The New York Herald Newspaper, August 2, 1871, Page 8

8 THE WESTFIELD SLAUGHTER. Unsuccessful Search in the River for More Bodies. Scenes at the Morgue Bellevue Hospital. and Death and Recognition of the “Unknown Baby.” Improved Condition of the Sufferers. FOUR MORE FATAL CASES EXPECTED. Macty-three Known to be Killed or Drowned and Over One Hundred Seriously Injured. THE BOILER QUESTION. Interviews With United States Steam Boiler Inspectors, More Opinions of Experts and Prominent Engineers. Commencement of the Government Inquiry To-Day. ‘There are but few citizens of New York who do mot remember the disastrous days of the rebellion, ‘when each startling telegram from the front was followed by @ long list of dead and wounded; but not even in that time of harrowing expectation was ‘there such general excitement as on Sunday, Mon- @ay and yesterday. The public mind lost its balance tm dwelling on the accumulating horrors of that Sabbath afternoon. Every hour brought fresh tidings of further loss of life and was laden with the ‘nutterable grief of hundreds of people. A shadow ‘of death hovered over two cities, and the public ar caught in thé moans and walls of the victims of the massacre. The pulse of ‘the metropolis was at fever heat. Even now it has ot resumed its wonted regularity, nor will it until ‘@wakened justice catches in her outstretched arms a human victim. Such wholesale destruction of life, suon terrible infiction of extremest agony, may well excite the forces of the law to instant action, Those who are now regarded by reflecting men as guilty of the massacre on the Westfield may, perhaps, be Proven, after full investigation, entirely blameless, &nd it were well, therefore, to abstain from hasty expressions regarding them; but that SOME ONE IS RESPONSIBLE cannot be denied or explained away. The voice of the pubuc and the cry of the surviving relatives of ‘those writhing wounded and mangled dead alike @emana it, Inthe hush of tured aMiction ts heard ‘the muttered prayer thabjustice may not be cheated of her due. ‘This 1s the reflection of public opinion as yesterday expressed. Bui it would be a pleasant duty to re- cord that the citizens were doing something more than uttering threats. So far the public ts neglect- ful. Not six of those who were rescued from drown- ang by the heroic boatmen of Whitehall have as yet thanked their saviors, not a single clergyman of any denomination except the Catholic went to cheer the wounded or comfort the dying ainid the pulpy and dripping horrors of the Morgue, and as far as can be ascertained THE GENEROSITY OF THR CITIZENS toward the brave fellows who so nobly labored to Save the lives of the sinking men, women and chil- ren of the fated Westfield has had no tllustration further than the contribution of one gentleman of the sum of $10, sent to the HenaLp. Probably the people have not yet awakened to a sense of their uty toward the boatmen, but surely they Will not Jonger slumber in forgetfulness, As for the Chris- tian ministers, their services are not now required. The dead are indifereat to pious counsel. Several or THE SISTERS OF MERCY, those noble women who are ever ready to minister © the afflicted, have rendered excellent service at the Morgue, But it was asked yesterday, “What has Decome of ail the ‘ladies, charitable and benevolent @ocleties’ connected with the churches of the city, and are there no kind people to neip the Sisters in their atventions to the wounded?’ Ten or twenty Jadies in the hospital to do nothing more than keep off the swarms of files from the tender wounds of ‘the patients would be of valuabie service, 7 NEW YORK HERALD. WEDNESDAY. AUGUST 2, 1871.—WITH SUPPLEMENT. us een pecan ee to the pier at the barge office was guarded by po- licemen, and admittance was dented to many persons who fancied that they could gain some traces of the missing other thau those already discovered by the boatmen and divers, At hall-past eleven o’clock in the forenoon Mr. E. R. Lowe again prepared to descend into the water—this ilme in the South slip. He was clothed in @ costume of rubber, ana an immense helmet of copper weighing 300 pounds was placed over his hea, It 1s of very singular appear- ance, having at the front two windows and an aper- ture for the admission of the air, which 1s pumped through the rubber pipe by men attending the oat, At the back is a hole for the escape of carbonated alr, the bubbling of which through the water indi- cates the diver’s position after his descent. Heavy shoes, each weiguing forty pounds, were placed on his feet, and a cincture, weighing 300 pounds, about mis loins, Taking the life cord im his hand, HE PLUNGED INTO THE WATER and proceeded to walk slowly along the piles, some times: kets dong J in among them to peer into dark nooks under the pier, A sudden, unusual turou- ence of the water indicated that he had stepped or falien into some hole at the bottom; then by watch- ing the bubbling at the suriace it was seen that he Still continued the search, Reaching the riverward end of the slip he walked slowly through the mid- die toward the ferry house, and then returued alon, the other side, At forty utes past twelve P. he came up and reported that he had seen NO BODIES. IN WARD 7 Michael Regan was reported to have passed a very comfortable night, He slept a good deal yesterday, and was in repose when the HERALD representative passed through the wards, Charles Kochendorf sald he felt much better and easier, though his back pained him. IN WaRD 5 Mattnew O’Brien felt somewhat improved, IN WARD 10 John Watson was very poorly yesterday; his i- juries having produced fever, which increased his sufferings. He complained also of a great pain in his back. In the same ward Thomas Conch, 8 laborer, aged twenty-four, lay dying. He fell yes- terday morning from a building in Eighth street, on which he was working, and he was taken to the hospital in an unconscious state. His sorrowing wife and sister and friends sat weeping around his bedside, fanning him and cooling his lips with ice, while the death gurgies in his throat were audible several paces away. He leaves two dear little ones with his wife to mourn his fatality. Mr. Reder wasa trifle easier; John Daly, Joseph Myring and Michael Barrett, in this ward, felt and appeared to be very much better yesterday. AS Mr. Barrett read the list of tne injured in the HERALD he pointed to the name of Mary Murphy, who lics in ward 28, whom he saved. They were strangers, At fifty-seven minutes past twelve he again de- scended, returning with the same report. ‘The opinion was expressed by persons who are acquainted with the action of the tide at the barge office that many of the bodies had been swept under the pier. Accordingly the planks were torn up and men began to grapple im the water among the piles, but met with no success. At half-past two P. M. Mr. Charles Everitt, the haif brother and assistant of Mr. Lowe, searched THE BOITOM OF HAMILTON SLIP. He found nothing but a package of clothing, It was bound by a leather