The Express.
London, England, 1867-12-27 00:00:00

THE RECENT BOILER EXPLOSION NEAR

MANCHZ9TER.

On Tuesday, Mr. Edward Herford, Manchester
serener, opened the inquest on the bodies of the six persons
killed by the recent boiler explosion at Mesas. Chapman
and Hot dyeworks, Bromley-street, Ashley lane. The
names of the deceased are Joseph Clare (40), 11, George.
street, Butler-street, velvet finisher • Samuel Bottomley
(40), 22, Winstanley-place, Lime-street, Oldham-road,
dyer; William Thornley (3k), 16, Walker-street, Open-
shaw, finisher ; John Dolan (26), 10, Ashley-lane, finisher ;
Arthur Holland (6), Bromley-street, son of Mr. James
Holland, one of the partners ; Robert (Dewhirst (22),
Barnes Green, Harpurhey, dyer.
Mr. Jesse Chapman, senior partner in the firm, was the
first witness called. He deposed—l live at 22, Bromley-
✓treet, Ashley-lane, Manchester. In partnership with
James Holland, I carry on the business of dyer. The
boiler which exploded was need in connexion with several
small engines—three two-horse and one four-horse power.
They were not used regularly or at once. The boiler has
been working and unused for about twelve years. It was
• cylinder boiler, 18ft. long and Eft. in diameter. The
flue was 3ft., and ran the entire length of the boiler.
It was calculated to supply six or seven horse power
more than it was used for. Joseph Collings was the
engineer ;he has been injured. He attended to the boiler
and engines. There was a leakage in the boiler, which I
knew of last week. I noticed it on Tuesday or Wednea-
I day. I continued working the boiler, and did not think
the flaw of much consequence. I gave no instructions as
to its being repaired, but intended to do so towards
Christmas. I mean during the stoppages in the New Year's
week. That time was fixed on sou not to stop the
works and throw the " hands " out. I saw water coming
from under the boiler, but did not ascertain where it came
from. I could not have done so without getting out the
" bedding," which would have taken several days. I can-
not say if the leakage caused the explosion. When the
explosion took place I was in the kitchen of my house. I
had crossed over the boiler two minutes previously. On
ooming out I found the place in ruins, and the boiler
tilted on its front end. The deceased men were in our
employment—the little boy was the son of my partner. I
have never seen the engineer since the explosion. I last
saw him getting his dinner about 20 minutes past twelve
o'clock. He was sitting on • bench about four yards
from the boiler. When I pared over the
I did not see him. Our dinner hour is from
half-past twelve to half-past one. The explotion
took place about ten minutes put one o'clock. Several
of the men were therefore absent. The boiler had leaked
before, about two years ago. We then put • patch on it.
That leak was in the upper end of the boiler, close to the
mid-feather. I did not personally examine that leakage.
I cannot say whether the last leakage may have resulted
from that one or not. The boiler has not been inspected
for two years—we could not afford it at the time. We are
not connected with any of the boiler associations. The
boiler was carrying from 201 b. to 2.51 b. It was new when we
got it. Ido not think it hu been wrought more than seven
or eight years out of the twelve. When we got it from
the makers it was certified to us at 10016. pressure. It has
never carried more than 251 b. The safety valves were in
good working order, and there was • sufficiency of water
when the explosion ook place. I was present when Win.
Thornley, Arthur Holland, and Dolan were found. I also
saw Dewhirst dug out. I was at • distance among the
ruins. Dewbirst was not killed, but died at the infirmary.
I consider the engineer • careful man. I have known bim
for thirteen years. He has worked for us as engineer for
six years, with an interval of three or four years. He
never mentioned anything of danger from leakage. There
was self-acting machinery for supplying the boiler with
water. There was only one safety valve.
Daniel Ashton said—l am • dresser in the employment
of last witness. When the explosion took place I was
sitting in the "stove," having had my dinner. I was
waiting for the bell to ring for starting work main. The
room where I was sitting fell in on us. I saw the deceased
Samuel Bottomley got out. He was lying at the far end
of the boiler. I think from his position that he had been
blown out of one of the " stoves," where he had been
getting his dinner.
Police-constable Thomas Grady, 29 B, said—l helped to
get out the deceased Joseph Clare. He was lying about five
or six yard. from the boiler. There were iron bars lying
across his breast. He was quite dead. I have not heard
any complaints or explanation as to the cause of the
explosion.
The Coroner intimated that he did not purpose taking
any further evidence that day. He had instructed an en.
gineer to examine the boiler and report. On receiving
his report another inquest would be held. The inquest
was then adjourned till January 3.
The injured men now at the icArmary are progressing as
favourably as could be expected. The man Kennedy, who
is suffering from contusion and extensive scalds, is not
likely, however, to recover so quickly as was anticipated,
his injuries being rather more serious than at first reported.
The two men, Collings and Moore, who were sent to their
homes, are also in • fair way for recovery. The latter man
had his head badly crushed, and was sent to the infirmary
for the purpose of having his wounds attended to. Either
from fear or other cause he refused to be treated.

The Archduke Louis Victor, brother of the Em-
peror of Austria, arrived on the 17th at Nice from Spain,
and alighted at the Hotel of the Luxemburg, on the Eng-
lish promenade.

