The Sun.
London, England, 1862-04-17 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, TffU'RSD ArY VEINING, APRIL -Y 17, 1862.

tived by a large majority, and the motion for the
adoption of the report was carried.
Captain G. J. Redman and Mr. T. R. Tufnell,
the retiring directors, were re-elected, and also Mr.
J. Capel, the retiring auditor. The proceedings
then terminated.

THE BOILER EXPOsION AT PRIEST-

FIBLLS.

BILSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING.
The disastrous occurrence which took place yes-
terday at the Millfields Ironworks, near this town,
has created much excitement throughout the dis-
trict, and the scene of the calamity has to-day been
visited by thousands of persons. The total number
of deaths up to this afternoon is 23, including nine
married men. Several of the survivors are in a
very precarious state ; among these is a woman who
was employed in washing " gleeds" at an extreme
part of the works; she has sustained many injuries
—among others, fracture of the backbone and injury
to the spine.
A few additional particulars may be given to
those which have already appeared. The works
are literally blown to atoms ; huge fragments are
strewed in all directions ; the immense boiler, raised
from its bed, was hurled high in the air, across the
works and the West Midland Railway, and now
rests one end firmly embedded in the ground a dis-
tance of nearly 250 yards from the spot on which it
was fixed. There were 10 furnaces in operation on
the side of the works in which the explosion took
place; all these are shattered to atoms. The more
distant buildings on the premises bear many traces
of the violence with which material was cast at
them ; the tall chimney alone appears to have
escaped serious injury. The roofs of the forges
were supported by cast-metal pillars ; these are
forced asunder, and the buildings have fallen in.
The " office" is by an outer wall some distance from
the spot where the explosion took place ; an im-
mense fragment of metal was thrown through the
roof of this building, and now lies in one of the
upper rooms. Some of the brickwork was thrown
200 feet high.
The injuries which some of the poor men received
are of a character too shocking to be described;
several of them were frightfully scalded, besides
receiving various fractures. The escape of Mr. Rose,
the proprietor, was miraculous ; he was in the very
part of the work where the explosion took place a
few minutes before it occured, and had moved
away in a particular direction not many yards.
He appears scarcely to have heard any sound ;
but, suddenly seeing the men running away, and
material flying about, his first impression was that
some part of the machinery was broken. As he
was hurrying off he was himself struck in several
places, and is a good deal bruised; finally Mr, Rose
got over a wall.
At present nothing is known as to the cause of
the accident ; but, as the head engineer escaped un-
hurt (having crept into the engine-house just before
the explosion took place), it is most likely that he
will be able to give some account of the occurence.
Mr. Rose had not been in possession of the works
more than three months, and the calamity which
has befallen him has naturally excited much sym-
pathy for him on the part of his neighbours. A
portion of th; works only had been got into opera-
tion ; it was that where the manufacture of puddle-
bars was going on. Preparations were being made
for getting a plate-mill and bar-mill into work.
Mr. Baker, the mine inspector for the district,
was on the spot in the course of the afternoon,
At the time of the occurrence there were upwards
of 100 men employed on the works. Several of the
men who were killed have left families, and in that
as well as other respects this casualty is much to be
deplored.
An inquest was commenced before Mr. T. Moss
Phillips, the coroner, at the King's Arms, in this
town, this afternoon. Lieut.-Col. Hogg, the Chief
of the County Constabulary, was present.
One of the first witnesses called was Wm. Bridg-
water, the manager of the works, who spoke to his
identification of the bodies of several of the men
found in the ruins, all of whom had been employed.
All of them had received outs or bruises, or were
scalded to death. Other witnesses were called for
this purpose, and ultimately the whole of the bodies
were identified.

