The Sun.
London, England, 1864-05-17 00:00:00

LONDON, TUESDAY, MAY 17, 1864.

It is not very long since the public was startled
by the news of a terrible catastrophe in Yorkshire
when two hundred persons fell victims to the burst-
ing of a reservior. Oa that occasion considerable
blame was attached to the negligence which had
neglected to warn the occupants of those houses
which were endangered by the accident, as soon as
any risk was apprehended, and it was felt that if
due care and caution had been taken, not only in
the building of the reservoir, but in promptly com-
municating the impending danger, many valuable
lives might have been saved. But the negligence
or indifference which existed in that case has now
been thrown completely into the shade. There was
reason, it is true, to dread the possibility of the
overflow of the waters, but there was no absolute
certainty, and the engineers, we believe, hoped
against hope up to almost the last moment that the
catastrope might be averted. In the case now
under consideration, however, the danger was not
only possible but imminent, not only a vague pro-
bability in the future, but as terrible certainty in
the present. Tne result it is true was not so start-
ling in its extent, the injury it inflicted did not de-
solate hundreds of houses, nor attract the attention
of the country, but though on a smaller scale, it was
of much the same character. When we consider
the vast extent and crowded position of many of
our manufacturing buildings, we must think it very
fortunate that only ten lives were sacrificed at the
Greenfield disaster. A chimney being built at some
mills fell in the night across three cottages, most of
whose inhabitants were killed by the accident. So
far there is nothing wonderful in the melancholy
occurrence. The surprising part of the affair is
that the cottages knew the danger which they
were in but took not the slightest
heed ; one them contenting himself with
saying, when told of the unsafe state of the
chimney, that he was not worse to die than any-
body else. Acting on this principle, the dwellers
in the three houses went on, day after day and
night after night, until the crash came, and ten of
them were suddenly, in the darkness and silence of
night, summoned to their account. We cannot
dignify this by the name of courage; those who
showed it would probably have hesitated had they
been asked actively to imperil their lives for
another. It was rather a stolid indifference, a reck-
less disregard of consequences, which we often see
manifested in minor matters, but seldom in cases of
life and death. The infatuation which leads the
Italians to build again on the very spots once deso-
lated by burning lava is of a similar kind, if not in
degree, to the feeling which led these poor cottagers
to linger within reach of the falling chimney. But,
if we feel surprise at their conduct, what must be
said of the watchman ? This man, put on guard
for the night to sea that all was safe, positively
watched the tokens of an approaching fell without
even thinking it necessary or advisable to warn the
sleepers of the terrible visitant at hand. Such
stupidity is almost incredible, unless it arises from
absolute mental deficiency, and in any case the man
was most unfit for his post. According to his own
evidence he was cautioned about the chimney nn
the eve of the accident, and the man who cautioned
him left a stick wedged in between the corner of
the stone and the chimney on the opposite side from
that of the ill fated houses. Two hours later the
watchman looked, and lo I the stick had fallen to
the grounn. Surely this was proof positive that
the chimney was leaning away from the stick, and
was tottering to its fall. The man tried to wedge
it in again, bat it was now half an inch too short
for the place it had previously filled. Upon this
startling revelation what did he do ? Did
he call assistance without a moment's
delay and rouse the sleepers in the cottages without
pausing for breath ? No ! " I went my usual
round, intending to try it again when I returned.
On my way back about eight minutes later, the
chimney fell." Well might the Coroner ask, " Did
you not know these poor creatures were sleeping
beneath it ?'' and when this most extrordinary wit-
ness replied in the affirmative, inquire again, " Did
it not occur to you to call HAMMOND or some one
else ?" Whereupon the witness answered quietly,
" I thought I would come and look again." This
is certainly accepting the literal interpretation of
the duties of watching, since it appears that what-
ever he saw he was not disposed to act. But how-
ever great the negligence or ignorance of this man,
there must have been something very seriously
wrong in the structure itself. It seems that it was
quite a new chimney in course of erection, and so
far back as some months ago the same watchman
noticed that it was leaning. Instead of being
pulled down, the foundations looked to, and the
whole error thoroughly remedied, it was " stretched''
or strightened, but a few weeks back it was again
seen to lean to one side. On Monday night the
watchman perceived a crack about three yards in
length at the bottom of the chimney, forming, he
says, an opening between the chimney an the earth,
so that it seems this extensive structure had ne
regular foundation. If a chimney of this height is
raised on the flat ground we need not wonder at
disasters occurring. We hope this point will be
closely inquired into, and indeed thewholeaffair
stands in need of a moat searching investigation
that it may be ascertained at whose door the blame
really lies. It is therefore with satisfaction that
we hear the jury have decided that the inquest
should be adjourned in order to give time for com-
petent authorities to examine the foundations of
the fallen chimney. Melancholy as is the loss of
life occasioned by this accident, it is but a type of
the catastrophies wo may exreet unless due pre-
cautions are observed in the erection of our various
manufacturing establishments, and it is therefore
imperative the full truth of the matter should be
ascertained, so that such lamentable disasters may
be guarded against in future.

The Earl of SIIAFTESBURY is not one to let e
good opportunity slip out of his hands for being of
'service to the poor and suffering. The claims of
the little chicaney-sweeP came under the notice :of
the House a little time back, and the reception they
then met with has induced the noble lord to make
some more Effective regulations for the protection of
the children. These excellent expedients cannot
fail to be of great service to the unfortunate little
band so greatly in need of succour, and it is not too
presumptuous now to hope that, in a short time,
there may be a total stop put to the nefarious pracd
tice of employing children in this unfit and dan-
gerous task. In the first place it is proposed that
no chimney-sweeper shall be permitted to employ a
Child under ten years of age in any work whatever,
.except in his place of business, under a penalty of