strap and was found to be a mason’s overalls, in which were wrapped a small trowel, a light vestand & white enirt, At three o’clock the diver returned to the suriace, having seen no evidence that any bodies were there. Mr. Lowe and Mr. Everitt think that no other bodies will be sound near the ferry slips, and that the tudes, together with the suction caused by the con- tinual movement of boats, must have swept those not already recovered out into the deep water. Many bodies will probably rise to the surface after a few days and will be washed on the lower shores of the bay, or will perbaps Moa out into mid-ocean and never be found, About fifteen men were employed in rowboats during the day fishing for the dead. Their efforts extended from the sea wail of the Battery to the eastern side of the Hamulton silp. They were watched by the eager cyes of the spectators, who were ranged on the piers and bulkheads, Occasion- ally some object was caught in the hooks of the grapple, and the boatman would slowly draw it to the surface, A MUBMUR OF EXCITEMENT would pass through the crowd, and as the rope was drawn inthe suspense became intense, at in every instance the object was found to be of little interest, and the faces again assumed their wearied aspect of waiting. A parasol of brown silk and a handkerchief embroidered with lace were picked up in the sip at the barge office, and a portion of the sash of the pilot house of the Westtield was found in the Hamilton slip, At five o'clock tue search for the dead was discontinued. Still, however, at a late hour last night many people remained gazing at the dark water, as if expecting some revelation to rise from the restless tide, The gates of the pier at the barge office were no longer guarded, and persons vip eve freely in the vicinity of the scene of tue THE CUSTOM HOUSE BARGE OFFICE. What the Janitor Saw ef the Explosion and Ita Effects. Mr. William D. Andrews 1s the janitor of the build- ing known asthe United States Barge Ofiice. He relates a thrilling story. On the afternoon of Sun- day he was seated In a room in the part of the build- ing toward the Staten Island ferry sup. The plier upon which the barge office is built forms the east+ ern boundary of the siip. When the explosion oo curred he was looking at the Westfield, then lying in the slip. The fragments of the upper part of the vessel, with the bodies of men, women and children, were flying in tne air, After seeing this the dense volume of steam hid the rest ofthe scene. He then rushed out to the edge of the water, which, he says, was covered with blood, There were persons boiled and mangled, struggling among the waves produced by the rocking boat. Fagmenie and dead bodies were floating on the surface. He saw two ladies and two gentlemen ly- ing on the roof of the express office on the wharf. They had undoubtedly beeu blown irom the hurri- cane deck over the tops of the piles. They were nn- penn ar scrambled down alter recovering from te rig Mr, Andrews and a Mr. O'Conner threw a life ihe out to the persons who were struggiing in the water. It was seized by three men, who were pulled ashore, when they were found to be only slightly hurt. O’Conner then rescued a German and Ais iamity—a mother and two children—all of whom Were struggling together tn the water. They were not burt. The German manifested his grawitude oy rewarding O'Conner liberally. Shortiy after this a boy on board the revenue cutter Jassmine handed up to Mr, Andrews, who was standing on the pier, @ child, aged seventeen months, which had just been picked up. It was a very pretty bane. Its bowels were literaily rent open, and the blood was stream. ing ou the wharf, while its little face was distorted with agony. Men who were lookers-on burst into tears, aud Mr. Andrews says that he never before | Was 50 afected as by this sight, The child was sent to the hospital. BELLEVUE HOSPITAL YESTERDAY, ‘The intense excitement which pervaded the city, and especially the vicinity of Bellevue, on Monday had partially subsided yesterday, and the visitors were fewer and the crowds outside considerably less, The only death which has occurred in the Hospital since our last report was that of the dear litle unknown baby in ward 28, whose body was | recognized by friends yesterday morning as that of Thomas Smith, the infant son of Bernard and Cathe- rine Smith, of 78 Hamilton avenue, Brooklyn, The | bodies of the mother and child and a daughter Annie, aged nine years, were taken home yesterda: for burial, Mr. Smith stilt survives, at bis home, a sad mourner for the loss of his family. FROM WARD 10, Mr. Moss Phillips was.taken away on Monday evening to his home in Fortieth street, and from The search for.more victims 1s stopped, the bed of | ward 30 his wife was removed home also. Mr. Phillipa the river fronting the slip and the slip itself having been thoroughly dragged. If there are STILL MORE VICTIMS, gnd itis feared there are, their bodies lle in deep water. Until nine days after the disaster they will not float, so that the full extent of the massacre cannot be ascertained until the 7tn or perhaps later. In the meantime, however, the inquest will be held. It ts promised that nothing will be left undone td fore the cause of the explosion to responsibiliiy where ft properly ‘aE tutnly nothing less witl satisfy the publié. The Investigation ordered by the government will take Place w-day, and the evidence will throw light on the MYSTERIOUS WAYS OP STEAMBOAT INSPECTORS. ‘There was one additional death yesterday, that of ® little child, and three more bodies were identified. The scenes jand incidents of the day in the hospital wards, and at the Morgue, and at the scene of tne ealamity, are fully described in the following re- ports, while important communications concern- Ing the responsibility of the steamboat company and ‘he Inspector of bollers are appended, FISHING FOR THE DEAD. In front of the barge oMfce yesterday morning a crowd was still coliected. Many persons who are ‘the friends of missing victims had remained there uring the long hours of the night, watching with silent invensity of suspense the process of grappling 4m the Diack and gloomy tide, which surged up with Gull sobs against the siimy piles. When morning dawned arow white and anxious faces were sul peering through the gray mist that rose from the turbid water. But the solitary grappler who had remained at work did not succeed in finding any- ‘thing of interest, and the hearts which had been wWaiung weanly with the ghastiy fear of at last ve- holding THE AWPUL FACES OF DEAD FRIENDS Degan to crow chill with the worse dread that even their mad yearning of suspense would never end but in the certatnty that the lust were shruuded in an unknown oblivion by the fate that had sent so mauy souls into eternity. As the morning advanced the crowd grew larger, and the pliers in the neighborhood were lined by spectators, who, in low and subdued tones, ex- ehanged doubts and fears, hopes and conjectures, Very few referred to the incidenis of