The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-03-07 00:00:00

FIVE LIVES LOST.

EAST b t)...._

FINAL STATE OF THE

Lord Povensey
untill, oi
Mr. Dodson.
The cane against 1.1
89 • was remanded,

Majority for Lord Povonse,

On Thursday afternoon, one of those terrible cala-
mities which so frequently occur in manufacturing
districts, and are, unfortunately, generally fatal in their
results, occurred at Lees, about two miles from Oldham.
The scene of the catastrophe, which resulted in the
deaths of five persons, was at the mills near to the
People's hall, in Benyon street, belonging to Mr. James
Fielding, cotton spinner, and known as Providence
Mills. At twelve minutes past three o'clock in the
afternoon, a loud report was heard, and almost simul-
taneously with it a volume of steam was observed to
proceed from the mill premises. It ti as too apparent
that a fearful explosion had taken place. As soon as
the steam had cleared off, it was found that the
boiler had exploded, and the boiler house com-
pletely destroyed, burying five persons under the
ruins. The fist anxiety was to recover the dead
bodies, and th. y were soon found on the site
of the boiler house. It appears they are persons who
were engaged at the mills, and who had assembled in the
boiler house to chat with he fireman ; it being, we learn,
the custom of the hands to visit the engine house during
what is called the " haul," a cessation from lab -me of
half an hour, which takes place during the day. The
deceased persons are as follows :—Oornelius M'Mulane,
a labourer, about 33 years of age, who has left a widow
and half a dozen small children ; Benjamin Schofield,
the fireman, a youne• man who has been married about
six months ; James Grimes, joiner, who has left a widow
and one child ; Richard Stott, a piecer, employed at the
mill, a young man not mere than 20 years of age, who has
left a wife and child ; William Wild, aged 11 years, the
son of a joiner employed in the mill. It appears that
the engineer was not in the engine House when the explo-
sion took place, but in another room in the front of the
building. The poor boy, Wild, was sadly mutilated.
His head was completely blown off, and one of his
arms is still missing. One arm of another of the de-
ceased has not yet been recovered. The deceased
fireman had previously worked at the mill, hut had
~only worked about three weeks under the second
engagement. Besides the names above given, one man,
named Taylor, has been dangerously injured, the scalds
being so severe that it is not supposed he will recover.
some of the workpeople in the mill were slightly injured
by pieces of brick and other materials entering the mill,
and some were slightly scalded. As soon as possible
after the explosion, Dr. Nicholson, of Lees, the medical
gentleman usually employed by the proprietor of the
mill, was upon the spot, and attending to the injured
persons. Three of the dead bodies were removed to the
house of Mr. Beadnell, the Red Lion, to await the
coroner's inquest; and the other two were removed to
their own homes. It is stated that Mr. Beadnell was at
the mill a few minutes before the explosion, and
when in the engine house, he lookxl at the water
gauge, and obseived that it was all right. The pressure
t the time was about 45 pounds to the inch. The
engineer stated that the engine was started at about two
b'clock, and then all seemed to be right and safe. Upon
:visiting the scene of the explosion, large pieces of the
!boiler were seen lying about in different directions, the
'pieces being all nearly flattened by the force of the explo-
,Ston. One piece was carried about 30 yards to the north,
and knocked down part of a brick kiln ; other pieces
seemed to have gone in contrary directions, and destroyed
every thing with which they came in contact. The boiler
house was completely demolished, not one brick being
left (van another, and the wood work was scattered about
in all directions for many yards, having been broken up
into splinters of various sizes. Nearly all the glass on the
north side of the mills, consisting of about 800

