Something had to give after series of boiler explosion disasters | Yesterday, Today

Often weighing ten tonnes or more, these steam boilers could be dangerous and could explode, especially those having been built decades before.

In some cases, a new boiler was delivered in pieces, after which it would be assembled.

It took a while for the NSW Government to appoint a competent man to examine and license boilers. In 1893, there was still no legislation concerning boilers.

In a National Advocate story on a Rylstone boiler explosion, it was reported that the jury had returned the following verdict: "That the deaths resulted through the boiler bursting and that we are of opinion that when supplied it was defective, and quite incapable of performing the work required of it. We are further of the opinion that the accident shows the urgent necessity for legislation in order to make boiler inspection compulsory."

In late August 1897, David Milne, Government Inspector of Mines, of the Sydney Mines Department, inspected the wreck of a boiler explosion at the Lagoon.

Mr Milne had been sent up to investigate and was to make a report on his return to Sydney.

Another boiler explosion took place in 1874. The boiler began to leak water and steam, which scalded and frightened the miners and workers nearby.

On this occasion, a piece of iron weighing 3cwt was hurled some 300 feet away from the boiler. It was later found that the safety-valve had been purposely kept down with a chain to get the pressure higher.

There was a boiler explosion at Weine's mining claim near Bathurst in August 1897.

A man named Lawrence Guthrie was killed and a companion, who was with him at the time and was carrying a log, escaped.

Several other men who were in the vicinity were injured, one person having his arm and thigh broken.

The men were operating a four-tonne boiler which was lifted bodily from its solid bed and carried a distance of four yards.

The man who was killed was a native of Hill End. Both his legs were blown off.

Mr W. Rawson had his right arm broken in two places and his thigh fractured. He was not expected to live.

Another miner had his leg fractured and four others, who were all around the boiler when the explosion occurred, had miraculous escapes.

At the inquest on the body of the man who was killed, the jury found that no blame was attributable to anyone, as there was nothing to show how the explosion had been caused.

Most miners said the force of the explosion was terrific.

In April 1859, Frederick Poolman invented a simple and inexpensive apparatus for preventing explosions among the high-pressure steam boilers on the Australian gold fields.

The apparatus was called "a self-acting safety regulator and coal economiser".

His device had the merit of extreme simplicity to recommend it, while it was so inexpensive that it cost only a few shillings per horsepower of the steam boiler.

It could be manufactured by any ordinary blacksmith and, in practice, was found to cost nothing to keep it in repair.

It consisted of an automaton damper or regulator and was worked in the following manner: a cast-iron dish was fitted across its largest diameter with a diaphragm of India rubber and was screwed down by means of a wrought-iron ring on the top of the diaphragm. It was fastened with wrought-iron screw bolts and nuts.

The centre of the diaphragm was secured to the common damper, throttle valve or regulator. After reaching a dangerous level, the damper remained closed, and no more steam was generated until the demand for steam had reduced the pressure in the boiler.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: