The Express.
London, England, 1867-12-31 00:00:00

GUNPOWDER WOW

'The inquest on the remains of the eleven men
killed by the explosion of gunpowder at the works of
Messrs. Hall and Son, near Faversham, was held in •
house near the mills yesterday afternoon before Mr. T. T.
Delman', county coroner. The names of the deceased
are John Taylor, 137 ; Thomas Lack, 29 ; Thomas Bel.
dock, 27 ; John Payne, 39 ; John Young, 42 ; Edward
Young, 45 ; William Eley, sr • Christopher Johncock 30
William Austen, 25 ; William; Amos, 40 ; and Iticherd
Sole, 41. Messrs. Hall and Son were present ; and Mr.
Taseell, solicitor, attended on their behalf.

William !Iciness deposed—l am foreman of the Marsh
Works, belonging to Messrs. Hall and Son. On Saturday
last at the time of the explosion the eleven deceased men
were employed at these works. Shortly before the explosion
I was in front of this building. An explosion took place at
five minutes before eleven in the charge, press,
and corning houses. My belief is that the press-
house, the centre of the three, went first. In
that prey-house John and Edward Young, John
Taylor, William Sole, and WilliainAusten were employed.
I believe that Christopher Jobnoock was also there. I
believe the corning-house went next. I beard but two
explosions, but there were three. William Eley,
Thomas 'Beek, John Payne, William Amos, and Fre-
derick Sherwood were employed in the corning•house. At
the charge-house was Thomas Baldock. I have seen the
mangled remains of bodies, and I believe them to be wts
of the eleven persons whom I have enumerated. I have
been on these works thirty-four years. In the book I pro-
duce are entries that were made on Saturday last. They
show that on the morning of Saturday I went to the corn-
ing-house at 10.45, the press-hone at 10.35. I did not visit
the ohugedsonse. I have worked in the corning•honee for
eighteen years. AU persons working in the works have
rules giving them every caution. I cannot say what was
the cause of the explosion, and I feel confident that
no one can say I was the last man in all the
houses. In the corning-hone the powder is grained from
the prees•house. Some was conveyed from the pries-
house to the corning•honse as usual. There was only one
man in the charge•hhone ; his duty was to receive powder
from carts. All the deceased were at their usual work and
in their usual order. From all that I know r °Damien-
tiously believe that the explosion was caused by accident.
By the Jury—Have heard that some man had inquired
as to the position of the works. No strangers are alloyed
to go into the mills while they are at work.

By Mr. Tassell—When I left the pews-house at 10.45, I
went to the gate leading to the Ham-road. Did not see
anybody about. I only went to drive away pheasant, that
might be in the field. As soon as the eceploeion was over,
I ran to the spot. I went to the engine-house and stopped
the engine, and turned the steam from the boiler into the
chimney.
By the Coroner—The corning-house contained about 17
cwt. of powder; the press about the same quantity, and
the charge-house 6or 7 cwt. The corning and press houses'
contained about the initial quantity.
By Mr. Tamen—The men usually employed at the three
houses were steady and well-coadueted. all bad
their prop* dress on, and all wen to their
work. The buildings had been erected 10 years.
By the Coroner—No smoking ia allowed. The deceased
had been employed on the woe Ics from 5 to 30 years. Every
man wears specially-provided slippers.
Frederick Sherwood—l iun employed at the corning-
house, and was there on Saturday last. Everything was in
I order. I went out of the earning-hones at 10 minutes to
11, and went to the water-61cent, and while I was there the
explosion took place. I only heard two explosions. I
could not tell which went that, but I believe the press-
house did. That is in the centre. I cannot form any idea
as to what was the cause of the explosion, nor do I believe
any one can. I have no reason to doubt that it was an ac-
cident. All the deceased were on duty the night before.
Oeorge Bramble—l am employed at the works as boat-
man. On Saturday last I was in a boat removing powder
from the opening house to the glazing house. I was in the
boat when the explosions took place. I saw a flash from
the corning-house and was thrown into the water. I
cannot say which house exploded first. I had been at
work all the morning. I saw the deceased men, and did
not notice anything different in them. Ido not know
what caused the explosion, but believe it to have been
accidental. _ _ _ _ _

The foreman remarked that a report had been circulated
that two men had been teen at the works, and that the
manager had ordered them out.
Mr. J. M. Cowper, the manager, said there was not an
atom of truth in that report.
This being the whole of the evidence,
The jury unanimotudy returned a verdict of " Acci-
dental death." with the following addenda : " And the
jury also believe that every care and caution have been
taken by the proprietors of these works to select men who
are careful, sober, and honest, and that the management
is carried on carefully."