panes, was destroyed, and some cottages, standing a
few yards to the east of the building, in Chapel street,
was much shattered. A few yards further in the same
direction, and some fifty yards from the point of the ex-
plosion, stands Zion Chapel, belonging to the New
Connexion Methodists, and at the rear of it a large British
school connected with it. At the time of the explosion
there were 300 or 400 children in the school, and they
were just about to leave for the play ground. This
play ground was covered with a large pantity of the
debris from the boiler house, and sufficient material fell
in the yard to have destroyed forty or fifty children—a
result which could not have been avoided if the explo-
sion had occurred five minutes later. Of course, when
the report was heard, the consternation in the school
room was beyond descripton. Some of the children
in their alarm endeavoured to escape through the windows
—a mode of exit attempted by some of the workpeople
in the factory when the shock took place. A large plate
from the boiler lodged upon the roof of the schoolroom,
but the beams and rafters were, fortunately, of sufficient
strength to prevent the plate falling through on to the
children. A vary heavy substance alsa fell upon the roof
of the chapel and' dbsnenAid to the floor. Many panes
of glass were broken in the chapel and school windows,
and some substance was carried a distance of no less than
150 yards from the premises, and fell upon a house
occupied by Mr. Greenwood, on the New road. It is said
that there were two reports when the explosion took
place, the first nut so loud as the second. The boiler was
29 feet long by 7 feat wide, and was standing near to a
boiler about 24fc. by 7ft., which has been somewhat
injured by the explosion. The boiler which has been
destroyed, first commenced to work in Feb., 1851, and was
removed about twelve months since, from the site it
formerly occupied. The removal took place when a
considerable enlargement in the mills was carried into
effect, and at that time the boiler, it is said, was repaired.
It appears to have been worn considerably, it having a
patch on one part, and being remarkably thin in substance
all over. The boiler was manufactured by Mr. Ferney-
hough,of Dukinfield, and the one which remains, by
Mr. Pritchard, of Oldham. The former was considered
by the proprietor of the mills the safer boiler of the two,
as the latter was built upon the same principle as the
one which exploded some time since at Oldham,
the principle being what is known as the
multitubular The exploded boiler had a double
furnace, and five tubes running from the chamber
at the end of the furnace, while that which remains
has 116 tubes. Mr. Fielden states that he had both the
boilers examined and repaired twelve months since.
It is a curious Coincidence that this very week five years
since (in March, 1852) the mills were burnt down, and
damage done to the extent of £lO,OOO, the proprietor
being only insnred for half the amount. The name of the
mill, therefore, can have no connection with its unfor-
tunate history. Mr. Dearden, of Rochdale, the coroner
for the district, has not yet fixed when the inquest wig
be taken ; and until then, when a searching enquiry
into the whole circumstances will be instituted, we can
give no opinion as to the caose of this lamentable
occurrence.

Ac rioN OF SUGAR. ON THE TEETH.—M. Larez. in a course
of investigations, arrival at the following conclusions
relative to the action of sugar upon the teeth 1. Refined
sugar, from either cane or beet, is injurious to healthy
teeth, either by immediate contact with these organs, or
by the gas developed while it is in the stomach. 2. If a
tooth be macerated in a saturated solution of sugar, it is so
much altered in is chemical composition that it becomes
geletinous, and its enamel opaque, spongy, and easily
broken. 3. This modification is due, not to free acid, bat
to a tendency of sugar to combine with the calcareous basis
of the tooth.—Medical Times and Gazette.
A MILL OVER3EER SENT TO PRISDN.—A case of some
importance to masters and workmen was decided at
Dundee on Wednesdav, before Provost Evan. Mr. David
Wallace, mill overseer, wts charged for desertion of
employment. It appears that Wallace gave due notice to
his employer, Mr. S R. Mothers, of his intention to leave,
but the latter stated that the notice was given a day too
late. Notwithstanding this the overseer left on the day on
which he had given notice, and he was thereafter summoned
for desertion of employment. The presiding justice found
that the statetery period of notice not having bean given,
he panel was liable to three months imprisonment, but
he consi lered the ends of justice would be answered by an
imprisonment of six days in the house of correction, with
hard labour, as a warning to others. The case lasted four
hours.

I.TTESIfT TO POISON A. FARSIER.—A case which has
excited a good deal of interest in the East Riding of
Yorkshire, has just been heard before the magistrates at
Driffield. A charge was preferred against a man named
Bell, for having attempted to poison his brother, Hr. Thos.
Bell, farmer, of Grinda!e, near Bridlington. It is nearly
a year since the prosecutor received a hamper which was
directed to him, and which contained a atone bottle in
which was about half a gallon of sherry wine. The cnrk
having been taken out of the bottle, the prosecutor tasted a
little of the wine, but not liking it he spat it out again.
His servant girl swallowed some of the wine, and she
became very ill, though she afterwards recovered. Tne
prisoner, who then resided a few miles distant, and was a
farmer, was suspected, and about the time in question he
sent his shepherd with a hamper to the nearest railway
station. In a week or two afterwards the accused promised
to give the shepherd £5O or £lOO if he would say that. he
(the shepherd) had sent something. It was ascertained
that the wine contained prussic acid, a dose of which
quickly destroyed a full grown cat. The prosecutor has a
life interest in a farm in the neighbourhood, and if he died
without children (he having none at present) it would go
to his brother. Oa a policemen going to the prisoner's
house to take him into custody, he escaped by leaping out
the bedroom window, and he had kept out of the way
•+lv. when he was apprehended at Wakefield.
accused not having been completed, he

ANOTHER COLLIERY EXPLOSION.

LOSS OF FIVE LIVES.

