New-York tribune., 1905-07-22
DISASTER WITHOUT PARALLEL
DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS DECLARE THAT SHIPS
BOILERS WERE IN GOOD ORDER
Young Officer Charge of the BennngtOns EngnesRig
Investigation VIII Be Made.

horizontal triple expansion type. She attained
speed of 17.5 knots her trial trip. Her
main battery consisted OF six 6-inch breech-
loading rifles. and her secondary battery Of four
6-pounder four 1-pounder rapid fire guns and
two 30-calibre Colts.
The ship has load waterline length OF 23O
feet beam of SO feet and a mean draught of
II feet She is schooner rigged with three
masts. and has sail area OF 4.409 square feet.
The number of watertlght compartments IS
large Her boilers have a CRATE surface Of 24O
square feet, and were designed for two inde-
pendent compound engines.
The Bennington had four cylindrical straight
way boilers commonly called locomotive gum
boat boilers. Each boiler was II feet inches
long and feet 8 inches in diameter. They
were originally designed TO carry 160 pounds Of
steam, but the last log received at the depart
ment shows that the safety valves were set for
145 pounds, and that she carried from 135 to
40 pounds Of steam In cruising. One of the
strong claims OF her builders was the total alb
sence OF printing in her boilers her trial
trip The tendency OF most boilers is for the
steam to take up water and carry it into the
steam pipes and cylinders. The engineers Of the
Bennington always commented on "the unusual
dryness' of the steam.
The Bennington was designed chiefly to be a
draught. averaging only fourteen feet, gave her
access to many ports not open to larger ships
She was always a wonderfully steady ship, and
this is her first serious mishap.
Her boilers were fifteen years old, according
to records IN the department. but were retubed
in 10000. The rear admiral in command OF
the Pacific fleet In 1904 reported to the Navy
Department that the boilers were in need of re-
pairs, but that the repairs were not urgent. A
report from the engineer officer Of the ship re-
ceived at the department about the same time
was that the boilers generally were in poor con-
dition but that the internal condition OF the
boilers was good. detailed report on the con-
dition of the boilers was received by the de-
partment last March. In May last the Benning-
ton was sent to the Mare Island yard. when tenn
porary repairs were made on her boilers to put
her in cruising condition. It is stated at the
Bureau of Steam Engineering that there has
been nothing in the reports coming TO the de-
partment to show that the boilers in an
unsafe condition
AS soon as the news Of the explosion reached
the Steam Engineering Bureau all the records
and reports relating to the Bennington were re-
viewed by Rear Admiral Rae, chief OF the
bureau, and later he called on Acting Secretary
Darling, when he advised him fully of all the
facts pertaining 10 the boilers of the i'll fated
ship. The Acting Secretary made the following
statement relative to the disaster:
The department has learned with the deepest
regret of the disaster which overlook the gun
boat Bennington. Nothing unusual has been re-
ported to the department with respect to the
boilers in the Bennington. detailed report
last, and repairs were made in the following
May. The boilers on the ships OF our navy are
receiving constant attention and are constantly
under the supervision as we'll as the inspection
OF engineers.