The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-07-07 00:00:00

EXPLOSION AT A MATCH FACTORY.

On Tuesday a coroner's inquest was held at Leeds
touching the death of John Ward, who died from the
effects of an explosion on the 27th ult. at a match
manufactory in that town.
Colonel Ford, a Government inspector of explo•
sives, who represented the Home Office at the
inquest, said there was very little doubt but that
the explosion was caused by the friction arising
from the man handling the piece of composition
rather roughly or while he was cutting the
mixture with a knife. It was a very sensitive deto-
nating composition, and was used at one time as the
lighting composition for percussion fuses. Had the
substance been wetted before being cut, or been
allowed to !soak in water for about 24 hours, there
would have been very little danger.
The jury returned a verdict of "Accidental death."

Mr. Rickards, factory inspector, said that Colonel
Ford had made a suggestion which would have the
effect af diminishing risks in factories of this kind, and
it would be carried out at all the match manufacturies
in that district.

SAD ACCIDENT TO SUNDAY SCHOOL
CHILDREN AT SHEFFIELD.

On Monday afternoon a terrible accident occurred
in Sheffield during a procession of Sunday School
children to the Botanical Gardens, where the annual
gala of the Band of Hope Union was about to be
celebrated. Thousands of children were conveyed in
dregs, omnibuses, and waggons to the gardens, and
the route was thronged with spectators admiring the
gaily decorated care. In Gell-street, off Glossop-road,
an empty dray was waiting until the procession had
passed, and advantage was taken of it by a number
of children to obtain a better view of the proceed-
ings. Unfortunately the horse became restive and
bolted, coming in contact with another dray, finally,
releasing itself from the shafts. Many of the children
were thrown to the ground and trodden upon by the
horse, and immediately a fearful scene arose. The
crowd was so dense that the rush of persons became
most alarming, and many childr.en were trampled upon
by the bystanders, who found it impossible to keep clear
in consequence of the immerse pressure from behind.
Others were run over by the wheels of the dray, and a
few were injured by being crushed in the crowd.
After a few moments of complete panic the horse was
seized, and it wes then found that fully a score of per-
sons, mostly children, had been more or less injured.
The hospital and dispensary. was only a short dis-
tance away, and thither the injured were removed.
One child, John Charles Summers, two years old,
died imtneriiately, probably from suffocation, as there
was no outward marks of Injury, and another,
Frederick Lawless, four years. old, died shortly after
admittance, Mrs. Lawless, m-ther of the latter,
received contused fractures of. the head and leg, and
Benjamin Lawless, another ot htr sons, was sever-ly
hurt internally. Some of the injured were removed
to the Sheffield Infirmary, and others were attended
at the houses of surgeons in the immediate neighbour-
hood.

The driver of the dray did his utmost to prevent the
children crowding upon the dray, but when they
found themselves unable to climb the garden walls,
they listened to no remoLstrance and took possession
of the vehicle, their example being followed by several
grown•up people.