A fearful explosion of fire damp occurred about ten
o'clock on Wednesday morning last, at Shipley, eight
miles from Derby, in a pit belonging to Alfred Miller
Mundy, Esq., which caused the death of three men and
two boys, and was productive of injuries more or less
severe to thirteen other persons. The pit in question is
known as the hard coal pit, and situate about the middle
of the village of Shipley ; it is 234 yards deep, and is
divided into twelve working stalls. All the men were at
work on Wednesday morning, and about ten o'clock
three explosions of fire damp occurred in the No 9 stall,
extending their way, by blowing down a door, about half
way over the No. 7 stall, but the greater part of the
casualities were occasioned in the first mentioned
departtnent. The men in the other parts of the
pit never perceived the accident, noticing only a slight
disturbance in the air, and no damage of moment was
done to the workings. The men continued to work in the
stalls until noon, many of them in entire ignorance of
what had taken place. The cause of the accident is
t•upposed to be a break in the ro tf, and the sadden
emission of gas from it. The pit had been properly
inspected in the morning, and all was apparently secure.
Mr. Hedlev, the government inspector, was at the
neighbouring colliery of Bennerley at the time. and
hastened to the scene of the catastrophe. By noon, the
bodies of the unfortunate miners were got out of the pit,
and the survivors were attended to without delay, by Mr.
Matthews, assistant to Mr. Smith, surgeon, of Eastwood ;
and Mr. Gill, assistant to Mr. Norman, surgeon, Ilkeston.
The following is a list of the killed : —John Starhuck who
has left a wife and four children, one of whom was burnt at.
the s tme time, and the youngest having only commenced
work that day ; Abraham Starbuck, brother of the
above, who has left a wife and seven children ; Abraham
Starbuck, jun., son of the last mentioned ; Job Richard-
son, a young man of 26, who was the sole support of his
grandmother; and Thomas Henshaw, a boy. Danger-
ously hurt : John Purdy and Joseph Fowkes. An
inquest was commenced on Thursday before Mr. Whiston,
coroner for the district. Many years have elapsed since
such a terrible accident occurred in the neighbourhood.

The Sherborne Journal states that at a recent sale at
Z!als, near Mere, 121 acres of land, one half arable, the
other pasture, in five lots, fetched the high price of £1,440,
rather above £ll5 per acre. And this, too, in a country
place, two miles from a market town, not all bought by
contiguous owners, three loti having been purchased by a
person not having a single acre in the parish.

THE WRECK OF TFIE NORTHERN BELLE.—Ever since
the 6th of January last the hull of the Northern Belle has
laid upon the spot which she struck off Kingsgate. On
Sun lay night last, a vessel struck, or rather graz d, this
wreck. Fortunately no *serious accident cccurred. In
foggy weather, such as we have at present, the wreck of
the Northern Belle is a dangerous obstacle, which should
be immediately removed.

PRISON DISCIPLINR.-Sir George Grey has jest made the
following changes in the prison districts: —The Home
District has been C.i,continned. Scotland, wish the English
counties north of the Humber and the Mersey (including
the counties of York and Lancas'er) is henceforward to be
called the Northern District, under Sir John Kincaid.
The other English counties are divided into a Central and
a Southern District—the former under Mr. H. P. Wemles,
and the latter under Mr. J. G. Perry, inspector of prisons.

SALE OF MR. HUMPHREY BROWN'S SHIP 3 BY THE
ASSIGNEES OF THE ROYAL BRITISH BANK.-0a Thursday,
Messrs. Bayley and Ridley offered to public auction, at
Lloyd's Captains'-rooms, Royal Exchange, by direction of
the assignees of the Royal British Bank, with the con-
currence of Mr. Humphrey Brown, two of the ships of
this gentleman, which were mortgaged to the bank for
advances. The Hornet, of 1,285 tons register, built in
1853 ; cost Mr. Brown, three years ago, £lB,OOO, and
stated to have earned £B,OOO by the last voyage hi,m•d
from Ca'cutta, sold at £5,625. The Ocean Wave, of 315
tons register, built of teak in 1852 ; cost Mr. Brown, little
more than two years since, £6,250, sold at £3,575.

