One of four. Two Furnace Upright, 21ft. high, 7ft. diameter, 7/16 inch plates, 58 lbs. pressure. A large piece of plate was blown out of the side of the boiler, and the reaction of the issuing contents threw the boiler over on to its side. The plate was said to be overheated from shortness of water, but as the centre tubes were uninjured, the ruptured plate may have become overheated from the intense heat impinging on one place, causing so rapid a generation of steam as to prevent proper contact of water.
No.38. Glasgow.
October 12th.
1 killed, 1 injured.
Plain Cylinder, 39ft. long, 5ft. diameter, 3/8 inch plates. A small piece of plate about one-and-half-feet area blew out of the bottom, and the contents issued so violently as to do much damage, although the boiler itself was not otherwise injured. The ruptured plate was corroded, to 1/16 inch thickness by the leaking of seams, caused by the feed water entering close to the bottom of the boiler.
No.39. Swansea.
October 13th.
2 killed, 1 injured.
One of twenty-four. One tube Cornish, worked by two furnaces, 23ft. long, 6ft. 6in. diameter. Tube 3ft. 9in. diameter, ½ inch plates, 40 lbs. pressure. The tube was divided by a wall down the middle. The tube collapsed sideways. It was said that one side was overheated through shortness of water, but it is more than probable the explosion was owing to the weakness of so large a tube without strengthening rings.