the terrible dis. faster of Sunday. Doubtless none wished to keep alive the memory of its HOBRORS, AGONIRG AND TERRORS. ‘They were suMicientiy depressed by the conse- quent grief or suspense—which for a jong time wil) pot be forgotten—and of that they spoke only. Through the greater part of the day the entrande | ‘was very weak and at times delirious. In one of those moments on Monday he caught one of the at- tachés of the Hospital and held fast to him, while he called as lustily as he could for the police to arrest the burglar which he evideutiy thougnt he had cap- tured. Mrs. Elssasser was also taken away from this ward (30) to her home, 74 First avenue, and Mrs, Friedhoff was removed by ber uncle from the female b avin to her bor B tho iBtop street, _ This poo ¥ ah, ‘has JP ata y the sanitie iamity, and was in very great pain and dis- The nurse, when asked tress on Monday alternoon. if she could not put something hot to the ice-cold feet and jegs of the poor creature and give hera drink, very sourly replied that she was more trouble to her than all the other patients together, that she had heaped on all the bed clothes she could spare, and then very unwillingiy took a cup of ice water to the unfortonate sufferer. In such trying scenes as this @ stretch of good nature should be made to show kindness to the suffering, even though it may not come wholly from the heart if there 1s the least chance of Mrs, Priedhoft’s recovery at her home there would certainly be none had ehe re- mained in the pavilion. John H. Brown, of spencer street, Brooklyn, was suiliciently strong to be abie to leave ward 16 yes terday with his wife. 01 those still REMAINING IN THE HOSPITAL very small hopes are entertained of the recovery of the following named persons:—Patnck Finnegan, in ward 7%. He is tenderly watched over by his wife, and yesterday by a male friend also. Josiah Abbott, in ward 5. Hehas been most conscientiously at- tended to by Mrs. N. ©, Bishop, who ba: i by bis bedside of and on day and night from the moment he was aamitted. Orderly A. R. French, too, t# unremitting in hie attentions to Mr. Abbott and to all the other victima of the disasier under but sat near each other, and when the explosion occurred Mary clasped him by the right arm and they were BOTH BLOWN INTO TH! RIVER. She still hela on, and Mr. Barrett paddled around with one nand as well as he could to save himself and the woman until they were picked up bya boatman. IN ‘WARD 18 Henry Storms and Patrick Roddy felt better, but Jonn T. Roberts; who was severely injured, was In @ high fever, ana very much worse than on the pre- vious da His mother was still affectionately watching over him and hopmg that'a change for the betier might take place in the symptoms of his fever. Joseph Burns, or Byrnes, the brother of Mra. Roberts, was on board, with her-son, and she has not heard from him since the explosion, and fears he has been lost. He lived in Warren street, be- tween Hicks and Columbia. He ts probaly the man Teported in yesterday’s papers as auly injured at 86 Warren street, Brooklyn. IN WARD 11 John Brown, whose breast and ribs are broken, felt more comfortable yesterday than on Monday. IN WARD 16 August Granville was getti along guite nicely, but felt very weak, which is natural, considering tnat he has been very badly burned and scalded, and is the worst case in this ward. Orderly Dennis Suill- van is as attentive to him as if he was @ brother and keeps constantly near him. Yesterday a brother of Mr. Granville’s, from Albany, came on to see him, and that visit cheered and encouraged hun wes. § atly and was the means of rallying him. Bartholomew Manly, who 1s the next most serious case in this ward, was very weak but somewhat better yester- day. Three or four friends watched aroun 4 his bed- side, one of whom, instead of rejoicing that the un- fortunate man was still living and likely, with caro and kindness, to recover, was quite indignant that the HERALD should have reported him on Monday as burned to a crisp. He is pretty thoroughiy burued and scalded nevertheless, and is now in much worse condition than some who have been taken to the cemeterles, But in the anxiety of friends on such occasions they nope for the best and fee] displeased with any who may present the worst featares of the case, We are of course glad that Mr. Manly is NOT BURNED TO A CRISP and hope he may speedily recover. John O'Malley and Edward Roddy aro getting along nicely in tig ward, and yesterday they telt quite cheerful. IN WARD 23, there are but two suferers by the explosion— Mattie Higgins and Mary Morphy. Mattie was in excelient spirits yesterday, but complained of stilt ness in tne shoulders and a pain m the back. Friends were with her and trying to make uer com- fortable. Mary, too, had some friends by her ped- side to cheer ber, and sue seemed to appreciate very highly this evidence of adlectionate remembrance, She was better able to converse yesterday than on the previous day, and expressed a loti desire that all her frends who Soria might be admitted. But for her recovery such freedom would doubtless prove fatal, and the physicians and Warden very properly forbid it to all the patients. In the female pavilion Mistresses Emilia Gren- nette, Eliza Kochner and Henrietta Holvedell were very weak yesterday. Mrs. Holvedell was, however, in better condition and more cheerful than her sis- ters in suffering, and the physician who was with her at the time the Hg&RaLp reporter visited the ee considered her case then very favorable. Grennette appeared to be THE WORST AND MOST FEEBLE of the three. Mrs. Kochner’s husband, Frederick, ‘was buried yesterday from Bellevue Hospital, which fact if it becomes Known to the poor suilering crea- ture may hasten her departure too. His funeral Was accompanied to the Houston street ferry by the members of the K. W. Verein Humboldt Society with mated drums ana draped bannets. The body was tuterred in the Lutueran Cemetery, Jamaica, In the male pavilion Chariey Sliva was quite bright yesterday, the presence of friends, doubtless, increasing his cheerfulness and his health too. John O'Conuor and Alex. Doldin were also much better. Joseph Auch and George M, Hisasser, upon whom this terrible catastrophe has fallen with a thousand muitipliied force and left thei aad their households trretrievanly broken up. This closes the record of the explosion patients now remaining in Bellevue Hospital, and which number aliogether twenty-nine, Great complaint has been raised at the incorrect lists published by the aifferent papers, morning and evening. The Heat claims to have had from the begmning a3 | correct a list of the killed and wounded as it was possible to obtain from any source, and any one Who has tried to obtain this inforination must know very well how utterly impossivle it was aud still ts to ucquire it. The HERALD reporters copied the lists of dead from ‘THE CORONER'S PERMITS, and inthe apsence of the Coroner, from the slips containing the names, ages and descriptions of the b dies