The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-08-25

Washington, August 21.-Secretary
B~onaparte today made public the pro-
%ceedings of the court of inquiry which
investigated the explosion on the gun
boat Bennington at San Diego, Cal,
for they at once set at rest the stories
that had been circulated to the effect
that the E~ennington's boilers and per
haps those of other naval vessels OF the
same age, were defective.
AS a matter of fact the court found
the explosion resulted from the clos
ing Of a valve which conn scted the ex-
9loded boiler with its steam guage. 50
that the pressure of that boiler may
the square inch when the accident &C
Cured.
While praise was accorded TO the Of
fcers and ships company for their on
duct during the narrowing scenes fol-
lowing the accident, the officer and men
who were responsible, IN the opinion
c. the court, are pointed out and court
martial proceedings suggested in the
case Of the only one of them surviving,
Ensign Charles T. Wade.
The finding of the court says in part:
About 9:20 on July 21st, after both
boilers had been filled and the fur
naces started, 1t was observed that the
steam guage on boiler B showed about
five pounds Of steam pressure, and st
this time Oiler Frank De Courtani, act
ing as water tender, directed D. N
Holland, fireman, second class, to close
the air cock on boiler B, that the said
Holland climbed up and closed a valve
and almost Immediately the steam
guage on boiler 3 failed to register any
pressure; that this was apparently not
noticed by either water tender or the
fireman, and no attention appears TO
have been paid to the fact that The
steam guage failed to register, bat
they kept on working the fires and fir
ing heavily; that when the steam
guage on boiler A showed one hundred
and thirty-five pounds there was no
pressure showing on the steam guage
of boiler B.
The finding then goes on to state
that about 1890 o'clock a small leak
was found in boiler B. A request had
been sent to the boilermaker to come
and attend to the leak when the OK
plOSiOn occurred.
The opinion of the court follows:
THE court is of the opinion that The
explosion was caused by excessive
steam pressure in boiler B, which came
about, first, by shutting the valve con-
Meeting the boiler with the steam
guage instead of the valve on the air
cock alone, as was intended, so that the
steam guage did not indicate the pres
sure in the boiler; second, by unusual
and heavy firing in the boiler to get
up a pressure which the guage failed
show; third, by the failure Of the
sentinel and safety valves to lift at the
pressure for which they were set, and
the pressure increased without relief
until it was beyond the strength of the
boiler, which gave way in its weakest
part, afterwards found to be the cor
rugated fue Of No. 2, the lowest or mid
die furnace which collapsed"
The court is also Of the opinion that
D.. n. Holland, fireman, second class.
who was the fireman on duty firing
boiler B at, and before, the time Of the
explosion, did, by mistake, shut OF the
steam valve connecting boiler E with
its steam guage, instead Of h air
cock, as directed, thus preventing the
guage from recording the steam pres
sure in its boiler: that Frank deCOur-
tain, oiler, acting water tender, on
watch in charge of this boiler from
about 9:15 a. N. until the time Of the
accident did fail TO observe that this
steam guage was not recording and did
continue pushing the fires on this boil
er, and further, when leaks developed
from excessive pressure, did fail to re-
lieve this pressure which should have
been done at once; that E. B. Fergu-
son, chief machinist's mate, on watch
in charge of the engine and fire rooms,
did fail % inspect boiler B under his
charge while steam was being raised,
and did fail TO cause this steam guage
to be connected with the boiler. The
said d. n. Holland, Fireman Frank &c
Courtain, oiler, and Z. B.. Ferguson,
chief machinist's mate, are now al
dead and therefore no further proceed
ngs can be taken against them.
1.-The court Is Of the farther opinion
that further proceedings should be had
in the case of Ensign Charles T. Wade.
that he did fall in his own person 10
see that the safety valve on boiler 3
was overhauled al the proper time and
kept in good working order, but did
accept the verbal statement OF his sub
ordinate Or subordinates that il nad
been overhauied in March, 1905. and