John Freeman, a carpenter employed at Messrs.
Gibbons, Millfields furnaces, which adjoin, was
called. Ho said—l was on the opposite side of the
basin, the basin which divides the works at the time
the explosion occurred. I
*heard a bumping noise,
and then saw the boiler go up. It was thrown
across the railway a distance of 200 yards. Imme-
diately afterwards I saw a man jump into the canal
and swim across from Mr. Rose's works. I got into
the works as quick as I could. I saw the bodies of
three men in a boat which was in the basin, about
a dozen yards from the boiler—they were all dead.
The injuries they had received was so great that it
was impossible to discern their features. I infer
that the injuries were caused by the hot bricks. I
asked about the engineers, and was told that one of
them, Joseph Starkey, had been on the boiler 20
minutes before it exploded ; and that Thos. Starkey
had been on it 6 or 7 minutes before it burst. There
were two boilers at work on that side of the engine
—it was the outside boiler which exploded. I saw
one of the fragments of the boiler plate measured ;
it was 5-16ths thick. This portion of the plate was
from the lower part of the tube, near the bottom •of
the boiler. I had not heard any whistling or escape
of steam before the explosion took place. The
whistle might have sounded without my hearing it.
Samuel Rhodes, a puddler, of Monmore-green,
went to the works for the first time on employment
yesterday morning. Just before the explosion
occurred was at work between the two boilers, but
at the time it happened was between the forges.
Had never seen either of the engineers before the
accident. Witness was in the midst of his work
when he heard the explosion ; but had not heard
any whistle previously. He made his escape as
fast as possible, but was struck many times with
bricks, and received injuries on the arm. The young
man who had worked with him was found in the
canal killed.

Richard Rowley, engineer, was next called. He
said—l am an engineer employed at the works. I
have known the boiler which exploded ever since
it was erected, which is about 10 years since. I
was on duty on Monday night, and left the works
at seven o'clock on Tuesday morning. Everything
was then in good working order. Joseph and Thos.
Starkey succeeded me when I went off duty. The
holier which exploded was a four-furnace boiler;
there wero two floats and a whistle, the former
causing the latter to sound when there was a scar-
city of water. The boiler was egg-shaped about
10ft, 6in, in diameter ; the plates about 7-16ths,
the height of the boiler from 28 to 30ft. When the
mill was full on, it was worked up to 401 b. to the
square inch ; at the time of the accident it was
worked at 351 b. The boiler was made by Mr.
Elwell. Until three months ago, the boiler had
not been worked for four years. I and Starke y
examined it before the work was recommenced, and
found it in working order. Since operations were
resumed the boiler had been cleaned every fort-
night. The last examination took place on the
Monday in :last: week. I think the boiler
was too large; my impression is that it
had more on it than it would bear. I
had never any caution or notice that the
boiler was defective. There was a slight leakage
a month ago at a rivet ; a peck of bran was put
in and no leakage hcd occurred since. I made an
examination of the boiler-plates after the explosion,
and found a good deal of scurf. Had the boiler
been overheated that scurf would not have been
on. The bell of the safety-whistle had been re-
moved from the boiler after the explosion, but the
portion of the screw left was in a perfect state. I
believe the boiler was too large for a high-pressure
boiler. I am unable to account for the explosion.
Do not believe there had been any deficiency of
water.

By a JurTman--There was scurf on the top of
the main or upright tube. The feed pipe was within
2ft. Gin. of the bottom of the boiler. The feeding
was by hand.

Joseph Johnson, engineer, of Bilston, sworn—
Put up the boiler which had exploded eight or nine
years ago, It was a furnace four-flue boiler: Be-
lieved it was only 7ft. bin. in diameter. It was

set to work at 351 b. to the square inch. Considered
it safe to work at 50Ib. They were half-inch plates
before they were set and bent. Examined portions
of the plates after the explosion ; they seemed to
be good, and of good iron. Was of opinion that the
cause of the explosion was an excessive pressure of
steam. Had the balance of the ball been at the ex-
tent of the lever, it would not have caused a pres-
sure of 501 b. to the inch. It was most likely that
the " clack" was not in good order, and that the
steam generated faster than it passed away. A
minute or two before the explosion there was a roar
as of thunder, which shook the ground, and follow-
ing instantly a rush of steam and the ascent of the
boiler. Witness was in the adjoining work, not
more than forty yards off, and described the motion
of the boiler as resembling that of a balloon. It rose
to a great height.

The inquiry was at this point adjourned until
Thursday next.

ANTI-SLAVERY DEPUTATION TO THE

AMERICAN MINISTER.

