The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1871-08-04
THE EXPLOSION.
The Investigation Continues
Examination Of Witnesses.
New York, August 3.-The investi

NEW oRE, August 3.-lhe lnVestl'
CATION of the Westfield disaster was con-
tinued to-day, and will probably occupy
many days, as the matter will undergo
thorough scrutiny, A man named
Raynor, a passenger on the boat a: the
time of the disaster, testified that just
before the explosion, occurred, he..no
ticed that the steam guage indicated a
high pressure Of sieam; could not say
exactly the figures; was in the engine
room and the valves. were blowing.
Henry Robinson, the colored engi-
neer, testified that he considered the
boilers Of the Westheld the best in use
on the Staten Island line the safety
valve was set at twenty-scven pounds,
which is an excess OF two pounds over
the amount allowed boats he always
understood the inspector allowed this
two pounds excess to be carried; has in
few instances known it to be twenty
nine pounds. This witness was exam
iued very rigidly with regard TO his
knowledge oil steam engines, the result
OF which was he knew absolutely moth
ing OF principle, but had sufficient
knowledge OF running an engine. He
commenced steamboating as a greaser,
then worked as fireman, and finally
was promoted to the charge OF an en-
CINE has had four licenses; cannot
read or write; defined a vacuum 10 be
foul air; could not tell the difference
between high and low pressure or the
operation of steam in running them;
thought greater force was required to
drive down the piston when vacuum
was formed under it than when there
was no vacuum he never made steam
a study; what he knew he learned by
experience has been engineer fifteen
years.
VIM. Lightfield, the next witness,
stated that he lived in Brooklyn, was
an engineer, and had been since lS21;
had examined the boiler Of the West
field by order of the Superintendent OF
Inspection; he gave thorough state
ment of condition OF boiler; said the
guage was in bad order; considered
explosion occurred from over pressure
of steam; the furnace ant tiues were
apparently in good condition. After the
examination OF this witness, the Board
took recess until two o'clock IN the
afternoon.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
At the afternoon session of the Board
of Inquiry into the Westtield disaster
Captain James w. Braisdel, Superln-
tendent OF the Ferry Line, was the only
witness examined. He paid a high
tribute to the character OF Robinson,
the engineer; and said that he consId-
cred him the best man on the Jerry
line; he was surprised at the whole
affair; he could give 10 cause for the
accident, as he considered the WesttieId
the best of the boats on the line; he had
discharged Robinson once for carrying
too much steam, but since his reinstste-
ment had never had occasion even to
reprimard him; he declared in an EN-.
phatic manner that his opinion was
that if there had not been more than
twenty-five pounds OF steam on that day
the boiler would not have bursted, still
he had no idea that the engineer had
more than twenty-five pounds on; he
was certain that the engineer was per-
fectly sober at the time OF the accident,
and declared it to be his opinion that
LIQUOR had nothing to do with the acci-
dent, and said he would as soon trust
him with his life as ever. At the re-
quest of Mr. Braisdel the Board ad-
iourned until tomorrow.