The Express.
London, England, 1850-03-15 00:00:00

THE POWDER MILL EXPLOSION AT
HOUNBLOW.—CORONBIre INQUEST.
A brief report of the inquest on the bodies of the
sufferers by this explosion appeared in yesterday's Express.
The following is a (idler report: The first wither celled wu
Mr. J. Lambastes'. He said—l am • clerk. I knew thei
deceased. I did not know their ages. Goodhall was a
coiner, Perty was a glazier, and Bookmsster was a caning
man. I was on the premiers on Moniay afternoon lute
The body of Goodhael was found on the border, edits
meadow called the Cylinder-field, about 12 yards from where
he had been working. Bookansiter was also found about 12
yards from the mitt They were all dead except Goodhall;
he lived for about ace hour and a half ; he was 'mild'. I
did not ask him any questions, nor did be say sorbing to
me. Immediately alter the accident medical aid wss sent
for. The explosion took place at half-put 3 o'clock. I had
not seen the sea employed in the houses in which
the expl• sion took plain. The mend explosion took plate •
few wend, after the first. I can't say exactly bow soon,
Cperhaps 7or 8 esconds. The second occurred in the neatest
ocas the find that exploded.
By the Coroner—Can you account for the accident?
Witness: No, sir.—Coroner: Glazier and Strange were
employed in the first house that exploded ? Witness: Yes.
—Coroner: Had they been long employed? Witness:
Strange had been employed ebout twelve months, Glazier
17 or 18 years.—Corener : Have you forward -ty opinion as
to the cense of the explosion? Witness: Well, I have.
The man Robert Glazier came to me on the afternoon fa
question for • piece of cloth. I told him to go end help
himself. He went to the store-room and slid so Be ease
tech, and having hung up the seinen, be showed tie cloth
to me. I said, "All right, Bob (we always called hien Bob),
shut the doer," and he shut the doer, and in about two
minutes and • half afterwards lin house blew up.—
' Coroner. How far were you off from his house 2—Witness:
About 150 or 160 yards.—Coroner : Did he say what he
wanted the cloth for ?—Witness • For lining cloth—
.
Coroner: Well, and what do you apprehend or
curried?—Witness: It struck me that he might have
reel tentally taken • piece of grit lath the h ruse.—Corner:
Wu the powder on the floor? Witness: I cannot say.—
Coroner : Did he change his boots? Witness: Yen but It
might have stuck to hi+ trounne—Coroner : Have his feet
been found? Witness: I don't know; the only portion I
have seen of him is his finger.
The surgeon here intimated to the coroner that it was a
most extraordinary circumstance that every single hone in
the bodies of the persons who had been blown to pieces was
br 'ken, with the exception of the 08 sacrum, which was
who!. in each ease.
COMM f Do you know what Glazier ranted the cloth
for ?—Witness; Ye,. In the casks in which the powder is
dtpwited there is a lane hung hole, and it is usual to fix it
fa with a piece of eleth, in oi der that it may cern. oat
easily.—Coroner: Have you heard any opioi-ei expressed
by any of the men es to the cause of the explosion
nese : No.—Coroner: Have any of them expressed dinette-
faction or complaint at any time ? —Witness : No.—Coroner:
What are your regulations for security against expleeons 1—
Witness : The workmen wear sheet and ape es• which are
provided by 11, sir. Curtis. The slippers which they wear
hays no new in them.—Coroner : Nut of any sort? Wie-
r ea,: No. Coroner : Those I saw had upper nails in.
Wi near: Those are not used in the boines.—Cosocer : Do
you believe that the first explosion seal partly accidental.
and that the others were the ceceequence of •be first?
When.',: I do —Coroner: Who had the superintendence
of the men in the house where the explosion took place?
Witness: Henry Clifford —C ironer Will be come Peron
the jury ? Witness: Na. Ile is on the premises, bet he is
too tato be examined.
A Juror—Was it ever known that • spark from the rail-
way canto near the house ? Witness : Such a thing was
never known.
Coroner—What distance is the railway from the place?
Witness—About 700 yards.
J. Archer—l am employed in these mills. I Wasforemanof
the dne:ing house, which was the first that exploded. I
e.nnot say Low much powder it contained at the time,
When I was in it at halt pest ten in the taornieg, there were
nine or tea barrel., eut it was usually taken awey to the
packing house every hour.
Ginner—That is the lest house where it is finished cif.
Withise : Yes—Coroner: Ie the parking.liouee co•eidered
more dangerous than any other? Wanes.: Nu; not so
dangerous.—Coroner: Was there any powder on tile floor
in the dusting house? Witness: Yes; six or s.veu pounds
altogether—Ceroner : How often is the fir r bruited to
keep it clean. Rheas : Every ten minutes or so.—
