The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-10-25 00:00:00

FATAL GAS EXPLOSION IN
BERMONDSEY.

In London, last week, an explosion of gas, resulting
in the loss of on life and in serious injury to a dozen
persons, occurred in Edward-street, Star-corner,
Bermondsey. The street in question is just off the
main road from Grange-road to London-bridge, and
consists of small four-roomed dwellings, inhabited by
waterside labourers and persons of that class. At
No. 28 occupied by three families, a strong smell of
gas was noticed in the front parlour all Thursday, and
became so unbearable towards evening that a Mrs.
Jones, who, together with her husband and three
children, occupies the two rooms on the ground floor,
called the neighbours attention to it, and in company
with Mrs. Pugh, of No. 27, went down to the South
Metropolitan Gas Company's works, Canal-bridge,
Old Kent-road, and informed them that all in the
house were in fear of their lives owing to the escape,
which evidently came from the main in the roadway
and in some manner had got under the flooring of her
parlour. Two men, named Henry and Woolger, were
promptly sent by the officials with their apparatus,
and reached Edward-street about 9 p.m. They set
to work digging up the pathway, but failed to dis-
cover the pipe, and some of them went into the house,
it is alleged, with a piece of lighted tar-rope. This
alarmed Mrs. Jones who, knowing her three children
were in bed in the back parlour and that several of
the lodgers were overhead, expressed the opinion
that it was a very unsafe thing to do. The man
laughed and passed into the parlour, followed by Mr.
and Mrs. Jones, and was in the act of examining the
flooring with a view to trace whence the escape came,
when a terrific explosion ensued, the front and back
walls of the house being forced outwards, while the
roof and flooring fell with a crash, burying under the
debris the eight persons in the house, including the
children referred to. Help was promptly rendered
by the police and the neighbours, and it
was then discovered that several persons pass-
ing by at the time of the occurrence and three
or four lads who had been watching the operations of
the gasmen were lying insensible in the roadway,
while cries and groans were heard from those buried
in the ruins. The injured persons were conveyed as
quickly as possible to Guy's Hospital, and in the
course of an hour all the people in the house were
got out. The children in bed suffered most, and were
with great difficulty got from under the beams and
flooring and brickwork which crushed them. The
youngest, named William Jones, aged 4 years, was so
shockingly injured that death ensued shortly after
his admission into the accident ward. George Jones,
aged 7, and Alfred Jones, aged 11, are also so severely
crushed that little hopes are entertained of their
recovery. Mr. and Mrs. Jones, and Honey, the gas
workman, and Mr. and Mrs. Watkins, who were
overhead at the time of the explosion, escaped with
slight injuries.
The authorities put up stout barriers at both ends
of Edward-street, where considerable crowds soon
congregated. The premises destroyed are situated in
the centre of the tannery district, in the midst of a
dense population, and of the humbler classes. Mrs.
Jones is an object of much pity. She is in the
greatest distress at the loss of her child, and full of
anxiety about her other two children. Mr. and Mrs.
Jones are homeless, and were in the street nearly all
night. The rector of St. Mary Magdalen's, Ber-
mondsey, the Rev. C. L. Lawrence, assisted by his
curate, the Rev. Charles Brille, have been assiduous
in endeavouring to assuage the sufferings of the
victims. The house in which the explosion occurred,
or rather what remains of it, presents a most singular
appearance. The front wall has been blown out-
wards, except the top coping, which still remains in
the form of an arch.. The back wall is completely
demolished, while the interior, which was evidently
constructed of flimsy materials, lies in ruins. The
front walls of the two adjoining houses are in a dan-
gerous condition.

It has now been ascertained that fifteen persons in
all were injured by the explosion, and of these seven
were in the street at the time of the disaster. The
other eight—Honey (the gasman), Mr. and Mrs.
Jones and three children, and Mr. and Mrs. Watkins,
the lodgers—were in the house and were buried in the
debris. Happily no other death than that of the
youngest child of Mr. and Mrs. Jones has taken place,
and great hopes are now entertained that the other
two children, together with the lad Hague and a
young man named Tyler, who are all in Guy's
Hospital, will recover. The latter was passing through
Edward-street on his road home to Cross-street, Ber-
mondsey New-road, when the explosion took place,
and he was blown some distance of the pathway was
rendered insensible, and was trampled on by the crowd
who rushed to the scene of the accident. On Saturday
he was only partly conscious, but on Sunday he was
decidedly better and his friends were allowed to visit
him. Thc boy Hague is very much disfigured about
the face through blows from the falling bricks, and he
has had several fits since his admission to the institu-
tion. George Jones and Alfred Jones were severely
unshed by the debris which fell upon them while in
bed, and were in a condition of collapse when rescued.
both are suffering from internal injuries, and the elder
boy sustained a very bad fracture of the skull in
addition. Of those who were treated at the hospital
and sent home, a deaf and dumb boy named Alfred
Jackson, residing at No. 5, Edward-street, appears to
have been injured the most severely. He also received
a fracture of the skull by being blown from one side of
the road to the other, and is still under medical treat,.
meat.