recognized and given by fnends. They also copied from the eutry books in the ostice of Bellevue Hospital aud from the cards at the beds of the suf- ferers, and, to crown all, got the names, ages, occu- patious and such other information as could be gleaned irom the patients themseives. f with such energy and labor the HERALD did not preseat cor- rect accounts it certainly was not its representa- tives’ fault, A few illustrations will serve to show how absurd it is to expect even now a correct list of the killed and wounded by this terrible disaster, We present in another column as complete and cor- rect a list as can be made out; but we venture to say that even tis is nos as true or compiete as lt should be. For instance, the office book, from which the en- tries were copied, gives the names of fifty-four per- sons and five unknown admitted on Sunday and five more on Monday, who were presumed to be ex- plosion victims. The RELUCILITY OF THESE RECORDS May be inferred when the name of Kdward Roddy occurs three times, while only two men of the name Roddy, Patrick and Edward, brothers, are in the hospital. ‘The name of Patrick also appears thereon, Mrs, Reder’s admission to the hospital is noted, but her death was not, so far as the reporter could ay certain, save that tne fact was obtained from her Mmother4n-law and was reported in the HERALD yes- terday. We aiso showed yesterday how the colored mau, Charles Stouts, was ciaimed to have died in two wards of the hospital. George H. Korn appears as two persons, under the names of jenry Korn and George Kain. Christina Auch ap- one also ander this name and as Christian Auch, joseph R. Uhiman also Oppears as two persons oy FeParcting his Curistian names. Mary Kennaly {3 u qd for Mary Kimameily; Qathai ashe Made 1 See Guahthab ite Rises es ptands for Emily Claymut, pile her husband's name {s given a3 Greenut, reyfus 13 confounded with Troypson; Maflfé Higgins serves for Martin Higgins, and so it goes to the end of the chapter. The Friedhotl and Elsasser and Phillips and other children are multiplied two or three fold and appear as killed and wounded. Any one will readily per- ceive how totally impossible it was, in the hurry of copying names from so many lists and spelled so differently, to comprehend that Emily Claymut and Emilia Grenuette, for instance, were ope and the same person. If, after these tilustrations, there are yet any among the readers of the HERALD Who think ‘We ougut to nave had CORRRCT LISTS on the first day or even on the second or third day of the victims they should travel around as our reporters did and be convinced for themselves that 1 could not be done, It was a HeRaLp reporter who discovered that Emily Ulaymut was the wile of Mr, Grencette, and, so advising his brotwer scribes, Obtained some uniformity in this as also in several ovner names. It must be remembered aleo that a number of persons Nig ye haa their wouads and scaids dressed in Believue and were able to go home or were taken home vy friends on Sunday evening, While the HpraLp reporter Was im the hospital ofice on Monday afternoon Andrew Lundi, a sailor (Finlander), and a inate of Alex. Doldin, came in, seeking admission. He was very siigutly injured, and his burns bad been dressed by some one before. Many reasons might be given why the lists and Dames at the hospital should necessarily be tmper- fect, A great number are Germans, who, brougot thither in @ weak and aimost dying condition, were Mis care. Mr. Abbott is @ large man, Weighing 260 pounds. Yesterday he was very much Worse, fever having set m (as it has also in other cases), and at times he was delirious and raved about horses and thetr treatment. Andrew Nesoite, the composttor, of 92 Vundam street, was in the ‘throes of death in ward 11 yesterday. He has been most affectionately cared for by his friends. His skull was fractured and was trepanned on Sunday night by Dr. Alexander, but from the first it was tm- possible for him, from the nature of his injuries, te recover. John Day or Daley, in the male pavilion, Was @ litle easier yesterday, and with good care may recover, though there are strong doubts of bis recovery expressed, These aro all the immediately serious Cases presented yesterday, but as fever had set in with three or four other victims ‘THE PROBABLE MORTALITY from this disaster may be further increased In # few days, Unable to tell tuelr own names, and tho clerks, fol- lowing the sound and not being famiiiar with the Janguage, could hardly be expected to write them correctly. Those who brought the victims to the hospttal, too, in many cases did not know anything Or much avout them, and, ali things considered, the Tecord was made, we dare say, as PERFBCT AND SATISPACTORY. as it conid be. As was intimated in the HERALD yesterday there is ample employment for @ al Dumber of jadies, who, having an hour or two to rere, might spend them profitably by the bedside of their suffering neighbors, cvoling their fevered brows, and coiforting and encouraging them by their presence and their words. One oj the greatest needs of the hospital is frames to litt the netung from the faces and arms of the sufferers and fanners to keep the files away, We believe many of the oor creatures suffer as much from the annoyances of these summer pests as from their injurtes. When it is remembered that the faces of the victims are biistered, and that the netting, where it 1s used at all, 18 (brown carelessly over the face, and |; closely thereto, 1t is almost as convenient for the fies as Uf there bad been no such protection at all, ‘then, in, when friends want to speak to the suf- ey are not careful enough after removin; the net to drive away tue flies before adjusung ‘again. Many other tions might be made for | the comfort of the stricken ones, several ot whom have been bruised by falling débris of the wreck or by their fellow passengers huried against or upon them, and who require for ease of body to le per- fectly Mat, rather than rec! as they do now. ‘And for such an emergency as this oilcloth sheets, it ts believed, would be much better and more com- fortable than cotton ones for patients whose bodies are simply MASSES OF RAW FLESH, which can hardly be turned or shifted in the bed Without injury. ‘The absence of clergymen and Christians general- ly from the hospital is very significant. re have been a few faithful men ana women, Protestant and Catholic, who bave visited the patients from ward to ward and irom bed to bed, administering such spiritual comfort as they might to the suflerers. But the long-suffering and patient well-doing does not appear very prommentty im any save the chapiait, Rev. Mr. Van Rosebroeck, who goes his,rounds all daylong. ‘There is much that might be done in tia Held, though it must be admitted that the sufferings of many are so intense it would be the merest farce to talk to them about the future with any hope that they would profit by it. Deathbed repentence 13 not very encouraging under any circumstances, and least of al so under the present