The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-11-21

coroner had summoned because he had
been telling several persons that he
Knew the cause of the explosion. His
name Is Ell Dickinson, and he took
the stand with great willingness. At
first he had many suppositions to offer
and seni-positive assertions, but when
he was reminded that he was on oath
| and Coroner Roberts pinned him down
to facts, with the jury Ginning in
with questions, he lost his assumption
of knowledge and proceeded to give
his testimony in a weaker key, saying
he had only made "causual" ex-
animation. He told how he had been
a boilermaker for thirty-five years. He
did not know Wilson and knew moth
Ing OF Van Bergen & Co. He had only
been In the foundry once in his life
before the explosion and then had no
occasion to examine the boiler, and
never saw 1t until Sunday morning.
He made the positive assertion that
the back sheet was cracked for q dis
tance of over ten inches, and the CEN
ter of the whole crown sheet was
sheared out, the staybolts were all
drawn out of the crown sheet and at
least Is bolts were broken off. He
said he had arrived at this knowledge
by an examination of the boiler an
hour or so after the explosion. He
believed the crack to be an old one,
because the edges of 1t showed corro-
sion. The boiler had been burned for
six inches. He believed that II the
necessary repairs had been made to
the boiler the explosion, If it had oc-
Cured, would not have been so dis
astrois. To the best Of his knowledge
and belief the fracture must have been
there on Labor day. the time of the
last examination. He said that the
boiler would certainly show IL there
had been shortage of water, for it
would be burned. He could not say
IL the burnt surface he had seen was
made recently. He then went into a
technical explanat ton of how boiler
is examined. and of how the stay
bolts were sheared off. In his opinion
some of the staybolts had been broken
for long time, certainly previous to
Labor day. A boiler should be exam
ined at least every six months. Pinned
down as to what really caused the eX-
plosion he shifted about, evaded a di-
rect answer and finally owned up that
he really didn't know. He thought
that the damage must have been
caused by steam and not by sur.
charge of water in the boiler. In his
opinion the boiler was fit one to be
there under ordinary circumstances II
repairs had been made. While he
wouldn't swear the accident wouldn't
nave happened, the consequ ,nces would
haze been less harmful. lie reiterated
that he was positive that the stay
hrnlSnr haf
because they were badly corroded over
the broken parts.
Mr.. Colvin was then recalled. He
was positive that he would have seen
the fracture on the back sheet if one
examined the boiler. He was very
careful at the time and washed ths
boiler carefully and tried the bolts
with monkey wrench and tapped the
iron to hear If it sounded all right.
He had examined the boiler himself
since the explosion and differed fran
Dickinson in that he believed the stay
bolts We're broken by the explosion. lie
said that if there had been a crack in
the boiler it would have been noticed
quickly, for the water would have
leaked into the firebox. He again de-
SihSi " CApIcSS du OplllOH Dis u lllc
cause of the disaster and said he had
formed none.
The case was then left with the jury.
After fifteen minutes deliberation they
came to the following conclusion:
1--WE, the undersigned Jurors, enl-
panelled to investigate the circum-
stances surrounding the death 'of Da-
Vid Wilson, find, after due considera-
Il
to his death through the explosion
of steam boiler in the works of Van
Bergen & Co.. limited, in the city of
Carbondale, from some cause un-
known, about s o'clock on the morn
Ing of Sunday, Nov. is. 1900 And we
further recommend that the state ap-
point an official examiner to thorough
ly examine and test all steam boilers
in such institutions at least every six
months, or so often as is necessary
for the safety OF all concerned"