The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-08-22
CAUSE OF EXPLOSION /. ON THE BENNINGTON
FINDINGS OF THE NAVAL COURT OF INQUIRY 4 SUR-
 PRISE.

Set at Rest the Stories Circulated to
 the Effect that the Gunboat's Boilers
 and Perhaps Those of Other Naval
 Vessels of the Same Age Are Defec- tiye-ReaI Cause of Disaster the Clos
 ing of a Valve Connecting the Ex-
 pIoded Boiler With It's steam Cauge
 --courtmartiaI Recommended for En-
 sign Charles T. Wade.
 Washington. Aug. q. Secretary Bo- naparte to-day made public the findings of the court of inquiry which investi- gated the explosion on the Bennington at San Diego, Cal. July 21. The find ings were complete surprise, for they at once set at rest the stories which had been circulated to the effect that the Bennington's boilers, and perhaps those of other naval vessels of the same age, were defective. As a matter of fact, the court found that the explosion re- suited from the closing of valve which connected the exploded boiler with it's k2SSel11ls SN #lA1Ctl k4lC RIS66uIQ OA4 that boiler may have been several hun dred pounds to the square inch when the accident occurred. While praise was accorded to the officers and ships company for their conduct during the narrowing scenes following the acci- dent, the officers and men who were re- sponsible, in the opinion of the court, are pointed out to court-martial pro- ceedings, suggested in the case of only one of the survivors, Ensign Charles T. Wade. The court consisted of Commo- dore Stevenson (retired), Captain E !. Moore and Captain Thomas s. Phelps. The finding recites the arrival of the Bennington at San Diego and says:
 The ship was in an excellent state of discipline and in a good and efficient condition. with the exception of her boilers, which were in fair condition and efficient considering their age (about fourteen years) and the use to which they had been subjected
 Continuing, the court says:
 About 9:20 on July 21, after both boilers had been filled and the furnaces started, 1t was observed that the steam gauge on boiler B showed above five pounds of steam pressure, and at this 1 time Oiler Frank De Courtenay, acting as water tender directed D. N. Hnllai11 fireman, second class, to close The air cock on boiler B; that said Holland climbed up and closed valve and ai- most immediately the steam gauge on boiler B failed to register and pressure; that this was apparently not considered by either the water tender or fireman. and no attention appears to have been paid to the fact that the steam failed to register, but they kept on working 1 the fires and firing heavily; that when the steam gauge on boiler B showed one hundred and thirty-f1ve pounds there was no pressure showing on the steam gauge of boiler B.
 The finding then goes on to state that about 10:S0 o'clock a small leak was found in boiler B. A request had been sent to the boilermaker to come and ak- tend to the leak. when the explosion occurred. All that happened after the explosion is discussed at length, l The report says that no one seemed to have noticed any escape from the safety valves and no one can state that any of the safety valves blew off at any time that morning; that we can find no record of the safety valve of boiler B having been overhauled since July, 1904. nor any positive evidencesof it having been done, though orders had been giv-
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