THE MORGUE YESTERDAY. Its Desolate Appenrance and Solitary Tene ant—The Sightseers Ceasing to Attend=The Hospital and the Sufferers—Sympathy Among the Viciims—Reiarning to Routine Scenes at Some of the Victims’ Homes. ‘The weeping and mourning which filled the heavy air in and around the Morgue on Sunday and Mon- day were not to be heurd yesterday. A crowd of some hundred persons might be seen yesterday af- ternoon at the intersection of Third avenue and ‘Twenty-sixth street, but they were mere idle sight- seers or people passing along the avenue on busi- ness, who stopped a moment to look down at THE HOUSE OF DEATH. Only an od@ visitor to the Morgue troubled the officers on duty with questions about some missing friend or relative. Around the house 1tself every- thing was quiet, Within only one slab was occupied and this corpse was not one of the Westfleld victims. All of these had been removed at an early hour in the forenoon. The contrast was striking between the sad scenes of Sunday night and Monday, when the MOST SOLEMN GRIEF known to mortals was here publicly exposed to ob- servation. It was so like the returning of ordinary Toutine after the extracrdinary excitement of the previous days, that the gloomy room seemed more unearthly in its loneliness than even when ven- anted with iffeless bodies watting for friendly, though weeping eyes. But those who had seen the mournful sights and heard tne outpouring of grief- stricken men and women over the cead could not nelp recalling the scenes they had witnessed, and following in thought to other places those whose mourning was but beginning. No eye could have seen the RECOGNITIONS OF THE DEAD VICTIMS by relatives ana friends and still lack an outpouring sympathy botn for the dead and for the hving. But in this busy life, when people hurry onward ever and seize only for the moment each passing event, no matter how appalling it may be, they remember when the wonder ceases only that it was a terrible occurrence, and seldom think of those who have been widowed, orphaned or deprived of relatives and frends, Few who visited the Morgue during the two days of investigation are likely te forget its dismal surroundings or to connect its name with other than a recollection of a horrible scene, REPLETE WITH NAKED GHASTLINESS and prompting to an acknowledgment of how poor humanity 1s, There was sympathy enough manl- fested on all sides for those who were sufforing— either themselves or for others; but this passes away, and even yesterday there was not want of evidence to show that people considered the sad sensation at anend, Persons who had never seen the Morgue before entered it to see the place where THE DEAD HAD LAIN, and viewed its bare wails and slabs and the protect- ing glass partition with a morbid awe which was not concealed. The coffins, which are in the outer house, encasing tne bodies for whicn permits of burial have not yet been received, also formed ob- Jects of curiosity, but as decomposition has set in rapidly, and the vicinity of these was enveloped in @ fetid atmosphere, visitors soon hurried away, exclaiming, HOW HORRIBLE WAS THIS DISASTER. For the greater part of the time yesterday the Morgue was in its usual sti!lness, its single tenant being the only object of especial curiosity, To those whose friends were stul m_ Bellevue Hospital aud who had feit the terrors ofthe past few days and had had the dread of the Morgue from the begin- ning, the desolate place still seemed to them as if yawning for more tenants. A few of the trienas of those who were coftined there appeared about the place at times ou business; but the sight of the House Was enough ior tuem, and they looked in at the bare stone floor and the dripping water on THE SOLITARY CORPSE with a melancholy feeling depicted in their faces, Towards evening there was scarce & soul to be seen moving around, except those On duty, and the fee- bie light that burued in the room, with the lonely deathlike stillness and the pattering of the water were in full accord with the death purposes of the building and in harmony with feelings evoked by the recent disaster. It is satisfactory to know that the use of the Morgue, in connection with the West+ fieid victims, is nearly over, tor 1t 1s hoped that, ex- cepta few very bad cases, ali those now in Believue Wiil recover. A visit Co THE WARDS IN BELLEVUE, in which the Westfield patients are located, shows that ere, too, the worst 1s over, and that anticipa- tions now may take the hopeful side, and not, as heretofore, de contined to counting up the numoer of the dead. There are, however, several of the poor fellows still suffering great pain, though im- proving rapidly, considering the serious nature of the wounds. Kind friends were noticed by every bedside, and evidences of means whereby pain migut be alleviated were seen on every side. But mere are still one or two who will die, and there are OTHERS WHO MUST SUFFER LONG before recovery. There 1s no complaining among them, each one bravely bearing his tortures as best he can, thankful that he or she has not met with the ‘worst late of all. Yesterday a few more left the hospital for their ne probably others will also be avle to leave soon. The bat of each 1s familiar to those who were called by duty among them, and the absence of any is canly gouoed; short @ time as it 18 since the Sxpomon Suited. Among all the Buflerers who still live there is a Ro STRONG FEBLIN, ‘UAL SYMPATHY, and they ave atleved | piety as eacn corpse was waken away. In the hospitai, in the Morgue or in the family circie it ts the same EY, ef get, of at ia Been of horror, of pain; and the ny both the friends fies vhé victims, poor though some of may be, the more may it be und4Fstood how vast is the misery caused by this “@stteld accident. The sights at Bellevue $0. the Morgue have furnished much proof of ‘vias, and from what has been seen IN SOMB OF THE RESIDENCES of those who have been taken home, where grief is not so much checked as In public places, the sights are most painful to witness, The stories collated of little incidents that have transpired since the dire occurrence give some idea of what agony of aimic- tion has entered 1010 the homes of nearly two hun- dred families, The vreaking of Iife-ties, the loss of children, the sudden snateni way of ali most dear can easily be imagined to bring ip THE MOST EXHAUSTLESS SORROW, Bat though these scenes aa be i they should be seen to bring them fully before the mind. Ordinary deaths call forth no such emotion as has this sudden wholesale slaughter, and we, who have seon some of these painfal revelations, never want to see them again. Yet the public puise is beginning already to beat more evenly, the hospital ts only known 4s the place where the victims lic suffering, and the Morgue ts THE DESOLATR, DREARY BIER upon which the bodies rested ior @ time. The hor ribie scenes of the disaster were almost too numer- ous for marked attention. It is only in each pare Ucular victiin’s case that the calamity can be mea- sured and