The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1881-02-17
BOILER EXPLOSIONS.

|
Superheated WSter-A Device 10 Prevent All
Danger The Result Of Thirty Years. Study Of
Subject Interview with Hon. D. r. Lawson Of
WellsVille, 0.
Some recent boiler explosions of a
startling character give especial interest
at the present time to new theory Of
the cause of such accidents, which is in
direct opposition to all the ideas on the
subject which have heretofore been held
by scientific men and working engineers.
The originator of this theory is Mr.. D.
T. Lawson of Wellsvllle, Ohio, who for
about thirty-fve years has made study
of steam boilers and their operation,
with particular reference to the cause
and preventation of explosions. During
this time he has been engaged in mer
camille and other business, but his atten-
ton to this matter has never been re-
laxed, and he is satisfied that he has
finally solved the problem.
Mr., Lawson is now visiting this city.
In conversation to-day with reporter Of
the EVeNthg Post he said that he had
submitted his theory to many engineers
and men of science, who at first smiled
incredulously, but had at length been
forced to relnquish their life long con-
victions and accept the truth of the con,
clusions. The theory was so simple
when once revealed, and was so COM
pletely borne out by all known facts,
that confession of its truth was the only
result possible when a really scientific
man gave it his candid attention.
He said that the various contradictory
explanations which had been advanced
in regard to boiler explosions-such as
low water in the boiler, superheated
steam, the generation of gas and the
dashing of cold water upon hot IRON
were not only insufficient to account for
many accidents Of that nature, but were
in themselves opposed to natural laws.
1t was the custom, for instance, to talk
loosley about superheated steam in boil
ers, but it was impos sible for steam to
become superheated while in contact
with the water from which it arose. In
order to become superheated it must be
hotter than the water, and it was &C
knowledged that water and steam in
contact were always of the same tenn
perature. That there was no gas con-
nected with boiler explosions was proved
by the fact that gas always exploded
with flash, and that in all the long re-
cord of bursting boilers no flash has ever
been reported by an eyewitness. The
low water theory was equally untenable
as all very destructive explosions occur
red when there was large body of wa
ter in the boiler. The trouble in recog-
nizing this fact had been that engineers
and fremen were disbelieved when they
testified after an accident that the boiler
was we'll filled. In consequence, many
men had been unjustly censured through
the testimony Of alledged experts who
were committed to the low water idea.
Mr.. Lawson then asserted that the
only explosive element in a steam boil>
er was sup rheated water, steam not be.
ing explosive at all, but only expansive,
Superheated water he explained to be
water that was heated by special means
to a higher degree than the boiling point
under ordinary pressure of the atmos
pliers. When superheated, he decla ed
water exploded by a sudden reduction
of the pressure on its surface-bursting
into steam, which instantly filled seven>
teen hundred times the space which the
water had occupied. Hence, when a
large quantity superheated in boil>
er the force of the explosion was ter
rife.
While water boils to the heat of 2I2
degrees Fahrenheit under the normal
pressure of the atmosphere, it must be
heated to 23S degrees when confined in
steam boiler, if pressure of ten
pounds to the square inch is required.
If fifty pounds pressure is desired, the
heat of the water must reach 2o8 degrees,
or if there is neee of one hundred pounds
pressure, the heat must be raised to 338
degrees. When the water is thus super.
heated, Mr.. Lawson says, the engineer
opens the cylinder port, and the steam
instantly fills the cy Under, creating
vacuum to that extent over the superheat,
ed water, a part of which bursts into
steam. This strikes every square inch
of the boiler with a conclusive force
vastly greater than the regular steam
pressure. The large proportions of eX-
plosions which occur just as steam is
turned into the cylinder at starting, and
before its passage from the boiler has
become uniform, is explained in this
manner. Another common cause of eX-
plosions is the sudden condensation of
steam over the superheated water in the
boiler, thereby instantly creating a
vacuum and consequentremo of pres
sure, whereupon the water bursts into
steam with tremendous conclusive force.
The many explosions attributed to cold
water striking hot iron are easily caused
by cold water striking hot steam, caus'
ing condensation and removal of pres
sure.
When questioned in regard to the re-
cent explosion of McCreery & Cos boi>
ler, under the sidewalk at Eleventh
street and Broadway, Mr.. Lawson said
that he had examined the boiler after.
ward, and had no doubt in his own mind
as to the circumstances of the accident,
The head of the boiler was blown out,
inside the rivets, as neatly as if it had
been cut out with knife or if a cannon
ball had passed through. He believed
that the fireman had turned on the steam
suddenly, vacuum had been created
over the superheated water, and the ex-
plosion had been the result. The enorS
nous force of such an explosion Of water
into steam was we'll illustrated by an ac-
cident which occurred at the marble
yard in Liberty street, Pittsburgh, Pa, in
1860. A cylinder boiler there exploded,
and one end Of it was blown out, landing
about thirty feet off. The boiler itself
started the contrary direction, passing