The Sun.
London, England, 1864-12-21 00:00:00

The Fatal Gas Explosion at Manchester.

An inquest was held on Monday on the bodies of
Samuel Crowther, photographer, Peter street, aged
39 years, and his son Arthur, aged two years, who
were killed by an explosion of gas in Peter-street,
Manchester, on Saturday.
Mr Thomas Torkington, beerhouse keeper, Deans-
gate, said that he was passing the deceased's shop in
Peter-street, at a quarter past 5 o'clock on Saturday
evening, and when about a yard from the window
he heard a loud explosion, saw a flash of light, and
the glass flew out. Simultaneously the deceased's
wife rushed through the door as though the explo-
sion was forcing her. Witness ran into the house,
but when he got to the middle door, a smell of sul-
phur overpowered him, and he crept on his hands
and knees. He got into the back kitchen where the
deceased worked, and he found the child, whose
clothes were burning. He carried it into the street,
and a woman took it away. Witness went into the
room a second time, and found the father in a kneel-
ing position, dead, with his head against some bricks
and debris of the wail. Witness procured assistance,
and the body was removed. On examining the pre-
mises about an hour after the explosion, he found
the gable end at the back almost completely blown
out, and the place was in ruins. Samuel Wm. Crow-
ther, an intelligent little boy, eight years old, said
that he was in the back kitchen with his father, who
was making gas from a retort which was on the fire.
His father had placed some manganese in the retort,
to which he screwed the metal pipe. He then placed
it on the fire, and after it had been there about ten
minutes he told witness to go out of the room. He did
so, washed his hands at a water tub in the yard, and
while there a spark fell just before him. He imme-
diately ran through an iron gate into the street.
The explosion took place es he passed through the
gate. I.Vttness's brother Arthur was playing in
the kitchen while his father was watching the
retort. After his father had taken the man-
ganese from the paper bag, witness placed the
bag by the side of the fireplace in the front
shop. The bag produced was the one that he
placed there.—Mr. Morris Hughes, joiner and pho-
tographer, Dorset-street, Broughton-rood, said he
had made some apparatus for the deceased to ex•
hibit lighted oxygen gas, and he called at deceased's
hone° on Saturday afternoon, at half-past four
o'clock, Oxygen was produced by mixing certain
proportions of manganese and chlorate of potash,
heated in the fire in an iron retort, When
witness was at deceased's house, an order came from
Mr Morgan, Market-place, for some oxygen gas, as
Mr Morgan had had a "blow up," and the gas was
wanted that evening. Deceased said he had no
apparatus ready, and he thought he should not
" bother with it," as he had no " stuff " in the
house.—MrJohn (Yoder, Macclesfield-street, Hulnael
said he worked for Mr Morg ,n, optician, Market-
place. About four on Saturday, witness went to
the deceased's shop and ordered some oxygen gas
for an exhibition which was to take place that even-
ing at the Pendleton Mechanics' Institute. The de-
ceased said he could not make it, as his apparatus
and chemicals were at Leeds. If, however, Mr
Morgan could find a retort, the deceased said he
would accommodate him. Witness procured a mer-
cury retort from Mr Mottershead's, chemist, and as
it required a tube, he got one from Mr Morgan's'
workshop, which was bent, and witness thought it
suitable for the purpose. Mr Morgan gave the
witness about 81b. of manganese end potash, mixed,
and witness tech it, with the retort and tube, to
the deceased's shop. In accordance with Mr Mcr-
gau's instructions, witncss got another pound of
manganese at Mr Motterbhead's, and gave it to Mr
Crowther, as Mr Morgan thought that the mixture
required a little more of that article. Mr Crowther
said he would add that pound of manganese to the
other. Witness delivered the apparatus and the
chemicals to the deceased at five minutes to five
o'clock.

