Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1942-02-12
WHEN STEAM LIFTS LOOSE
nv SilaS ThOrla)

The use of steam for motive
power was undoubtedly one OF the
great achievements of the last cen
tury We think we are safe IN say
ing that the steam engine was the
greatest mechanical wonder that
the world has ever seen 1t was
the beginning of an era OF pros.
it is today But steam wouldn t
work until it was confined, put un-
der pressure And whatever pres
sure was needed to supply the pow
er the container, called a boiler,
had to be constructed to hold the
pressure, and that pressure had 20
be controlled, otherwise disastrous
results would follow.
Men watched the working OF a
steam engine with keen interest,
while the average boy was filled
with wonder and astonishment, ana
would probably make something 20
resemble the real thing. But few
there were among hoy Senluses
who would succeed in making a
working model. Our good friend,
Grover Mckee, of Belle Valley, be-
fore he had reached the teen age,
made a working model which at
tracted widespread attention, even
outside the limits of his nei9hbor-
hood Ellis Stockwell, of Caldwell,
son of the noted marble cutter,
Thos. Stockwell, was getting along
fine with some help of tinner)
but little too much fire under the
boiler. somethi1 : appened. How
ever. he escaped serious injury.
The tiniest working model OF
which we have any knowledge, was
made by jeweler-it rested on a
silver dime The most wonderful
and attractive toy engine we ever
saw was made entirely OF glass
You could see the piSton-head NOV
ing back and forth through the cyl
inder. the balanoe-wheel. in varle-
gated color, was about the size OF
a dinner-plate. Nearby was the co
lossal Corliss engine that drove
fourteen acres of machinery at tbs
centennial exhibition.
But lets get back to our sub
ject. The danger of steam boiler
explosions chanced to penetrate oul
cranium at a comparatively tender
age 1t happened this way: 1t was
our lot to spend an entire summer
at the home of an aged uncle, VIII.
lived on the bank Of the Ohio rive
two miles above Marietta. At tina
time a large number OF steam
boats plyed the river between
Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, and IN
termediate points, and this old gen
tleman did little else but sit III tht
shade of an old apple tree play I'll,
flute and watch the boats go by. Il
his iocular way he would say tha
..the durn boy would leave a chick
Ell leg on his tin-plate and make {
stra eht sbirt-tail for the river
b. very time a steamboat wouic
blow
y two boats We're leaving th'
city for upstream about the same
time. QGile often they would be il
a race by the time they were pass
ing this place (head Of Kerr Is
landl. In order to gain speed, ~
engineer would mount the boiler
grab the safety valve clever type
and hold it down which was court
ing a great danger. Too often it re
suited in an appalling loss OF life
and property with wreckage streWI
on the water. We would hardly
think that men with any sense
would take such desperate chan2
es, but unreined and unrestrainco
ambition will tempt some to face
the devil. The aged man orbservea
this from his vantage point, ana
the comments he would make to the
family and others in reference tC
the danger, were not entirely LOST
on our boyish ears. 1t was thus
that the fear of boiler explosion
got possession of our tender mind
and we never could quite get it out
of our system.
Buckeye Belle Explosion
Nearly ninety years ago, to he
exact, it was November II, 1852
the steamer, Buckeye Belle, eXplod-
ed both her boilers while passing
through the upper end of the canal
at Beverly, Washington county, @
The boat was a few hours behind