The Express.
London, England, 1851-09-06 00:00:00

FATAL BOILER EXPLOSION AT BRAD-

FORD.

It is our painful duty this week to record another
fatal boiler explosion, which occurred on Monday last, and
occasioned the immediate death of two youths. The scene
of this disaster adjoins to Tumbling Hill-street, at a short
distance from the Thornton-road, on the premises of Messrs.
Crabtree and Shepherd, machine makers, occupied partly
by th'm and partly by Mr. Broadbent and Mr. W. Fison,
manufacturers. The premises and the machinery are all
nearly new, and constructed upon the most approved prin.;
ciales of modern engineering arelii:eetural science; at
least so it was thought until the occurrence of this accident
—furnishing another proof that errors do boil their way
into the most enlightened and careful arrangements. There
are two engines and two boilers to the works, the engines
being of 30 horse and 16 horse power respectively, and the
boiler-room 77-horse. One of the boilers came from the
Bowling Company, and the other from the works
of Messrs. Thwaites ; it is the latter which has met with
the accident. It has been customary to clean the boilers out
once in three weeks, and according to this rule they should
have been cleaned on Saturday last, but as some repairs or
alterations were contemplated it was decided to postpone the
cleaning for a week, that both might be done together. It
is probable that, if the boiler had been cleaned as usual,
the defect which led to the accident would have been de-
tected and the melancholy issue prevented. The engines
were under the care of William Bairstow' a man of SO years
of age, and long experience, assisted by William Walsh, a
youth of 20 years, one of the victims of the accident. On
Monday the tires were lighted at the customary hour of the
morning, and everything had gone on as usual until about
half-past 11. At this time Barstow went to get a pint of
beer at the Tumbling Hill Tavern, less than 100 yards from
the engine-house, and had scarcely put the mug to his lips
when he heard the explosion. Walsh seems to have been in
the act of filing-up at the moment, as he was found covered
with ashes. The whole neighbourhood was thrown into the
utmost consternation, but immediate steps were taken
to ressue any unfortunate persons who might be in-
jured. A man named Clarke went into the boiler-house
while yet full of steam and swimming with hot water,
and atter some searching found the poor lad Walsh,
and handed him out to others. He was still living, but
badly scalded. In about two hours he died. IN wee per-
fectly conscious, and said to a companion, " Don't let it be
said after I am gone that there was no water in the boilers."
Further search led to the discovery of the body of another
youth, a lad of 16, named Edward Atkinson. lie was em-
ployed in a room adjoining the boiler house, into which the
steam forced its way, and he was probably suffocated be-
fore he could effect his escape. One other youth was
slightly scalded by the escaping steam, and this, happily,
was the extent of personal injury inflicted.
The damage to property is considerable. That more lives
were not lost is a fortunate circumstance: the temporary

absence of the engine tenter, already. alluded to, doiditleis
ensured his escape; and only two minutes before the explo-
sion, Mr. Crabtree himself had been in the boiler-house,
and discharged a man who was about to smoke a pipe there.
Re then went to another part of the premises to fetch two
boys to assist Atkinson in sorting bobbins, and was on his
way back with the lads when the boiler horst.
An inquest was held on Tuesday, at which the following
evidence was adduced :
Mr. Robert Wilson, an engineer, who was examined, read
a statement, of which the following are the most important
passages : "On examining the insideof the boiler, I found I
the flue had collapsed ; the top half all along, except about
two feet at the back end being driven down into the bottom
half, that is, completely inverted ; some of the plates which
formed the top side, resting on the bottom aide, forming a
double lined v ; and about two feet of the further end
broken entirely off and blown out of the back end of the
flue. This latter piece, which was the only part I could
get at to examine (the other being all turned down close
to the bottom) shows every egn of having been burned lately,
but the index is not so perfect as to lead to the conclusion
that it had been redhot at the moment of the explosion.
The only conclusion I can come to is, that at some recent
period the boiler has been short of water, by which the dues
have become red hot, and then the flue, partially forced out
of its proper form, has been gradually giving way ever since,
until the fatal moment arrived that explosion took place,
which was no doubt under a much less pressure than the
boiler would have stood when in perfect order. The boiler
would no doubt have stood a proof of three times the work-
ing pressure, which I find by the safety valve to be nearly
30 lbs., vie. 29.20 lb. upon each square inch. Under the
difficulty of being unable at once to account for the burning
of the plates at the back end of the flues, I was led to ms-
pect that the boiler might be set too low at the front end,
and in order to form some opinion of what the exploded
boiler was, I had the other boiler examined (which is quite
undisturbed), and found it to be seven inches lower at the
front than at the back end, which would give seven inches
of water above the front of the furnaces, while the back end
of the dues was not mote titan covered. It is admitted that
this boiler was at first, by order of the engineer of the first
who made it, set five inches lower at the front end than at
the back. This was enough to deceive the stoker, as the
water is four inches up the glass tube equal to 7 inches on
the front of the Hues, before the dues were covered on the
back—a practice which should be discontinued. I recom-
mend that this boiler be altered before it be again set to
work, and that it be set not more than one inch lower at
the front end."
. _

