiler faithfully and did lis
whole duty. man might have entered the boiler ana
alleged 10 have found the inside since the explO
Gen Belknap took prominent part in the examination
OF the witness, saying that he wished TO find out the
Eliminating that he intended to radically reform it.
ovER-PBEssURE-Bow PREVENTED
Ell Ashcroft of Boston testified as follows
O. What is your bUsinessl A. l give my attention
principally to tho manufacture OF steam gauges and
safety valves.
O. Have YOU seen the boiler Of the We<feld since the
explosionl A. have not ,. -,
explosion9 a. Fionl the testimony have read am
Inclined to the opinion tnat IL was m tai boi,er
A. have no knowledge of its construction, but from Its
thews should say that pounds might be considered
undue pressure on that particular boiler. mitch,
Q. Have you any idea how that Ovel-pressure nlgn ny
have been prevented A. BY properly constructed
O. supposng the boiler to have had ordinary 5sinch
and that there only q pounds pressure
which the pressure could have been increased beyond q
pounds a. given attention for two years almost
their form, and the way in which they are made; have
tested 5sluch safetyyave, but lind that
Anch valve will rise l6th OF an inch as II Is
possible to estimate 80 pounds pressure, and will use
bo higher at 90 100 pounds.
@ How much would it rise at five pounds pressure
A. nave never tested low five pounds; have
confined myself 10 about the pressure which is allowed
the majority OF OwpTessue boilers; discussed this
whole subject before the Board Supervising Inspectors
Washington In lsGJ and called their to the fact
that there not "a -aetyyalye In Use, coming within
their jurisdiction but what liable, If not attended 10
often 70 become cO1Oied TO such extent 10 be III
capable OF rising % any safe pressure, and that had
known valves to stick to such extent as TO
require to be cut out with chisel The com
mlttoe before whom | discussed this subject,
la rem Of their