The Express.
London, England, 1864-11-15 00:00:00

THE LATE EXPLOSION AT ERITH.

ADJOURNED INQURBT.-(THLS DAY.)

The protracted investigation into the cause of the
ate explosion of gunpowder at Erith Marshes was resumed
to-day before Mr. Cartier, one of the coroners for Kent.
The same legal gentlemen attended to watch the case as
on previous occasions, and Mr. Filby, the agent of the Low-
wood Company, was again present.
Henry Jameson, a Trinity House pilot, residing at
Gravesend, was first called and examined with re-
ference to the custom of transhipping powder.
He stated that he had frequently protested against gun-
powder being shipped above Barking-creek. It had fre-
quently occurred that powder had been transhipped while
the vessel was under weigh the barges being lashed on each
side and the vessel being tugged by a steamer. Ile bad
seen passengers on board vessels walking about the
deck smoking while powder was being transhipped,
and be instanced the case of the Spanish
ship Salvador., which had 40 toes of powder on beard, and
the men were walking about smoking ; there was also a fire
in the galley, and he pointed out the danger to the mate
and order, were at once given to put out the fire. He sag-
gusted that fligham Bight, three miles below Gravesend,
would be a very convenient place for a powder magazine,
there being neither house nor habitation there.
Mrs. Rayner, the widow of the unfortunate man who was
killed in the explosion, was then called, and stated that she
had lived down at the magazine nearly 12 year., At the
time of the explosion she was in bed and asleep, therefore
as regarded the explosion she knew nothing. It was like
• iimh of lightning, and she was picked up insensible. Her
husband was in the habit of writing letters in the office.
She was only in the magazine once, and then no further than
the office door. Her husband was not in the habit of showing
busineu letters to her. He was never a man to trouble her
with his business at all, and she never heard him complain
of the state of the powder barrels.
The letter being produced to the witness, she said that it
might be in her husband's handwriting, but she did not
know anything about it, and had never heard of it before.
She had no recollection of having said that she knew all
about that letter.

By the Jury—She had never seen the letter before, and
had no knowledge of whether it was sent or when.
Occasionally she might ask her husband questions, but be
always told her that she knew nothing about the business.
He always appeared as if he wished to save her from any
trouble or anxiety in respect to the business. If Mr. Rayner
had had occasion to complain she did not suppose he would
have said anything to her about it, hut she had beard him
say "those precious steamers wield come too near," and
sometimes she had known him to call to them to keep
further away.
By Mrs.Perrin—Her husband was a very careful man, and
always used to keep a watering pot in the magazine. She
had never seen fires in the bargee alongside. She used to
provide the men with hot water when they required it.
In answer to a question from Mr. Poland,

Mr. Hall stated that the watering-pot was always used in
powder magazines to water all about the doorways, both to
keep the dust down, and as a matter of caution.

