The Express.
London, England, 1853-08-18 00:00:00

THE CALAMITOUS ACCIDENT AT THE NEW

CRYSTAL PALACE.

TILE INQUEST.

An investigation into the circumstances attending
the late deplorable accident at the sew Crystal Palace was
commeseed yesterday before Mr. W. Carter, coroser for
Baney, and *jury of respectable ishabitante of the hamlet
of Peage, is the parish of Norwood.

Th•covoser aad jury met at 11 o'clock at the Royal
Crystal Palace Hotel.

Among the parties present in the inquest room we re-
marked Sir Joseph Paxton, director of the winter garden
and conservatories ; Mr. Francis Faller, managing director
of the Crystal Palace Company ; and Mr. George Godwin,
F.R.B The contractors, Sir Charles Fox and Mr. John
Henderson, were alsoin attendance.

Mr. Balteatime, instructed by Mr. Humphreys, appeared
to watch the proceedings on behalf of the contractors.

. -
Mr. Farquhar, of the firm of Johnson, Farquhar, and
Leech, attended as one of the solicitors to the Crystal
Palace Company.

Just as the oath had been administered to the jury, a
painful interest was excited in the inquest room by the pas-
sage in (runt of the hotel of a poet fellow upon • stretcher,
apparently insensible, on his way to one of the London
hospitals. It seems that the recent accident has made all
the men employed upon the works very nervous and this
morning an unusual polee at one sad of the building occa-
sioned considerable alarm. The men near the spot made •
precipitate retreat from the locality, and this poor man,
while in the act of descending a ladder, fell from •
considerable height to the ground. When picked up he
was found to be quite insensible, and in this state he was
conveyed to the hospital.
The following is • correct list of the sufferers whose
deaths the jury were sworn to investigate :
William James, carpenter, aged 36 years.
Joseph Copping, carpenter, aged 21 years.
James Warlow, foreman of labourers, aged 34 years.
1 Williams Middleton, labourer, aged 34 years.
William Rolfe Smith, labourer, aged 28 years.
John Neill, labourer, aged 40 years.
George Topham, labourer, aged 32 years.
William Harding, labourer, egad 32 years.
William Forman, labourer, aged 36 years.
Hurry Fielding, labourer, aged 38 years.

The Carona, in opening the proceeding., observed that
he had received an intimation of the deaths of several per-
sons having occurred in consequence of some portion of the
works connected with the Crystal Palace having given
way. The first duty of the jury would be to see the bodies
of these unfortunate persons with a view to their legal
identification. After that they must endeavour to get
witnesses to show if possible that these persons were on the
premises, and what their legitimate object there was. It
would then be necessary to show the jury, and through
the jury the public, under what circumstances the deaths
occurred, "when and by what mew," whether any
person might, under any circumstances, be made legally
responsible for them, or either of them, or whether it was
an

event. He understood that some gentle-
men connected with the works were present who would
give them all the facts of the case so far as they might be
presumed to be known at present. Whether that would be
conclusive to the minds of the jury would, of course, de-
pend on the nature of the evidence offered.
The identification of the various bodies, and the feet of
the deceased persons being engaged on the works at the
time the accident occurred having been formally proved by
two witnesses, respectively named William Wright and
Clement Brcden,

George Williams, foreman carpenter, in the employ of
the contractors, wu called. Me said—l was engaged on
the works of the Palace on Monday afternoon, about half.
put two o'clock. I saw the deceased persons there at that
time. I was upon the ground Boor of the building, within
about 24 feet of Ice of the columns upon which the scaf-
folding which fell rested. The deceased persons were upon
the scaffold engaged in completing its construction. The
scaffoldieg was composed of wood and iron, properly
framed together, and tied with iron bolts. Sir of the
lower trusses or frames, of which the scaffolding consisted,
and three of the upper, were completed. We were about
completing the seventh bottom frame when the accident
occurred.