A JURYMAN OBJECTING TO TAKE THE OATH.—At the
Sheffield sessions on Monday, James Dodworth, of that
town, palette knife manufacturer, was summoned on the
traverse jury ; but on the crier of the court repeating the
words of the oath to him, he objected to the concluding
words "So help me God," saying, " I do not believe in the
existence of a God, but shall have no objection to do my
duty if you can bind ins by any other form." The
chairman (Mr. Wilson Overend), after consulting with the
other magistrates, addressing the clerk of the peace, said,
"You may release that gentleman from the jury box; for
after the declaration he has just made, I think he is a great
deal more fitted for a lunatic asylum than a jdry'box."
Dodworth : "Is that rue, sir ?" The Chairman : " Yes,
yon mayiretire." Dodsworth replied, " Thank you, sir," but
appeared disappointed at the summary manner in which
his objection was aisposed of.
R‘ILIVAY STATISTICS. —The number of r tilway bills in
the United Kingdom, deposited this sc:ision, amounted to
130 Of the number 97 autaorise new works, 46 by new
companies with a proposed aggregate length of lines of 896,
and 51 by existing companies, with proposed extension of
line of 574 miles The total length of new lines proposed
is, therefore, 1,470 miles, and there are in addition 40
miles of devi ition lines, and 19 projects for enlargement of
stations. The number of persons of all descriptions
employed on railways open on the 30th of January, 1856,
was, in England and Wales, 81.376 ; in Scotland, 11,635;
in Ireland, 6,106; total, 105,117. The length of line of
of railways opened at the above mentioned date, was, in
England and Wales, 6,355 miles ; Scotland, 1,164 ; Ireland,
986. On English lines there were 2,352 stations; on
Scottish, 387 ; and on Irish, 224. The total length of line
authorised to various companies at the same date, but not
opened, was, in England and Wales, 3,140 miles, of which
663 were then in course of construction ; in Scotland 429
milet were so authorised, and 100 miles of it were begun ;
in Ireland, 820, of which 199 were in progress. The
number of persons employed on these unfinished and uncom-
menced lines was 36,473, making a total railway population
for the United Kingdom of 141,600 individuals. These
figures are taken from detailed returns just presented to
Parliament by the Board of Trade.
hush WIT.—It is generally at the close of the business
after a long sitting, that the small fry of Irish members
make themselves heard, and then it is—often long after the
reporters have left the gallery—that some funny scenes
(noir, which are a good deal talked about, but seldom
reported. On Monday night Lord Palmerston moved the
appointment of a select committee on bribery at elections;
whereupon Mr. Patrick O'Brien, or, as his father, Sir
Timothy, calls him, Pert O'Brien—as rollicking an Irish-
man as
.ever flourished a shillelagh at Donnybrook Fair
—arose with a good deal of mock solemnity, to c 11l the
attention of the noble lord to the serious fact, that Ireland
was not fairly represented on the committee, and consider-
ing the great importance of the subject to the community
at large, and especia ly to Ireland—(loud laughter)—he
trusted that the noble lord would postpone the appointment
of the committee until an opportunity could be given for
the Irish members to consider the matter. After him Mr.
M'Cann got up. Mr. M'Canu is member for D•ogheda—
a genuine Irishman, with a beautiful brogue. One charac-
teristic of the honourable member is that he never pairs,
and when any one asks him to pair, he invariably answers,
" No; sure it's I that never pairs; 1 never did pair but
once in my life, and then I broke me pair." His speech
on this occasion was nearly as follows :—" I am astonished,
Mister Speaker, at my honourable friend, the mimber for
King's County. I should like to know what Ireland has
to do wish bribery—(loud laugher) —when it's well known
that Irishmen niver bribe, for the rason we've no money to
bribe with." (Cheers and laughter.)
EMIGRATION TO CANADA.—The number of emigrants to
Canada in the season of 1855 amounted in all to 21,274,
showing the large decrease of 31 909, as compared with the
emigration of 1854. The emigrants from Europe included
4,310 English, 5,691 Irish, 5,348 Scotch, 3,815 Germans,
1,288 Norwegians, 143 Belgians, 98 Swiss, 10 Italians,
eight Danes, and four Frenchmen. The foreign emigrants
fell off from 18,018 to 5,367. The causes of the great
decline of emigration generally are traced to the circum-
stances adverted to in the last annual report, and appre-
hensions are reiterated that the same causes will operate
on those, however disposed to emigrate in 1856. The
decline of the foreign emigration is partly attributed to the
late war. The number of vessels engaged in the passenger
trade from Europe was 188, measuring; 101,673 tons, and
employing 3,550 seamen. The adult male emigration
included 7,309 persons, of whom 1,465-were artisans, 2,007
farmers and farm servants, 89 clerks, 26 servants, and 3,722
unskilled labourers. The number of persons sent out by
poor law unions was, from England, 108 ; from Ireland,
268 ; and from Scotland, 395. It is considered that the
population of Canada was thus, in 1855, increased by 25,774
souls ; for, in addition to the 21,274 emigrants who landed
at Quebec, 10,000 reached Canada via the United States,
making a total of 31,274. From these are to be deducted
5,500 emigrants who proceeded direct to the States. Not
more than one tenth of the emigrants remained in Eastern
Canada, at least 23,000 having migrated westward. The
amount of emigrant tax realised in the season was £6,010.
On the whole, the emigration of the season of 1850 was
very favourable, the most remarkable feature having been
the large proportion (three fourths) who wen t out to their
relatives or friends-816,469 emigrants arrived at Quebec
between 1829 and 1855, both inclusive,—viz., 235,525
from England, 458,500 from Ireland, 96,714 from
Scotland, 43,496 from the continent of Europe, and 12,231
from lower ports.