At two o'clock yesterday afternoon his Excel-
lency C. F. Adams, United States' Minister to this
country, received a deputation of the members of the
Committee of the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery
Society, at his official residence, to receive an ad-
dress from the committee: The deputation consisted
of,Mr. Saml. Gurney, M.P, Mr. John Ivatt Briscoe,
M.P., the Hon. A. Kinnaird, M.P., Messrs. Josiah
Forster, Henry Sterry, Robert Alsop, William T.
Sargent, Gerard Ralston, the Rev. Dr. Carlisle, and
L. A. Chamerovzow.
The following is the text of the address :
" To HIS EXCELLENCY CHARLES FRANCIS ADAMS,
UNITED STATES' MINISTER TO THE COURT OF
ST. JAMES'S.
" Sir,—The Committee of the British and Foreign
Anti-Slavery Society are gratified at being able to
offer an address of cordial welcome to an Ambassa-
dor from the United States of America to this coun-
try who holds principles in harmony with their
Own.
"This important and elevated office has been most
appropriately conferred upon y ou, Sir, whose senti-
ments on the subject of slavery have ever been in
sympathy, with those of the British nation, and who
may be said to inherit them in direct descent from
one of the most illustrious Presidents of the Ame-
rican Republic.
"The committee are rejoiced to welcome you as
the representative of the first Government of the
United States which has taken any active measures
towards the removal of slavery, and they desire to
pay it, through you, a tribute of confidence and re-
spect. For many years they have watched with the
deepest interest the development in the Northern
States of public opinion through all its phases, and
anticipated with anxious solicitude the day when a
predominance of sentiment against the extension of
slavery should inaugurate a new and memorable
era in the history of the country.
" The committee desire to express their unquali-
fied satisfaction at the avowed determination of the
President and his Administration to put down the
African slave trade, and consider that the cause of
humanity is deeply indebted to them for the de-
cided attitude now assumed against all persons im •
plicated in the prosecution of this most infamous
traffic. But, while the measures the United States'
Government is adopting are evidence of a resolution
which cannot be too highly commended, the com-
mittee respectfully submit that others equally de-
cisive are imperatively required to prevent the abuse
of the United States' flag for slave-trading purposes.
It is notorious that the Transatlantic African slave
trade is carried on almost exclusively under cover
of that particular flag, and the committee would
therefore venture to suggest that the United States'
Government should, without delay, concert with
that of Great Britain the means of preventing the
abuse referred to.

"The committee feel it incumbent upon them to
express their extreme gratifieation at the several
propositions tending towards abolition recently in-
troduced to the United States' Legislature, more
especially those for the removal of slavery from
the District of Columbia, and for according Go-
vernment aid to any State desirous of emancipating
its slaves. While these measures may, indeed,
when judged of from the committee's point of view,
fall short of actual right to the oppressed and in-
jured slave, the committee rejoice in them, and hail

them most cordially, as full of promise for the fu-
ture, and as steps approximating to the absolute
requirements of justice and humanity.
" The committee view with profound sorrow the
unhappy contest between the Northern and the
Southern sections of the Republic. In the presence
of so appalling a calamity, they can only give utter-
ance to the fervent hope that the fratricidal conflict
may soon cease, and peace be restored to the land ;
and that, with the abolition of the true cause of
the strife, a common ground of union may be found
and a divided community be again joined in the
bonds of brotherhood.

" In conclusion, the committee would assure you,
sir, of their personal esteem and consideration, and
of their very sincere desire for the welfare and the
prosperity of the nation you represent.
" 27, New Broad-street, E.C., April 4."

