The Sun.
London, England, 1839-11-04 00:00:00

EVEN INti EDITION.

DREADFUL EXPLOSIOrst

LOSS OF SEVEN LIVES.
THE INQUEST.
Oa Sa'ur,lay evening an inquest was held on the
. i des before Mr. HIGGs, the Deputy Coroner for
/.11 stminster. The inquest-room was densely thronged.
The Jury having been sworn, and Mr. Sugg ehosen as
tareman,
The CORONER asked Crow, the summoning officer,
41 e names of the deceased persons.
Crow said he understood their names to be, Arthur
Steinkopff, otherwise Harding, Eliza his wife, Anne
Hitehins, Eliza Jenkins, Abraham Hanson, Ketorea
-lanson (his mother), Thomas Jenkins, and John Gra-
lam.
The Jury then proceeded to view the remains, and on
:heie return,
It was intimated to the CORONER that some mistake
ad arisen is the names of the parties, on which
The CORONER had them again read in the following
f, der :—Anne Hitchin, Ketorea Hanson (subsequently
i i oved to be alive), Abraham Hanson, Thomas Jen-
kins, Eliza Steinkopff, or Harding, Arthur Steinkopff,
or Harding, John Graham, and Eliza Jenkins.
It was then found that they had the names of eight
persons, whereas they had only viewed the bodies of
seven, including that of the person dead before the oc-
, urrence. some conversation arose on the point, which
was put an end to by the CORONER saying, perhaps the
evidence of the witnesses would clear up the difficulty.
A. person present however, said that the body of Mrs.
Steinkopff had not been viewed, it still lying at the hos-
pit LI, when
The CORONER then said—That made only seven
names remaining. He would see what the examination
of the witnesses would bring forth.
The following evidence was then adduced :
Thomas Irons, a police constable, 158 B, was the first
witness examined. He deposed as follows :—About
half-past seven o'clock on Friday evening, I heard a loud
report as if a boiler had burst while I was in the Vaux-
hall-bridge road. I instantly ran towards Elliott's
brewery, from whence I considered the sound proceeded,
when f was informed that an explosion had taken place
on the premises of a firework manufacturer in William-
street. I proceeded there, and found the house, No. 10,
shut up ; I saw a quantity of smoke and a good many
pe,olllo about the house ; I broke the back door open,
the front one being shut ; I rushed into the premises,
sad, in doing so, stumbled over a woman ; I then went
back, being nearly suffocated ; the house was on fire,
fOt games raging under where I was, viz., on the bese-
ts:Ann door ; I then returned and took out the woman,
aid got her over a wall ; she was insensible, and was
rerrhayed. as I believe, to the hospital ; I, with the assist-
ance of other constables, got out a bed and a few other
ttrtieles that were within reach.
B' the CORONER—I saw no other person on the
premises ; it was only by falling over the woman that I
was aware she was there. I then went round to the
fruit, when Elliott's engine arrived and got to work ;
I then went to the top of the adjoining house with two of
the firemen, where I remained about a quarter of an hour
1 or twenty minutes, during which time the fire kept
burning ; it was impossible for any person to enter the
i premises, the progress of the flames was so rapid ; the
adjoining houses also caught, but, by the great exer-
tions of the firemen, was prevented extending further.
By the Ttny—Nothing was saved out of the house in
which the fire commenced.
By the CORONER—About nine o'clock this morning
I and the firemen took three bodies from the lower
part of the premises, and two from the first floor ; they
were lying on the joists ; there was also one taken
from off the joists of the parlour floor ; they were all
very much burnt.
By the Jury—There was a corpse in the house at
the time, which was also found ; it is not included in
this inquiry ; I heard no explosion after I got there ;
I knew the deceased, Arthur Steinkopff, or Harding,
but I cannot positively identify the body ; he occupied
the front parlour and the kitchens ; he was a dealer in
fireworks, which he made on the premises ; I cannot
say what quantity of gunpowder was on the premises,
but the parlour and th window were full of fireworks ;
I cannot say whether the bodies were those of four
males and two females or not ; they were all very much
burnt.

There appeared throughout this part of the inquiry
a difficulty as to the number of bodies got out of the
ruins, and the number of persons on whom the inquest
was held.
Crlw,the summoning officer, said he had a witness
in attendance who could clear all that up.
A Juror—ls it a fact that the man Harding had that
day been liberated from confinement in the Westminster
Bridew ell, having been prosecuted for selling fireworks?
Witness—Yes he was fined 40s. for the manufacture
and sale of fireworks, and in default of payment was
committed. He came out about ten o'clock that

morning.
A Juror hoped the Coroner would take a note of
that.