New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-08-08

th9t it trip between IL and o. we were about 10
minutes going down. 49,
the hand move nc alll A. No.
Can't BREASTED, recalled: O. Please state rs to The times
The WCstfcld ran two weeks yesterdays A. S1e ran
on even hour trips I cannot say whether at or 2
Westeld will leave one day at o'clock ana the next
q. Would you run halfhour boats on Sunday A. We
q. Did you that Sundayf A. Yes.
EXCESSIVE PRESSURE" AND "A FLAW
Alfred Horton, practical engineer, sworn: @ Have
you been on board the westleld since this catastrophe
A. Yes.
Q. What is your opinion as engineer, OF the cause
Of the disaser think that the rupture occurred on
the bottom of the boiler, in flaw that found In sheet
Of the iron that were of the usual thickness; APP
pareny the boiler had plenty OF water could not see
connection of the frebox, which probably came from
the furnace the iron appeared TO bee the usual quality
about No. iron the bottom and little lighter on the
top, which is the usual manner of making boilers
steam to rupture that bOier A. Yes, and there might
have been good deal more
A. AS could ascertain in groove that saw;
that the only old fracture that could all the
Q. What should you suppose TO he the cause of the
crack A. II might have been done by caikng.
O. You think II was an old cTackl a Yes, Sir; probably
IL he'd been there for some years
Inspectors Boole here announced that the committee
boiler, steamgauge and safety-valvc, consisting Of
Charles W. Copeland Andrew Fletcher, and Wm. II.
Vanderbilt would probably present their report this
morning The investigation was then adjourned until
O'Clock.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
Robert f. Brown engineer the Staten Island Ferry,
swOrn-I was on the westled last Sunday morning
about u O'clock don't know anything of the accident;
raised in the freroom; served time in the shop
commenced the old Staten Island and fred for eight
years; engineer first the steamboat Columbus,
and aterwafd on the Josephine was about 1ouI years IN
O. What pressure OF steam did you carryi A. My
orders 10 o. 49, a. or 25 got those orders from
Capt Braisted carried about that never over rs;
read the certificates might have read the first one
read and write; could read the certificate; II was
hung in the upper saoon there was no copy OF De-
low.
O. Did You ever sec the steam on that boat above IS
A. don't remember that did.
q. Was there any occasion when you saw the steam
| frequently, aud never saw it over 25 -,
M ga Uw S G oe gvs sS esmgecccRs
and can tell whether 1t Is steam or water; we ted the
g8ugecOcks every time made landing, and always
inquired about them then coming from Staten Island TO
New York the water would be reduced about cock and
half; always started with four cocks never fed
water coming from Staten Island, but generally did
going back we had donkey pump TO feed with when
during that time Is or 20 minutes the steam wouldn't
rise much; on the Westaeld very little; was on the
Nestheld to u o'clock the Sunday OF the explosion
never noticed any leaks; when went from The dock NJ
Staten Island had 20 pounds OF steam on remained
only 10 pounds have never been on the boat Since
"CARRYING MORE STEAM THAN THE GAUGE INDICATED"
Joel W. Hoppe testified 1 engineers engaged
at present a steamship lying at Brooklyn have been
Is or 90 years engineer have examined the boiler of
the Westded, but very carefuy think it exploded
from over-pressure; l don't know if that boiler had
crack but assuming 10 had crack think would take
soont IS Ponnd 70 th9 sITt' gn ~ ba g bor MINI
have been subjected 10 pressure or 80 pounds would
have put hyrOsatic test TO II to allow II TO carry 49,
think was quarterluch iron; II IL was lhS years o
and had been used with fresh water all That time,
should think II might stand pressure OF 80 pounds
O. How do you account for It's blowing up at q pounds
don't suppose IT 6GI up g. y PSpnq s JhT s9 y
opinion in consequence of carrying more steam than the
gauge indicated; it, may have been up az high as 40
didn't notice particularly don't know whether the
was copper or tha tee We o mo inc e
looked they had been oiled over didn't any
salt water scaling in the boiler.
"AN OLD FLAW INsIDE"-TIIE MICROSCOPE APPLIED.
John ST. c. Hothersall testified: At present am in
charge of works in Philadelphia, where we are exper-
imenting iron; have seen the Westfed since the
explosion found old crack in the boiler that proba
bly, could not have been by the boiermakeT, and
runs with the grain the sheet just forward Of the fire
box; don't know what sheet exactly, but it is low
the plates underneath the boiler were timer than those
on the top in consequence OF the moisture collecting
the iron brous but that is there seems to be
rS ga the crack had got in this seam IN my option
worked gradually till it weakened the plate that deee-
have bestated to run that boiler at IS pounds of steam
knowing of the crack that was init examined the
iron where the burst occurred the original crack
speak the exterior OF the shell of the boiler
ran with the grain of the IRON have been In the navy
as gneer ana am now in charge of the Pennsylvania
Iron Works we roll and forge iron roll polcr iron 10Y
the market; sometimes are in it when rolled and
| cannot lie perceived
Q. why could the Inspector when he inspected that
the outside1 A. don't know whether he could or not;
seen by such an Inspection rs an Inspector wond
give boiler When he examined it; they are not SO par
O. If the crack was there at that time II impos
siby for him to see itl A. The Inspector might have
the crack If he had looked where 1t was; lac might
and he might not; couldn't say
"No FLAW -" OVER PRESSURE"
John Phinl sworn: am editor Of an engineering jour
nal have the boiler In question two three tiInes
think the Of the explosion was overpressWe eX
amned it very carefully, and don't think the strain
allowed % pounds to the square nch would have burst
II don't think there less than 40 pounds when IL
burst couldn't find the crack spoken of; examined the
iron where 10 was said to be- and couldn't hnd u think
ues which nearly fill the lower part of tue boiler; the
amount of water compared with the fire surface was
small, and when the water was heated TO give 10 pounds
of wouldn't have taken long TO get good deal
tie amount Of steam rising in the boiler don't think
that accident could have happeued wthpless than 40
pounds learned this morning curious fact YVES told
Of it; when the chimney was thrown IL was hot
that it would burn mans hand this shows that the
current Of air blowing through it 50 hot.
AGREES WITH THE PRECEDING WITNESS.
Alexander ID. Douglass sworn: ] live in Jersey City;
am chefengneer OF the steamer Huntsville it very
evident from my examination OF the boisr Of the West
field this morning that the explosion occurred from
pressure there flaw at all In the iron: no flaw
anywhere the water not low IL was certainly over
the hues there was no scale in the boiler it very
clean think there couldn't have been less than from 50
10 CO pounds pressure on that boiler when 1t expoded
was Inspector Boilers here from 1868 TO 1861 the
thing will put steam gauge out Of order; sometimes
using fIcsn water mud Will get in and I'LL the pipe lead
ing 10 the steam gauge.
O. VIII not the steaIn-sauge indicate correctly when
the pipe il nearly clOsedi A. Yes il there was only
passage large pm 1t would tell; the gauge this
vessel OF the best kind in use fol- boiler nine years
old, that boiler very good.
q Surprising the s;eampipc leading TO the steam gauge
not stopped up, and there suddenly increase