The address having been read by Mr. Chame-
rovzow, his Excellency made the following reply :--
" Gentlemen of the Committee,—l receive your
communication in the spirit in which it is made,and
with every desire to reciprocate the friendly senti-
ments it conveys, as well to your country generally
as to yourselves in particular.
" The desire of the people of the United States is
to extend the blessings to be obtained under free
institutions as far as possible, consistently with the
preservation of every existing obligation, over the
entire service of their territory. Against the pro-
secution of this policy au appeal to arms has been
taken by a misguided portion of their number. The
ultimate effect can only be to accelerate the same
general result, under circumstances rendered need-
lessly distressing to all. It is the earnest wish of
the Government to see the end so brought about as
to avoid all the deplorable consequences that may
follow wilful and violent resistance. I trust that
those deeply interested in the issue may avail them-
selves in season of the means left open for their re-
storation in safety, and that the common ground for
a re-union may be, as you express it, the voluntary
removal of the true and only cause of strife.
" I think I can assure you that the President's
attention is closely fixed upon the subject of the
African slave trade, and that every effort will be
made by the Administration, as far as it is possible
under present circumstances, to co-operate with
her Majesty's Government in putting an end to the
abuses to which you allude. I am not without
hopes that effective means may be found to pre-
vent, for the future, the desecration of the national
flag by the pirates engaged in the nefarious traffic.

I pray you to receive my thanks for the very
kind allusion you have made to myself, and to
assure you of my cordial sympathy with you in the
arduous labours in which you have been so long
and so honourably engaged."
The Hon. A. Rinnaird, Mr. john Ivatt Briscoe,
and Mr. Josiah Forster having addressed the Minis-
ter on the subject of the memorial, the deputation
withdrew.

A DEVONSHIRE SHOOTING-BOX FOR THE PRINCE
or WALES.—It is understood (says the Western _Morning
News) that the negotiations which have occupied some
time, respecting the purchase of a shooting-box in Devon-
shire for his Royal Highness the Prince of ,Wales, are
completed, and that a fewpreliminaries only are required to
transfer Werrington Park from the ownership of the Duke
of Northumberland to that of the future King of England.
The park is an occasional residence of his grace, and lies
about a mile and a half from Launceston—one portion of it
is in Cornwall, but the seat is Devonshire. The park is
supposed to have been in existence for about 600 years. and
about the fourteenth century was the property of the great
Odulph, Duke of Devonshire.

I I [AnvEnTrs;;;;;;.]— Holloway's Ointment and Pills.—
Outward Sores.—Daily experience confirms the fact which
has triumphed over opposition for 27 years—that no means
are known equal to Holloway's remedies for curing bad
legs, sores, wounds, diseases of the skin, erysipelas,
abscess, burns, scalds, and, in truth, all cases where the
skin is Eroken. To cure these infirmities quickly is of
primary importance, or the compuLory confinement in
doors weakens the general health. The ready means of
cure are found in Holloway's Ointment and Pills, which
heal the sores and expel their cause. In the :very worst
cases this Ointment has succeeded in effecting a perfect
cure after every other means had failed of giving any
relief, Desperate cases best display its virtues,

THE PRINCE CONSORT MEMORIAL.

Yesterday at three o'clock the committee in the
city of London engaged in raising a fund for a
national memorial of the Prince Consort held a
meeting at the Mansion-house. There were present
the Lord Mayor, Mr. Henry Cole, C. 8., Mr. S.
Gregson, M.P., Mr, George Godwin, Mr. Charles
Hill, Mr. W. Foster White, Mr. Henry Ghinn, and
Mr. Goodman. It was stated that the fund up to
that day amounted in the aggregate to about
£45,860. of which upwards of £1,600 had been re-
ceived within the past week alone. A letter ad-
dressed to the Lord Mayor by the secretary to the
Oriental Bank was read, to the effect that their
Bombay agent had made arrangements with the
Agra and United Service Bank for receiving con-
tributions in aid of the fund, and remitting the
amount by each mail to this country.

