The Express.
London, England, 1864-12-21 00:00:00

THE FATAL GAS EXPLOSION AT MANCHESTER.

An inquest was held on Monday, on the bodies
el Samuel Crowther, photographer, Peter-an* aged 39
yaws, and his sou Arthur, aged two years, who were
killed by an erpkons at gas in Potariareat, Manchester, on
Berudey.

Mr. Thomas Torkington, beerhouse keeper, Deliberate,
maid that be was passiug the deceased's shop in Peter-street,
at a quarter past five o'clock on Saturday steeping, and
when about • yard from the window he heard a loud explo-
sion. saw a Bash of light, and the glass flew nut. Simul-
tsseously the dee-seat s wife rushed through the door as
though the explosion .was forcing her. Witness ran into
the house, but when be got to the middle door,
a smell of sulphur overpowered him, and be crept on his
Lade and knees. He got into the back kitcheu where the
deceased worked, sod be found the child, whose clothes
were buruit.g. He carried it into the street, sod a woman
took it away. Witness went into the room a second time,
sad found the father in a kneeling position, dead, with
his bead against some bricks and debris of the wall. Wit.
mess procured assistance, and the body was removed. On
examiumg rho premiss. about an hoar after the ex-
plosion, be found the gable end at the back almost com-
pletely blown out, and the place was in rains.—Samuel
William Crowther, an intelligent little boy, eight years
old, said that he was in the back kitchen with his father,
who was making gas from a retort which was no the
fire. His father had placed some manganese it the re-
tort, to which he screwed the metal pipe. He then placed
it on the tire, and after it had been there about ten minutes
he told witness to go out of the room. He did so, washed
his howls eta water tub in the yard, and while there a spark
fell just before him. He immediately ran through an 'ion
gate into the street. The explosion took place as he passed
through the gate. Witness's brother Arthur was playing in
the kitchen while his father was watching the retort.
After his father had taken the manganese from the paper
le,;, witness placed the bag be the side of the fireplace in
the front shop. The hag produced was the one that he
placed there.—Mr. Morris Hughes, joiner and photo-
grapher, Dorset-street, Broughton-road, said he had made
some apparatus for the deceased to exhibit lighted oxygen
gm, and he called at deceased's house on Saturday
afternoon, at half-put four o'clock. Oxygen was
produced by mixing certain proportions of manganese
and chlorate of potash, which were heated on the tire in
au iron retort. When witness was at the deceased's
house, an orler came from Mr. Morgan, Market-11, e.
for some oxygen gas. as Mr. Morgan had had a " blow
up." and tl e gas was wanted that evening. Deceased
said he bad no apparatus ready, and that he thought he
should not " bottler with it," as be had no "stall" is tLe
house.--Mr. .1 ohs Odber, Macclesfield-street,
said he wilt keel for Mr. Morgan, optician, Market-plate.
About faux o'clock on Saturday, witness went to the
deceased's shop, and ordered some oxygen gas for au
exhibition which was to take place that evening at the
l'eodleton 31e.:bautcs' Institute. The deceased said he
could not mare it, as his apparatus and chemicals were
at Leeds. lf, h iwever, .Mr. Morgan could tin.' a retort,
the deceased soul he would accommodate him. Witness
procured a mercury retort from 3lr. Mottershesd'a, chemist,
and, as are 'aired a tube, he got one from Mi. Morgan 's
workshop, wh:ch was bent, and witness thought it am ta.iile
for the purpose. Mr. Morgan gave the wane*s about
of maucanese and potash, mixed, and witness took it, with
the retort and job.. to the deceased's shop. In accord ince
with Mr. Morzan's insttuctions, witness got &gorier pound
of 1111111'',10e10 at Mr. Mottershead'
a, red gave it to Mr.
Crowther, as Mr. Morgan thought that the mix tute re-
quired a iittle more of that article. Mr. Crowther said he
would tell th .t pound of niang.inese to the other.
delivered the apparatus and the chemicals to the Ceceumed
at fve minutes to bee o'clock.