its memory properly retained. THY BOILER QUESTION. Public Luvestigation To-Day—What Inspector Matthews Says—Possible Negiigeuce by the Engineer. Considerable anxiety still, very naturally, exists in the public mind as to what stepsare being taken towards a thorough Investigation of the Westfield boller explosion, The many and conficting rumors which have gained credoace in the heat of the ex- citement caused by the disaster has attached cen: sure, first, to the Staten Island Ferry Uompany, for their parsimony in employing a patched and worn out boiler, when they were well able t purchase out of the Immense profits they accumulate @ proper end eMctent one; next to the engineer, who was fortunale enough to escape with his life out of the horrible disaster, and lastly the steamboat botler inspector, who, on the 12th of June last, granted a certificate as to the boil- er'’s safety and proper working condition. Now, when the fall extent of the horror may be fairly es- Umated and calm judgment be brought to bear upon the matter, after the sickening details of the last two days, it is well to consider dispassionately all the FACTS RELATING TO THR ACCIDENT 80 far as they throw ilght upon Whoever may be, by some neglect of @uty, criminally responsible for this heartrending catastrophe. Accordingly a HERALD correspondent visited the Steamboat Inspector’s office, No, 23 Pine street, to ascertain what sieps bad been taken toward a thorough investigation of the Westfleld affair; what action the inspectors proposed to take in the matter of Secretary Boutwell’s lewier requesting an imme- diate and proper investigation of botlers used on the ferryboats plying around New York, and, lastly, to gain particulars from Mr. John K. Matthews, the Inspector, who had certified the Westfleld boiler, as to some statements which had appeared in the morning Journals as emanating {rom him respecting the present uncertificatea state of tue Union and other ferrybouts. Entering the ofice (Mr, Matthews was absent) the reporter was received by the Inspector present most courteously. “I assure you,”’ sald one, “we believe that much unmerited odlum has been heaped upon us by the public press, ‘Tne fullest investigation’ is courted, especially by Mr. Matthews, and all wo desire isthat the ptblic may suspend their judg- ment until after the investigation has taken place.’’ On inquiring a8 to when this investiga- tion would take place the reporter was re- ferred to Mr. Addison Low, the sSuperinten- dent Inspector for the district, who was at that time in consultation with Mr. Joseph Bel- knap, Superintendent Inspector General, arranging preliminaries, Mr. Addison Low informed the re- Porter that he had that day issued summonses for Witnesses in the cas to attend this (Wednesday) Morning, at ten o'clock, in the Local Inspector's oMice, 23 Pine street, where a thorough investiga- tion into the cause which led to the explosion would take place, * Revurning to the Local Inspector's Department, Mr. Matthews, haying returned, expressed his WILLINGNESS TO AFFORD ALL THE INFORMATION it lay in his power to give, In reply to the inquiry as to whether it was true, as stated in the morning Journals, that the Union ferryboats were not certi- fled at the present time, owing to an agreement made with the inspectors for the convenience of the company, “The inspectors have no power,” he re- piled, “to extend the certificates ot any steamboats beyond the period for which they are granted, and if any company or engineer runs an engine after the certificate has expired it is done at their own risk. Under the old law it was not necessary for a steam- boat to be licensed when plying in waters of one ‘State, a those engaged 1n foreign commerce and between different States. Thus the Jersey City boats were obliged to be licensed, while the Brooklyn boats needed none. The new law, passed last ses sion, and not yet promulgated, will provide for this anomaly.’ At this moment another inspector entered the Toom and recelved instructions to commence the inspection of THE BROOKLYN BOATS this (Wednesday) morving, at ten o’clock, at Soutn Brooklyn, application having been made that aiter- noon by the company for inspection. Mr. Matthews then continued:—“Inspectors are not policemen,” said he, ‘“Tney cannot chase boats to find whether they are running withent a license ornot, This duty very properly belongs to the customs oficers, Moreover the law provides that all owners and Captains of steamboats shall make application in writing for inspection and be subject to tine in case of neglect, so that NO BLAME CAN ATTACH TO INSPECTORS if boats are plying uncertificated.” With regard to the Westfield affair, Mr. Matthews stated that many abeurd an‘ preposterous state- ments had been made by the press, He was hardly the man to grant a certificate for an unsound boiler. He knew too much about them, having made 110 Voyages across the Atlantic, served seven years in the naval service, through the Mexican war, besides being in the Pacitic mall service over six years, having to do with engines and boilers all that time. “I can assure you,’ added Mr. Matthews, feelingly, ‘‘that had I, together with my wife and children, desired to pass over to Staten Island on that Sunday afternoon I should not have hesitated, from my knowledge of the boat, tu have taken them all by the Westfleld.”) Here some conversation en- sued as to boiler explosions in general, and Mr. Matthews gave It as his decided opinion thathad the bolier been working at Its PROPER OKRTIFIED PRESSURE of twenty-five pounds the explosion would nave Deen an Impossibility. The steam gauge indicated two pounds more than was allowed, the custom of opening the furnace doors while at rest in the slip had been neglected, and the engineer in charge had gone ashore, The boiler was evidently well charged ‘With water, which, when agitated by the motion of the vessel leaving the slip, generated steam, owing to the extreme heat attained when quiet, with great Tapidity, Which the vaives were incapable of carry- ing away, hence the explosion. A little more know- Jedge and attention on the part of those having the vessel in charge would most certainly have pre- vented the accident. At present engineers of such boats as the West- field are not licensed, but under tne new law re specting such matters, which will no doubt imine- diately come ito force, a PROPER EXAMINATION and certificate for such persons will become neces- sary, and very properly so, for whiie a single iife here and there is sacrificed through the ignorance and incompetence of an apothecary’s clerk, hun- dreds of lives are placed at the mercy of those who are till more ignorant and tncompetent, Laving charge of the machinery of such vesseis as the Westiield. Mr, Matthews moreover stated that he had occu- pied the position a3 Inspector of Steamboats over live years, and during that period not one accident had occurred in boilers he had inspected. ‘The pat= uculars nad already been privately investigated aud reported to