New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-08-31
THE RIVERDALE EXPLOSION.
THE DEATH LIST INCREASED BY ONE.

| TOOK place yesterday AFTERNOON az tne New tofk
Hospital the list Of persons who lost their hives by
the explosion of the boiler of the steamer Riverdae
ON Tuesday Is increased to six. 1t is believed that
this completes the loss OF life, nearly all who were
reported missing in the first excitement having been
account ted for F. Grenent, fireman belonging to the
Riverdaie who supposed to have been lost turns
out not TO have been on board the Inflated boat.
There 10 still some doubt to whether OF not Will
lam Porter also of the steamer was on board as no
information has been received Of him. Otherwise
inquiries at the Ninth and Sixteenth Precinct Police
Stations for missing persons have ceased. and the
only inquiries made at the head Office of the COM
pany yesterday from freight dispatchers In re
gard to the recovery of their goods.
Captain Smith and Engineer Taliman. Of the Rv-
erdae. went TO the Inspectors Office in the after
noon and HANDED IN their respective reports to
Supervising Inspector Starbuck. The reports have
not been examined vet. but il said at the COM
pany's Office, No. 232 Westst.. that they only re-
Iterated what both the captain and the engineer
have ALREADY stated-that they are in total
| ignorance of the cause of the explosion,
| the engineer 1 psatIng that the gauge just
previous to the occurrence only registered
twenty-five or twentvthree pounds. The maximum
pressure being forty pounds. Subsequently
INSPECTORS Dumont aud Starbuek visited Captain
John Smith, of Nyaek who was in the office IN
Wesf-st.. and expressed their sympathy with him
III tie new trouble that has VISITED the family so
recently after the death of Captain Alexander
Smith. the owner of the Riverdae and founder of
| the line
MAKING READY To REMOVE TIE WRECK.
To tue wreck Itself not hing further was done
yesterday. Al a. m. two of the river police rowed
oat to the pom toOns that anchored by 1t and
asked if any thing would b. done during the day 10
raise hs machinery. Nothing" was the answer
and the police departed Immediately a swarm
of the river pirates came up III their
boats and fastened Themselves TO the tim
bers that projected above the water
The boat still av on IT'S starboard side with
its walking beam mbedled III the mud. The h IT.
rcane deck lottsi up stream an part OF the cabin
drcA De gan 60 stand alb I'VE the water, The river
pirates attacked II with bars poles and bcathooks
and an actvs work of demolition 0rgan The look
out Oh the pom oons protcs.ei and began 10
tbre9tsn. but one stllwaTt boatman clad IN blue
Jersey stnoi II, AID threatened 10 shoot the look
o., # BE- n'erfercd, and ait.r tlat the pirates
worked unmO.eslcd. Captain IlminenS. VINO nad
chargs OF THE salvage corps for j. Z. Baxter; TO
whom the WORK OF raising the wreck mas
been eutrus ell, preparing 3fdtIonai pohtoon>
AT Weehawsen. Ihc pirates seoar q the Jersey
and Nv YORK shores Tor plumber, aud soon had
uch ore at i,-pTescrvCr.. benches char. Mirrors
cO.urc glass wlduws, stewards ~ res. blocks,
| rome, OARS, ana debris GENERALLY winch they
the WTrcklng bOu,es aud Junk stor's IN WIS ST.
| aud offered tor sale. Finally. j. G. Bax or became
alarmed aud indignant nc TN amIuat VI wreckaSe
ma was ueing brought To MN Tor sal, and scht
word To s. aptain Ga teIa OF the llarbOr Police thGt
| he and lie owners looked 20 the police ior
| protection tIe matter In consequences 81
! tins pOIce guard put Oh board
the pODtOons last nghi. 4:3O D. M SIX pom
to.ns we're anchored Nv r me wreck and prepare
II ~ were inalIv complete | Tor tue actlV' wgrk
OF ,aisiHg H. when will take place at 81 OK tide
to-d4y. Captain Tinnsrs Will Ie' s"nahy super
vac the matter. and his intention IS amer
sending aver, down to ascertain eNac ~ now tue
uuUers lie. to pass chains beneath tn frame aud
raise IL from the DO tom by means OF hYdrauiic
jtcks and chains. The jacks VIII Oe twelve IN
number eacn having htung CAPACITY OF sixty
rons. AS siOn rs raised sufficiently from the
bcjt0m the wreck viii be lowed 10 the jersey uits
and boaChed
TIE OFFICIAL INVESTIGATION.
