The Express.
London, England, 1853-03-17 00:00:00

THE FATAL RAILWAY ENGINE EXPLOSION.

The adjourned inquest on the men killed by the
explosion or z railway locomotive, at the Longsight station
of the Leaden and North Western Railway Company, on
the Bth instant, was held yesterday afternoon at 3 o'clock.
Capt. Wynne, inspector of railways, said he had been
directed by the Board of Trade to inquire into the causes of
this explosion, and had inspected the engine. The locsino-
titre superintendent has stated to me the engine came
on the line in 1840, that slam that time it had
run about 104,000 miles; and when she had run
147,000 she had a new set of tubes put in.
In two years there were 33 new stays put in. (Produced a
piece of. one of the original stays as an average specimen of
them.) The fire box had bees re-stayed throvehout,
and I find that from oxidation the stays have been reuuced
in the middle about 3 16ths of an inch. Here is a specimen
of three more, and the oxidation in one is reduced as much
as half an inch. The great force of the explosion seems to
have taken place on the left hand side of the engine, but at
the same time there be. been a considerable force exerted on
the right, find I think, under the circumstances, it is impas-
sible to say which part gave way first. The yielding appears
to have been chiefly through the drawing of the stays through
the copper fire boa adhering to the iron. A great
number of the stays, however„;have drawn through the iron,
and a great many have broken off close to the iron. These
stays, which have drawn through the iron and broken
across, appear to have suffered most from oxidation ; and
from their condition I should suppon they were the ori-
gins' stays, put in when the engine was first turned out.
Another thing I observed was that there was a ring eaten
round the part of the stays inserted in the iron boiler plate,.
The usual way of accounting for these accidents is by sup-
posing that steam of very high tension has been gene-
rated, either caused by having the safety valves screwed
down and no escape for the steam, or in other
instances by the water getting low, sod exposing
the top of the fire-boxes, which then b.come heated, and
that no steam has been generated equal to the resisting
power of the holler. This is no doubt the cause of a great
number of these accidents. I have had some experience in
accidents of this kiad, having inquired into several of them,
and until very recently I entertained the opinion that it
was necessary for the steam to be in that state to produce
the violent explosions I have witnessed, but, from basing it
iocontestibly proved to me that no explosion of equal vio-
lence to this has taken plain under the ordinary pressure
at which a locomotive is worked—for there have been
one or two instance, of explosions under the ordinary
pressure—it is necessary to seek for some other cause. A
very high authority has given the power of this boiler as
able to withstand a pressure of ann. to the square inch.
Now, I em satisfied we have evidence it doer not require
steam of that tension to produce such effects. There is
evidence that the safety v deem were screwed down. They
were set to work at about .50, and there is a difference as to
the time at which the valves were screwed down, varying
from 11l is 25 minutes before the explosion. Now, I am
satisfied the steam could not have increased to a pressure of
3001bs. in that time. At least that is my opinion. No doubt
the tension of the steam was greatly increased, but I do not
believe that the streogth of toe stays or the rivets
would be equal to anything like 330 lbs. The cause which
ha. oxidised these stays and reduced their siz,s mur. have
also acted seriously on the iron plates of the boiler, and
tended to deteriorate their strength. It appears to me also
that the thread of the screw in the copper fire-b..: has
suffered oxidation. Here is a specimen of a mare recent
screw, put in with the new firebox, and the thread of that
appears to have suffered from oxidation. Well, then, I
have nothing more to say than that the state of oxidations(
the screws, and also the deterioration of the boiler plates,
though probably not to an equal extent, sufficiently accounts
f.r the explosion of the boiler under a much has pressure
than has been supposed. I du not know what would be
the pressure at which the boiler did explode.
The inquest was peeseseliai what oar report 1, ft.

HEALTH OF LONDON DURING THE WEEK.

The official report ssys—lt is subject of regret that
the public health, as measured by the rate of mortality, IS
atin to a very wafavourable 'Late. Since the third week ell
February, when it fell to 29.8 deg , the mean weekly
temperature has continued to rise, baring been auceeseively
33.8 deg., 33.3 deg., and last week 44. G deg. In the same
periods the weekly mortality of London shows a constant
increase, the death.' haviug been 1,344, 1,427, and in the
week that ended last Saturday, 1,436. The deaths in the
present return occurred at the following ages :-603 under
15 yean, 468 at 16 'ears and milder 60, 169 at 60 and
upwards.
In the ten weeks corresponding to lest week of the years
1811.52 the average numhcr of deaths was 1,078, which, if
raised in proportion to iutreamt of population, incomes 1,186.
Therefore the excess of last week's mortality above the
estimated amount is 210.

Zyniotie diseases and bronchial and pulmonary com-
plaints in the aggregate hare scarcely varied in the last two
weeks in the amounts of mortality respectively ascribed to
them. tinder We former head the deaths in each return
numbered 241; under the latter they were in the previous
week 388; in the last, 391. But fatal eases of booping-
cough increased from 36 to 79 ; those caused by phthisis
were 160 and 167; pneumonia, after a sudden increase to
108, has anent declined to 94, and tile mortality of
bronchitis, after remaining stationary dining two weeks at
212, rose last wok to 233. _ _ .

Seven deaths occurred between the 23rd of February and
the 7th of March in the London Fever Hospital.
In the Brampton sub-district, in Harris's-yard, Queen-
street, on the 3rd of March, the son of a cab proprietor,
aged 16 years, died of "hypertrophy of the heart (G
years)." Mr. Stone. the registrar, says: "The two
dwell nits, of which Harris's and consists, are rendered
highly prejudicial to health by the privies of adminiug
premise. being built against them, and being situated im-
mediately under the windows. Informant of the death
states treat the dampness and bad smell arising Iron this
cause are very offmsive."
At 87, King-street. Woolwich, on March 10, the son of a
labourer (deceased), aged 2 years, died of 't scarlatina (14
days), ulceration a toosils (8 days)." Mr. Jackson, the
Registrar, mentions that " 3 death,. those of a father and
two children, have occurred at b 7, King-street, within the
last twelve days from scarlatina and ulcerated throat, and
he has in consequence written to the of of the local
board of health on the subject."
In Kensington, at Warwick-mews, on March 7, a woman
aged 62 years, ied of glanders. The medical attendant
Oates that ho could not trace the source of the disease.
Her husband, who is a cab-driver, has three horses, all of
which are healthy, ezeept one that has grease of the leg ;
but, according to his account, his wits had not washed it.
The deaths of three persons are attributed to intern-
, peranee.
Last week the birtlis of 892 boys and 924 girls, in all
I,BIG chi:dm, we re registered in London. In the eight
eerrapanding weeks of the years 1816-62 the average num-
ber was 1,473.
At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the mean height
of the barometer in the week was 29.926 in. On Wednes-
day, Thursday, and Friday it was above 30 in. The mean
daily temperature was above the average ef the same days in
38 years on every day of the week ; it was highest on Sun-
day and Monday, when it was 8 deg. and 7 dep. above the
avenge. The mean temperature of the week was 44.6
deg., or 4.4 deg. shore the average. The wins blew from
the south-west generally, but was calm during greet part of
the week. The mean dew point temperate:l: was 381
deletes.