the government, and ne was fot afratd of the result, All be desired was fair play at the hands of the public, hoping they would reserve thetr verdict unt the public investigation bad taken place before the Inspector General. ‘Thus matters are in a fair way to receive search: ing Investigation at the hands of the authorities, aud 118 to be sincerely hoped that the result will show who 1s really to blame, besiaes eliciting such Le eel suet omen ee ene und practical Y maint @ chances or calamity in the future. ein TRUE CAUSES OF THE CALAMITY. Examlnation of the Boiler by an Expert. Some twenty to thirty years ago I made the go- called freaks of lightning a subject of special inves- tigation till I was satisfied of the conditions required to guard against accidents by lightning rods and similar precautions. During the last ten years I have made the freaks of steam boiler explosions a special study, till again I am satisfied that with Proper precautions we may be much more safe against boller explosions than against lightning; the Bs ers our immediate control—the light- ning Is NOt. “stink Matos. serene fb ew. I have quite recently given iiustrated descrip- tious Of steam bo!ler explosions tn the Manufacturer and Builder, ® monthly edited by me, and am pre- parmg the same of the wWestfleld boller. After careful inspection of the débris I have arrived at some important conclusions, which naturally I de- aire to give the wide circulation only afforded by.a paper like the New Yorge HERALD, I will state af the outset how I ¢onsider all so- called theorjes in regard to steam boiler explosions; for instance, decomposition of water into its com- ponent gases, forming an explosive mixture; water in the spheroid condition, electricity, &c. These are mere ingenious inventions for the purpose of re- Neving the guilty parties from their liabilities, whether they be ignorant or careless engincers, avaricious proprietors, &¢.; aud I set downas a maxim that the cause of all bofler explostons is that the cohesive force of the weakest part of the boiler has become smaller than the strain produced on it by the pressure ofthe steam. The causes of the unfortunate affair I will prove to be fivefold. First—Defective design of this style of the boiler. Second—Bad workmanship. Third— \pjudicious and careless method of testing. Pourth—Negligeuce of engineer. Pifth—Inditerence of proprietors. Tam aware that these are serious charges, thore- fore 1 will give some of my reasons, proving that there has been a culpable negligence all round, First.—Defective designs. Boller cylindrical ten feet diameter, twenty-four feet long, sixteen flues of fiftzen inch diameter, heating surface over 1,600 square feet, When carrying twenty-flve pounds steam the boiler heads, each seventy-elght and a half square feet, or 11,206 square inches surface, wero subjected to a pressure of 26 by 11,306 or 287,600 pounds—much more than a quarter of a million cas. or over 141 tons; this number representa tire roe with which the two ends of the boller were forcea apart, or the longitudinal strain to which the cylindical part of the boller was continually’ sap- josreat and asin this style of botler there are no longitudinal stays to keep the heads together and bear @ part of this strain, the shell of the botler had agione to pear it, and the first time this train became greater than the cohesion of the weakest seam, it ripped up, ahd did this in @ ‘way showing that there was not a singlo Weak spot, but that the whole old affair was weak all round. The set of viates going round the middie of the boiler, and of which the upper one is Fa ivader ye with the man hole, was stri off entirely and thrown sidewards against the starboard side of the hull, ‘while the two halves of the boller separated to a distance of some forty feet. The farnace portion, ‘with the retarn flues ed, was projected ten feet forward, tll atoppeu by the timbers surround- ing the engine, this motion throwing the machinery Wards from its seat. ‘The other lighter hait of the shell of the boiler was like & projectile thrown thirty fect backwards, tii stopped in the stern of the where it wedged itself between the tm- bers, If not tus arrested it would no donbt Dave gone quite a distance. in this portion of the oy | % me. two patches were found below. They to ao with the explosion, bolue only appli #8 few small - leal and by no means to the weakest portions of the bouer, which Weak spots were, as stated, the stramed seams half way all round. ‘The enormous amount of steam: escaping and Milling the hold smothered the fire an was in the meantime the cause that the mass splintered woodwork, of decks and eer dic not at once burn up like so much ~ There ‘were at each end of the boiler the customary cee. nal stays, some fifty in number, connecung the flat boiler heads with the cylindrical sides fe ee They serve the purpose of preventing the out of the head by the steam pressure, They atrengthened each half of the poiler for 1tgelf effec- tively, and made tt equivalent to a solid mass; but ag they did not extend half way there was no suf: ficient connection between the two halves, The bai place was, therefore, half way, and there it Paycond—Bad workmanship, The rivets were rather close together, about half the metal being re- move by the punching of the holes; the remainin; metal was evidently strained by this combined fect of punchmg and subsequent hammering of riv- ets. ie rust foand by mein many of the parted seams—most all the fractures being along of the rivets— was no rust of one day’s formation, but evidently the rust of the inside of an old crack. Yhen there was a very.unequal corrosion and @ scaly appearance of the voller plate along the torm edges, indicative of tron of ferior quality. The short stays, five or six inches long, connecting the lower haif of the rear boiler head with the flue cay tothe number of some seventy, were, with the! ends, simply screwed into the iron plate, and haw neither nuts nor proper rivevied heads. ‘The result ‘was that they could not keep anything together, and Offered no resistance at all i} rupture; they simply sipped thelr few screwthreads in the boiler plete and went off with the bollerhead.. Ibis not customary to place longitudinal stays a boilers of ris kind. ‘The notion prevails that thet isno room and that the tubes serve the purpose, How far they do this the present bitter experi demonstrates, and aiso that a reform 1m the desig! of this mode of botler construction 18 necessaryy, Half a dozen stays, as long as the -whole boiler, placed inside along and inst upper suriace Of boiler, three at each side of the man an one stay over each of the upper tubes, then twelv: 8 in ail, each provided with nuis, or well ri at the outside, would surely have prevented thi catastrophe, or in any case have made tt less de« structive by holding the two boiler heads together, rithont being in the way or occupying space, in the, ler. Thivd—Injudictous and careless testing. ore Ing to the Inspector's own confessions the