Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-07-21
THE EXPLOSION.

Testimony of Capt. Rockwell the O,cner
of the Boat-The Jury Blame the Dead
Engineer.
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 testifies
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 pressure of $50 pounds; have run
the May Queen five seasons; considered my
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; fixed my safety-valve to
blow off 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, I
found my safety-valve keyed down; told
the engineer if caught him at that again
I would discharge him Immediately; his
answer was the valve leaked so he had to
do it; I said to him, if that is the case we
will lay up tomorrow, and you will fix it,
and we did so; 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; controlled the
speed of the boat and all about it;
never knew the engineer to key
down the safety-valve but once; supposed
when I hired him he was .frst-class en-
gineer, as he showed me his license for run
ming on Mississippi steamboats,, and read
it, and think it was frst-class; the pump was
not an independent one; I considered it
frst-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; l
went back to my engineer quarter of
mile from the landing and told him to look
to his water, as would lay at the dock about
fifteen minutes; he turned around and took
hold of the second guage. cock and turned it,
and saw water there; he said he had two
and half gauges; I 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 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 nv boat and said sAll right, Haines,
you can back her out" looked up over the
pilot house, saw little girl and cautioned
her not to fall off.
THE VERDICT.
STATE OF MINNESOTA, County of Hennepin, S.
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 o minnesota, when, how and
by what means the said deceased came to his
came to his death by injuries 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 thesexplosion 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 a law to appoint an inspector
to examine all passenger boats, boilers and
officers on all waters not subject to government
III 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. F. SAMPSON,
81. E. BOOTH,
81. M. MAYNARD,
E. 8. BARDwELL,
J. 81. SETsoN,
E. 81. PAGE.
NM