Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1871-05-02

! as in the case OF all other explosions no
one can explain the cause.
BITIN THm SAD CASE,
which occurred &C day break, by mere
accident we have learned something
which may lead TO the discovery OF the
| cause Of boiler explosions.
Al the very moment the wheeler DleW
M a gentleman on the opposite side Of
the river was looking a. the boat. He said
ali st once the Wheeler was enveloped IN
q deep red glsre, IS il the atmOs OspheIe
was on fire. Then all became dark, fol-
lowed bv a deep and heavy sound, as il q
hundred pieces Of cannon had been let
loose, al the same instant came booming
across the river, shaking the earth as an
earthquake.
THIS was not steam, but electricity, or
as Mr.. Paine termed it,
THE HURRICANE,
liberating itself from harness, produced
precisely IS in the hurricane, by hot or
raT5fed air coming 5l contact aDith ram or
sUruy. This Mr.. Paine demonstrated
clearly with his experiments in making
gsslights from water, which, Without hls
having the ramOtest knowledge of its
power, blew up-bleW him and his ma
chine across the room, by which he
nearly lost his life. He then, with q view
to test and use this power, got an air
] 2
per vessel, under which he placed a small
lamp, which warmed the sir inside this
vessel to about the warmth of the human
heat, which passed into a strong iron
chamber, with which, with one other
pump, water was forced in the shape Of
rain. The moment the humid or
RARIFIED AIR
came into contact with this rain or
spray, and passed into an engine,
the pressure instantly rose to one hun
dred and fifty pounds, which drove the
engine al q furious speed. When the
lamp was removed, the pressure in
stantly fell, and the engine stopped.
This ne called the hurricane or confined
electricity. Such alone is the power that
blows steam boilers into atoms, and when
that condition takes place, or so fills a
boiler, no iron can hold &C., and the
stronger and better the boiler, the more
terrific the explosion.
Since
THESE EXPERIMENTS
of Mr.. Paine, others have been made, by
introducing copper wires or rods into the
boilsr-One enu outside, on which have
been seen the electric sparks, produced
from an electrical condition in the boil r;
by il powder has been burnt.
This electrical combustion blows boilers
up, and because engineers know no bet
ter, the world thinks steam does TO-.
This electrical condition may take place
with full supply OF water in the boilers.
II engineers state the truth, 10 undOubJ-
edly does. Then, any steam boiler IS q
magazine of death, liable to 60 of at any
moment. But this, people are willing to
admit and the public insist, that, with
water, boilers cannot be blown into q
thousand atoms by steam. But all this
seb les nothing, and the world are as ignO-
rant as TO what blew the Wheeler or Ar
Lhur up as they were of what blew the
Helen McGregOr up forty years ago, at
this place, snd It Is time people we're
using some effort to find out the cause Of
BOILER EXPLOSIONS,
when they know that they will also learn
how TO. prevent il. Let the Learned,
the experienced the truly sclen-
tifc brain OF the country get together,
investigate most thoroughly those
coppar-Wire experiments by which
Tins electrical element may bs
safely conducted from the boilers
Ii this can be done, we will have no
more of boiler explosions such as the
Wheeler, Louisiana and others.
There is another reason which properly
leads to this train of thought, which, in 8
thorough investigation, should not be lost
sight of. 1t is this: The Mississippi river
stretches across a continent north and
south, and is unquestiOnsbly great con-
duCJ0r OF electricity, and there are periods
whom this electric current is much
heavier than at other times, which doubt
less produces what is commonly known
among river men as epidemic explosions.
CONGRESS HAS SPENT MILLIONS
in legislating bow to prevent explo-
sions, but not a cent to ascertain the
cause, forgetting the old adage that Bu
ounce of prevention is better than a
pound of cure. Would it not be more
wise for Congress to offer a million
of dollars TO any one who might
discover the cause Of boiler explo-
siOns, and how TO remove that cause.
This will set men to work, and, with the
lights of Mr.. Paine sud other expert
meuts referred TO, they will doubtless OBJ
tain the so much desired Information.
Great Britain offered a few thousand
pounds sterling for the be3t locomotive.
With this oher OF reward Stepenson got
capitalists to aid him, and he produced
his
GREAT LOCOMOTIVE,
that ran FIVE miles an hour and drew after
it a train of four or five small cars. This
gave life TO the great railroad systems of
the world, and if this government could
learn TO USE bali the sagEoltY in srch
things we would realize results equally as
great. But Rs to that 10 matters not
whether the blathorskites who rule to
ruin in Washington can see this or not. The
times require 1t, and the discovery will
be made, and in doing it electricity will
be controlled and supersede steam as a
/ motive power. Then such boat as the
r. Z. Lee can be fueled for at an expense
bnt little greater than that for oil to keep
the machinery in order. Then serisl boats
will successfully navigate the air with
passengers at the rate OF one hundred
miles per hour. o. p. Q,