Superyiang luspec OF ienrrai DumOnt arrived IN
the city Yesterday having CONS iron Washington
To consult Supsrv Inspector S'arbucN as to the
invcstiga ion into the exp oHon. General Dlmont
~ ANXIOUS mae the InqlirT thorough aud salts
factory to tne pubic. lhc local inspectors IN this
ciy have bsen the naJt of conducting secret III
yesliga, i0ns ba, III ;his ease tine inquiry Will bc
opea O. newspaper reporters. General Damont ln-
speetor Siarbnek ami Local in'p 'etor Matthew's
visited he scene Of the acsldenS YESTERDAY. bu IL
WAS decided that II would be Inpracucable To begin
an investigation unti the steamer was taiSai
Geaerdi Dunout WAS asGed Dy TRIBUNE
repnrter rcgsrdIeg tue Changes In the ihsp..G-
ION laws wnIcI he haa recommended. lie
said: Tho recommendations tuat male
wrre embodied IN INV annual reports Tor 1851 ahd
ISL. ineie ma been much criticism Oi the rules
Oy which tHe inspectors seem 10 Do Ju yes oil their
own acis, as they invcstig 10 accidents Jhat may
nave bern caused by their own neglect. nave
consulted WIN the Solicitor OF the Treasury De
parmeu and h. Is OF the Union that even under the
yrrse { Jaw it rs In the power OF the Supervising
Inspector to Conduct the investigation. 90 III the
present instance the inquiry into Que causes oil the
eKpiOslOn Will prOOaOly DO maze Dy supervising an
speclur SaIbuck, and u VIII be a. thorough AS can
be made snil. be IN New-York as mich as posi-
o.e aud will watch the INVESTIGATION as Tar as my
duties at Washington Will ALLOW
THE SYSTEM or INSPECTING BOILERS
Referring To Criticisms Of tho present method OF
inspection General Dunont said :" IL has been
saiu that the inspections are mott value because
they do not prevent accidents. But IL Is necessary
to consider the many possible accidents that are
.revented by the inspections In this district last
year 264 boilers we're found to DO detective ana
were repaired How many fatal accidents
might have happened had 1t not been for the dis
c.ysry of these detects Thirty boilers were con-
a mined and no csrtlicates Were issued for them. L
mink the present system of inspection II faithfully
carrI 81 Out, sale as can 10 DESIRED Inc Doer
a, rsl inspected to discover any detects that may be
y,slpe. Inc hy drOs ATTIC pr ssuro Is applied ana |
In, inspection continued while the pressure is oh
Parts o. the boiler are also tested WIN the hSmmer
The value of tho nydr0s ATTIC teal Is shown oy the
feet tnaL of the 264 detective boilers the detects III
AZ discovered by pressure after the otner
f.. a. n,d failed TO make them apparent. In the |
Cincinnati district 90 boilers were found 70 De DC
ectiye out oil the 239 that were examined. In every
case where boiler found TO DO objective an order
Is seni directing That certain repairs he made ana
=. men ipfornat ioa received that they nave Deen
completed, another examination IS made before the
cerincate is issued. IL ID impossible TO discover all
concealec imperfoc lions he previous accident 10
,he RIverdale, a sister boat, Was due 10 Iorro-
SION of the IRON that could not be seen. The boiler
stood the tests. out atterward the IRON became so
weakened that II was unable TO stand the pressure.
me eject OF steam water on iron Is sOinot mes
amen that no torres gut could prevent accidents.
Incre were only sixteen faial accidents from All
causes last year the 1000 boilers inspected IN tue
country" .,,uu.