Professor lloszoe, of Ovren's College, said that busing
teen the report of the explosiou in that morniug
newspapers, and being interested in all matters, relatieg
to the manufacture of gas. he wrote to Captain Palin, the
chief constable, for permission to make a cotuolete ineestiga-
ton of the Cale. That permission was given him Red Le
visited the scene of the ex phaeton. He obtained a la, son-
taining :ile, k substauce which had been found in the tire•
place is the deceaasil'a shoo. tin examining it at his labora-
tory, he founi that it was competed of chlorate of potash,
manganese, wad powdered coal, or possibly laumblaik or
bout. He timugist it most likely that it was lampblack or
soot which had been added fur the purpose of adulterat-
ing the tt..in,;ae,ese. He had reason to kuow that such
adulteration took piece, and that accidents sometimes re-
sulted front it. A case happened about a rear ago. tut
fortunately did not exult in personal injure, the explosiou
occurring trona the circumstance that what purported to
be insugaue,e was nothing but powdered coal. The
addition of powdered coal, soot, or lampblack to manganese
wade a sal/stymie about as explosive as gunpowder. A
peeper mixture for oxygen was about three parts of chlorate
of potash to one of manganese. He had not thoroughly
toalased the substence found in the bag at the deceased's
bogie, except that Le found it contained the articles
he had nernel, and that it was explosive. He carefully
examiued thr. e lots of manganese furnished to him by
Police-constable Ir.venport. Uao lot, which was xt:ttra
to be from Mr. Jlorgsti s, from which that was taken to
tusks the mixture sent to Mr. Crowther, was adulterated
with about per cent. of soot or powdered coal—he be-
lieved it to be soot. Another lot, furnished by Mr. tl.
Hughes. druggist, thateaton-street, from whom Mr. Morgan
bad said Le Purchased the manganese, was pure • and a
third lot, procured at .Mr. Ilottersbead's, was alb; pure.
The adulteration of manganese with soot and coal was be-
coming very common, and it was accompanied with serious
fleets. this season a great number of persons might be
making gas from manganese, to be used is pictorial and
other exhibitfons ; and if the manganese was not pure very
serious con f itteocrs, as in the present case, might ensue.
An aren't:it ihight happen to his atudents, who were con-
stantly waking among such chemicals, both at the college
and at !mine. Thee might even purchase some of this very
materiel, and be seriously injered. Bearing all thew- things
in mind, be thought that it was his duty to come forward
and state the result of his investigations.
Mr. Morgan said that having all exhibition at the Pen-
dleton Mechanics' Institute which would require the use
of oxygen g., he commenced at hall-past three o'clock on
Saturday afternoon to make some of that gas. After he
had made a smell quantity, which he found was not sut6•
elect, he se•.t his boy to Mr. Hughes's shop for the
" usual quantity" of chlorate of potash and oxide of man-
ganese. He stated "usual quantity" because Mr. Hughes
knew that he war in the habit of purchasing it in propor-
tion§ of :las. of potash to abbe. of manganese. The boy
returned with two parcels, one containing bibs. of the
chlorate of po'asb, and the other containing 31bs. of man-
pow. Witness placed about jib. of masg►neo in a
parcel be itself. and nixed the remainder nth the ado-
rate of potash. He then took about lib. of the mixture,
placed it in a sheet-iron retort, and proceeded to make
the gas al the mural way. After the retort bad been ou the
fire about a m,nlite it exploded. Witness's right hand
was injured, and the room sew tilled with smoke. He was
not a cbee•st, but he had mink oxygen gas about twelve
years. and thinking that Le might have made a mistake as
to the proper proportion of manganese he told his m►n to
get another pound to Le added to the mixture that was
■pared, and to take the whole to Mr. Crowther. Witness
also thought that the explosion might have occurred from a
stoppage to the metal or iudiarubber pipe, which conducted
the gap from the retort to the panne:. The m►terials with
which he made the tint lot of gas. and which was manufac-
tured without accident, were also got at Mr. Hughes's shop.
In sddirion to the chemical mixture which witness sent
to Mr. croather, be also forwarded a purifier and con-
nexions to two gas hags, but they were not used, as Mr.
Crowther had a bottle (purifier) of his own. Witness saw
Mr. Crowther at a quarter past five o'clock. and Mr.
Crowther raid him that the gas was being made, and that
it would 1,11 reedy is ► quarter of an hour. When witness
beard of the explesion ma Saturday night, he remarked to
bin wife that as it wan the memo, that had occurred from the
use of the some mixture, he thought there most te some.
thing wrong with that filature, lle a died at Mr. Hughes's
shop after eleven o'clock that night, to ask whether the
chemicals he bad scut were all right, but lie did lot see Mr.
Hustle.. If Mr. Crowther used all the mixture wituess sent
Lim (which, with the pound of manganese purchased at
Mr. Motterabeara, would weigh lb.) except that pro-
duced, he wird three or four time, too much.

Charles Holt. Mr. Hughes's porter, said he served Mr.
Horgan'a boy with the chlorate of potash and =agents*
ea Saturday. He sent &lb. of potash, because that was
all they had in the shop. He took the manganese from
a drawer in the shop which. when empty, Was tilled from
a large tin kept upstairs. The manganese given to Police—
constable baveopoit, and handed by him to Professes
Roscoe, was taken from the same drawer. Nothing black.
such as soot or limphlack, was added to the manganese
gives to Mr. Morgau's boy.
Mr. E. 1.. Hughes, who volunteered his evidence, said
that he was perfectly certain that nothing but manganese,
the game as that supplied to the policeman for l'refeas..r
Roscoe, was given to Mr. Morgan's boy. lie had no pow.
dared coal on his premises ; lampblack was both lighter in
'weight and more expensive than manganese, and as to soot
he had not any.—The Cormier Not in the chinir.eys':—
Witnesa : No ; they were classed only last week.—Witnese
added that he did not think he was accountable for the
state of niaugatese after it left big sop, especially when
it was not analysed till after the lager of two data. After
the examinaii Otis of Edward Wood. Mr. Morgan's boy, and
l'otioeoinatal,ie Davenport, Mr. Morgan, ru reply to the
Ceram r, said that the manganese he received from Mr.
Bombe., and a portlon of which was handed to Professor
Roscoe, was not adulterated by him in the slightest degree.
The room was then cleared, and after ball an hour's con-
sultation the jury expraestel a desire to see Mr. Hughes.
The Coroner toil him that the jury considered it was proved
that the explosive material which hail caused the d-..atha of
Mr. Crowther and his son had been supplied by biro, acd he
'motioned him that if he had anything to say it would be
written, and might be used against him.—Mr. Hughes re.
posted that it was impo.sible anything could have been
mixed with the manganese before it weed out of his shop.
The jury then bristly conoulted. rod returned a verdict of
amaidaughter against Mr. Hughes, who was committed for
trial at the IJSIZOIL The Coroner offered to take bail,
which was furnished.

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