Corr : What is the weight of a terrel of
powder? Witaess About one hundred p
Coroner: What An you consider the safest way of moving
them? Witness: 'telling the barrel on the floor.—Coroner:
What are tbehoops made of? Wanes.: Weed; tied the
deer is covered with leather.—Conner: 1) n't you think it
would be safer if you were to base some ant euecance to
move the barrels on, such as vulcanized india-rubber ?
Witness: The house is nearly covered with leather, which
is consideted aufficient.—Coro,.ei : Have ores formed an
opinion as to the cease of the exelie ion ? Witoess: I think
that it occurred by reeling a b are]. I can attrieute it to
, no o: her ceue.—Corrner 11 eve you ever tried weether pen-
sure would ignite i; ,—Witteas I have tried, bat it will
sot,—Coroner: Hew del you try it l—Witnem : By pees-
sin; between two pier • of wood.—Coroner. Have you
ever tried it in • cone?—Witness: No.—Coronfr: Les yea
know any person who has 2—Witame Ne.—Coroner : Is
it your °OM in that there was grit on the barrel, and that
' the dust exploded in rolling ever ?—Witness Yes, it is: Coroner : Archer, you do no not believe that the explosion
' was caused wilfula ?—Witnets : I de nee—Coroner: No-
thing bas occurred to induce you to think to ?—Witnese,
No hies whatever.
Wil ism Goddard, ealed end swore, raid: I n, Ter heard
my brother in law. George Goddard. complaM thot he was
not treated properly at the mills, or that he wee fearful of
an danger.
James Archer, recalled, said: I have worked in the mills
for 26 years, and c.e. lateer Teethed there for 52 years. I
nevi r knew a dustirg Lan e " go" bee, re.
Carer et: Do you comic!, r every preciutim was used in
that aid every otter him. to prevent explosion ?—Wi OM:
I am sure there was.
Mr. Trocou Curtis swoen, said—l am a partner in the
firm of Cur:is and Co. I bent wit tried any (eerie:lents
as to the strength of our powder; we know it to wed.
Coroner: Yes; we have had several lamentable tee's of
its streneth. (To elm. s.): Is the dry pueedir ve-y dan-
gerous. Witness: Very dry pea der will not e xpeide so
aeon as damp, because ne sulphur Lees its etc, ngth.—
. Coroner : Well. sir. what do you soy about thud
of powder ? Witness : I consider i: mest clan-
g( roue. Without volunteering evidence, I may say
that the effect uf the explosion had been tuned by dust.—
' Con.ner: Tee cause of the explosion? %fumes: No, the
effect. The buildings were very old, and the dust, which
it is impossible to preveneh.4l accemuisted for moue years.—
C toner : What do ye u apprehend the cause cf the explosion
to have been, have you termed ary opinion ? Witeess: The
only thing I can suppose he, that atter Gluier had got the
cloth he returned without putting on his slippers, and
took in scene gravel. —Coexist : In considering the
effect of this very 1 em.rentla accident, has et oc-
curred to you, that in reconstructing the buildings
some plan may be adopted f's rendering them mere secure?
Wiener : We have cue—Coroner : Does it occur to you to
No.
sums: any thing to prevent a similar accident ? Witness :
Mr. Robert Ashby, suprrietendent of the works, ca:led
and examined by the Coroner : He odd I am the general
manager of the works here. I superintend the making of
powder in all the buildings. I was n.e here when the ex-
plosion to k place. I had been here in the mornioe. lam
well ecqueinted with the duties of the men who were em-
ployed in the dust house where the explosion took place.
Some formal evidence to the identity of the bodies having
been given,
The Coroner summed up. He said—From the evidence
of Mr. Frogley it was gatte cleat that they could not exa-
mine Clifford, and that, is they wee. anxious to hear what
he had to say, it would be necessary to adjourn (or that pur-
pose. AU that Clifford kettle of the matter had been cora-
mun'etted by other witn(se,e. It was very unsatisfactory to
conclude an inquiry of that sort without some more
successful termination; but he feared they would not
arrive at it by adjournhog. After going Oyer the chief
portions of the evidence, the honourable gentleman said if
he were a juryman he would return • verdict which would
leave the case open far further iequiry, and he would
suggest that the verdiet should be, that the deaths were
caused by the exel nien of powder, but by what DMUS there
was no evidence to show. At the ems time, it the jury
believed that the expli seen was caused by either of the
causes stated, they would return a verdict erf accidental
death.
The jury, seer • sheet censultatirn, returned the folio,-
ing verdict :—" That the deceased received mortal injuries
on various puts of their bodies from the explosion of a
certain quantity of gunron der, and then and the re died, bat
that there was co evieence before the jury to show by what
means the s.iel gunpowder exploded."