During Saturday the staff of men sent down by the
Metropolitan Board of Works completed the shoring
up of the adjoining houses, Nos. 27 and 29, and
demolished the carious arch-like portion of the front
of the house No. 28, which remained standing after
the explosion and which attracted so much attention
on Friday. On Saturday and Sunday the spot was
visited by thousands of persons, who were still able to
see some of the remarkable effects of the explosion.
Much intarest was also shown as to the exact spot in
the excavations where the gaspipe was discovered
broken. The worst effects of the explosion were only
to be witnessed, however, from the back of the house,
as it was in that direction that the explosion practically
expended its force. Much sympathy is expressed for
Mr. and Mrs. Jones, who are temporarily lodged in a
house in Marigold-court, both for the loss of their
child and for the utter rain of_their home.

On Monday afternoon Mr. S. F. Langharn held an
investigation at Guy's Hospital into the circumstances
attending tho death of William Jones, aged four, who
was killed by the gas explosion which occurred at No.
28, Edward-street, Star-corner, Bermondsey. The
South Metropolitan Gas Company was represented by
Messrs. Hicklin and Washington, solicitors; and
Messrs. Boardman appeared on behalf of several of
the injured persons.
Alfred Jones, the father of the deceased, was the
first witness called, and came limping into court with
his head bandaged. He gave evidence that in conse-
quence of there being a strong smell of gas, his wife
went to the gas company's office, and two gasmen—
Honey and Woolgar—were sent to find out the cause
of the escape. One of these 'pen was using a light,
saying there was no danger, to ascertain the leakage,
when the .explosion occurred. There was no gas
burned in either his house or any of the adjoining
houses, nor had the gas ever been laid on at the
house.

Mrs. Tones and other witnesses gave corroborative
evidence.

Mr. F. Livesey, C.E., chief engineer to the South
Metropolitan Gas Company, said he had discovered a
fracture in the main, and the cause of the whole oc-
currence. The fractured pipe was almost opposite
No. 28, the house which had been blown down. The
pipe was completely severed, and there must have
been a large escape of gas going on for two or three
days. It appeared from the witness's description that
the gas v.main had sunk owing to the subsidence of a
strut which had been placed in the ground during the
works by the sewers contractor two or three years
ago. In further reply to the Coroner, Mr. Livesey
said he did not consider it to be a proper ccrune on
the part of the gasmen to go into the parlour with a
naked light to search for gas. These men generally
judged by their noses. It would undoubtedly have
been better to wait till the next morning, telling the
people to keep their doors and windows open. Honey
and Woolgar were experienced men. The former,
who was the leading man, had been recommended for
an increase of pay that very week.
The jury here adjourned to the scene of the explo-
sion, and on their return the coroner commented on
the fact that the Metropolitan Board of Works were
not represented at the inquiry, especially as it was
alleged that the breaking of this gas pipe with its very
shocking consequence was due to the defectiveness of
their own sewer works.

Mr. Livesey, continuing, said that as the gas main
was there before the sewer, the responsibility of keep-
ing it in position while the sewer work was proceed-
ing, and of leaving it safe and sound when the ground
was filled in again, rested with the sewer contractors.
Correspondence was produced by him which showed
that a promise was made that the gas company's
inspector should have notice when the ground was to
be filled in so that he might attend and see that all
was right, but that opportunity was never given. A
letter was read to show that the contractors had been
written to about it, and that they had replied that, as
the length of pipe in their trenches was only a short
one, they would prefer to run the risk of its settling
down rather than incur the expense of re-opening the
ground. The letter, however, did not mention the
name of this particular street as being the spot
referred to.

Thomas Honey, the gasman, who presented a sorry
appearance with bandages and cuts on the head,
having been duly cautioned, admitted going into the
parlour with tho candle. He said there did not
appear to him to be very much gas in the plaoe, and
he really thougat there was no danger. He was
obliged to take a light, to see which way.the joists
ran, and it was while searching for these the explosion
took place.
James Wools, thoother gagman, also corroborated
his companion, but said ha thought it was unwise to
have had the candle in the room.
Mr. J. Ryle, house surgeon, deposed that the
injuries sustained by the deceased were the cause-of
death.
The jury held a long consultation at the conclusion
of the coroner's summing up, and returned a verdict
of "Accidental Death," but also censuring the gas
comnauv for not insisting on seeing that the main had

been properly replacea by the sewers contractor, and
censuring the gasmen Honey and Woolgar for not
being more discreet.