The Express.
London, England, 1864-10-04 00:00:00

THE EXPLOSION AT LEITH.

THE INQUEST.-(THIS DAY.)

The inquest upon the bodies of the unfortunate
perso►s who were killed on Saturday last by the explosion
of the gunpowder magazines at Erith•marshes was opened
this morning at the Belvedere Hotel, Kent, about a Mile
and ► half from the scene of the disaster.

The inquest was opened by Mr. Cartier, coroner for West
sent, and a jury of 17 of the most influential inhabitants of
the district. Before they were sworn the Coroner ex.
premed a hope that if any of the jurymen were at all inte-
rested in the inquiry which was about to be made, or were
likely to be called upon as witnesses, they would say so at
core and retire from the jury.
No one responding, the jury were sworn to inquire into
the cause of the death of three of the victims of the catas-
trophe, namely—Rayner, Hubbard, and Yorke.
The marks of the catastrophe are everywhere visible in
the immediate neighbourhood, and the room in which the
inquiry was held had almost every window smashed, and
the weather being excessively atormy, the task of conducting
the inquiry was by no means a pleasant one.
Mr. Poland sppsared on the part of Means. Hall and
Soul to watch themes, being intruded by Mr. Jas. Tamen,
of Faversham. Mr. B. H. Perrin also appeared for the
friends of some of the deceased and some of the sufferers.
Mr. W. Mode, the manager of the factory at Faversham,
was also present, and Inspectors Linvell sad Bell attended
to watch the 011•11 on the part of the Commissioners of
Pollee.

The jury having been sworn,

The Coronee opened the prooeediegs by stating that the
sad calamity which had occurred in the neighbourhood was
so well known that it was useless for him to enter into any
narration on the subject. Their duty, however, would be
• vary anxious one, and he had no doubt that it would be
eo•ductad in a way that would give iatisfaction to the
world at large. A coroner's court was of all others the most
fit to investigate such a cue as this because there was no
necessity to charge anyone with • criminal offence until
they were clearly pointed out by the evidence u the parties
implicated. Their duty would be twofold—tint, to ascer-
tain the cause of the deaths of the victims, and afterwards
to make each an inquiry as would tend, if possible, to the
adoption of recommendations to the government which
would tend to prevent the recurrence of similar cats&
trophes. If they were able to effect such • result as
that their labour would certainly not be in vain, though he
was free to confess, from his long experience of gunpowder
uptakes, that each inquiries were of the most difficult
character, from the simple fact that in such ex
plosions Almon everybody was killed who could
throw the least light upon the cause of the ac.
riding. There was one point, however, that might
be worth considering, and that was whether a large
mass of gunpowder ought to be: permitted to be stored ia
any particular place, and whether there ought net to be
some limit either with respect to the magazine hull, or
some definition of the distance at which each magazines
should be situated.

The jury having viewed the bodies returned to the inquest
room, and
Walter Silver, who appeared at the table with hie bead
bound, having been injured by the explosion, wee called to
identify the bodies. lie stated that he formerly raided
close to the maguine, but his dwelling house had been
razed to the ground by the explosion. He was • store•
keeper in the employ of the Low-wood, Liverpool, Gunpow-
der Kill Company, Limited. The eet•bliahmeat was formerly
known ea Day, Harker, and Co., and their ofllose were 63,
Penchurch-street. He then identified the bodies lying in
the neighbourhood of the inquest room, as those of
Geo. Hubbard, • labourer engaged in buildings erected near
the magazines, and se one not at all orrovereast with the
works. He also identified the body of Geo. Rayner, who
was the foreman of the magazine, and that of John Yorke
as the son of Win. Yorke, under store-keeper, who is
missing. _ _

Mr. Sydney Turner, house-surgeon of Guy's Hospital, was
sett sworn and said—l have under my are some parties
injured by the explosion. With the exception of Elam
Osborne, who le in a dangerous state, all the rest are doing
well. The youngest is six and the next is a girl of nine years
of age, who is sufficiaatly well to be examined, and indeed
multi be examined to day. Edward Singleton has a fractured
humeral", and cannot be examined for a =oath. Emma
Wright, a woman of 40, has a fractured collar-bone, and
will sot be able to be examined for three weeks. Mary
Yorke, who has a fractured thigh, is not likely to be able to
be examined (orals or seven weeks. Another under my charge
le Harriet Rayner, the widow of the man who was killed.
and she is suffering from • severely contused shoulder, sad
cannot be examined for a week or two.

Thomas Chance, of Erith, sworn, stated that he was •
surgeon, and described the conditioo of some of the mutilated
portions of bodies, part of which he believed belonged to one
alike unfortunate me• named Wright. He also described
the condition of two children, one 6 years of age, named
Sanas, sod another anamed Yorke, 12 years of age, very
seriously iojored.
‘v The Coroner then stated that bas object in tekiog this
11;7a000 was to ascertain when it would be possible to pre•
seed with, the inquiry and obtain a narrative of the occur-
ream from the months of those who setnally expo.
neared its effect.

Police-constable 15 ft stated that seven persons were yet
missing, of whom no tidings could be obtained, five of them
being from the barge, bat subsequently one of the legal
gentleman present in the room said that one of the miming
parties bad sines turned up and was safe at home.
This being aU the progress that could be at present made,
the inquiry was adjourned till next Tuesday, at the Avenue
Schoolroom, Erith.