Mr. Ballantine here handed in to the coroner a series of
elaborately drawn plans, showing the construction of the
scaffold. He said they had been prepared expressly for the
use of the jury, and he hoped after they had had an oppor-
tunity of viewing the scene of the accident, the drawings
might prove useful to them in the prosecution of their
inquiry.
The plans having been explained to the jury by Sir
Joseph Paxton, the examination of Williams was continued.
The scaffolding consists of a series of traces, which are
in turn composed of a number of struts tied together with
iron plates, and secured by rivets. It Is about a month
sines the construction of this scaffold commenced, and it
has been in course of erection from that time. It was put
up for the purpose of raising the iron ribs intended to
form the roof of the central transept. The various
parts were prepared below and put together above. They
were put together by men acting under myself ; I, in turn,
receiving nay orders from Mr. Cochrane, the general super-
intendent of the works. The workmen had put in the last
strut, and were in tke act of completing the seventh truss,
when the whole of the three lower trusses, with the planks
end fittings belonging to them, fell together. I heard a
crash of something giving way, and looking up saw the
scaffold fall. It fell clews to where I was standing. I have
no means of knowing what parties gave way first. When
I saw it falling, I had enough to do to get out of the way.
The three trusses fell together. Only a few pieties of broken
wood fell after the main crush. The four other tramss
rresnained in their places, and are still as firm as ever. The
parties who aro deed were all engaged upon the time..
when the oxidant occurred. They fell • depth of 102
feet

At this juncture, the coroner sad jury proceeded to view
the bodies of the deceased piracies—a formality which, is &-
foremost. the teenage of the worknee employed, had at the
maestros of the forma& of the jury hoes delayed until
the Mawr hoer, when the bending was comparatively
clear of the eimpispies. The bodies were all lying is a
ghastly oink in ma of the oMses wader the roof of the
ear pence. After a hurried survey Mute llamas; spec-
Mole, the comer sad jury astempsaied Sir Charles Fox
sad Mr. Headmen into one of the galkries overlooking
the esetral transept, where they Wooed to a held explain-
dem of the mode of constrecting the stainid sad throwing
over the Isom ribs. The &matron offsets of the accident
wen still palatally visible ea every side. la the transept
a large mass was wend by the debris of the fallen
tresses, which is several plasm had penetrated the tooting
sod formed a imam of broken timbers twang fat above
it. In the astral save, bsrlsd beneath ma Imam quan-
tity of heavy beams sad Ina work might still
be seen the earessm of two one hones nulled
by the toning materials ; while, looking up-
wards, wee observed the broken sad jagged aids
of the timber forming the came:Loa between the
fourth sad fifth tresses, evideaciag the violist /WA which
taut have been eastained by the remaking portion when
the three lamer trusses ML

On the return of the jury to the inquest room the exami-
nation of Williams was again proceeded with. He said:
I have been employed upon the works ever since their
oommenesment. My duty was to superintend the carpen-
ter's work. I have bad experience is similar works, and
was engaged in the same capacity at the Great Exhibition
building in Hyde-park. It was my duty to select the wood
for forming the trusses. It was all new, and the but
quality of Dantsie pine. The iron wed was also of the
but quality. No portion of the materials forming the
trusses came front the old building in Hyde-perk. The
iron columns used in the erection of the present palace are
from the building in Hyde-park—that is, a great many of
them. None of those upon which the trusses stood have
given way. Three of the trusses had been carried up the
entire height, and one pair of ribs have been'
thrown over them. The trusses under those ribs are
still perfect. They are composed of the sane material, are
of the urns description, and are put together in the same
way as thou that fell. I have been on the top of the re-
maining trusses since the accident. The fourth or inner
truss seems dukes a little, but it will no doubt remain safe
enough until we can make it more secure. The other three
trusses are not at all displaced or shaken. I cannot under
stand how it is that three of the trusses should have fallen,
while the others remain firm in their pieces.
Coroner—Now, in respect of carrying out this piece of
machinery as I may call it—these truest*, I mean, for the
purpose of allowing the iron circular roof to be put up, in
your opinion, to the best of your experience, has there been
no want of judgment shown in its erection ?
Witnue—None whatever, according to my knowledge.
Had there been anything wrong, I should have been the
first to have altered it. I considered it perfectly safe.
Coroner—Wu every care taken with regard to the
strength of the materials employed, and with a view to the
safety of the parties engaged on the building P—Yes, every
care, to the best of ■y ability.