Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-03-30
THE INQUEST
CONTINUED from Page One.)

that dake and had not been used for
sometime previous to the day of the ex-
| plosion.
Henry Preston. inspector in the employ
OF the Hartford Boiler Inspection and
| insurance Co. for the past % years, told
OF inspecting the Grover boiler number
OF times. From a record kept by him.
| ne said he made an internal and external
| inspection Dec. %. Oct. IS. 1904 he made
an external inspection. April 3, 1904 he
made an internal inspection He said he
| believed some oxher man had inspected
pressed as to the period which had elaps-
go between those dates. He thought the
| man was Chas Morse.
In your district now do YOU find many
| OF this style of lap seam boilers?" was
asked
Not many"
In your experience should You say
| they are gradually going out of exis-
tence?"
Yes sir
Why is that?''
The demand for high pressure for COM
pound and triple engines
They will not stand the high pressure.
you mean?'
Yes sir"
Are they regarded as the safest kind
IF bOilers?"
Not today"
rs the hammer test really of much
use?''
AT some times
did you discover the crack"
No, sir
Ought you to have discovered it had ii
been there at the time of your inSpec-
tom"
NO. sir
=, Does your eomIany ever use hydrau-
lie pressure as /. testr''
Not infreuucntly."
because you can see most of the trou-
BILE and manufacturers would not care to
give the time.
There are dangerous parts of this boil
or you cannot see.
Yes, sir
He said the hydrostatic test is not con :
elusive either. There was nc possibility
or the explosion having been caused by
lack of water Ninety pounds was the
normal pressure.
Il understand you to say that if this
crack had been in the boiler there would
have been no WAY to discover it except by
taking the boiler apart" asked Judge
RiNby.
Yes. sir; that's right"
John F. Malloy of Boston. steamer
boiler inspector for the Mutual Steam.
Boiler Inspection Co, said he had been
seam boilers are deservedly going out vi
use. They were constant source OF
danger, He said the explosion was I'M
d4nbtedly due to crack in the seam. ,
that in his opinion the defect in the boil
er could not have been discovered by tie
ordinary method of inspection, but he
thought il could have been located by
the hydrOStatic method.
ChaS. 5. Blake. supervisor and general
agent OF the Hartford Boiler Inspection
ard Insurance Co.. testified that the ex-
plosion was caused by Il cracl: OH the
inside of am upper lap in the boiler. In
his opinion the plate received its first
injury from the snock caused by ham
the plate. He thought the breathing
action of the plate later aggravated thu.
weakness. Blake said he considered that
ihr seam boilers are dangerous.
The next witness, Joseph H. Mcneil. Il
boiler inspector employed by the state,
said the state did NOT inspect boilers that
were insured. At the request Of Chief
Shaw he examined the Grover boiler and
found that ,he explosion was not caused
10y a lack of water.
The inquest closed ut 2.45. District At
tOrney French said to the court that he
had thrown all the light he believed pos
sible upon the cause of the explosion. Ii
seemed to him it was shown that it was
due to a defect in the boiler. 4 hidden
Reason. Il have heard OF no evidence
and there has been none given in this
court to show that anyone was criminally
liable What moral responsibility there
was, it seems to me. 1t is no figure of
speech to say, rests with the man who
originally devised this type of boiler.
And that man. said Judge BiXby,
has passed beyond the jurisdiction oi
this court"
Judge Eixhy said he would review the
evidence and make Il report later. and tn,
inqus st closed.
Tho inquest did not stop the work of
clearing the rubbish at the Grover fac
tory. today, ard the searchers We're re
wlrtied by finding the crumbled remains
The charred bones and ashes wer, dis
cove red beneath Il burned beam near tn"
rear of the cellar wall next to the boiler
room. There was n space under the beam
which seemed to Indicate that the I'M
fortunate victim had been pinned down
ard then cremated.
There were no traces which night lead
to identification. TIL" bones and ashes
viii be buried ut MelrOse cemetery.
The body Of John Victor Turner, fin
Usher at the Grover factory, was identi
fed tonight. by his wife. through the
means Of paris of the suspenders and the
false teeth of the victim. Thcs" articles
have been in the possession o, Medical
Examiner Paine. The identihcat"E 1s tht
18th to be made.
that IT had relieved nearly 20 families.
and that so far as the members kneW
There were no cases of distress.
ri. rclier fund. tonight. amounted to