What happens when a boiler explodes!

[Eddy Matthews]

An article from Engineering magazine dated March 26th 1886, about the boiler explosion onboard the steam tug Rifleman - There's not a lot left of the boat!

[mjt60a]

...or if you have a copy of 'Paddle Steamers' by Bernard Cox, look at the picture of Black Eagle No 1 (page 12) the result was very similar  :shock:

[thewharfonline]

PS Tyro out here had a very nasty boiler explosion, thats the only boiler explosion I can remember off by heart. But our steamers were built pretty good and we had other troubles to deal with more than boiler explosions. Did the Providence have a boiler explosion while racing? Hmmm i have to think

[lner]

I was doing some research recently on the Bunyip (again) and read of one paddler which suffered a boiler explosion.  The Fireman who was obviously off duty was in his cabin (asleep I think) and he was blown into the river by the force of the explosion.

I cannot immediately lay my hands on the information, the damage to the boat was nothing like as severe as the photo above.  Lower boiler pressure perhaps?

I will try to find the article.

[derekwarner_decoy]

Hi PD's - Martin I have looked at the detail for PS Bunyip ON40524 and it appears that she was destroyed by fire in December 1863 "the origin of the fire is still a mystery"

We also reference another PS Bunyip ON74914, but it appears that she was "broken up in Walgett in 1889" but no mention of a boiler incident - Derek

[Khephre]

There's some interesting material on the Bunyip fire on the following webpage:

http://users.esc.net.au/~pereilly/bunyip.htm

but that incident wasn't a boiler explosion by the looks of it - according to this site the wood stacked either side of the boiler caught fire - I assume that it was either heated to flash point or took alight from embers.

The website recounts in part the story of a Mr Scott who describes the vessel turning a large circle in the river as she burns, as  engines were unable to be stopped - this suggests that the engines still had a supply of steam from an intact boiler.

Tony
Auckland, NZ

[lner]

Sorry, I didn't word that very well,  I was not suggesting it was the Bunyip's boiler which had exploded.  It was another paddler, but I am unable to recall which one right at the moment.

I have spoken to Peter Reilly about his research into the bunyip at the address you suggested and he has sent me a copy of his documents.
I was looking through Ronald Parsons Book "Ships of the Inland Waterways" when I found the reference and though to myself he was one luck guy. I was looking through for information on other ships owned by Randell at the time.

Peter Reilly's document had one of the crucial pieces of information I was looking for - the rough dimensions of the paddle wheel on the Bunyip.

I am now starting to redraw the rough plans I have prior to beginning work on the model!

[thewharfonline]

It is most likely the tyro or the Providence Martin, I think they are the most famous of Aussie paddlers with boiler explosions!

I read an interesting article in a book called "The Rivermen" or soemthing of the like by Time Life...all about Missouri....it backs up my point of those steamers being slightly more flimsy than ours (see World Time Clocks for more details...lol) It talked about I think the pilot being blown a kilometer away or soemthing similar and the safe on baord blown open, half the boat sunk, people flung everywhere....

nasty thing boiler explosions! I wonder how many traction engines have been destroyed...as traction engines are our favourite engines/boilers for our paddlers on the Murray!

[Waverley]

Hi all

To protect passengers from boiler explosions - use a "safety barge".

This was an American invention, used on the Hudson River for a few years from about 1826, introduced because passengers were somewhat worried by the regular boiler explosions of the time.

Quite simply, its a barge, with passenger accomodation, towed by a steamer and thus separated from the boiler and anything else likely to be dangerous such as the galley.

Read about it half way down this page -

http://www.ulster.net/~hrmm/steamboats/dayton/steam4-32.html

in a transcript from Fred Erving Dayton's "Steamboat Days" discovered by PJ - see his post today under "books".

I'm sure somebody can use this as an excuse to build two models rather than one

Regards

David