ASME Fellow J. Lawrence Lee Helps History Detectives Solve the Sultana Disaster

ASME Fellow J. Lawrence Lee Helps History Detectives Solve the Sultana Disaster ASME Fellow J. Lawrence Lee Helps History Detectives Solve the Sultana Disaster ASME Fellow J. Lawrence Lee Helps History Detectives Solve the Sultana DisasterASME Fellow Larry Lee (right) discusses his theory regarding the sinking of the Sultana with Wes Cowan, host of the PBS television program History Detectives Special Investigations. Earlier this month, ASME Fellow J. Lawrence (Larry) Lee, PhD, PE, welches featured in the season premiere of the television show History Detectives Special Investigations, which airs on Public Broadcasting System stations throughout the United States. The episode, which examined the various theories surrounding the mysterious boiler explosion on the steamship Sultana in 1865, can now be viewed online on the television shows website.Considered one of the greatest U.S. maritime disasters in history, the sinking of the Sultana resulted in the deaths of more th an 1,800 people - many of them Union Civil War prisoners being transported home. Although the hosts of History Detectives considered several theories for the explosion of the Sultana, including whether it was an act of sabotage carried out by a Confederate agent, Dr. Lee instead believes that the disaster was an accident brought about by a series of bad decisions. According to Lee, who is the immediate past chair of the ASME History and Heritage Committee, these errors in judgment included patching a boiler plate with one made of thinner iron than was used to build the boiler, and loading the ship with six times the number of people it was intended to carry. The boat was very overcrowded, and this mass of people was out on the sides and up top said Lee, engineer-historian for the National Park Services Historic American Engineering Record program. They were going to make the boat very easy to rock. As they navigated up the river, the boat was going to rock and roll. The boilers mounted on the boat did the same thing. Theyre going up and down, causing the water in those boilers to slosh back and forth. This severe sloshing can lead to portions of the boiler shell to go dry for a period of time, Lee observed. The dry metal over the ships firebox can become red hot and weaken within seconds. When the boat rolls back, the water coming in contact with the scorching metal turns instantly into steam, causing a spike in pressure beyond what the weakened metal can withstand. Under such circumstances, a rupture is practically certain, he said. Larry Lee demonstrates his hypothesis of the Sultana boiler explosion using a model he constructed out of soda cans. At the end of the 19th century, there were some 100,000 commercial boilers in service in the United States, but rules governing the manufacture, operation and maintenance of steam boilers were non-existent, which greatly compromised the safety of these boiler operations. More than 2,000 boi lers exploded in the United States from 1880 to 1890. These accidents increased the urgency for boiler standards and the development of the Code for the Conduct of Trials of Steam Boilers by The American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Ultimately, this led to the first edition of the ASME Boiler Code, which brought together manufacturers, users, steel fabricators, utilities, and others that had a stake in boilers and boiler safety. Lee added that he found filming the episode a very enjoyable experience and he was happy with the finished results. It was a great gig - a lot of fun, he said. It was a very professional deal. I didnt know quite how it was going to be edited. I was pleased when I saw the show, and glad that ASME received some recognition. All of the comments Ive gotten on it have been very favorable. I hope they call back Id love it if some other opportunities like this came up. To watch the episode, which includes a model demonstration by Lee of his theory for the Su ltanas boiler explosion, visit the History Detectives website at pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/video/2365281276.