The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1877-12-24

RRPoRT or 1ssPEcToRs You're AND
WlLaoN ON THE COMFORT DfaAsTER,-
Local inspectors Young and Wilson on
Saturday forwarded their report Of The
Comfort steamboat disaster 10 Snperyi.
sing Inspector Deyinney. 1t Il as follows
.!4 LOCAL THsPEcroRS oTFicE, !
WHEEIlSo, Dec. q, 1877.
70 JOIN S. DesiHaey, E.q, Sapevisiag IN.
pectOr of Steam Pesselj:
Sir ;-Having abandoned all hone Of
finding the boiler Of the Inflated steam.
or Comfort, we deem It proper, without
further delSy, TO report TO you our action
In relation to the same. The Comfort
was built BY Chas. N. Kirkbrids at
Clarirgton, Ohio, 10 1875; was designed
Tor low water, short trade, daylight
passenger packet, being provided With a
saloon cabin, with ample Accommoda.
lions for twenty-five passengers. The
hull enthusiastically built Of thoroughly
seasoned material, and measured 1904
tons burden. She was provided with one
box tubular boiler l5f feet In length, "a
inches In diameter, with 34.3 inch tubes,
manufactured by Wood 4 Man, Of Utica,
New York, out Of @. II. No. ! iron,
Joined 10 the same was l0.inch cylin-
der, 10 inch stroke, with belt attachment.
On the 9Th Of July last, while undergo.
log the required annual examination, we
subjected tue boiler 10 q hydraulic pres
sure Of 100 pounds to the square inch,
and allowed a working pressure Of St
pounds. The boiler stood the pressure
we'll aud came up to the requirements Of
the law In every particular. This was the
fifth annual test for this boiler, as II had
been previously used on the steamer Ed,
Pope.
Upto this period. the Comfort had been
engaged in abort trades In various local.
tiles. After running portion Of the
time In the Southern trade, navigating
the Yazoo, Tallahassee, Big Sunaower,
Little and Big Bear Creeks, returned and
entered the Wheeling and sunfish trade;
was engaged but short time In the same;
when It became necessary, owing to the
scarcity OF low water craft, to meet the
wants Oftrade, to extend her trips 10 Mariet
ia, o no. Accordingly on the ID Of October
last, about MONDAY, with Chm. Kirk
bride In command, james W. B, UmStet.
Ter and Brown L. Kennedy, pilots, and
Thomas Kirkbride, engineer, she cut loose
from her moorings and departed for Ma.
rieLta, having on board big trip Of
freight and passengers together with the
U. s. Mail. Alter having proceeded
about fifteen miles on her voyage, and
while under way, the boiler exploded
with terrific force, stripping the vessel
almost entirely Of the upper works, caus-
Ing the hull to sink shortly afterwards
In from 10 to 20 feet Of water, and leav.
ing number Of people struggling for life
upon the surface. BY this disaster six
lives were lost at once: Captain Chas. NJ.
Kirkbride, James w. B. Umstetter, vii.
fred Moore, ]. NJ. Soopless, w. Yost and
John Landmesser. With the exception Of
the latter, who fingered but few days,
all were killed almost instantly, by
drowning or otherwise, while some half
dozen passengers were more or less in.
jured, hut have entirely recovered. The
precise loss Of mail matter cannot be de.
termined. We are advised that several
registered letters were missing. We re.
paired to the wreck as soon alter the oc.
Currence as possible, but owing to liz
submerged condition were compelled to
return without accomplishing our object.
The hull has since been raised, with
view Of rebuilding. An examination Of
the same proves that the boiler, or por.
tion thereof, was forced through the bot.
tom, causing it to sink, az before men.
toned. We subjoin the following testi-
mony a' the most important elected:
Here follows the testimony, which is
substantially the same as previously re.
ported
The testimony of Messrs. Hankworth
and lie baron, although complimentary
10 general terms to Mr.. Ktrkbride's quail.
ifcatioHs as an engineer, fails to prove
that on this occasion he exercised due
watchlnlness, more especially as TO the
condition OF wafer in the boilers. In.
deed, in his own statement II does not ap.
pear that be tried the water once, but
seems 10 have left this important duty to
Fireman LIE Baron, who tells ia he tried
the wafer once in the presence Of the en-.
gineer, and which was doubtless consid.
cradle length Of time prior to the explo.
sion, inns much as he walked back perhaps
leisurcIy, ut that time distance OF City
live feet; noticed the steam gauge and re-.
turned 10 his post; threw in some coal;
walked forward to the jack.stafl, when the
explosion occurred. He also testifies that
steam wAs blowing of moderately. Fsom
the nature Of this explosion, as we'll as
from review Of the testimony, we are
forced to'the conclusion that Il was the
result Of an insufiiciency Of water in the
boiler, intensifis by an over pressure Of
steam, while in charge Of Thomas II.
Kirkbrlde, who held . special license to
act as such on the steamer Comfort and
no other boat, the same having expired
with the destruction Of the vessel, be Is
no longer licensed Engineer.
respectfully submitted.
HIRAM YouNG,
Taos, G. WILSON,
Local InSperiors