The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-08-14 00:00:00

THE LATE ACCIDENT AT BLAKEDOWN.

INQUEST ON HARBISON.

On Tuesday lase, the edjourned inquest thinning the
death of Dennis William Harrison, who died from inju-
ries received ham the shove ivorks, was held at the Kid-
derminster Intirmw-y, before It. Docker, Esq., Coroner.
Mr. S. Tomb+, solicitor, I Droitwich, attended to watch
toe ease ou behalf of Mr. Bradley. Mr. E. B. Marten,
engineer, Stourbridge, Mr. Danks, Mr. Bradley, and
others Were present during the eliquiry.
The first witness culled was William Harrison, who
deposed: I live at Blakedown, in the parish of 1-14ey,
and am an engineer and f ,rgenian, and 37 years oil.
Have been employed oil my Itfe as an engineer, and am-
ong boiler wotk. Oa tile 1615 July I WWI employed at
the Blitloolown Forge and the works are carried on by
by Samuel Bradley nml Co. I had the management of
the wito'of works:, and worked at the hammer, which
management Included the supervision of the steam en-
gine. I had the control of tbe engine the day of thee:.
plosion. and was assisted by illy sou, the dereas,d. The
explosion took plain, about tell o'clock. Was in the act
of r version; the engine at the time. I was blown some
yards frow the eugme. At that time I did not thiult I
was hurt. I got np, and assisted is getting the others
out. The first thing I saw was Maybury and C otwrigitt.
and assisted to get them oat, when I beard a grn,ati Irma
my poor boy. As I was getting out lily boy, a piece of
timber fell upou my haek. PO not remember what took
ph:, after. My sou war under the bricks, completely
smothcriol. Did not I.ce my son, but heard him cry out
Oh, Father." Do not reineinher anything else. I
mat found myself its this building. The boiler was a
circular form egg•ended one. high-pressure. It no, cal-
culated to Carry from 110 to 10011.4 pressure tI tillind,l
according to nay judgment. The boiler had been in ewe
at Blakeduivu flow eight tote!) years, Mat WON reVionely
used at Mr Benjamin Smitlt'a, at Pronwich, riot after
that at Hartlebury for about twelve months. Do not
know how long the boiler had been in roe at Droitivich,
but know it was aI, w years. When I us nt to work at
Mr. Bradley's, the bonier wan hung. lit the fittiugsto
it. The boiler at that time appeared to be in good con-
dition, and have bad tine Wanagelnent of the boiler ever
aince it was there. About twelve moistlis ago I put a
likaew patch upon the boiler, in consequence of a leak
I understand boiler making; was brought up to it from
my childhood.
Crosa.examined : I have examined the boiler with the
hammer jusi,fe, r.gularlr Once in SiY months. The last
time I examined the boiler was within six months of the
time previous to the explosion. I consider the part
where the patch iv:, put on, was at strong ton any other
part. The boiler Won not regularly in use, but for the
last two ye arin the works have neon on about three days
a week froths. per inch was the usual pressure WllOO
there was work. Cartiot say what pressor., Was on at
the thee the explosion took place, bit told my boy to get
the steam and when there were 2511,5. on, tine steam
was blown eft. It took ab tut four hours to get the steam
up, and I calculated there were shout 2511i5. We had
one of Salter's eteam valves to calculate the pressure,
which WHis attired to the holler at the tirue of the expire
sion. I in:trio:tell my son to screw down the pressure
when at 601h5., and I believe he did do ill ready for work.
Zea't any that the valve Was destroyed at tine explitaion.
The valve Wain sulficient to relieve the steam when at
:fifths. "Tire witness here became very faint. and had to
be rerno'red. lie appeared remarkably weak
Oeorge William B triter depoaed : I live at Biskedown,
and um clerk and outrider for Mr. Bradley. Wee in the
flotintingshouse at the time of the explo:ion. ift'ent out
of list couutieg-house with Mr. Bradley to tea what was
the Matter. Tlie tint thing I all. Wns the steam cowing
Joni like ralit, and that the whole of the works was ens
lit ely down. including the brickwork. 1 ease Harrison
its the listk outside of the werks. He sold My poor
Den is bulled In the works ; are to him." I sot :owe
one to get him out of the Mine. The nest trine I saw
him lie was Imieg carried in some persons arms. At
that time I thought he wee dying. Deceased was then
laid on the lawn, and afterwards conveyed to the Intl.
wary in Mr. Goodwin's dour waggon. in am not an ens
gineer. but keep an account of the men's work. The
boiler had been at work to my o•vn knowledge from De.
cm taker 16, 1865, to July 16, 1869. It bad worked 621
days.
By Mr. Tombs : Harrinon has baa the chief control of
the boiler. Have imt heard that Harrison had reported
the engine was out of order, or that the bonier Wits quite

