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40 TAE MARINE. REVIEW to the fact that the steamer was perfectly sea-worthy, and that the rudder was an efficient piece of steering apparatus. The voyage back to Liverpool was commenced on August 25, and by September 20 the Nigeria was docked in the Mersey. The arduous nature of the work will be better appreciated and understood when it is stated that it was done in the middle of the rainy season, in a most unhealthy climate, and with few appliances at the engineers' disposal. Fortunately the engineers eScaped the attacks of the dreaded malaria. From the time the ship was tipped until she was ready for sea with her jury rudder complete, sixteen days' hard and continuous work was put in. This, of course, is taking no account of a considerable amount of preparatory work, which had to be carried out before the steamer was tipped. When the Nigeria arrived at Liverpool she was placed in graving dock, where the ingeniously-constructed jury rudder was inspected and greatly admired by a large number of well-known engineers and others. Sir Alfred L. Jones K. C. M. G, principal of the firm of Messrs. Elder, Dempster & Co., was particularly pleased with the achievement. MARINE BOILER EXPLOSIONS. Following are some of the more interesting teports of the British Board of Trade on recent marine boiler explosions: Report No. 1,535 deals with an explosion from the star- board main boiler of the Duneric, a vessel belonging to Glas- gow. She is a vessel engaged in the Mediterranean trade, and is fitted with two single-ended two-furnace boilers, load- ed to 165 lbs. At 6 a. m. on November 23 last, the vessel sailed from Newport, Monmouth, with a cargo of coals, and 30 minutes later the starboard boiler furnace crowns col- lapsed, and steam issued from the furnaces. The fires were drawn, and the vessel brought back to Newport by means of the port boiler, At the time of the explosion there was 150 Ibs. pressure on the boilers, and the starboard boiler showed a full glass. The chief engineer blew the glass through twice, and after the second time, the water did not return into the glass. The bottom test cock was then opened, and steam issued. The boiler was pumped out, and an examina- tion made. A line indicating the water level was distinctly marked around the inside of the boiler about eight inches below the furnace crowns, and above this the combustion chamber plates were discolored, and pockets were formed along the top of both furnaces. The water gauge had a - quantity of muddy deposit, preventing a' <cleat. passage through the various cocks. The cause of the shortness of water was, therefore, plain. Report 1,537 deals with an explosion on the Bermudian on November 4 last, the vessel being a new one at the time. She was built at Sunderland, and was still in the hands of the builders. Steam had been raised the day previous to adjust the safety valves, and after this, one boiler was kept under steam to supply the auxiliary machinery. The fol- _ lowing morning the vessel was lying on the mud with a list to starboard. Steam was afterwards raised on other boilers to try the machinery, and probably during this period water collected at the low portion of the pipes. A certain quantity of water was also run into the double-bottom tanks at the time. One of the tanks had a center-line bulkhead, and in order to bring the vessel upright, the water was pumped out of the starboard side of this tank. The engine stop valves were opened just before noon to turn the engines, and at roon the vessel floated, and immediately took a list to port. This was followed by a rattling noise in the steam pipes, and _ then by a loud report and a rush of steam, due to the burst- 'ing of a stop-valve chest. Evidently when the vessel altered her list, the water in the steam pipes moved, and so the explosion resulted from the waterhammer action. Report No. 1,543 deals with a steam-pipe explosion on the Yarborough on August 13, last. year, when the vessel was about 16 hours out from Port Talbot, on a voyage from that port to Pensacola. It was due to the usual causes, bad weather and light draught, causing the engines to race heavily. The branch pipes next the boiler stop valves of both boilers gave way at the flanges, and the vessel put into Queenstown under reduced steam, where sleeves and new flanges were fitted. Report No. 1,544 deals with an explosion from the main boiler of the fishing vessel Eagle on January 18 last, when the vessel was about 70 miles off the mouth of the Humber. She left Grimsby on the 12th of that month for the fishing grounds, and continued fishing till the day of the explosion, which was due to one of the bottom stays in the port com- bustion chamber fracturing, and being blown out by the pressure of the steam. The engine driver was, unfortunately, | scalded in drawing the fires. As the engine room staff could not do anything in the way of repair, another steam fishing vessel took the Eagle in tow to Grimsby. Report No. 1,546 deals with an explosion from. the star- board main boiler of the Lady Palmer on December 23 last, when the vessel was on a voyage from Hull to Rio Janeiro. The vessel was 20 days out, in the South Atlantic, at the time of the explosion, which consisted of the blowing out of four studs from a crack in the lower starboard furnace, the boiler being of the single-ended type with four furnaces. The watch had just been changed, and a fireman was in the act of cleaning the fire of the furnace which failed, when the explosion occurred; the fireman and his mate escaped with- out injury, but another fireman, who had been on the previous watch, returned to the stokehold for his pipe, and must have been overcome by the steam, as he was afterwards found on the stokehold plates, dead. As soon as it was possible the fires were drawn, and the vessel proceeded with the port boiler, whilst repairs were being done, and when these were completed, both boilers were again used at a reduced pres- sure. It seems that leakage had occurred from the crack, and no doubt this wasted the threads of the studs. Report No. 1,548 deals with an explosion from the star- board main boiler of the Kairos on November 29 last, when the vessel was 115 miles from Alexandria, on a voyage to Constantinople. The boilers are of the single-ended type with three furnaces each, being made in 1893, when the original compound engines were tripled. The vessel left Blyth on October 25, 1904, and arrived at Alexandria Novem- ber 15, laying under banked fires till the 29th, when she left for Constantinople at 6:40 a. m. About 13 hours later, when the fire in the starboard furnace of the starboard boiler was being cleaned, water was seen issuing from behind the furnace door plate. The fires were accordingly drawn, and the door plate removed, when the furnace was found to be cracked through the root of the flange at the top for about 19 inches in length. The vessel was accordingly taken back to Alexandria for repairs. Examination there showing that considerable grooving had taken place, resulting in the plate becoming too thin to withstand the working pressure. Report No. 1,551 deals with an explosion from the steam trawler Captain on March 22 last, when the vessel was about 20 miles east of May Island. The vessel had sailed from Granton on the morning of the explosion for the fishing grounds, which occurred in the afternoon, about 6% hours later. The bottom of the boiler gave way, and the water rushed into the engine room. The fires were drawn and the safety valves eased, and later the manhole doors were taken off to ascertain the damage, which consisted in the giving way of a small piece of the bottom at the back end, where the plate had thinned for about 16 inches. One man was scalded on the foot, and the vessel was towed back by another trawler.