The official evening receptions at the Tuileries
will probably commence in the week following New Year's
Day. Four state balls are spoken, as in last season—the
first to Like place on the 15th January, and the others at
intervals of a fortnight. There are also to be two grand
balls at the Hotel-de-Ville, one in January, and the other
in the following month.
RAILWAY CW1.18101.7 AT SHREWSBVRY.—A serious
collision took place outside the Shrewsbury station last
evening. While a goods train was shunting another ran
into it, causing considerable destruction of property, but
no lives lost.

Tint limn IN ENGLAND.-At the last census in
1861 among the 20,066,224 persons found in England and
Wales 601,634 were natives of Irelaud, being nearly three
in every hundred. At the preceding census in 1851 the
number was not quite so large, being only a little over 2/
per hundred. One thing, however, must not be over-
looked, that the children born us England of Irish parents
are counted among the English people, and that, partly at
least as the result of this, an unusually large proportion of
the Irish in England-in 1861 nearly five-sixths-are adults
of 20 years and upwards. Reckoning only males, the census
of 1861 shows 9,776,259 male persons of all ages in Eng-
land, and among them were 218,729 natives of Ireland,
being 3 yoer cent. of the whole number ; but the Irishmen in
England 20 years old or upwards were more than 4'5 per
cent. of the whole male population of that age. It was
estimated by the Registrar-General that the Irish in
England were sustained at their number by an immigration
of nearly 18,000 a year. Of the Irish male persons of all
ages in England at the last census rather more than 100,000,
above a third of the whole number, were in Lancashire. In
Liverpool, with a total male population of 215,716, 40059
males were natives of Ireland. In Manchester and &Hord
22,0% of the 217,596 males were persons born in Ireland.
Other Lancashire towns show considerable numbers of
natives of Ireland. In Bolton they were 2,424 of the 33,759
males, and in Preston 2,810 in 38,068. Many other towns
in the north show the tendency of the Irish part
of the population to the towns. The census gives 4,9:1:3
natives of Ireland in the 100,133 male persons of all
ages in Leeds ; 2,418 in 49,268 in Bradford ; 3,261 in
9'2,140 in Sheffield ; 2,524 in 23,274 in Stockport ; 1,270 in
16,826 in Gateshead; 1,430 in 46,5% in Mill ; 2,297 in
37,818 in Sunderland ; 3,322 in 54,092 in Newcastle. The
town of Warrington is not separately given, but in the
district the numbers are 1,985 in 22,035 males of all ages.
Coming south, we find 1,854 in the 30,610 males in
Wolverhampton ; 5,812 in 143,996 in Birmingham ; 1,966
in 69,043 in Bristol ; 2,472 in 43,868 in Merthyr Tydfil ;
1,048 in 11,458 in Newport. In London there were at the
last census 1,307,781 male persons, and 47,587 of them,
31 per cent, were born in Ireland. In Scotland the Irish
are chiefly clustered in 'daces where there is a good de-
mand for unskilled labour. In Glasgow, and also in
Dundee, the census showed nearly 16 per cent of the
inhabitants natives of Ireland ; in Edinburgh 5 per cent.
ANOTHER MURDER OF A GAMEICILLPER.-OR Tues-
day evening, between 5 sod 6 o'clock, John White, a game-
keeper in the employ of Mr. IV. Bwabey, was on duty with
an under-keeper named Farr. in a field near Wavender's
Wood, when they came up with two poachers. White at-
tempted to seize one of them, when he fired, and the shot
entered White's body between the fourth and fifth ribs.
White called to Farr, " I em a dead man-it is Jem lu•
wood that shot me." White than fell down and expired
in a few minutes. The poachers ran away, but the man
Inwood was apprehended by the police, and at his father's
house was found • gun without a ramrod. On search being
made near the spot of the murder the missing ramrod was
picked up. Another man named William Li' nmerton was
also apprehended, and on being charged, be said it was In- ,
wood who shot White. The prisoners were conveyed to
the Stony Stratford lock-up.
SHOCKING MURDER AT DROYLSDEN. -At the
Ashton-under-Lyme county sessions, yesterday, a young
man named Timothy Feberty, of Droylsden, was brought
up on the charge of having, on the afternoon of Christums-
day, wilfully murdered Mary Harmer, of the same place.
The evidence went to show that the prisoner wanted to
pay his addresses to the murdered woman, but was dis-
couraged. On Christmas-day, between 3 end 4 o'clock, he
went to the house in Droylsden where the unfortunate
woman lived. A woman, named Bridget Brodrick, left the
deceased and the prisoner alone, and shortly afterwards
heard her singing, but not long after that she heanl her
scream. On running dowestirs she saw the prisoner with
a poker in his hand, and saw him strike the deceased on
the head. The deceased called out she was killed. The
unfortunate woman died soon afterwards. The witness
said she saw the prisoner strike the deceased five times on
the head. The evidence having proved that the deceased's
death was caused by wounds on the head, the prisoner was
remanded.

DEATH Or THE WALRVEL—The walrus, which
was eo recently an object of general interest at the Zoolo-
gical Gardena, is dead. It was found to be in a state of
extreme debility and inanition. and wee afflicted with
esteem—British Medical Journal.