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

THAMES.

AN Ex• CABBY IN TROUBLE—CI:URGE OF BIGAMY.—
William Hedger, a strange looking man, better known by
the name of Cuffey, who was formerly a cab driver, and has
been for the last three years hanging about the cab ranks,
and• getting his living in a very suspicious manner, was
brought before Mr Paget charged with feloniously inter-
marrying with Hannah Seymour, his first wife being alive
at the time.
The prisoner is well known to the police. Some time ago
he was in a public house opposite a cabstand in the East
India-road, Limehouso, and a toll collector entered the house
to obtain change for a sovereign. He had no sooner put
down the piece of gold than the prisoner snatched it, and
exclaimed " I shall go to the Opera with this." He hired
a cab and did go to the Opera. The money was expended
in one evening. The prisoner was afterwards convicted of
the robbery, and sentenced to six months' imprisonment
and hard labour, He was sow arraigned on a charge of
bigamy.
Susannah Miller, of No. 57, Featherstone.street, St
Luke, straw bonnet maker, said that 19 years ago she saw
the prisoner, her brother, and Maria Pillew standing at the
altar of Bethnal-green Church. The clergyman pronounced
them man and wife, and repeated the nuptial benediction.
The prisoner lived with his wife for ten years afterwards.
She was now in court.

The first and second wife here presented themselves, and
the magistrate said ha could not hear the first and lawful
wife, but he could receive the evidence of the second wife,
who was no wife at all, legally speaking.
Hannah Seymour, of 11, Ramsay-street, Bethnal-green,
said she was married to the prisoner at St. Thomas's
Church, adjoining the Thames Police Court, Stepney, on
the Ist of February, 1858. During the seven years she had
been married to him, he had been away from her three
years. He was a very bad husband. Directly she heard
he had another wife living, she gave him into custody.
The prisoner said he had no defence to make.
Mr Paget committed the prisoner to Newgate for trial.

THE EXPLOSION AT ERNE

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 killed by a train 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 1 assel, 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 it quire the deaths had been occasioned by the ex-
plosion at Erith, and the other person, an Italian, named
Morandi, had been killed at the railway station on the fol-
lowing night.

The jury having viewed the bodies, which were lying in
the deadhouse of the hospital,
The Coroner said that he would first take the case of the
Italian who was killed at the Erith station, Angelo Morandi,
aged 24.
Ed ward Fumage, porter on the Sou'h-Eastern Railway,
proved the confusion which prevailed on the occasion.
Mr Tufford, station Waster at Erith, said that there were
740 persons upon the platform at the time in question, and
one half of them had to be left behind. When the deceased
was taken up he said "lam 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-stree, Goswell-road,
cabinet manufacturer, said that deceased was 24 years of
age. He was a cabinet manufacturer.
Mr Sidney Turner, house-surgeon, said that deceased was
brought in at 12 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 he 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 hundreds of lives would have been lost if it came up;
and even at that distance 30 persons were found cn the rails
when the engine pulled up.

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

The Coroner then proceeded to take the evidence in the
other eases.

Mr Wm. Hall, of Faversham, Kent, a gunpowder manu-
facturer, deposed—We had stores of powder, or a powder
magazine, at Erith. It is about 100 yards from the river.
There is a tramway between it and the river, composed of
wood, to prevent friction. The wheels 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 place on Saturday morning, at
about a quarter before 7 o'clock. I was staying just below
Ashford, which is a distance of about 60 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 •
ing. The powder is in barrels, which are taken out of the
barge by hand. One man handler a whole barrel. They were
placed upon trucks and then carried into the magazine. The
the f
barrelso foreman
are
np perfectly e
thec tl y
cooperssafe from
before leakage, ktshge ey leave the cooperage,, being examined by
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-
zine to receive the barrels. They had begun to unload when
this happened. Rayner is dead. Hs 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 Jarnett was the captain of
my barge, and Barber was his mate. They are both dead.
The captain c•t 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, having been at it forty years. It is com-
posed of saltpetre, brimstone, and charcoal. These articles
are amalgamated at the amalgamating mills, as they are
termed. The charges are mixed and placed on the runners,
worked by steam.
The Coroner—The object of the questions is to ascertain
whether the articles might not be kept apart until they are
wanted.