Tar EARTHQUAKI IN THZ WIMP II!DIZ3.—COM-
maim Bissell, of the United States Navy, has sent the
following despatch to Washington, describing the effects of
the meat earthquake is the We.* Indies upon the war
steamer Monongahela :—" United States Steamship
Monongahela, St. Croix, Nov. 21 1867.—Sir,—I have to
state, with deep regret, that the United States steamship
Monongahela, under my commend, is now lying on the
beach in front of the town of Fredericketedt, St. Croix,
where she wad thrown by the most fatal earthquake ever
known here. The shock occurred at three o'clock p.m.
of the 18th inst. Up to that moment the weather was
serene, and no indication of a change showed by the baro-
meter which stood at 30 degrees 15 minutes. The first
indication we bad of the earthquake was • violent
trembling of the ship, resembling the blowing off of steam.
Thislasted some thirty seconds, and immediately afterward
the water wee observed to be receding rapidly from the
beach. In • moment the current was changed,
and bore the ship toward the beach, carrying
out the entire cable and drawing the bolts from the
keelson, without the slightest effect in checking her terrific
speed toward the beach. Another anchor was ordered to
be let go, but in • few seconds she was in too thee'
water for his to avail. When within • few yards of the
beach, the refine of the water checked her speed for •
moment, and • light breeze from the land gave me a
momentary hope that the jib and foretopmaet staysail
might pay her head off shore, so that in the reflux of the
wave she might reach waters sufficiently deep to float her,
and then be brought up by the other anchor. These idle
were immediately set, and she paid off so as to brriing her
broadside to the beach. When the sea returned, in the form
of • wall of water 23 or 20 feet high, it carried us over tho
warehouses into the first street of the town. This wave
lin receding took her back toward the beach, and left
her nearly perpendicular on the edge of • coral reef,
where she has now keeled over to an angle of 15 degrees.
All this was the work of • few moments only, and soon
after the waters of the be subsided into their naturally
tranquil state, leaving us high and dry upon the beach.
Daring her progress toward beach she struck heavily
two or three times ,• the first lurch carried the rifle gun on
the forecastle overboard. Had the ship been carried ten
or fifteen feet further out she must inevitably have been
forced over on her beam ends, resulting, I fear in her total
destruction, and in the loss of many lives. Providentiallyi
only four men were lost ; these were in the boats at the
time the shock commenced. The boats that were down
were all swamped except my gig, which was crushed
under the keel, killing my coxswain, a most valuable man.
During this terrific scene the officen and men behaved
with coolness end subordination. It affords me great
pleasure to state that after a careful examination of the
position and condition of the ship I am enabled to
report that she has sustained no irreparable damage to
her hull. The 'tempest is bent, and some 20 feet of her
keel partially gone ; propeller and shrift uninjured. The
lower pintle of the rudder is gone, but no other damage is
sustained by it. No damage is dons to her bull more
serious than the loss of several sheets of copper, torn from
her starboard bilge and from her keeL She now lies on
the edge of a coral reef, which forms a solid foundation, on
which ways may be laid. She can thus be launched in ten
feet of water at 100 feet tees the besot'. Gentlemen look-
isg at the ship from shore declare that the bottom of the
bay was visible where there was before, and is now, forty
fathoms of water. To extricate the ship from her
position I respectfully suggest that Mr. J. Hanscom be
sent down with suitable material for ways, ready for lay-
ing down, and indiarubber camels to buoy her up. I
think there is no insuperable obstacle to her being put
afloat, providing • gang of ten or twelve good ship car-
penters be sent down with the naval constructor, as her
boilers and engines appear to have sustained no injury. A
valuable ship may thus be reed to the navy, with all
her stores and equipments. S. B. BISAILL, Commodore
Commanding.— Rear-Admiral J. S. Palmer, commanding
IL A. Squadron, St. Thomas."
Tier ALLEGED ATTEMPT TO BLOWUP WARRINGTON
GAR WORKS.—The Warrington Gacirdian publishes • cor-
respondence end documents to show that the four Irish-
men who were recently charged before the magistrates
with an attempt to blow up the gas works, together with
eight other Irish catholic', who have been removed from
their employment at the gas works for their supposed
complicity or sympathy with Fenianism, have made a
declaration before Mr. Ryland', • justice of the
peace, that they are not now, and never were,
Fenian"; that they do not sympathise with Fenianism,
nor would they render any support to Fenisnism,
and that they were entirely innocent of any attempt
to injure the gas works. The Guardian further
states that yesterday Father Hall brought • second docu-
ment peeving that • thirteenth man has made the name
declaration before Mr. Ryland' as his fellow-workmen, and
who is preparing to claim the 50i. reward offered by the
gas company, and he already left in the hands of •
respectable and well-known solicitor the name of the man
he will bring up before the magistrates. The man, he says,
is not an 'nehmen, most assuredly not • catholic. Father
Hall is confident be can prove, is a few days, that • hoax
has been perpetrated by the person in
inhabitants
rind
thereby an unmerited slur cast upon the mhabitar;te of
the town, and in an especial manner upon the Irish
catholics.

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beet concentrated beef. Also to strengthen Invalids and
delicate children.—Da Ism oe., 77, legent-quadrant W.,
Leedom and an pews irdi iimils.-4,Adverlismeat.)