test wi applied so carelessly that the hydrostatic ure was raised to forty-two pounds in place ‘thirty-; four, as intended. When we take in accoun}—firs that even the legal limit of nyarostatic pres § start dangerous cracks in an old boiler; gpeoonds that any boiler which once has thus been is Jess saie than beiore this so-called test; ! that a boiler, wnen hot by steam Hapa te le strong than when coid, as it is during rabies pressure; and fourth, that this mjurious hydrostatid pressure was carried higher than the inspector had the right to carry 1t—we must conclude that part of the blame belongs to him, [t may be well to re: for general information, that the Inspector 1s exposed to any danger whatsoever during this teste He may with impunity rupture the strongest voiler: when he only keeps his hydraulic pump going. The final result 18 simply a crack or leak, out ‘which. the water will then escape. Fourth—Negligence of the engineer. According to the engineer’s own confession be was in ditferent places avout the boat and landing when he ought to have been near his engme'and boiler. The inspectiom of dépris showed mire negligence, Tne lower fuea were more than half way choked up with ashes,; which there 1s strong reason to doubt beltg the req suit of the explosion. On topof the boiler, behing the steam drum, was an accumulation of grease dirt, several inches thick, never found about engines: and boilers properly attended to. In regard to the pressure gauge we have nothing but his statemen# that it indicated only twenty-seven pounds. Is this true? and, it true, was the gauge in working order # The enormous amountof steam filling the boat for: Many minutes after the expiosion—testilied to bj all eye-witnesses—seems to indicate a much higher’ temperature, as only 274 degrees, corresponding to. twenty-seven pounds pressure; but here was a tem- rature suflicient to convert most all the water me boller into steam, and prevent the boat catchil Fisin—Indifference of pennies If they con« sulted their consciences they would scarcely cep regan} boller nine years old in @ boat used fo he transportation ol ‘cattle, much less fn a boas used for the transportation of hunareds of human beings, They also would not allow so many pas- sepgers as apply to crowd one boat, but procure. additional means of conveyance. “4 ‘There 1s another precaution which I feelobliged’ to recommend to ail owners of steam boulers— namely, do not trust to one single pressure gauge;! it 18 a delicate piece of apparatus; it may get de« Tanged and give a false indication. By any means Dave two. When ney a except to an in- sigificant amount, it is @ sign that one of them ia out of order. One ought to be in the boiler room, below, visible by the fireman, in place of having it above, on deck, in the engine room, as was the case in the steamer Westiield, levting the! fireman Both jus fires by faith In the warntt from above. If thus attacbed to the boiler a simple’ thermometer may be used, instead of which the bulb is in the boiler, and the scale visible outside, This will not be easily deranged, and if deranged will! not indicate anything at all; the indicatton, i! given,: auow the true temperature, and as each tomperat corresponds to a given nen: It Is equivalent to{ pressure gauge to all intents and purposes, and, at the same time, @ criterion of the correctness of} the pressure gauges. To avoid reduction or calcula. tion a double scale may be attached to this ther mometer, of which one indicates the temperature and the’ other the corresponding pressure. Th¢ apparatus may be made by any thermometer maker? its cost is only about one-eighth of an ordinary pres- sure gauge, and has, by my advice, been attached to more than one boiler. Tie corresponding scales, are given bere:— Tempera Tempera. : ture af Correspond- ture of Corresponda- war m ing Press Water in ing Prege Boiler in sure in Bower in sure in Deg Fahr. Pounds, 0 SSSASSSLERSSSSEPERESESE Noth easier than to extend this table for higher purposes if Be Ha P. H. VAN DER WEYDE, M. D. BT PaRK Row, New York. 0 ora ca we - OPINIONS OF THE PEOPLE, The Horrors of the Exploded Wesifield. To THE EpiToR OF THE HERALD:— About four years ago a gentleman living on Staten Island, who took an interest in my steam boilers, exerted himself to haye one (constructed under patents issued tome by the United States govern- ment) placed ta the ill-fated ferryboat Westfield. I examined at that time the now exploded botler, nd offered my opinion, “that it ought to be re- moved at once.” No alteration, however, was made in the Westfeld until last Sunday, when the boiler, saw fit vo remove itself, When on a steamer about to start, although I do not set an andue value on my life, I always try to take the least risk possiple, by getting as far from. the boller as circumstances will permit, Onca startea 1 prefer, especially on a cold day, to be as near the boiler as 1 conveniently can, All Figk of a explosion 18 then Virtually at an end, Considering that steam in the water contained in & steam boller is in @ medium $30 times denser than. that above it, if this 80 compressed steam be sud~ denly liberated and added to the other at the mo~ ment when the boiler may be charged up to tts ex-, treme power of resistance, It will be manifest that; it must give way, and in its weakest part, wherever that may be.” ‘The necessary inference ts that the risk of explosion 18 greatly increased by the increase: of water in the boiler, every cubic foot of which, beyond what is absolutely necessary for the genera- tion of steam, an additional source of danger when there 18 any sudden liberation of the steam which it containa into thé reduced space above it. Explosions occur more rarely in murine boilers than in others, because the water 1s. compara- tively smaller im the former, Deiiciency of water however, frequent, especially in @ heavy and roll. In such case the plates become overheated orack and leak, but no explosion red on the ot tn et pokey ‘dedciont ‘on the part o ent se reor water, that they naturally’ fall into the op- te error and fl ae cole eae full, seeing no ic oir glass uges OW= br ow nigh the water 1s 1p the boller. Thad occa- sion many years ago to act a8 chief engineer on an ocean steamer which had Een and wo t bollera. When, after the botlers having Deen ‘patched in Aberueen, Scotiand, one of the assistant engincers started his engine, the starboard boiler (one ot the four) expioded and killed him and three other men, Thad the boiler repaired again, and ran the vessel ira, during which time I always starte@ ine myself, if this be done carefully—that Is, if the steam be levon very gradually—there is no danger of expiosion; in fact, the botiers alluded to conclusively proved this to be the case, as alter leaving the vessel another one of them exploded near the isle of Man. 4 ‘There are vo-aay more than one hundred botlers in use on vessels in New York harbor, espectaily on hee which are go worn out that under present custom | consider them entirely unsafe, ‘ead 4 *