Mr. Payton may or may not have reasonable views on how boilers should be licensed or repaired. That is not the issue. The issue is his physical examination of the boiler and his report on it's condition. To the party who said he based it on the examination of others, I suggest you reread his report carefully. He states that the safety valve and pressure gauge were removed and sent off for analysis before he got there. A piece of the crown sheet and the fusible plug were removed and sent to Case Western Reserve, also before he got there. He accepted the findings of others on those items. Mr. Payton states that he physically examined everything else. Read his comments on crown sheet thickness, stay bolt wasting and welding repairs that had been done to some staybolts.
As to why this report contradicts the sheriff, it may be because the sheriff didn't know anything about steam boilers, and his initial report relied on people who assumed what we all did, that it was a low water explosion. The sheriff invited Mr. Payton in because of his expertise. As to why the Ohio inspector needed help, I don't know. Perhaps it is because Ohio does not inspect traction engine boilers and just maybe the inspector didn't know anything about them either.
This report was sent to me by a source that I have always known to be reliable, but if you doubt it, why not contact Mr. Payton and ask him? His email address is
jpayton@state.pa.us. I’m bothered by people who don’t like the message, so they attack the messenger. What I get out of this report is, the owner was careless regarding inspecting and maintaining his boiler and members of the general public were killed and injured because of it.
