The Sun.
London, England, 1864-02-22 00:00:00

WOOL.

Notwithstanding that there is somewhat increased ease
in the money market, business in wool has not materially
increased since we lest wrote. The state of German affairs
opeates prejudicially to the trade, but holders are, for the
most Vart, firm, and the quotations are without important
change. The arrivals of colonial wool since the close of last
have been—

Bales.
New South Wales and Queensland
Victoria

Tastnania

South Australia.
New Zealand
Cape

Total 37,325

The Boile:

Aberaman,

m aTnh Theis fnuol lwe xk
nt eonwt
no.f te
Ninehrecent
sc awl ae
rmei tlyo s at
,t
aAnbde rnao-
less than 17 men and boys were injured by the
boiling water and clouds of stones, slabs, and heavy
pieces of iron that descended within a radius of a
hundred yards of the boiler-shed. The moment the
terrible report was heard the viorkpeople ran,
rtBIeiERDARE, Thursday.
screaming, as fast as they could from the spot, but
numbers were caught by the falling rains. As seen
as those who escaped had recovered from the first
6ffectil of their surprise they approached the MIFs
of bricks, molteu metal, splintered beams, and frag.
meats of iron, comprised in the heap of rubbish
formed by the fall of the boiler through the forge
roof, in search of the unfortunate persons who had
been crushed underneath. The body of a man named
Evan Rees, labourer, was dragged out dead. One
of his hands had been cut off, and was not recovered
until this morning. A horse which had been blown
from the ash-holes under the boilers, under the fire
of one of the puddling furnaces, had been broiled to
death. Mr. George Naysmith, the mechanic, and
son of the manager, was found wounded, but not
dead. He had been standing at a distance of SO
yards from the boilers, when he was struck on the
side of the head with a large piece of iron, which
inflicted a frightful gash, and exposed the back por-
tion of the brain. Small hopes are entertained of
his recovery. Patrick Castello and Thomas Jones
were found scalded to death by the water, having
been previously dashed into a bed of hot ashes. The
engineer was buried beneath the ruins of engine-
house, and with him were two fitters. Among
the injured were several men strange to the
place, and not known by any of the work-
men. It is presumed that they were looking
for employment at the time. One of them
was struck by a jagged piece of iron on the
cheek. Another is stated to have had his nose cut
off by part of a plate as it flew past. These men
were utterly destitute, and were much pitied by
the crowds who met them as they left the scene of
the accident. The surgeons of the works were
promptly in attendance, and administered to the
sufferers such relief as was within their power. The
boilers were tubular, about 25ft long and 9ft in dia-
meter, made up of 5.8 plates, with a pressure of 401 b
to the square inch, and, it is stated, have been in use
about 18 years—in fact, ever since the starting of
the works. Some idea of the force of the explosion
may be conceived when it is mentioned that the
boilers were seen while in the air from Cwmbach, a
place at least two miles distant, and from which the
engine-house at Aberaman is screened by a rising
ground. One of the tanks was driven with terrible
velocity through the forge mills across the ysird,
and deposited on a bank at the edge of a stream more
than 100 yards distant, while one of the boiler ends
was hurled with enormous force over the whole shed
in another direction, and thrown into the middle of
the river. Of course the works are at a stand, and
this morning men wore engaged in drawing out the
three blast furnaces. Hundreds of hands will in
consequence be temporarily thrown out of employ-
ment. Few persons know the tediousness and cost-
liness of the process except those who are practi-
cally acquainted with the operation. The engine-
house will have to be entirely rebuilt, and the boiler
beds, which were rent asunder with tremendous
force, will also have to be rebuilt. Strange to say,
the machinery of the blast engine, which it was be-
lieved at first was almost all destroyed, pretty well
escaped the violence that was expended upon it,
and is not much the worse for what it has under-
gone. A word or two as to the cause of the
accident. The blast engine is driven by
seven immense boilers, of which the exploded
ones are Nos. 1 and 2, and from these boilers a feed
pipe conveys the steam to another powerful engine
erected close at hand, which works the mill. On
Wednesday the mill engine was idle all the day,
and shortly before the accident occurred the blast
engine was also stopped while the piston was being
packed. The valves of the boilers ought to have
been opened during the stoppage to allow the excess
of steam to escape, instead of which they were kept
closed. The result was that the generation of steam
went on until it attained a pressure too great for
the boiler to resist, and the explosion followed. A
preliminary inquest will be held, in order that the
bodies may be interred, and the inquiry will then
be adjourned for some days.

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE,

BETTING AT MANCHESTER, SATURDAY.

Although our list of quotations is of a somewhat lengthy
character, the betting at the Post-office Hotel this day was
not so extensive as might be imagined, considering that the
weights for all the Spring Handicaps have for several weeks
been fairly before the public. A few books having been
opened on the Lincolnshire Handicap, some trivial invest-
ments wore made thereon, the horses most inquired after
being Benjamin. Suburban, and Anglo-Saxon. For the
Liverpool Steeplechase Bantam remained the favourite, but
less than 11 to 1 was refused about him. Emblematic, Wor-
cester, Jerusalem, and Amy were rather freely supported at
our quotations, and, at the finish, 20 to 1 each was the highest
offer against Worcester and Jerusalem. Emblem, Woo Nell,
and Portland had no backers, although 100 to 6 was offered
against either horse. Blackdc wn was slightly a better
favourite than Change for Chester Cup, but any advance
upon 20 to 1 would have been taken freely about each horse.
There was also money in the market for Muezzin, but layers
against him wore scarce. For the Derby 10 to 1 was offered
on the field, but cloven " ponies" could not ba obtained
about Scottish Chief, and tho only bet on that event was
1,000 to 10 against Copenhagen. Closing prices : -
LTNCOLN HANDICAP.
Bto 1 agst Benjamin (taken and offered)
10 to 1 eget Suburban (taken and offered)
12 to 1 agst Anglo-Saxon (taken)
14 to 1 agst Argonaut (taken)
16 to 1 aget Despair (taken)
16 to 1 agst Donnybrook (taken)
THE GREAT NORTHAMPTONSHIRE STAKES,
20 to 1 agst Sheridan (taken)
LIVERPOOL sTEr,rLrciasn.
10 to 1 ag;t Bantam (offered, take 11)
100 to 8 agst Emblematic (taken)
16 to 1 agst Real Jam (taken)
1G to 1 agat Emblem (offered)
16 to 1 agst Woo Noll (offered)
16 to 1 agst Portland (offered)
25 to 1 agst Worcester (taken freely)
25 to 1 agst Jerusalem (taken freely)
25 to 1 agst Martha (taken)
28 to 1 apt Amy (taken freely)
40 to 1 eget Thomastown (offered)
CHESTER CUP.
20 to 1 agst Blackdown (taken)
20 to 1 agat Change (taken)
25 to 1 agst Atfield (offered)
28 to 1 agat Muezzin (taken)
33 to 1 agst Tippler (taken)
TILE TWO THOUSAND GUINEAS STARES.
11 to 2 on the field—off,red
TILE DERRY.
10 to 1 agst Scottish Chief (offered—take 11)
1000 to 10 agat Copenhagen (t k )
a (31:1-