The Sun.
London, England, 1864-10-06 00:00:00

THE EXPLOSION AT ERITH.

INQUEST AT GUY'S HOSPITAL.

The inquiry touching the death of James Eaves and
Elizabeth Wright, who expired at Guy's Hospital from
injuries sustained by this catastrophe, and an Italian
named Morandi, who was kited by a tren on the following
evening, was opened at 2 o'clock yesterday afternoon, at
Guy's Hospital, before Mr W. Payne, the coroner for the
city of London and borough of Southwark.
Mr Poland, instructed by Messrs Tassel, appeared to
watch the proceedings on behalf of Messrs Hall and Co.,
the proprietors of one of the magazines.
The jury having been sworn,
The Coroner said that in two of the cases into which they-
had to inquire the deaths had b en occasioned by the ex-
plosion at Erich, and the other person, an Italian, agreed
Morandi, had been killed at the railway station on the fol-
lowing night.

The jury having viewed the bodies, which were lying ii
the deadhouse of the hospita,
The Coroner said that ho would first take the case of the
Italian who was killed at the Erith station, Angelo Morandi,
aged 24.

Edward Furnage, porter on 'he South-Eastern Railway,
proved the confusion which prevailed on the occasion.
Mr Tufford, station master at Erith, said that there were
740 persons upon the platform at the time is question, and
one half of them had to be left behind. When the deceased
was taken up he said "lan a dead man." Numbers had
got on to the platform over the railings for a quarter of a
mile on each side of the station. Many slipped or elided
down an embankment 60 feet deep.
Mr W. Osborn, Plumstead, said that he was for three
hours on the platform waiting to get up. At one time he
saw six persons thrown down on the platform. The train
came in with great care. There seemed to him to be over
I,GOO persons on the platform.

Mr Guiseppe Morandi, 72, Grange-street, Goswell-road,
cabinet manufacturer, said that deceased was 21 years of
age. He was a cabinet manufacturer.

Mr Sidney Turner, house-surgeon, said that deceased was
brought in at 14 30 on Monday morning with his thigh
smashed and other injuries. He said he would sooner die
than have his leg off, and he died in three-quarters of an
hour. He said that be had been pushed down under the
train by the crowd.
Inspector Bell said that when the train was coming to the
station it was necessary to telegraph to stop it 400 yards
down the line, as such numbers had got on to the metals
that hun,]reds of lives would have been lost if it came up;
and even at that distance 30 persons were found en the rails
when the engine pulled up.

The Coroner having summed up, the jury returned a
verdict of accidental death.

Tho Coroner then proceeded to take the evidence in the
other cases.

Mr Wan. Hall, of Faversham, Kent, a gunpowder manu-
facturer, deposed—We had stores of powder, or a powder
magazine, at Frith. It is about 100 yards from the river.
There is a tramway between it and the river, composed of
wood, to prevent friction. The whee:s of the carriage are
made of gun metal. There was another magazine, about
200 or 300 yards from mine There was a separate tramway
to it. The explosion took plac3 on Saturday morning, at
about a quarter before 7 o'clock. I was staying just below
Ashford, which is a distance of about 50 miles from the
scene of the accident. There had been two barges at our
wharf, one of which belonged to us and the other to our
manager. They arrived at about midday on Thursday.
One of them had delivered a quantity Of powder at Graves-
end, and the other, I suppose, was discharging into the
magazine. I have been there when they have been unload •
ht. The powder is in barrels, which are taken out of the
barge by hand. One man handles a whole barrel. They were
placed upon trucks and then carried into the magazine. Tho
barrels are perfectly se fa from leakr ge, being examined by
the foreman of the coopers before they leave the cooperage,
and then again by the foreman of the dusting house before
they are filled. Ido not know how many barrels were being
unloaded, Rayner, the storekeeper, would be at the maga-
zne to receive the barrels. They had begun to unload when
this happened. Rayner is dead. He had two assistants,
who are both dead. The explosion destroyed the whole
building. My barge was full, and the other had partly un-
loaded at Gravesend. I believe Jarnott was the captain of
my barge, and Barber was his mate. They are both dead.
The captain of the other barge was named John Gladson,
He is also dead. Ido not know of any person now living
who can throw any light upon the cause of the explosion.
I am practically aware of the mode in which gunpowder is
manufactured, Laving been at it forty years, It is com-
posed of saltpetre, brimstone, and charcoal. These articles
are amalgamated at the amalgamating mills, as they aro
termed. The charges are mixed and placed on the runners,
worked by steam.
The Coroner—The object of the questions is to ascertain
whe, her the articles might not be kept apart until they are
wanted.

Witness—lt w:uldbc imp2ssible, as the gases could not
be fiv-A.

Corm, r—Docs anything occur to you which would render
explosions less probable ?
Witness—No, wo take every precaution.

Coroner—You think that this did not arise from a con-
tinuous train of powder from the barges to the magazine.
If the magazines wero further removed from the water
would it be safer ?

