The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1869-06-15 00:00:00

DREADFUL BOILER EXPLOSION.

At Bingley, in Airedale, on Wednesday, a huge iron
cylinder, eighties feet by six, strongly made Lod securely
fixed, wads employed to generate steam for the engine of
Marrs. Town and Song bobbin.mill—a stout structure
of stone two storeys high, cod overlooking • srhool for
young children. On Wednesday forenoon the boiler all
at thesexploded, with a sound that echoed fa down the
quiet valley; sod in • momsnt the bobbia.mill bed
become • mere ruined an i jumbled beep of stones,
machinery, and lifeless human forms overwhelmed an
the fall. Stones and fragmente of iron were Hong about
with frightful force, almost, it is said. to the distance of
• quarter of a mile. The explosion lulled on the spot no
fewer than 13 persona, amongst whom were the wife end
daughter of the junior partner, and injuring with more
or lase severity, nearly as many more, fracturing the
skull of Mr. Joseph Town, and bruising the head,
breaking the ribs, and lacerating the leg of his son, • lad
obout 12 years of ego The explosion, which in the
adjoining school-room bed more the effect of an earth.
quake Om anything else, was heard for a great distance
al the reverberation echoed from hill-aide to bill-side
through the Tarty of the Aire. At the moment of the
explosion the children of the infant school were romping
merrily in the playground, but it was soon found that
the frolics of several had been ruthlessly out short by
death, for the first bodks that were dtscovered were
those of Matthew Henry Naylor and Percy Midgley.
two boys aged six and four respectively. The next
victim of the oatutropbe who was recovered was Joseph
Murgatroyd, one of Messrs. Town's workmen. He
remsined insensible for about tbree-quarters of an hour;
but the remedies applied were so saeoeseful that he was
able to be removed to his own room in the course of the
afternoon. A young man named William tither, also
one of the workmen, was rescued olive from beneath the
materials. He was badly cut ebotat the face. Several
other children were found under the rubbish in the play-
ground, all, with the exception of Charles Naylor, being
sate dead. The little fallow wee, however, only just
'ye, and be died almost immediately. Both the
=embers of the firm were rescued alive. Mr. John Town,
the senior partner, escaped with a few bruises, but his
the, Mr. Joseph, sustained a fracture of the skull and
frightful internal injuries. Henry Town, the son of the
latter, • lad about twelve years of sgs, had his bead and
bee badly braised, some of his ribs broken, and the
toads of his right leg lacerated. He is, however, alive,
and some hope is eeterthined of his recovery, though
that of his father is extremely doubtfoL At the
Bradford Infirmary John Hodgkinson, the engine tender,
expired about an boor and • half after admission.
Thomas Sisitb, e young men of 111„ is lying in the
Infirmary in a sadly bruised condition, and is also suffer-
lag from • severe (restore of the ankle joint. Henry
Town is also in the iofirmary. His upper jaw is
!natured, and he is bruised all over his body. Among
the rubbish was found • fatal piece of evidence, which,
If it do not in itself sufficiently explain the disaster, at
best serves powerfully to show how such disasters
hesoate possible. The alarm-whistle of the boiler—a
astUttleting contrivance by which unmistakable warning
b given when the water falls toe dsnprously low level
—was found to be covered with • *se of old cloacae
deliberately "muzzled," in fact, so that it could not give
anybody connected with the walks notion if the wow
tenter were negleothiL

1101GLILTIC AIILIACIL—Latters from Lisbon M-
Do=o6 the inomanatic marriao of Don Ferdinand, ex-
King of Portugal, with Fanny V.. 0 ler. This mast bee
'wood union, as the celebrated dancer had assepted
in 1854 the band of a rich Prussian banker. The other
sister, Theresa, surnamed The Mejettic, beoame the
wife of Price* Adalbert, brother of the King of Prussia.
Fanny was born in 1810. so that ale hos now arrived
at the age of 69. Rumour, when she was young, placed
the Duke de iteinhstedt unwept bet warmest
admirers.
POMO/IMM lIT Wllll.l LIAD.—La !outwit was bald
on Wednesday evening at the German Hospital, on the
body of a man who had died there under the symptoms
Teed poisoning. Deceased had been in the employment
of an umbrella maks: of Shoreditch, wed in finishing
and fitting walking sticks had to hale& a good do,d of
white lend. He and others suffered from absorbing the
poisons, and on May 26 be was admitted to the hospital
for treatment, and died on the following day. A poi t.
mortem examination proved that the deceased Lad died
from the effects of lead polianing. The jury returned •
verdict to that effect.