A NEW SUB-TITVTE POE GUNPOWDER.—A Mr.
Napiir, of Somata, has announced to the Scieatifi.: institu-
tion of that town that lie hie discovered a new tip! .ire
suMtance, which be designates "white powler," having
ton times the force of common gunpowder. It is cam-
posed of the following ingredients : One put yellow prus-
Mao of witash, wi7ll dried ; etc part sugar, well dried ; two
pare chloride of punish; Huse materials are finely Ecru!
minuet Ir, and then intiwataly suited.
WHOLESALE ILLICIT DISTILLATION.—Yesterday,
at the Court of Inland kevenue Joseph Oitoon, No. 64,
listli,ll,4friet, Lambeth, was charged ott seversl informa-
tions with hiving utilLeniol stills in his pcssenion, sad
with cm) ing on the woe of illicit distillation. TN,
otfici re siited that the utensils found on the premises were
capable of prodtring 26.000 gallons of spirits lly, the
du yon which wou:d amount to 10,0001. The d fendsat
we. anvired in the full poualty of 1,2001., and the seizure
was condemned.

A POACIIEK KILLED DT A POLICEMAN.-011
Tuesday last Mr. Hostage, the coroner far Chester, wa. oe-
cupi.il for a coned time in inscs.litating the circum-
stances of a fatal po ,chirg affray whi lately °craned in the
neughb.strhoed. It appeared that t b .ut 11 o'clock on Wed.
neatly at,'ismaht the deetassd, whom name was Win. Jon s,
was seen by Pol co Coestahla linghet in the sot of having
Curs nt-pirk, which is in the out-skins of the city, wilt •
gun is his band. The constable recognising him es a person
of bad chariot. r arrested him, when two other men rushed
out of plawation and attempted to rescue him. The
com•ta,,!e ko '
...ids which he carri
lion house, where J.

Woo' of (aware of
deceased had come

witq a Pick given b

they, sad ialtis ow'

itu‘siiird ell arse down with a, heavy
riet!, end they were COUVP)Cd to the
Sta-
Jonee died the next nt.rning Win the
d the risen. The jery found that the
tby hiede►th in eonwqueneo of a blow •
by John thews in the (inhere of his
us &loco.
• I