Witness—l think not ; for the concussion would be suffi-
cient to explode it if it wore at a much greater distance.
By the Jury—The instant the concussion takes place tho
magazine opens, and the flush or spark immediately com-
municates.

By Mr Pdand—l purchased at great expense the ground
surrounding the building, in order that people should not
be near the magczine, Rayner has been 12 years in ray
service, and I believe him to have been a careful, well-
conducted man. Ho lived in a detached cottage on my
ground. All the men employed upon the premises wear
slippers, which I procure for them in order that they shall
not work with shoes made with nails, I have never had
an explosion either at the magazines or barges,
By the Jury—A firo is not allowed upon a loaded barge,
even if the hatches are down. lam not aware that any of
the men aro accustomed to smoke.
William Monk, foreman of Mr Hall's mills at Faversham,
deposed—There wore two men in the barge which I sent off
filled with gunpowder in barrels on Monday. It was to be
delivered at the magazine. One barge was called the Har-
riett, and the other the Good Design. A portion of the
powder was to be delivered off Gravesend. I cannot say how
the explosion took place. livery means is taken to prevent
explosions. The materials which form gunpowder are all
ground scpamtely and mixed, Neither of the two articles
used in the manufacture of gunpowder would explode with-
out the third.

By Mr Poland—l have been at Faversham for 60 years.
The men who had charge of the barges were very steady
men, end had had charge of
powder for years. There is a
fireplace_in the cabin, which is divided from the hold by a
wooden partition lined with lead.
_ _

By the Jury—The men nearly always take their food
with them ready cooked.

Police-sergeant Eiward Cox, 15 R, deposed—l was at
Erith police. station on Saturday morning when this hap-
pened. I heard a fearful explosion, and upon going out at
the back I saw a large volume of smoke arising. I iname•
diately supposed that one a the magazines had gone. I got
medical assistance and went to the spot. I assisted in get-
ting the injured persons out of the ruins and sending them
to the hospital. I also sent messengers to Woolwich, as I
saw an opening in the liver bank, I have heard that
two men had been near the magazine with a barge loaded
with gunpowder on the previous evening, but they went
down the river. I have seen lighterman Grimes. who
says that his back was towards the magazine when he was
suddenly struck in the back and knocked into the river ; his
mate helped him into a boat, when he became insensible. It
is not true that Grimes said that he saw something like a
flash of lightning in the Large. Ho said that his mate (Bruce)
could tell more about it. Bruce lives at Perriwinkle. street,
r
Ratcliff-cress.
Inspector Bell said that Grimes had given two or three
different accounts of the affair.
l‘
t was
go a
down
o wn incendiary
andte get act.the
From the appearance of the embankment I should say that
lighter,
Byr
explodeHth ae Hail
Jury—There
ivray_s recalled,Tb ere and deposed that gunpowder would
not
spontaneously.e no nails in the casks. The rolling
of a cask over bare gunpowder would not cause it to ignite,
Wo have no reason to supposethat
the explosion first took place from the barges.
Inspector Bell recalled
—I have seen Grimes, and he
r. said
magazineathskaetdheonweasofophpisoismiteenthneaed
Bruce
ruc
e in n i
to a
Trinity
hawser, when all at once he heard an explosion, and was
immediately lifted up in the sir to a distance of 30 yards,
and he then fell down in the water. I asked him whether
he saw a flash, and he said that he had seen something like
a flash of lightning in the water,
The man Bruce and a comrade cf his named Clarke, re-
ferred to by Sergeant Cox in his evidence, Were sent for by
order of the coroner.
Robert Bruce, 8, Perriwinkle-street, Ratcliffe, deposed that
on Saturay morning he was on board the ballast lighter
No. 32, in the river right abreast of the powder magazine.
It was about 20 minutes to seven o'clock, and ho noticed
persons walking about en the barges alongside the powder
jetty, but ho could not tell whether or not they were un-
loading. Directly afterwards there was a great light all
around the ballast lighter. and then carue something like a
volley of guns, and the bricks came flying into and about the
lighter, lie looked up and saw fragments of the buildings
in the air overhead, and the rubbish began to splash in the
water. There was a great smoke. He could not tell what
first blew up.
By the Jury—He had not observed whether there was
any smoke issuing from the barges as if cooking was going
on. lie had often seen the barge Good Design, and he never
saw the crew smoking. They were steady men, and used
no bad language on the water.
John Clarke gave similar evidence. Ile did not see any
thing until there wac a great light about his barge, and the
bricks came flying through the sails. Gthoes, who was on
board, was lifted into the air, and he fell into the water.
He had not much recollection new of what had happened.

Mr Sidney Turner, house surgeon, said that Elizabeth
ight was brought in dying from collapse, and she died in
a Icw Lai:awes, James Evans had his skull fractured and
the right lobe of the brain lacerated.
John Wright said that la worked at Messrs Cuatic,a'6