The Express.
London, England, 1848-01-11 00:00:00

lie thew found that the whole of the new wall mid pillars
had sunk down together. He was not injured. Heamisted
in getting the men out from under the mosso( Whim The
scaffolding was sound, and such as was usually esmairected
for the men to work on. The wall and plum all went to-
gether in one mess. The party walls did not give way.
There were ten pillars ; bat no timber in the wall. Witness
objected to any portion of the work as it prooseded,
either on the wore of too much haste or hadnesaof the mate-

rule ; nor did he ever hear Shea or any of the labourers ob-
ject. The pillars were soundly built, and had set and
hardened before the wall was built on them. The best bricks

and cement were used.

The Coroner here warned the witness that it was neces-
sary, for his own future safety and to prevent future acci-
dents, that the whole truth should be stated respecting the
manner in which the wall was being constructed.
Witness continued: He considered the work to be suite
infe. The wall which fell was being constructed upon the pillars
Pamela which were thrown across. This part of the evidence,
however, was subsequently better detailed by the foreman
sad draughtsman of the works. Witness had no hesitation
at all in stating all the facts that he knew. The pillars were
2 feet 4 inches in diameter, and 19 or 20 feet high. Never
saw a job executed with sounder materials. Could say
nothing about the cause of the wall and pillars giving way.
The scaffold did not help to bring down the wall. If he had
to work spin on a similar building could offer no sugges
two by which a similar accident could be prevented. Did
not see the wall actually fall—it was so sudden. The acci-
dent might have arisen from the too great weight of the
wall upon the pillars. The latter were all level--resting on
solid pedestals.
Edward Scanlan: Was a labourer in Mr. Cubitt's em-
ploy ; was employed at the scaffolding of the wall that fell
when the accident happened. (The witness, who is a patient
in the hospital, was very severely bruised about the face and
head, and appeared to suffer from debility.) The scaffold-
ing was well and properly constructed and quite safe. He
had never objected to the mode of carrying on the
work. Had no cause to do so. Mr. Cubitt was
often down at the works, inspecting their progress.
Mr. Butterwick, the foreman of Mr. Cubitt, was also
frequently there. Witness saw nothing of the deceased
at the time of the accident, nor had he seen any one respect-
ing it since. Was at work on the place when the pillars
were built. The materials were all good. Never saw any
bad bricks. The workmen also were all good and expe-
rienced. Could form no idea how the accident happened.
The foundations and the pillars on them were the supporta
of the wall that fell. There had been plenty of time for the
supports to become consolidated and hard. If he were told
to go to work again on a similar wall ho should do so, nor
oould he offer any suggestions either as to she materials or
the time given them to consolidate. He could find no fault
at all; nor did he know any one wise could tell how the
accident occurred. This witness also spoke u to the archi-
tectural data* which other more competent ones afterwards
deposed to.
James Stevenson was a foreman of the bricklayers in Mr.
Cubitt's employment. Had been in that gentleman's
service for 28 years. The work on which the deceased was
engaged was based on a strong foundation, seven feet
thick. Upon this came the pedestals for the pillars, which
pedestals were of the same thickness as the foundation ; they
were 5 feet high, and the materials were the beat bricks and
cement. Upou them were placed the pedestals 30 feet high,
all on the !same level at the base and summit. The bricksueed
were the best picked stocks ; the cement was in the pro-
portion of rather more than two measures of cement to one
of sand. The pillars were solid and seasoned before the wall
I war begun. The pedestals were commenced building on the
21st October and finished on the 30th. The pillars were
begun on November it and finished on the 22nd. They
were all carried up to the same level in order to receive the
stones from which the arches destined to support the wall
were to spring. The pillars were ranged by pairs, a space of
18 or 20 inches existing between each pair. They
were placed in pairs at right feet distance. There
IMO eight eolumns; the stones forming their summits were
Bound. The arches extending from one set of pillars to the
next set were commenced on Dec. 11. Witness could not
tell the reason why a continuous wall was not built, instead
of arches. He only obeyed his orders, and built according
to the plans and drawings that were laid down fur him.
The arches springing from each pair of pillars were to sup-
port the weight of a wall of 75 fret in height. The arches
were 18 inches in thickness of bricks. The spring of the
such between the pillars was 12 inches.
The Coroner • Wu not that unusual ?
Wituess: No. fil.ad frequently superintended similarly
constructed walls oft arches. There were iron hands which
locked together and strengthened the work. The height of
the wall was 76 feet, the thickness above the pillars 5 feet
4 inches, and then, after 3 feet, it was reduced te 2 feet
8 inches, at which thickness it ea continued to the top
course. The work was not contract work between Mr. Cubitt
and the workmen. They were paid the best wages (53. 61. a
day), in order to have the work well done. No man ever
came and said there was danger. He could not account for
the falling in of the wall. He would build again s similar
wall. lie had no fear on the subject. Could not imagine
the cause of the accident. Was constantly about the work
whilst it was proceeding. Had been at the wall two
minutes before it fell. There were no means of judging
where it first gave way. Had examined the ruins, butcould
form no judgment from them es to this circumstance. The
bricks were all sound ; none of them were crushed by the
fall. Could not tell whether the wall in falling brought the
I pillars down with it, or whether it was the pillars yielding
that brought down the wall. Could suggest no means, nor
