Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-07-20
THE EXPLOSION.

/
of the Boat-The Jury Blame the Dead
Engineer.
| The coroners inquest on the body of
Haines the engineer of the i'll fated steamer
May Queen, was concluded yesterday morn
ing. The last witness sworn was Capt.
Rockwell the owner of the boat, who testifes
| as follows:
Live on my island in upper Lake Mime
tonka; commenced using my boiler five years
ago the 3rd of July; it is from the Ames
Boiler Works at Oswego, N. Y; it had been
tested at a pressure of $50 pounds; have run
the May Queen five seasons; considered nv
/, boat perfectly safe, or should not have run
it, would not have risked my own life on
it; my rule for running was not to exceed
eighty pounds; l fixed my safety-valve to
blow Oft at eighty pounds myself, not be-
cause thought my boiler unsafe, but because
my boat runs best at that pressure. Prev
ious to the explosion, about two weeks,
found my safety-valve keyed down; told
the engineer If l caught him at that again
l would discharge him Immediately; his
answer was the valve leaked so he had to
| do it; said to him, if that is the case we
will lay up tomorrow, and you will fix it,
and we did 80; went to town, and when I
returned asked him how the safety valve
was; he told me she blew off easy at seventy
pounds; and told him that was all right
and as wanted it: have not paid much at
tentlon to him since; I controlled the
| speed of the boat and all about it.;
never knew the engineer to key
down the safety-valve but once; supposed
when l hired him he was first-class en-
gineer, as he showed me his license for run
ming on Mississippi steamboats,, and read
it, and think it was first-class; the pump was
not All independent one; considered it a
tirst-class plunger pump; the pump worked
all right the day of the explosion. The
engineer being slow, always took pains to
give him ample time to run into the dock;
we came through the creek all right; was
going to have little picnic on my island; 1
went back to my engineer quarter of q
mile from the landing and told him to look
to his water, as I would lay at the dock about
fifteen minutes; he turned around and took
hold of the second guage-cock and turned it,
and l saw water there; he said he had two
and half gauges; told MIN if he wanted
any more now was the time to get it; went
back to the wheel and when we got to How
ards Point he started his pump; heard it;
when I rung my slow bell he shut off the
pump and shut down the engine; stopped
the boat and made the landing; took the
picnic party ashore and was ashore twelve or
fifteen minutes. When I stepped on the
bow of my boat and said 'sAll right, Haines,
you can back her out,'' I looked up over the
pilot-house, saw a little girl and cautioned
her not to fall off.
THEN SHE WENT UP.
Was sensible after the explosion knew
tho md ,xr,1o r
onto the barge; when they were helping me
up on shore 1 asked if any of the passen-
gers were killed or hurt, and they told me I
was the worst hurt of any said, ''Thank
the Lord, and damn the boat; never said
"damn the pump once, for the pump
worked all right I recognized everybody
saw; am sure the pump was working all
right previous to my landing; could hear
the check-valve and she was throwing water.
No man ever told me that one hundred
pounds pressure would blow it up; never
could find that my boiler was sprung; took
straight-edge, and with my engineer put it
alongside of the boiler, but could not see it
was sprung that was this spring; never
was crack or flaw in the boiler to my
knowledge; my opinion is, the safety-valve
was pinned down at the time of the explo-
sion if it had not been it never would have
blown up while lay at Excelsior on my
way up she was blowing of at seventy or
eighty pounds. The engineer was in my
employ about one month he packed my
engine in every joint, and did it we'll, and l
had confidence in him as an engineer.
Think the explosion was caused by an over
pressure of steam.
This closed the testimony and the case
was given to the jury who returned the fol-
lowing verdict:
THE VERDICT.
STATE OF MINNESOTA, County of Hennepin, IS.
An acquisition taken at Excelsior, in the coun-
ty OF Hennepin, before p. Nelson, coroner of
SAID county OF Hennepin upon view Of the
body of E. Haines, lying there dead, by the
oaths of the jurors whose names are hereunto
subscribed, who being sworn to inquire on be-
half of the State minnesota, when, how and
by what means the said deceased came to his
death, upon our oaths do say that the deceased
came to his death by in uries received from the
explosion of the boiler of the May Queen, on
Saturday, the 2Sth day Of June, 1879. After
weighing and considering all testimony, we be-
lieve the1explosion was caused by the careless
ness and incompetency of the deceased en-
gineer.
We, the jurors, would recommend that the
next session of the legislature of the State Of
Minnesota enact law to appoint an inspector
to examine all passenger boats. boilers and
officers on all waters not subject to government
IL the State Of Minnesota, for the benefit of
the travelling public.
In testimony whereof, the said coroner and
jurors of this inquest have hereunto set their
hands the day and year aforesaid.
L. +. SAMPSON,
II. E. BOOTH,
nj MAvNADD