The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-03-25

ceased had been so employer uuuei 'oh'ooe
boilers. The bursted boiler ran an engine OF
from twenty to twenty-five horse power. De-
ponent has been connected with the works for
twenty months, aud had entire charge OF
them. The exploded boiler was In use Whsn
deponent came to the shop, and he thinks 1t
from three to four years old. The tubes and
steam dome were nearly new, and the boiler
had been thoroughly overhauled about Blk
weeks ago, and made as good as new. The
boiler was repaired in It's place by the COM
pany employees under the charge OF Thomas
Miller. Deponent inspected the boiler after
1t was repaired and before 1t was used, and
found 1t in perfect order. Has been for wen
ty years general engineer, boilermaker, &c.
From the examination since made by him, 80
ponent could not ascertain the cause OF tne
explosion. The fragments Of the buller show
ed that there was plenty of water in 1t. Fresh
water was used in the boiler. Mr.. Kelly, who
had full charge of the machine shop, put the
deceased at work firing up the boiler. De-
ceased was perfectly competent to fire up
Any person under the supervision Of Mr.. Kel-
ly could fire up with perfect safety.
Michael Kelly testified that he was ma
chinist and engineer, and was employed at
the Phoenix Iron Foundry as foreman OF the
machine shop. A few minutes before the ex-
plosion on Friday morning, he went to the
gauge-cock OF the boiler and found two full
gauges of water. Did not try the third gauge.
he then went Into the machine shop, and the
n1o ha
man beside deponent fell; picked him up, aud,
finding no one hurt, he then helped TO
straighten things Deceased has been under
his charge since last summer as an apprentice
to the trade of machinlst. Mr.. Troth placed
him under deponent's charge. Deceased was
ordered to fire up by him, and has been firing
ND at various timee, sometimes alone and
sometimes with another. There was no regu-
lar fireman to the exploded boiler, the sppren-
tees being used as hremen in turn. Deceased
was perfectly competent to fire up. Not more
than a minute elapsed from the time he tried
the cock before the explosion took place.
There had been fire under the boiler for an
hour before the explosion. He had tried only
the second cock, but found solid water In that.
About five minutes before he had tried all
three of the gauges and found two feet of
water and one Of steam. Can form no opinion
Of the cause Of the explosion. The fresh water
used was supplied from cistern and well IN
the yard. The boiler was filed the night be-
fore from the well, but after 1t was repaired
in the morning 1t was filed from the clstern.
Can}assign no cause for the explosion, unless
1t was a sudden generation of steam. On
leaving the boiler just before the explosion
he had examined the gauge and found pres
sure Of ffty-three pounds Of steam. Not
minute elapsed between the time he did this
and the explosion. Fifty pounds Of steam was
the usual force; but he had carried sixty and
eixty-lve pounds. Mr.. Troth, superlnten-
dent, told him to carry from sixty to seventy
pounds If required; thinks that on Tuesday
last they had seventy pounds Of steam on this
boiler.
DESCRIPTION OF THE BOILER.
Thomas Miller testified that he was boiler
maker and employed at the Phoenix Iron
Works as foreman of the boiler shop. Friday
morning had occasion to renew bolt In the
exploded boiler, and considered 1t at that time
as In good condition. Six weeks ago he had
charge of the repairing of this boiler. 1t was
thoroughly cleaned and new set of tubes put
In. 1t was forty-two inches in diameter, eight
feet long, and It's shell was made OF fVe-six-
teenths iron. There were thirty-eight tubes,
eachithree inches In diameter, in the boiler. The
shell was In perfect order and needed no re-
pairs whatever. The boiler was over four
years old, but had not been in constant use.
He has been foreman of these boiler works
for four years and at boiler making for fifteen
years. Examined the pieces Of the exploded
boiler and found nothing to indicate the cause
OF the explosion. Did not make careful ex-
animation of all the pieces. Believes the
boiler to have been perfectly strong. All the
parts of the boiler seemed to explode at the
same time. Can form no opinion as to the
cause. Fifteen minutes before the explosion
he found solid water in the second cock. Saw
the boiler filed with water one hour before
the explosion. The boiler was tested with
cold water and subjected 10 pressure of one
hundred pounds. Thinks 1t should have been
safe with one hundred and twenty pounds OF
steam.
Francis Burns, bollermaker's apprentice
at the works, testified that three-quarter5 OF
an hour before the explosion he put the man.
hole plate on the boiler, and found there seven
inches of water over the tubes. Does not
known ii any water was put in the boiler
afterwards. None of the apprentices in the
boer-shop have, to his knowledge, been put
at work firing under boilers.
Morris Mcguire, machnist at the works, tes-
titled he was in the store-room when the
boiler exploded. Has seen the deceased
working about the shop and aring-up under
the boiler Believed him to have been fully
competent for this. There was no regular
fireman to the boiler.
THE LAST INSPECTION.
WI. Bowick, machinist at the works, testi-
fed that about ten o'clock he called Mr.. Kelly
to a1amine piece Of work, and that while
Mr.. z. was doing this the explosion took
place. When he called Mr.. Kelly, the latter
was standing with his hand on the gauge
cock Of the boiler. Thinks that about ten