The LORD MAYOR, in reply to a question by Mr.
GREGSON, said, of late doubts had been entertained
whether the block of granite in a quarry belonging
to the Duke of Argyll, in the Island of Mull, upon
which the attention of her Majesty's Committee of
Advice had for some time been concentrated, would
answer as to grandeur the purpose of a monolithic
obelish in perpetuating the Prince's memory.
Drawings of the stone carefully prepared had recently
been laid before the committee by the chairman of
the Mull Granite Company, from which it appeared
that, although it was about 115 feet in length, yet
it undulated in places very considerably, so much
so that when lines came to be drawn along it,
making an allowance for the necessary form of an
obelisk, some of those indentations were within the
lines, thus detracting from its aptitude for the pur-
pose in view. The company had been at some ex-
pense in uncovering it as it lay, and, although per-
haps its precise character and dimensions could only
be satisfactorily ascertained by degrees in the pro-
cess of quarrying, still the defects in its breadth in
places to which he had alluded had induced the com-
mittee to pause before incurring greater expense in
a work which might, after all, prove abortive. In
no other quarter had they heard of a stone of
suitable proportions. The Lord Mayor added, he
was afraid the great mass of the people of this
country had yet to be educated, so to speak, into a
thorough appreciation of the grandeur and appro-
priateness of the obelisk, and especially a monolithic
obelisk, for monumental purposes. There were
some who appeared to regard the setting up a huge
stone for such a purpose as simply symbolical of a
barbarous age. With great respect for the opinions
of others, he could not help saying he altogether
dissented from such reasoning ; besides, it was
well known that it was not until the Egyp•
tains had reached the highest point in their culti-
vation of art that obelisks became conspicuous fea-
tures in their style of architecture ; and he thought
it would have been a glorious thing for England,
where a monolithic obelisk worthy of the name was
utterly unknown, to have made this occasion for
erecting one of consummate grandeur.
During the last week contributions to the fund
have been received at the Mansion-house at the rate,
on the average, of more than £2OO a-day, and there
are unmistakeable signs of the subscription being
taken up in many new quarters, and among others
by congregations in churches and chapels, officers
in the army and navy, the inhabitants of municipal
towns, poor people in rural and other parishes
clubbing together their pence through their clergy-
man or some benevolent lady, and, above all,
by persons of modest means who probably had been
at first deterred from contributing with the
wealthier classes,

THE RIPON STEAMER,

SOUTHAMPTON, 'WEDNESDAY.

A trial has been made to-day of the engines of
the Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamship
Ripon, in the presence of Mr. 3. Dinnan, Admiralty
Engineer Inspector, Messrs. Ritchie, A. Lamb, and
Lovell, of the Peninsular and Oriental Company's
staff, Mr. John R. Ravenhill, of the firm of Raven-
hill and Salkeld, the makers, and subsequently the
improvers of the Ripon's engines, and other gentle-
men. This trial was rendered somewhat remarkable
by some very interesting and valuable experiments
made with the surface-condensers which, during the
recent overhaul and refit of the ship, were added to
the engines. These condensers consist of about
27,000 feet of tubing (more than half a mile), in six
feet lengths, of a total exterior area of about 4,800
square feet, around and among which a constant
stream of cold sea water is circulated by means of
two powerful centrifugal pumps (Appold's patent),
the exhaust-steam passing through them, and being,
by contact with the cold metal, immediately con-
densed, the vacuum thus obtained ranging from 27
to 29 inches. At the conclusion of the Admiralty
trial on the 26th ult. a slight accident happened to
the apparatus for working one of the centrifugal
circulating pumps, whereby the pump was rendered
temporarily useless, and a plan (which was some
time since applied by Mr. A. Lamb, the superin-
tending engineer of the company), was then tried
of disconnecting both pumps, and allowing the sea
water to pass through the condenser with only such
impetus as was given to it by the ship's way, the
condenser being thus rendered self-acting. The re-
sult then Obtained was so satisfactory that, it being
necessary for the Government inspector to see the
engines working with the pump-gear repaired,
another trial was made to-day, and the plan in
question again adopted, with equally satisfactory
results. The mean speed obtained, with 51b. of
steam and 201 inches vacuum, was 6.542, with and
against tide ; revolutions, 114 : consumption of
coal about Bcwt. per hour. The Ripon, it may be
mentioned, is of 1,908 tons and 450-horse power.
It has thus been proved satisfactorily that in the
event of future accident to the pump-gear a good
result can be obtained by this self-acting circula-
tion, which, by the addition of a lip-plate on the
exterior of the ship, may, it is thought, be mate-
rially improved. A circulation may also be obtained,
if required, by means of• the donkey pump, or by
both it and the self-acting circulation combined.
After the completion of the experiments the steam
was raised to its usual pressure of 201 b., and the
Ripon returned to Southampton at a high rate of
speed. She will sail hence on the 20th inst. with
the Calcutta, China, and Australian mails.