The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-08-22
ENSIGN BLAMED
FOR EXPLOSION
Report Of Court of Inquiry on Ben
nington Disaster.
SOME FACTS BROUGHT OUT
COURT MARTIAL WILL PROB
ABLY RESULT.

Washington, Aug. 21.-Secretary Bon
apaFte today received, and, as soon as
he had himself read, made public the
findings OF the court of inquiry which
investigated the explosion on the gum
boat Bennington at San Diego, Cal, on
July 21- The findings were a complete
surprise for they at once set at rest
the stories that had been circulated to
the effect that the Bennington's boil
ers and perhaps those of other naval
vessels of the same age We're defective.
As matter OF fact. the court found
the explosion resulted from closing
valve which connected the exploded
boiler with its steam gauge 80 that the
pressure on the 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 their conduct dur
1Hg the narrowing scene following the
accident. the officers and men who
we're responsible. IN the opinion of the
court, are Dotuted out and courtmar-
liai proceedings suggested in the case
o. the only one of them suFviving-En-
sign Charles 4. Wade.
Findings of the Court.
The court consisted of Commodore
Moore. and Captain Thomas :, Phelps.
The findings recite the arrival of the
bennington at San Diego and say:
The shin was in an excellent state
OF discipline and I'm q good and efficient
condition with the eXceDtiOa If her
boilers, which were ia fair condition
and efficient, considering their age
fabout fourteen years., and the use to
which mel. they had been subjected"
continuing. the court says,
About a-20 on JUfV 81 after hot
boilers had been filled and the furnaces
started, IL vas observed that the steam
gauge on boiler b showed about five
pounds of steam pressure. and at this
time Oliver Frank De Courtani, acting
IS water tender, directed d, y. Hol-
land, fireman, second class. to close the
air cock on boiler fB:" that the said
Holland climbed IN and closed a valve
and almost immediately the steam
SAUCE on boiler ''B' failed To register
any pressure; that this was apparently
not noticed by either the water tender
or the fireman, ana no attention aD-
pears to have been paid TO the fact that
The steam gauge failed TO register but
they kept on working the fires and FIR
ing heavily; that when the steam gauge
on boiler A showed one hundTed and
thirty-hve pounds there was no pres
sure showing on the steam gauge OF
boiler n
Small Leak Observed.
he H4ulhs goes on 10 state Ihdl
about 1880 O'clock small leak was
found iu boiler b A request had been
sent to the boilermaker 20 come and
attend TO the leak when the explosion
occurred. All that happened after the
explosion is described at considerable
leneth.
The court said.
No one seems to have noticed any
escape of steam from the safety valves
o. any OF the boilers and no one can
Fr.
of at any time that morning; that we
can find no record of the safety valve
OF boiler b having been oVerhauIed
since July, 1904, nor any positive eVi-
dence OF IL having been done. though
orders had been given for this TO be
zone I'm March. 1906 that there is 10
record of the sentinel valves having
been OveThauied since July, 1901: that
The safety valves were set at 14a
pounds; but Ell route from Honolulu
to this port orders We're given to carry
the steam pressure at from 100 TO 155
Doundg, not TO exceed the latter, but the
safety valves were not changed; that
this order had been clearly understood;
that the hand gear for lifting the safety
valves was not in working order and
there is no record nor direct evidence
that the safety valves had been tested
iP accordance with the navy regula-
tons.
Discipline Was Coed,
''rhe discipline seems TO have been
excellent and everything that could be
done by the surviving officers aud crew
was done in FL cool and courageous
manner. no one thinking of himself but
o. what Re could do for his injured
sEipmates and the safety OF his ship:
frat volunteer ala Of every kind came
from shore, and the iHjured were
promptly removed 10 the regular and
fmurCVised hospitals where all was
daue thar mortal could do Ia alleviate
their sufferings and aid in thar recov-
et5, while he dead were taken to the
various undertaking establishments
where they were prepared for burial:
thBf. sfter-an examination of the col
lsPsed furnace fue and from physical
rests that NE have had made the ma
rial OF This furnaces hue was OF good
quality, that the ship was found TO be
filling and settling when a tug was OBJ
tanned and the Warship was tcwed into