1 injured.
Fig. 11.
Agricultural or Contractor's Engine, 9ft. 2in. long, 2ft. 6in. diameter, 3/8 inch plates, 30 lbs. pressure. The heads of stays on each side were corroded outside and drew through the holes, allowing the angles of fire box to open. Boiler was not disturbed and no damage was done.
No.12. Portsmouth. ([Fig. 12.])
March 29th.
3 killed, 1 injured.
Fig. 12.
One of two. Cornish, 9 years old, 22ft. long, 6ft. diameter. Tube 3ft. diameter, 3/8 inch plates, 40 lbs. pressure. Gave way at mid-feather wall where corroded to 1/32 inch, at a place where flues were too narrow to enter. Two rings of plates were torn out and blown into an adjoining street, while the reaction of the escaping contents forced the boiler into a building in a very singular manner, doing very great damage. This case is of peculiar interest, because although the cause of explosion was so plain to see, all the old theories of decomposition of steam, and ignition of hydrogen, were revived, and it was even stated that "a bad boiler could not explode, as the corroded part would give way, and allow the steam to escape harmlessly," and any cause seemed to be considered more probable than the plain and simple one, that it was corroded to the thickness of card board. Like many other examples this explosion shows that however well a boiler is tended, it should be examined in the flues to make sure that it is safe.