The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1905-08-22
WRECK OF
BENNINGTON
Court Finds Explosion Due
TO Failure Of Valve
BOILER PRESSURE Hl6H
Officer In Charge Of Engine Room
al Time Of Accident 10 Be
Court Mstialed.


iiaiai.aHr nstitFai aiii as saala as hs
had hiuisrif Fssi tlsds pgiIiir thr rEe.
rrvsiInss ani raiInss ~ tir cuaft -
mgn'u ehifh Investigated t8r sapis.
siuii - ilr silHls.sai iiruninsini az has
bi.sa al. 49, iuiy - Tho npiiass
asfr = osmpissr SURPRISE fsf thrf 81
nnru sat 81 ret fiir siufirs uhirh had
rifruiaiei g. iiir rfirst nat ths lea
uinsiuas baiiffs sod i.sihalis ihoss q
uiilrf naval trssris ~ ihs sauis age
urfr detective As = matter ~ fact.
ii,- -suH fuuiii ihr rapipsiuu resulted
fFuin tiis rias'ns q . tai,r utirh ga
n-sts,i ths raiiiai-i baisf Niih its
steam sause. 80 that he pressure o.
that i.iisf mas haze bern SEVERAL hun
'ifed pslun,is g. is- square inrh ubsn
ihr arvAisnt porufTsL
While pFaiss uas arruniri a. she On
cur. au,i siiir's caulany &c their GU
duri duFinE tiis narrowing scssi-s fol'
iBains ihr aoriirnt. ihs uflorr and
mrn who Wrfr fsrsisuiislllie Ia tlr oiiln'
ion Of thc cIuf arr pp.ni.i ont and
cuurt martial prscsssilnE. suggested In
ihc cas. u ibc only one u iirin sur.
yltiuz Ensign Chafirs !. Wade.
III. court crnsi.i.i n Commodore
Sgt-nspn. rriir-i. AMI Captain =. ,.
Mnsrr and Captain thnmns = Phelps.
~. fuiing rs-ites ihc arrival ~ tho
bennington Al San Dieso ani says:
I'll. ship Wa in an excellent state
~ discipline aud In = gosi ani efficient
conditiou. with the exception ~ her
boilcfs. which were in fair condition
aud efficient. considering their ags
laboui fourteen years. and ~" use TO
which they had bccn subjected"
Continuing. ~. court SAYS:
About p2p on July -. after both
boiler. had been Allied and the furnaces
started. IL was observed that the steam
gauge on boiler rs showed about I've
pounds u steam pressure. and nt this
time Oiler Frank DE Courtani. acting
~ water tender. directed u. y. Hol-
land, fireman. SECOND class. 10 close the
air cock on boiler ~ that the said
Holland climbed up aud closed a valve.
and almost Immediately the steam
gauge on boiler IL fallel 10 register
any pressure: that this was apparently
not noticed by either the water tender
or the fireman. aud no attention ap-
pears TO have been paid 10 the fact
that the steam gauge failed to register.
but they kept on working the fires and
firing heavily: that when the steam
gauge on boiler a showed 49, pounds
there was no pressure showing Oh the
steam gauge of boiler 'B.'
The finding then goes on to state
that about 1890 O'Clock small leak
was found In boiler b A request had
been sent 10 the boilcrmaker to come |
and attend 10 the leak, when the ex- !
plosion occurred. The court says:
''The court is of the opinion that the |
explosion was caused by excessive |
pressure In boiler n 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 pres
sure In the boiler; second, by unusual
and heavy firing In the boiler to get up |
u pressure, which the gauge failed to
show; third, by the failure of the SEN
tinel and safety valves to lift at the
pressure for which they were set and
the pressure increased without relief
until 1t was beyond the strength Of the
boiler, which gave way In its weakest
part, afterward found to be the CORFU
gated fue of No. =, the lowest or mid
die furnace, which collapsed.
"The court is also of the opinion that
ID. n. Holland, fireman, second class,
Y. s. n. 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 its boiler; that Frank De
Courtani, oiler, acting water tender,
L. S. N, on watch in charge of this
boiler from about 9:15 a. IN. until the
time of the explosion, did fail to OBJ
serve that this steam gauge was not
recording and did continue pushing the
fires on this boiler and further when
leaks developed from excessive pres
sure did fail to relieve this pressure,
which should have been done at once;
that u. h. Ferguson, chief machinist's
mate, Z. $. n, on watch in charge OF
the engine and fire rooms, did fail to
inspect boiler b under his charge,
while steam was being raised ana dil