Witness—lt would be impossible, as the gases could not

be fixed.

Coroner—Does anything occur to you which would render
explosions less probable ?
Witness—No, we 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 were further removed from the water
would it bo safer ?

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

By Mr Pcland—l purchased at great expense the ground
surrounding the building, in order that psople should not
be near the magazine. Rayner has been 12 years in my
service, and I believe him to have been a careful, well-
conducted man. He 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 fire is not allowed upon a loaded barge,
even it the hatches are down. lam not aware that any of
the men are accustomed to smoke.
William Monk, foreman of Mr Hall's mills at Faversham,
deposed—There were 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. Every means is taken to prevent
explosions. The materials which form gunpowder are all
ground separately 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, and 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 Edward 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 imme-
diately supposed that one of 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 river 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 hove 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 barge. He said that his mate (Bruce)
could tell more about it. Bruce lives at Perriwinkle• street,
gunpowder would
Ratcliff-cross.
Inspector Bell said that Grimes had given two or three
different accounts of the affair.
notM erxHplaoldl
By the Jary —There are no nails in the casks. The rolling
of a cask over bare gunpowder would not cause it to ignite.
owsapsonretcaanleleodu,salyn.d deposed that
We have no reason to suppose that it was an incendiary act.
From the appearance of the embankment I should say that
the explosion first took place from the barges.
Inspector Bell recalled—I have seen Grimes, and he said
that he was opposite the magazine in a Trinity lighter. He
asked one of his men named Bruce to go down and get the
hawser, when all at once he heard an explosion, and was
immediately lifted np in the air to a distance of 30 yards,
and he then fell down in the water. I asked him whether
1 he saw a flash, and he said that be had seen something like
a flash of lightning in the water.
The man Bruce and a comrade of his named Clarke,
rre-
ferred to by Sergeant Cox in his evidence, were sent for by
order of the coroner.
Robertß r umc eo,
morning
Pn
ge r
ew
wasn k l e -osnt r ebeotad the ballast lighter
No. 32, in the river right abreast of' the powder magazine,
, Ratcliffe, deposed that
o n Saturday
It was about 20 minutes to eeven oclock, and he noticed
persons walking about on the barges alongside the powder
jetty, but he could not tell whether or not they wero un-
loading. Directly afterwards there was a great light all
around the ballast lighter. and then came something like a
volley of guns, and the bricks came flying into and about the
lighter. He 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 cuoking was going
on. He 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. He did not see any •
thing until there was a great light about his barge, and the
bricks came flying through the sails. Grimes. who was on
board, was lifted into the air, and he fell into the water.
Ile had not much recollection now of what had happened.
Mr Sidney Turner, house surgeon, 6aid that Elizabeth
Wright was brought in dying from collapse, and she died in
a few mintues. James Evans had his skull fractured and
the right lobe of the brain lacerated.
John Wright said (list lie worked at Messrs Curtice's

mills, which were about a quarter of a mile from Messrs
Hall's, where his father lived. Curtiee's magazine had the
windows blown in by the explosion. His father was killed
in ale magazine, and his sister was in bed at the time she
received her injuries.
Mrs Eaves identified the body of John Eaves as that of
her husband.
It was proved that Eaves was in a shed lent by Mr Silver
to Mr Kayly's men at the time of the explosion. His com-
rade, who was with him, was buried under some planks,
which protected him from the bricks that fell upon and
crushed deceased.
The Coroner having britfly summed up, _ _ .

The jury, after a long deliberation, returned the following
special verdict :—" The jury find that the deceased persons
died by accident through an explosion of gunpowder, but
how the explosion took place there is no evidence to show,
and the jury think that the practice of allowing stoves, or
lights of any description, on board powder barges ought to
bo discontinued."
The inquiry then terminated.