offer any advice, to prevent a similar accident. Had formed
no idea of what the weight pressing on the arches and
pillars was.
Mr. Robert Butterwick called—Witness is general fore-
man of the works at Mr. Cubitt's. The wall in ruins was
executed on what is termed " day work." Mr. Cubitt had
a contract with the railway company, but made none with
his men, or as to materials. The directions were to use the
very best materials ; there was no stint in soy respect. The
men had ss. 6d. a day wages, Had never apprehended
danger from the building. Was on the scaffolding with the
w.irkmen every half hour or more. Could paint out no mean;
of avoiding a similar accident in future. The recent damp
weather might have softened the cement or made it less con-
solidated, but time bad been elven for this purpose, and
nee did not attribute the accident to such a cause. The Tea-
, ton why the pillars and arches constituted the support of the
wall was that a gallery for the purposes of a passage was re-
' quired b, low. Witness should consider a wall built
I upon such pillars and arches as strong and safe as a con-
tinuous wall. There were iron binders at the summits of the
pillars to strengthen the work. The columns were two feet
four inches in diameter, and twenty feet high. The con-
struction of similar walls was not unusual. Mr. Cuhitt had
examined the ruins with witness, but could not account for
the accident. It was intended to construct the wall again—
not exactly in the same way. There would be some diffe•
rence, but witness could not state what. He worked by
order, and not according to any principles. Tho plan of the
building bad always been well considered before it came to
him aa foreman. If, during its construction, witness had
thought there wog any danger, he would have stopped the
works, and reported the fact to his principals.
The Coroner: But in this case the danger was so subtle
that it escaped everybody's observation. How, therefore,
can you say you would prevent such an accident in future
by stopping the work ; for there appears to have been no
frost, oo soaking in of the rain, to loosen the brickwork, or to
injure it?
Witness, in continuation, gavo the dates of et e periods at
which the several parts of the building were commenced and
finished up to Dec. 11, when the e ntahlatures of the pillars
were placed, from which time the work bad gone gently on
up to Thursday last.
The Coroner observed that the superincumbent weight on
the pillars and arches must have been enormous.
Witness averred that the calculation respecting the
strength of materials gave five times the weight that
was placed upon the columns and arches. The iron girders
were for the purpose of strengthening the arches. Witness
was backwards and forwards on the scaffold and about the
, wall daring the whole progress, and he might have been
there at the moment the aceidenthappened. Mr. Cubitthed
suggested no means by which a similar occurrence might
not again happen. The whole of the foundation on which
the pillars had rested was firm and sound.
Mr. Christopher Bavin was employed in the office of Mr.
Hardwick, the architect to the North Western Railway
Company. Witness was not in Mr. Cubitt's employment
in any way. Mr. Hardwick was the person responsible for
the architectural department of the construction at the Ease
tan-square terminus. He had surveyed the works in crea-
tion, as also had witness. The plan of the works was in
witness's hand. A section and elevation of the structure
was here put in for the examination of the jury. Witness,
in continuation, said he could form no idea how the acci-
dent occurred, and that he would proceed again on a precisely
similar plan. He should consider the plan perfectly sale,
and the arches too ; but not so safe as a wall built con-
tinuously up from the foundation.
The Coroner then stated that Mr. Cubitt was not present,
but was ready to attend if necessary. He thought that
since no blame had been thrown on any person, they could
net expect Mr. Cuhitt to attend voluntarily and answer
questions which might tend to throw blame nn himself ; but
if the jury considered it essential, he should be summoned ;
or if they wished he would lIIMMOI any person whom they
might consider likely to throw light on the matter. They
had had a very clear account given them of what had
pained, although the gentlemen who had been examined
had failed to find nut a preventative for the recurrence of
such an accident. But he thought that the absence, in the
structure which had broken down, of any feature which
would effect a great improvement for the future would not
be a ground of blame on the present occasion.
The jury did not express a desire for the production of
other evidence, and alter a few words of explanation from
Mr. Basin with regard to the formation and height of the
arches, in which he reiterated his former statement, the
Coroner proceeded to say that if the jury considered the evi-
dence as tending to show that some pi rson was responsible
for the death of the deceased, it was their business to have
the opinion of competent judges. But in the present case no
person was blamed. The wall appeared to have been built
in a manner which complied with every rule laid down, and
they could not very well blame a builder for not going be-
yond those rules ; for if three feet of wall would suffice, it
could not be expected that ten feet should be wasted. It
was the same with regard to medical treatment. If expe-
rience would not justify the practitioner in treating a case in
a particular manner, he was:not to be blamed if he did not
resort to it. The Coroner asked Mr. Bavin if he was in-
structed to make any representations on the part of the com-
pany?—The witness answered that he was not. In reply to
another question, he repeated that he knew of no method
by which to avoid such an accident for the future.
A Juror : I suppo general feeling that there in no
se
assignable cause.—Witness: the
teem : The only assignable cause was
the vibration in the scaffolding, which might be caused by
the breaking of one of the ropes, as the scaffolding was very
heavy.
John Hickman was then recalled, and asked he ob