National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1871-08-18
Incidents Of the New York Ferryboat
Explosion.

Incidents Of the New York FerrybOat
Explosion.
MIsFoRTUNrs or AN EXCURSION PARTY.
Mayor Francis G. Carroll, City Clerk
Samuel w, Sherlock, Alderman Jacob
Levi, VIM. Philipson, and Bradley,
and Philip Echel, Chief Engineer, all of
Syracuse, n Y, were recently appoint
ed Committee to select new steam
iire-engiue for the Fire Department of
that city After stopping at several
places, they left Hudson on Saturday
morning, reaching n Yin the afternoon,
and taking rooms at the Grand Central
Hotel. The party visited Brooklyn aud
several places in the city, and were
shown specimens Of the engines in use,
On Sunday they intended to visit Long
Branch, but rs there was no boat, they
concluded to take "A sail To Staten Island,
All of the party, with the exception of
Alderman Bradley, who wished to visit
some friends in Brooklyn, went on board
the boat. Mr.. Sherlock states that the
Mayor, Alderman Levi, and Chicf-En-
pineer Echcl were on the promenade
deck looking ont Of the forward cabin
windows. Alderman Philipson and Sher-
lock were seated further back. Suddenly
there was a dread nj crash, resembling
peal of thunder, and then Mr.. Sherlock
f,lt himself going upward in the dark
ness, and soon became unconscious.
" hen he recovered he found himself in
the water, but there was a weight resting
on his head aud body that prevented him
from rising to the surface. He thinks
that it WAS portion of the deck that was
blown overheard, but it may have been
portions of the wreck which were scat
tered thickly around. Finding that he
would drown unless he cxerted himself,
he Owed, and swimming under water
some little distance, had the satisfaction
of coming to the surface. In hi
struggles he had spraincd his ankle and
received IA severe cut on the head, bnt
otherwise is now unininred. a short
distance fron him WAS Alderman Philip
son. Both were taken out of the water
bv some boatmen and landed at the
Battery. They soon secured carriage,
and were conveyed to their hotel, where
they have since been under medical
treatment.
1t is now known that 100 persons
lost their lives by the sad disaster, and
that the injured will number fully 125.
THE BOILER OF THE BOAT.
The fragment of the exploded boiler
was inspected by hundreds. 1t was "A
piece of iron five feet in length, about
two feet in width, and weighed fifty
seven pounds 1t had been twisted al
most in cylindrical form, AMI each
edge was rough and uneven. as though
a giant had torn 1t from its place as or
binary strength would tear II rotten
fabric. One of the edges had this APP
pearance much more marked than the
other, and awakened the awe of the I'M
learned and experts alike at the ire
mendous power which had been eXerted
to rend it from the boiler. This edge
is difficulty to describe. If the reader
has ever torn cotton fabric, and noticed
The ragged edge which he caused, he
can form some idea of the appearance of
this fragment And it was the general
testimony of the experts who examined
it that the boiler had been made of good
iron, was in proper condition for service
when it exploded, aud that the extremely
thin part at the seam, which has been
mentioned, was not responsible for the
disaster, rs if the boiler had first given |
way there, which it was claimed it had /
not, it would only have leaked causing
some annoyance, but no danger. The |
inference which these experts seemed |
to draw, and which some of them dis |
tinctly did draw, was that the explosion
was due to negligence, or, in plain words,
TO a lack of water. One engineer of
long experience declared that he is no |
believer in dispensations of Providence
in connection with st am-boilers. In
almost every case, he said, an explosion
is due to allowing the water to get too
low and suddenly forcing in a new
supply, and he believed that such had
been the fact in this instance. Engineers,
he continued, rarely are brave enough
to accept the risk due to their negligence
If they allow the water TO get low they
will take the chance of forcing in a sup
ply of cold water rather than take the
hazard of a discharge by admitting
their fault, and insisting on the delay
necessary for the boilers to cool.
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