The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1905-08-23
BENNINGTON DISASTER.
Findings of the Court OF Inquiry
a Surprise.
Court Finds Explosion Was Caused BY
Shutting Of Valve Connecting
Boiler With Steam Gauge Instead oi
Valve on the Air Cock as Intended
Boilers Not Defective.

| boilers MOI DetectlNe'
Washington, Aug. %. - Secretary
Bonaparte has received and made pub.
lie the proceedings and findings of the
court of inquiry which investigated
| the explosion on the gunboat Benning.
ton at San Diego, Cal, on July 21
The findings were complete surprise.
| for they at once set at rest stories tC
the effect that the Benningtons boil.
ers and perhaps those of other naval
vessels of the same age were defec
tive.
The court found the explosion re-
suited from the closing of valve
which connected the exploded boiler
with its steam gauge so that the pres
sure on that boiler may have been
several hundred pounds to the square
inch when the accident occurred.
While praise was accorded to the
officers and ships company for the
conduct during the narrowing scenes
following the accident, the officer and
men who were responsible in the opin-
ion of the court are pointed out and
court martial proceedings suggested
in the case of only one of them sur
viving, Ensign Charles T. Wade.
The court consisted of Commodore
Stevenson, retired, and Captain E. j.
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 eff
cient condition with the exception OF
her boilers, which were in fair condi.
tion and efficient, considering their
age (about IA years and the use to
which they had been subjected"
Valve Closed Instead of Air Cock.
Continuing the court says:
about 9:20 on July 81, after both
boilers had been filled and the furn.
aces started, it was observed that the
steam gauge on boiler B showed
about five pounds of steam pressure,
anu at lhio llllS OllCl Il ann DC SOhl-
tani, acting 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 the valve and almost immedi-
ately the steam gauge on boiler b
failed to register any pressure; that
this was apparently not noticed by
either the water tender or the fireman
and no attention appears to have been
paid to the fact that the steam gague
failed to register, but they kept on
working the fires and firing heavily;
that when the steam gague on boiler
"A showed 135 pounds there was no
pressure showing on the steam gauge
of boiler B."
The finding then goes on to state
that at about 1030 o'clock a small
leak was found in boiler "B." A re-
quest had been sent to the boiler
maker to come and attend to the leak
when the explosion occurred. All |
that happened after the explosion is
described at considerable length. The |
opinion of the court follows
The court if of the opinion that the |
explosion was caused by excessive |
pressure in boiler b which came
about first by shutting the valve con-
Meeting the boiler with the steam
gauge instead of the valve on the air
cock alone as was intended, so that |
the steam gauge did not indicate the
pressure in the boiler; second, by UNI
usual and heavy firing in the boiler
to get up a pressure which the gauge
failed to 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 corrugated fue of No. 9, the low
est or middle furnace which collapsed
Men Who Were Responsible.
"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 off
the steam valve connecting boiler'B'
with its steam gauge instead of the
air cock as directed thus preventing
the gauge from recording the steam
pressure on it's boiler; that Frank De
Courtani, oiler, acting water tender,
on watch in charge of this boiler from
about 9:15 a. m. until the time of the
explosion, did fail to observe that this
steam gauge was not recording and
did continue pushing the fires on this
boiler, and further, when leaks de-
veloped from excessive pressure, did
fail to relieve this pressure, which
should have been done at once; that
e. B. Ferguson, chief machinist's
mate, on watch in charge of the en-
gine and firerooms, did fail to inspect
boiler 'B' under his charge while
steam was being raised and did fail to
cause this steam gauge to be connect.
ed with the boiler
THE said d. n Holland, fireman.
second class; Frank De Courtani, oiler,
anu H. u VI SuSOh' NhlSl hdNhiiloI
mate, are all now dead and therefore
no further proceedings can be taken
against them.
"The court is of the further opinion
that further proceedings should be
had in the case of Ensign Charles T.
Wade, U. S. NJ, who was in charge of
the engineering department of the
Bennington at the time of the explos.
ion and since Oct 22, 1904, in this that
he, the said Ensign Charles T. Wade,