The City Buried Its Own Mistake: Coroner’s Verdict Blames Seattle for Deadly Boiler Explosion

SCORCHING ARRAIGNMENT Coroner's Verdict Fixes the Blame for Tuesday's Explosion. Severely Blames Owner of Building, the City and the Plumber for Negligence.

The verdict: That W. J. Van de Van [sic] criminally neglected in the management and operation of a steam heater; That the city of Seattle has been guilty of contributing to the same in permitting the placement of said heater under the sidewalk on public thoroughfare in said city, and is not exercising more careful supervision over such steam heating plants; That the firm of O. G. [sic] & Bros., who placed said steam plant in position under said sidewalk, should be censured for placing a safety valve none should have been placed there, thereby including an element of the greatest danger.

At 3 p.m. the Jury made its report as given above. The Jurors were Henry, Jas. R. Mason, T. M. Teal, Jas. Dunham, T. J. Griffin, and Richard Bradley.

The examination into the cause of the boiler explosion Tuesday night was continued this morning before Coroner Sparling.

V. Daimm, an engineer, was the first witness called, and he testified that the explosion was due to the faulty construction of the plant; a safety valve had been placed on the outlet pipe on the roof, which should have been left open and without a valve. He said: "A hot water heater cannot explode when properly constructed, and I have never heard of an instance of the kind before."

J. R. Williams, a boiler maker who was employed by Coroner Sparling to investigate the cause of the explosion, stated that the boiler could stand only twenty pounds pressure, and the steam was too great.

City doctor Thompson stated that four permits had been issued pertaining to this property. The first was years ago, when a man named Barthmer was granted permission to construct sidewalk in front of the lot where the building now stands. About a year ago, Lorbie was granted permission to construct a building on the corner, and the same specified that the building should be heated by steam but nothing said about this heater.

In December, permission was granted to erect a stairway from the street down into the basement; and on March permission was granted to enlarge the windows in the building.

Mr. Thompson stated that in his professional opinion no permit had been obtained from the city for the removal of the boiler, and he said that it was not necessary, anyway, to get a permit to move hot water heaters.

Upon Mrs. Underwood is Corroborated. Word was received in this city last night by Julia Underwood, a student of the University, stating that her mother, residing at Tacoma, has been assaulted by Ed Craveney, a real estate dealer, and nearly killed. Today information was received that Mrs. Underwood was not so seriously wounded, and would recover. It is said that she bought a piece of property from Craveney, and when it suddenly jumped up in value, he wanted the deed for it returned to him. Mrs. Underwood refused, and it is alleged he beat her over head with the butt end of a revolver.

PLAN BOOK FOR BIDDERS The plans, specifications, and contract for the construction of the Cedar River Water Supply System has been published in book form, and twenty copies have been received by Frank Olson, secretary of the board of public works. The board has ordered 50 copies printed, and they are now ready for the prospective bidders. The pamphlet contains nearly 30 pages, giving a complete description of the system, classification of plant, and superintendent's of the work. The contract will be let in four divisions, and the work assessed under each head as follow: Division I.—Head works on Cedar river; pipe from head water to high land reservoir to the reservoir in the city park; wooden stave and iron pipes between high land and low land reservoirs; wattle pine from high land reservoir to Lake Union; changes of Cedar river channel; improvements at Penniman. Division II.—For the building of a high service reservoir in the City and a low land service reservoir in the Yesler addition. Division III.—To lay a main pipe on Queen Anne hill; force mains from high service reservoir to Queen Anne hill. Division IV.—To extend a pipe line from low service reservoir to the present distributing system. This division also provides for the sewer which is to be erected on Tenth avenue.