Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-08-04
Our New York Dispatches.
Examination into the Cause of the Recent
ExPlOsiOn-LibeI suit-Dicd-Arrange-
mcnts for the italian Celebration, etc.

NEW YORK, Aug. 3.
The official investigation into the cause of the
explosion of the boiler of the ferry boat West
field was resumed this morning. Julius Rayner,
passenger, sworn: Said he was on board the
Westfield at the time of the accident; was on the
left hand side of the engine on the main deck;
went up to the engine room and looked in to see
them start; there appeared to be no one in the
room; two tremen came up and sat down on
the deck; he then looked down into the fire
room, and few moments after looked into the
engine room again noticed noise as of steam
blowing off from the boiler; escaped from the
boae after the explosion, and am sure the engi-
neer was not on board.
Henry Robinson, engineer of the Westdeld.
sworn; Reside at StapletOn, S. l.. am nearly 40
years of age, and have been an engineer nearly
nlteen years; have had charge Of the Wyoming,
running to Elizabethport; have had license as
engineer from the United States inspectors have
license dated July, 1869, signed John W.
Weeks and John X. Matthews; this is the fourth
license that have had; was engineer of the
Westtield at the time of the explosion; left
Staten Island at - 80 o'clock, touching at quar-
antine and came into the New York Slip the
engine bell rang all done; went out and put the
hose on the tank, and went on the dock to
strengthen it; went back to the engine room and
saw that there were twenty pounds; then saw
the fireman coming out Of the freroom, and
asked him if all was right, and he said yes;
then returned to the engine room and saw that
there was twenty-seven pounds of steam; then
walked slowly off toward the bow and saw the
captain with his hand on the wheel; / then re-
turned toward the engine room, and when
within ten or fifteen feet heard an explosion;
| rushed for the engine room door, and
stopped and lifted the trap, when the fireman
came up so badly injured that he died immedi-
ately; was not absent four minutes after motto
ing the twenty-seven pounds on the gauge; don't
know whether the gauge was correct or not;
when there steam in the If wOUl0
sometimes stand at two, and at other times at
zero; worked with twenty to twenty-five pounds
OF steam Oh the way up; generally use from
twenty-five TO twenty-seven pounds of steam;
the valve was set at twenty-Seven, so as to give
the steamer chance to blow off and keep at 20,
when the gauge showed q; in the slip the
safety valve was just smmering; the water in
the tanks is sometimes boiling; the valve is five
inches; couldn't tell the square of or the diff
ference between high and low pressure; vacu-
um means foul atmosphere; when you press
welted leather on a flag, that is another in
stance OF vacuum; it's the damp makes it stick,
and witness couldn't think of any other force
acting; there was sometimes little pin-hole
leaks IN the engine, and there was patch or
saddle put on last fall which was blown off at
the explosion; if the gauge was out of order,
and he wanted TO measure the valve, he would,
he said, get some one to figure it up for him.
Captain James W. Braisted, superintendent
OF the company, testified, at length, respecting
Tue uulleS ana capacity OF Robinson, the engl-
neer; expressed the highest confidence in his
ability and fidelity; said however, that he had
frequently threatened to discharge him for
carrying twenty-seveu pounds of steam, and
that he believed if he had not carried more
than twenty-five pounds on that day, the boiler
would not have exploded; also stated that the
breweries on Staten Island had been. in the
habit of transporting wagon loads of lager on
the boats, and the deck hands had been the re-
cipients of portions of that beverage; do not
know that there was any last Sunday; several
times have found empty kegs on board; passen-
gers sometimes give the men liquor from bot
ties; had suspicion that such might have
been the case then, for l asked if any beer had
been on board during the trip; | am perfectly
satisfied that the engineer and fireman had none
that day; did not ask about whskey; the en-
gineer was perfectly sober, so far as | could
Judge, half an hour after the accident; my con-
fdence has not been shaken in that engineer
now, despite the accident, and would as soon
trust him with my life as ever.
The names of ninety-one dead victims of the
explosion are published this afternoon, together
with those of seven missing, who are supposed
to be dead Timothy Buckley died to-day, and
four others, including German named Freder
lex Leming and wife, who were taken immediate
ly home by a son who escaped unframed, and
who were not known to be injured until to-day,
are in precarious condition, and recovery is
impossible.