ale•
The Foreman: Bid not Mr. Barber say when we weut
down that be via afraid, and appreheuvive of danger?
—Witness : I have lex t ;at the boiler being in charge
of the deceaved, and getting the steam up, there might
be alone danger.
By a Juryman : Hate never heard that persona have
left the works in convequen :a of there being danger.
William May bury, like myself, has expressed fear beeauie
the boiler was under the management of the deeeaked.
By a Juryman: I did say that I had left eight months
ago, and hail resumed my work two days before the

dent.
By the Coroner: My fears have not been through the
boiler, but from the boiler beteg under the direction ef
the boy. Did not express my fears to Mr. Bradley.
John Rose &posed : I am a surgeon, and house sur-
geon at this Itifirmery. Deceased wag brought to the
Infirmary from about halt-past twelve to one o'clock on
the 16th of July, in a waggou, and had previously been
attended to by Mr. Cowen and others. Deceased was
suffering from concussion of the brain, with a very se.
vent scalp wound, arid was insensible. I continued to
attend deceased up to his Itesth, in conjunction with Mr.
Hillman, Mr. Streeton, Mr. Jothan,and two other hono-
rary surgeons of the institution. Deceaeerl died through
the injuries he had received on the 20th inst.
Mr. Docker said lie bad employed an engineer to ex-
amine the boiler, and he would call him next to give his
scientific opinion.
Mr. John Inaliaw, of Birmingham, said he was a me.
chanical engineer, and had tilled his occupation for forty
years. lie had examined the boiler which exploded at
Mr. Bradley's forge. It had been a higlopresaure boiler,
and was of cylindrical shape, with 'egg" or spherical
ends. Its length wits 21 feet, by -1 feet 5 inches in dia
meter, and it was from 5-sixteentlis to 3-eighths of an
inch in thickness. Its general appearance was that of
an old boiler which had been repaired by a boiler maker
some years past. There wire al,o patches put on with
bolts and nuts. One of those patches was about feet
wide and flinches long. Mid was on one side of the boiler, ,
about a foot above where the plate was reduced to the
thickness of the piece of iron produced. [This scrap of
iron was much .0111; but one of the Jury produced a
much thinner piece, and said hundreds of pieces had
been broken off the boiler much thinner even than the
piece he had. Ile also produced a piece of the boiler
where its thickness was much greater. 'The boiler was
worked by a furnace flue passing under the bottom and
aides of the boiler, which was hung by brackets, or flan-
ges. on each side. The boiler was on one side of the
forge. and unprotected from the weather. He found the
patches he referred to had been put on in a very imper •
fect manner to secure a crack in the plate which ran
longitudinally with the boiler, and an imperfect joint
made with hemp or similar material under the plates.
This had been leaking to such an extent as to oxidise
the plate below, and reduce it to the thinness of the piece
prfiluced. This became useless to withstand the pres•
sure, gave way, and caused the explosion. He had no
doubt the oxidisation was assisted by that side of the
boiler being exposed to the weather; and by the boiler
not being kept constantly at work, the damp would act
more severely and rapidly in reducing the thicknees of
the boiler in yens-rel. Ile mid I not p reeive any indiee-
tioll Of St,olt,s w..tcr it the toe, ell the estop-tom
amid the platcs were Very free bum deposits of lane or
other matter. 'The iron had been of what he should call
a fair quality. It the weak places inside this boiler had
been sanded with a hammer it would have nearly g•ma
through in many parts. Taking the piece of iron pro
dueed as a ,pecirneu of thickness of the boiler plates, he
should not hive thought it prudent to have worked the
boiler at At the point where the rapture occurred