New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-08-01
NEW YORK.
The Ferryboat Disaster-Fifty-nine Dead
and One Hundred and FOrfy.two In.
jured-Mobile Cotton from Liverpool
Enxerume StAadx-Stu te Rauds n.,ll

Governments Steady-State Bonds Dull.
New YORK, July 3l.-The ferryboat
Westtield attracts large crowds to where
she lies moored, at the foot of East Thir-
teenth street, in charge of Coroner Young.
ALI the human remains, bits of clothing
ETC., have been removed by the fremen
to the Morgue. The force of the explo-
sion was upward, blowing away the main
deck, cabin deck and hurricane deck in
almost a straight line across, little for
ward of the centre of the boat.
The bulwarks forward were blown away
and the metal shade around the funnel lies
crumpled like paper. The iron pipe an
inch thick joined to the steam supply chest
was torn away like cloth and hurled against
the side of the boat. Two water tanks
were forced backward toward the stern a
considerable distance. The after part of
the cabin is comparatively uninjured.
The deaths thus far are SO. Injured 142
The ship Antarctic brought one hundred
bales of Mobile cotton from Liverpool.
Thirty-five bales came last week from Sher-
man, Texas.
Money closed unchanged. Sterling dull;
97s 0I0. Gold l121s 0112A. Governments
steady. Tennessees active; other State
bonds dull. Tennessees 721e; new 721a;
Virginias 6416; new 72; Louisiana skies 65;
new 62; levee skies So; eights IS; Alabama
eights SO; tives g.; Georgia skies 81; sevens
90; North CarOlinas 42l2; new 261a; South
Carolinas 70; new SIS Five-twenties of 1862
advanced "a, and Gas and 65s, old, advanced
ls; 6Ss not quite so strong. Skies of 1881, ll6;
62s, l1419; 64s, ll37s; 65s, 1879: new, 1l21a;
67s, 1928; 6Ss, 1l3; ten-forties, 1874.
The Ereni,g Post, in an editorial on the
explosion, says: 1.-The boiler of the steam
boat Westfeld was carefully examined this
morning for us by an expert engineer. He
discovers no indication whatever that there
was low water in the boiler, or the iron of
it was thin. 1t had at one time been
patched to strengthen, and the break began
just at the patch, so this must have been
precisely the weakest point of the structure.
Either it was too weak at this point to hold
the proper pressure or else the pressure
actually applied at the time of the ex-
plosiOn was excessive and unsafe, which
explanation is true"
This boiler was inspected on the fifteenth
of June, only six weeks ago, by United
States Inspector Mathews, and subjected to
hydrOstatic pressure of thirty-four pounds
to the square inch. He certified that the
boiler was sound, and might safely be
worked under pressure of twenty-five
pounds to the square inch.
Mr.. Mathews has served the government
for many years as inspector of boilers, and
he is believed to be a competent man,
although he has been sometimes accused of
making superficial or careless examina-
tions.
The presumption is that his inspection
was as thorough as any government Off
cial's usually is. On the other hand it is
known that Robinson, the engineer of the
Westtield, was not in either the fire room
or engine room at the time of the explosion.
He was on deck, but not on the part of the
deck which was blown off. He asserts that
the water in the boiler was sufficiently
deep for salty, and this is confirmed by the
appearance of the boiler. He also asserts
that within five minutes before the explo-
sion he looked at the steam gauge in the
engine room and saw that it indicated the
pressure of twenty-seven pounds to the
square inch.
He does not say that the fires were high
and that the steam was accumulating rapidly
in the boilers, but as the boat was just
about to start it is reasonable to infer that
this was the case. Now, on suppOsitiOn
that Robinson is strictly accurate in the
recollection of the time which elapsed be-
tween his observation of the steam gauge
and the time of the explosion and that the
boiler was heating rapidly during the five
minutes, how much pressure may the gauge
have indicated at the time of the explosion!
This question is put for experts to answer,
but we shall not be accused of exaggerati0n
if we say the pressure may easily have risen
to thirty or thirty-twO pounds; but if the
engineers recollection is in any respect in
accurate, and he was absent, not five, but
ten minutes, as an anonymous reporter has
asserted, fifteen minutes, who can deter
mine how high the pressure of steam had
risen Is it not possible it may have risen
above even thirty-four pounds, the highest
to which the boiler was subjected even
under the cool hydrostatic pressure 1t is
but fair for Robinson, to bear in mind that
he has been thirteen years in the service of
the Staten Island Ferry Company, and has
been regarded as useful and careful man;
but the facts in this case, SO far as ascer-
tanned, indicate that he was terribly at fault
He admits that when he was in charge of
the boiler he permitted it to bear a working
pressure of twenty-five pounds; he not only
let the pressure rise to twenty seven pounds,
but left it under this excessive pressure and
went on deck for a considerable time. This
fact alone is enough to raise strong sus-
picion that he was criminally negligent.
When we add to this fact which we are
ready to establish, that on Sunday, July %,
one week before the explosion, this same
boiler was actually worked under pressure
of thirty pounds to the square inch, we
can not avoid the conclusion that Robinsoc's
conduct demands thorough investigation
at the hands of the authorities
Inspector Mathews will, of course, be held
for his certificate.
1t must be ascertained whether, after
the application of hydrostatic pressure, he
personally examined, by eye and by ear,
every part of the boiler, internally and ex- |
ternal1y, and satisfied himself that there |
was no weakness in any part, and especially
where the patch must then have attracted
his attention. If he did this, regardless OF
personal inconvenience and exposure to
which it subjected him, then the whole re-
win appear to fall upon the en-
gineer; but if he did not do this, tho en-