The Portland daily press., 1899-04-11

Rochester and return.
The next witness was Fred O. Edgsrly.
he IL mschinist in the ronnd house ant
also q brother-in law Of Engineer Sick
ford who was killed BY the explosion.
He said that ferguson called his atten.
ton to the leaky bolt at noon. The en-
gine was to 60 out on the train which
leaves Portland at 1880 O'Clock. Edgerly
said that he aturated . piece of waste
with kerosene and held It under the stay
bolt and saw the leak. 1t was two feet
back from the end of the fire box and In
the second row Of bolts from the top. The
bolt seemed to be splitting up towards
the top EdgerIy said be didn't know
what to do as 1t was the ouly engine on
hand and IL was almost time for the train
to 60 out Edgerlys asked where Master
Mechanic Tompson was and was told that
he was up the track in the repair car.
Edeeriy walked up the track to the point
where Mr.. Tompson was and told him
about the leaky stay bolt. Mr.. Tompson
told him to return to the round house and
rivet 1t down little. Edgerly said he
couldn't do this rs fire was mp In the
boiler and 1t might make it leak more.
Tompson told Edgerly to return to the
round house and try it He did make an
attempt to fix 1t, but had to let the en-
CINE 60.
Mr.. Peaks, one of the commissioners
$50 far as you know no effort was made
to repair this leaky bolt that night or the
next morning."
Mr.. Edgerly-"Not SO far as / know"
Mr.. Edgerly said that he had been en-
ployed thirty years by the company and
had been an engineer on the road tor four
years.
MIR. Peaks-"Is 1t common to find leaky
stay boltss"
Mr.. Edgerly-"Solid stay bolts seldom
leak, but the hollow ones sometimes do. "
Mr.. Peaks-"When leaky stay bolt Is
found isn't it usually repaired at onoe9'
Mr.. Edgerly-"Yes, 1t is usually at
tended to at once"
4 Mr.. Chadbourne-"Would leaky stay
bolt necessarily be a broken oaeP"
Mr.. Edgerly-"No, the threads might
have rusted away.
Mr.. Chadbourne--"Would t you usual
" find out II one was broSenr"
Mr.. kdgerly-"Yes. by sounding 1t.
Mr. Chadbourne-"Did you think this
particular bolt was broken"
Mr.. Edgerly-"I don't know. Icouldn't
say"
Mr.. Chadbourne-What would cause a
leaky stay boltY'
MIR. EdRsrly explained that the heating
OF the boiler and its cooling caused the
bolts to expand and contract and this
weak ens the bolts and sometimes breaks
them.
Mr.. Chadbourne-"Did you feel any
alarm about that particular stay bolt
when the locomotive went out on its run
that day."
Mr.. Edgerly-"I don't know as did,
but always am careful to report such
matters to the master mechanic"
Mr.. Chadbourne--"Did you ever drill
any tell tale holes to ses If stay bolt was
broken?"
MIR. Edgerly-"I always tell by sound
ing"
Mr.. Chadbourne-"How long had the
Presumpscot been running since the last
repairss'
Mr.. Edgerly-"A year and seven days. "
MIR. OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES occasioned
this engine being sent to the repair shop
year agof"
MIR. Edgerly-"A collision with the
rear end of freight train"
MIR. Chadbourne-"How much was she
injured In this collisionp'
Mr.. Edgerly-"Her front flue sheet was
punched in and the front end smashed
considerably. She had to have a new set
Of tubes, new front tube sheet and new
extension.
the accident"
Mr.. Edgerly--"S canted over little
to one side"
MIR. Chad What made the hole
in her tube sheet?"
MIR. Edgerly-"The stills Of the catoose
penetrated very near the center and a
little to the right if anything"
MIR. Libby, the county attorney. then
asked MIR. Edgerly question.
"Did Mr.. Tompson go to the round
house and look at that leaky stay bolt
after you told him about it?"
I:Mr. Edgerly~A"I don't know whether
he die or not. He didn't go with me at
the time"
The commissioners at this point put in
the report of the boiler experts who had
examined the boiler of the Presumpscot
These experts were Mr.. John W. Estle,
foreman of the boiler department at the
Portland company and Mr.. Frank K.
Hitchings. Of the firm Of Jones and
Hitchings the boiler makers and repairers
on Fore street. Their report is as follows:
REPORT OF BOILER EXPERTS.
To the Honorable Board OF Railroad Com
missioners o. the State of Maine:
We have examined the boiler Of the en-
CINE presumpscot that exploded at West
brook April s, and find the following
conditions:
The right hand side sheet of the fire box
has been torn away from the fire box she'll
and forced to the opposite side of the fire
box carrying with 1t part of the crown