Professor Roscoe, of 0 wen's College, said that
having seen the report of the explosion in that
morning's newspapers, and being interested in all
matters relating to the manufacture of gas,
he wrote to Captain Palin, the chief constable,
for permission to make a complete investigation of
the case. The permission was given him, and be
visited the scene of the explosion. He obtained a
bag containing a black substance which had been
found in the fireplace of the deceased's shop. On
examining it at his laboratory, he found that it was
composed of chlorate of potash, manganese, and
powdered coal, or possibly lampblacklor soot. He
thought it most likely that it was lampblack or
soot which had been added for the purpose of adul.
terating the manganese. He had reason to know
that such adulteration took place, and that accident
sometimes resulted from it. A case happened
about a year ago, but fortunately did not result in
personal injury, the explosion occurring from the
circumstance that what purported to be manganese
was nothing but powdered coal. The addition of
powdered coal, soot, or lampblack to manganese
made a substance about as explosive as gunpowder.
A proper mixture for oxygen was about three parts
of the chlorate of potash to one of manganese. He
had not thoroughly analysed the substance found
in the bag at the deceased's house, except that it
contained the articles ho had named, and that it
was explosive, He carefully examined three lots
of manganese furnished to him by Police-constable
Davenport. One lot, which was stated to be from
Mr Morgan's, from which that was taken to make
the mixture sent to Mr. Crowther, was adulterated
with about 25 per cent. of soot or powdered coal—
ho believed it to be soot. Another lot, furnished by
Mr E. C. Hughes, druggist, Catcaton-street, from
which Mr Morgan had said he purchased the man-
ganese, was pure—and a third lot, procured at Mr
Mottershean's, was also pure. The adulteration of
manganese with soot and coal was becoming very
common, and it was accompanied with serious
effects. At this season a great number of persons
might b 3 making gas from manganese, to be used
in picto:ial and other exhibitions ; and if the man-
ganese was not pure very serious consequences, as
in:the present casa;might ensue. An accident might
happen to his students, Rho were constantly work-
ing among such chemicals, both at the college and
at.,home. They might even purchase some of this
very material, and be seriously injured. Bearing
all these things in mind, he thought it was his duty
to come forward and state the result of his inves-
tigations.
Mr Morgan said that having an exhibition at the Pen-
dleton Mechanics' Institute which would require the use of
oxygen gas, he commenced at half-past 3 o'clock on Satur-
day afternoon to make some of that gas. After he had made
a small quantity, which he found was not sufficient, ho sent
his boy to Mr Hughes' shop for the usual quantity of
chlorate of potash and oxide of manganese. He stated
" usual quantity" because Mr Hughes knew that ho was in
the habit of purchasing it in proportions of 71bs of potash to
3lbs of manganese. The boy returned with two parcels, one
containing fibs of the chlorate of potash, and the other can-
taining 3lbs of manganese. Witness placed about man-
ganese in a parcel by itself, and mixed the remainder with
the chlorate of potash. He then took about lib of the mix-
ture, placed it in a sheet-iron retort, and proceeded to make
the gas in the usual way. After the retort had been on the
fire about a minute it exploded. Witness's right hand was
injured, and tLe room was filled with smoke. He was not a
chemist, but he had made oxygen gas about 12 years, and
thinking that he might make a mistake as to the proper pro-
portion of manganese he told his man to get another pound
to be add_ :d to the mixture that was spared, and to take the
whole to Mr Crowther. 'Witness also thought that the ex-
plosion might have occurred from a stoppage in the metal
or indiarubber pip-, which conducted the gas from the re-
tort to the purifier. The materials with which he made the
first lot of gas, and which was manufactured without acci-
dent, were also got at Mr Hughes's shop. In addition to
the chemical mixture which witness sent to Mr Crowther,
Ito also forward,:d a purifier and connexions to two gas begs,
but they were not used, as Mr Crowther had a bottle (puri-
fier) of his own. Witness saw Mr Crowther at a quarter-
past five, and Mr Crowther told him that the gas was being
made, and that it would be ready in 15 minutes. When
witness heard of the explosion on Saturday night, he said to
his wife that it was the sscond that had occurred from the
use of the same mixture—he thought there must be some.
thing wrong with that mixture, Ho called at Mr Hughes's