This being the whole of the evidence,
The Coroner proceeded to sum up the case. He con-
gratulated the jury upon the approaching termination of
their labour,. The investigation of the cause of the catas-
trophe which on the let of October had alarmed and
almost astounded not only the inhabitants, of the
metropolis but the whole country for many miles
around, had been of the most protracted character,
and he was quite sure that if the inquiry
had been a hasty and incomplete one, the
public would not have been satisfied. He then pointed
out the peculiar constitution of the coroner's court, as
being a court in which no third party bad a right to Inter-
pol* or make any statements in support of the inte-
rests which they represented ; therefore, although
neither Mr. Poland, on the part of the Messrs.
Hall, nor Mr. Perrin, on behalf of other persons
represented by him, could address any observations to the
jury, they had been permitted to be present and 'suggest
questioes. It was quite obvious that gentlemen engaged
in the manufacture of so combustible an article as
gunpowder were of all person@ the most interested
in preventing such melancholy accidents as that
which had occurred, and therefore be, for one,
assured Messrs. Hall that the investigation had not been
conducted in an antagonistic spirit towards them, and he
reminded them that when a gentleman claimed to be
present as representing a l►rge amount of property de-
stroyed in the neighbourhood, he at once said that that was a
portion of the case in which the jury could not go.
Their duty undoubtedly was to inquire into the
when and the where and how these poor men were
killed, and that alone led them into a wide field of inquiry.
if the evidence had pointed to any distinct cause of the
accident, such as a spark coming from • steamer, or the
wilful firing of the barge, or, in point of fact, from any
one plain and specific canes, the inquiry would have
been a very short one, but in this case they had been
left entirely in the dark, and, therefore, it became
necessary to impair, into the general mode of conducting
business by Messrs. Hall, with • view not only to ascertain
UN cause of the accident but with • view to make a repre-
sentation to the government for the purpose of preventing
the recurrence of such an explosion. With respect o the
explosion itself, it was perfectly clear that it must have
been aimed in the barge by some loose powder
en which a spark must have fallen. As the
jury would recollect, the letter which had been so
often alluded to had been picked up, and it was of so extra-
ordinary a character that they could not shut their eyes to
its contests. There was no question that the letter was in
the handwriting of Rayner, but they would observe that it
had no date, and the explanation which had been
given was that, there being a complaint about
the barrels three years ago, Rayner had written
it to Monk, the foreman of the manufactory,
in confidence, but that Rayner in the interval having sceu
Mr. Peter Hall in London and made complaint to him, an
immediate remedy was provided, and the letter in question
was never sent. He (the Coroner) considered it in the
light of a private letter urging upon Monk to remedy the
defect complained of, or else he (Rayner) must complain to
Messrs. Hall, and consequently it might get Monk into
trouble. It was • letter which they could not act on, and
possibly might not be considered by the judges as legal
evidence.

[The Coroner wu proceeding with hie address when our
report let t..]

MULLER'S CONFESSION.—It is understood that
Muller prepared a paper some days before his execution,
and that it came into the hands of the sheriffs co Sunday
night, This, it is said, was not • confession, but was, on
the contrary, little else than what has already been
made public at different times by the German Pro-
tection Society. In consequence of the confession actually
made by Muller, it is understood that the sheriff. do not
consider it just to other persons referred to in the paper
to make any use of it ; that they sealed the document, and
will probably make some communication to the Court of
Alderman in reference to it to-day.—Times.
THE MURDER. AT PLAISTOW MARSHES. —The
police oostiuued their search yesterday morning in the reed
field and the adjacent meadows to trace, if possible, some
of the missing articles belonging to the murdered man, but
although they were engaged for several hours nothing
more was discovered. Yesterday morning Serge.,nt Clarke,
of the detective force, Great Scotland-yard, was actively
employed in making further inquiry, and Mr. W. Richard-
son, of the Crown Dock Tavern, North Woolwich-road,
who met the prisoner (Kohl) on the afternoon the body of
the deceased was discovered, has been requested to be in
attendance at the adjourned inquest at the Bell and Anchor
Tavern on Thursday evening next at 5 o'clock, as
it has been ascertained that he his some lower-
' tent evidence to offer to the coroner's court. It seems
that about half-past 4 o'clock on the afternoon when the
body was discovered in the reed field Kohl was seen stand-
iog outside the Graving Dock Tavern, and that Mr. Rich.
liAson, the landlord, got into conversation with him. The
former asked him to look at the body, tont Kohl declined,
and replied, " I don't like to see such sights." Mr. Richard.
son said, Oh. come and see the body • perhaps you may
recognise him." The prisoner, after some hesitation,
accompanied Mr. Richardson through the front part
of the bar, and went to the place where the body of
deceased was lying. They were alone at the time,
and only a few meow bad collected outside the
tavern, but information had been given to the police. Mr.
Richadson, interrogated the prisoner, and from what
transpired he detained him in the custody of Poliee.con.
stable G 2 K. who kept him in charge until the arrival of
Inspector Nightingale, who removed him to the Barkioc-
road station, arid not to Stratford, as was erroneonaly steed
a few days since. Yesterday crowds of persons whited Mr.
Joyce's, the Bell and Anchor Tavern, Victoria Docks, to
catch s, glimpse of the body, but all applicants were re-
ferred. It is exported that the body will be conveyed to.
morrowafternoon for interment in the cemetery at West
Ham. Mr. Superintendent Howie, Inspector Nighringale,
and Sergeant Clarke were engaged yesterday In collecting
evidence for the adjourned inquest. and • great number of
persons visited the scene of the murder. •