By a juror: The only conclusion to which I can come to
is, that the risen part of the boiler has at one time been
short of water ; that then the Hue has been partially forced
out of its original form; and that it has been gradually
giving way till the fatal moment arrived when the explosion
took place.
By the Coroner—The injury to the boiler was of a nature
not likely to be noticed by the engine-tenter in his ordinary
work, being out of the range of his observation; but if the
boiler hail been cleaned out on Saturday it would in all pro.
liability have been discovered. It had occurred to him that
the boiler was set out of the level, and he had examined
the one that remains in its place: to his utter amazement
he found it to be seven inches higher at the back than the
front. The flues of the injured boiler run parallel with the
boiler. Now, supposing this were set as much out of the
level as the other, it might be that the back was bare of
water, when the gauge indicated the presence of 6 or 6 inche.,
in front. The bricklayer had told him that the boiler was
Live inches off the level at the time it was put down. Ile
had never heard of such a thing ; it was a most dangerous
course.
Mr. Crabtree observed that Miles Moulson, who set the
builer, had wished to set it on an inclination of 21 inches;
but by the direction of the foreman of the Bowling Com-
pany, it was placed 5 inches below the level.
Mr. Wilson mid that two inches and a half was far more
than ought to have been, but that was not enough to ac-
count for the difference between one side and the other.
The jury then consulted, and in the lapse of a few
minutes, the foreman said, " The jury are of opinion that
the death of these persons by scalding is the result of an
accidental bursting of a steam-engine boiler; but they are
de,irous to add to this, that the practice of setting boilers,
as in this case, some inches out or level, is exceedingly dan-
gerous and unnecessary, and ought to be discontinued.—
Bradford Observer.

LONDON MECHANICS' INSTITUTION.—TIIE Cos
WAT AND BRITANNIA BRIDOES.—Last evening Mr. B.
Wheeler delivered a lecture at the above institution in
Southampton buildings, Chancery-lane, on the history,
principles, and construction of the Conway and Britannia
tubular iron bridges. Mr. Wheeler commenced his lec-
ture by some preliminary remarks on bridges in general,
and especially those bridges which were constructed of iron.
Re neat dwelt with some minuteness upon the characteris-
tics of out iron as contradistinguisbed from those of wrought
iron, and afterwards pointed out, by means of diagrams,
the peculiar fitness of these materials for constructions of
this kind. The lecturer then called attention to the diffi-
culties which beset the promoters of the Chester and Holy-
head Railway in their desire to carry a bridge across the
Conway River and the Menai Straits, and he mentioned a
variety of facts (which were detailed some little time ago
in this journal in • report of a lecture delivered upon
the same subject at the Society of Arts). with a view
to show that those difficulties were overcome in a series of
experiments performed by Mr. Robert Stephenson, in con-
junction with Mr. Win. Fairbairn, Mr. E. Clarke, and
others. These experiments, he observed, occupied • period
of 18 months, and their cost amounted to upwards of 6,0001.
Mr. Wheeler traced the whole course of the experiments
from their commencement, and explained in a very intelli-
gible manner the principles of mechanical construction
which the bridges in question had brought into operation.
In his concluding remarks, the lecturer explained, by means
of various models, the peculiar process of uniting the iron
plates which form the upright aides of the Conway Bridge,
observing that their strength was caused by the application
of ribs composed of T and angle iron. The several plates
and ribs were so fixed together as to render the sides as
strong ma if they had been constructed of one solid piece of
iron. and he remarked that if the mechanism bad not been
of this description, the result could not have been satisfac-
tory. The lecturer's observations oa this occasion referred
more particularly to the Conway Bridge, but he announced
that on • subsequent evening he should descant with more
minuteness upon the Britannia Bridge, and the details of
it/ construction.

BATHING kfTIRMART.—A correordent says :
" Among the institutions lately honoured y the notice of
her Majesty is the Royal Bea Bathing Infirmary, which is
locally situate at Margate, in the Isle of Thanet, but whose
patients come sometimes from inland villages, but mostly
from London and crowded cities. Her Majesty sent a done-
tiou of 501., sad added to the value of the donation by some
, pertinent remarks on the expenditure, which Col. Phipps
I was ordered to communicate, and which were publicly read
at the visitation dinner en Margate, oa August 25. The
utility, and one might almost say die aseusity, of the insti-
tution will be apparent to every me who can find time to
go to the infirmary itself. And there mast be many among
the handfuls daily sonveyed by radioed sad steam-boats to
Marfillia sad Ramsgate whs, heels, line to spare, could
not do bettor them pay it a visit I they would there learn,
by whit they nn, bow seven • essarge the disease of
lanads ir, sad they womb' have the pleasure of witnessing
the rest nal which, while Isis net to be attained else-
where, the esediaal tessimmt of Ws Infirmary surplice,
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