The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-09-13
IRON i
of Local Inspeetors-Esglneer
Davis License Revoked.
LOCAL 1SsPECroR's oPFICE, !
PORT or WHEELING, WEST Va,
September 18th, 1879.

bANls AletHat
LOCAL ~1SsPECroa's oPFICE,
PORT or WHEELING, WEST Va,
September 18th, 1879.
To John Ehrenbatch, En-, Slptrrisfng In.
spectOr Ssrenh Ditrict, Cincinnati, Ohio;
Sir: 1t devolves upon the undersigned
to report to you the loss Of the towing
steamer Iron Valley, by the explosion Of
her boilers, on the evening Of August the
9th last. This vessel was built at Wheel.
ing, W. Va, in the year 1873, and mea-
sured 049O tons burden, with two high
pressure boilers 20 feet In length and SO
inches in diameter, with two lS.inch re.
turn tlues in each, manufactured out OF
lawful material by Sweeney & Co., OF this
city, in 1875. Her working capacity was
two non.condenSing engines 12} inches
in diameter and ~ ieet stroke OF piston.
On the second day OF May last, while
undergoing the sixth annual inspection,
we subjected her boiler3 to q h~ydrostatic
pressure Of 200 pounds to the square inch;
their condition was such as to fully war
rant us In issuing a certificate for one
year, authorizing q working pressure Of
lag pounds to the square inch.
On the morning preceding the disaster
the Iron Valley with Capt. VIM. Prince
In command, James Davis, engineer,
Capt W. W. Wise at the wheel, and q
full crew, left this port with a miscellan-
eous tow, destined for Pittsburgh, and
while passing New Cumberland, West
Virginia, at a point opposite the
ferry landing, her boilers, with q force
perhaps never surpassed, exploded, re-
sulting in the loss Of three lives and the
complete destruction OF the vessel, the
hull sinking Immediately in eight feet Of
water, and, after raising the same for the
purpose Of securing the machinery, was
abandoned as worthless. She was owned
by Captain VIM. Prince and Samuel
Kuglen, Of this city, and waived at $1,000.
Loss 5000.
To give you a faint idea OF the violence
that characterized this explosion, we may
mention that Eve and o half rings Of one
Of the boilers, TO which the head and q
portion OF the flues were attached, and
weighing 1000 pounds, was forced a dis.
lance of 400 yards. Disastrous though il
was, 1t should inCite to a greater degree Of
vigilance, and will not be entirely without
beneficial results. The victims, none oil
whom presented marks OF having been
scalded, were Capt. VIM. Wise, on duty at
the time; Thomas Prince, Jr., clerk, and
o WIN. Prosser, OF New Cumberland, W,
Va, who, having business transactions,
boarded the boat while passing his resi-.
dence. The two former were found In
the river a f0w days attor, while the latter
was thrown q considerable distance, light.
ing on one OF the barges In tow, from
which he was picked up in q dying eondi'
ton and expired before reaching home.
In connection with this brief notice Of the
explosion and Its, results, 9 synopsis Of
the evidence elicIted may not prove I'm.
interesting:
James Davis, under whose watch the
explosion occurred, was in possession O
the 10th issue OF license, and up to this
period has been successful, says he had
charge about two Wssks p:ior to the ex,
plOsion; was familiar with this machinery
having at different times, embracing 1
period OF two or more years, handled the
same. When relieved by Vim Hanes
who stood the last watch, everything wa.
working as smoothly as he could desire
aud when going on watch again, after sup
per, or about half an hour prior to the ex
plosion, found everything in a satisfactory
ter; tried it half a dozen times at propel
intervals during his watch, also observed
his fireman trying 1t with the same salts
. factory results. Thinks from an examina
ton OF the shell that they must have beer
dry or nearly SO at the forward end, whilt
there was a supply. at the gauge cocks
Could not account for this unequal dis
tribution, unless driven back by the hea
or some other agency to him unknown
At the time OF the explosion the sLean
gauge indicated but 140 pounds OF steam
seldom carried more.
John Ii. Hanes, an engineer o
many years experience, was assist
ing Mr.. Davis on this trip, says b
went on watch after dinner, and was re
lived by VIM. Davis after supper, or aboa
one hour before the explosion. Seemed Il
be no lack Of water while he was OF
duty. Thinks il not improbable som,
portion OF the generating surface becAm,
unduly heated. Could not be induced Il
take charge OF boilers, if with a supply o
water they are liable to explode at an!
time.
Capt. VIM. Prince, master and par
owner, Of the Iron Valley, has followed
steamboating, acting in various stations
covering a period OF thirty years, says hi
engineers changed watches about twent,
minutes before the explosion took place
s~usta;ns Mr.. Davis in his theory; coult
Judge only by tho escapement as to til,
supply OF water; thinks there was al
abundance; believed the boilers werl
capable Of raising 500 pound pressure.
John Gillespie, fireman on duty at thu
time, tried the water in the starboart
boiler at the second gauge about ten min
utes before the explosion and was satisfied
The water was unusually muddy on thiI
trip; blew out once after leaYinE port or
this account; was sitting on the bits vher
the boilers let 60. No body was scalded
Such a condition Of things az de
sCribed by Mr.. Davis, this shifting pro
cess of water, leaving its level and pileinl
up in the aft ends of the boilers, lends
phase to engineering which we imagine
will find few II any advocates. II true
two important discoveries are made; moi
only appliances for determining the height
Of the water, but also that the engineers
are at the wrong end OF the boilers, and The
sooner a change, in this respect, is made
the better.
Muchissaid about fermentationin boilers
that it has and may occur by the water
coming in contact with greasy substances,
sometimes applied by engineers 10 tacili.
tate the working Of the machinery, Is moi
disputed, and can readily be detected and
remedied by the wide.awake engineer,
II evidence is wanting other than that
furnished by the explosion itself as to tIe
insuficiency OF water in those boilers al
the time OF the explosion 1t Is to be found
in the entire absence Of scale or sediment.
as plainly seen on portions OF the Shells
now in u possession, presenting a clean,
smooth and polished appearance, such as
no other agency but exposure to heat
could possibly produce. In this position
we are sustained by the thousands OF peo-
pie who have examined the same. We
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