The Sun.
London, England, 1854-06-21 00:00:00

DISASTROUS BOILER EXPLOSION.

On Friday morning, about three o'clock, the inhabi-
tants of Smethwick, near Birmingham, were startled
from their sleep by a tremendous explosion, which shook
many of the houses as if by an earthquake, and was
heard a mile or two off. Many persons rushed into the
streets, and the intelligence spread with wonderful ra-
pidity that one of the boilers at Messrs. Beasley and
Farmer's District Ironworks had exploded with most
disastrous effect, it is to be feared, to life, and most cer-
tainly to property. The cause of this devastation appears
to be somewhat involved in mystery. The ponderous ma-
chinery with which the works are studded, in the shape
of rolling-mills, lathes, grinding-shops,. &c., was driven
by an engine of 65-horse power. Steam was supplied
from two boilers, situated in the very centre of the pre-
mises, and surrounded on all sides by forges, workshops,
and mills. These were attended by William Dunn, the
assistant-engineer, during the night ; and, part of the
machinery having got out of order, he stopped the en-
gine for the purpose of putting it in repair. He had
returned from doing so, and had just again put the en-
gine in motion, when one of the boilers exploded with
such force as to place the lives of very many of the
workmen in danger. Streams of scalding water were
dashed off to incredible distances, thousands of bricks
were sent whirling off 300 or 400 yards, striking
houses, where they have left marks as if they had
been battered by artillery ; roofs were torn off, the
tall chimney-stack shaken, so that some 14 or 16 feet
toppled down from the top on the premises below, and
felling walls and the shrieks of scalded men and boys
made up a scene which an eye-witness described as the
most terrible he had ever seen. When the steam and
clouds of dust had cleared away, some idea of the extent
of the damage was ascertained. Two men and four boys
who had been engaged on the bank near the boiler were
found lying in a frightful state. They were terribly
scalded and otherwise injured. In other parts of the
works men were struck down by the showers of flying
bricks, others by the falling of the walls and roofs, others
again still less seriously hurt by being knocked down by
the force of the concussion. One of the boiler pipes,
which had been blown in an oblique direction, com-
pletely demolished a brick lathe-room in its course, and
finally struck an iron boat on the adjoining canal, which
it sank. One part of the boiler, weighing several cwt.,
was found in a field about 100 yards off, where it fell
without doing any damage. The boiler itself, however,
was the cause of great mischief. It seems to have risen
from its brisk bed some 10 or 15 feet, and been propelled
to the opposite side of the yard. In its course it first
demolished a forge—walls, roof, and everything ; then
entered a rolling-mill, the wall and roof of which it cu
through as if it had been paper, shattering everythingt
in its way, and at last came to the ground above some
rolls. Some idea may be formed of the immense force
of the explosion when we state that this part of the
boiler, which was originally 251 t. long. and 10ft. in dia-
meter•, inu,t weigh between five and six tons. Great aa
the damage was on this side, on the other it was scarcely
less. A gun-Wan-el and spectacle-grinding shop was
shattered, a puddling furnace completely uprooted and
overturned, and a rolling-mill considerably damaged. It
is impossible 'to convey an idea of the wreck. On a
rough calculation, the injury sustained will amount to
at least 2,0001. Unfortunately, however, there is every
reason to apprehend that the casualty will be attended
by fatal results. It was found that Enoch Powell, about
40 years of age, Philip Robinson, 19, Charles Grainger,
18, Thomas Moore, 15, William Brown, 13, and %Va.
liam Kelly, 12—ail of them, with the exception of Brown,
who resides at West Bromwich, belonging to Smethwick
—were scalded in the most shocking manner. They were
immediately attended to; and conveyed to the General
Hospital, Birmingham, where they now lie. On inquiry
at the institution, about 7 o'clock on Friday night,
we learnt that a!l of them were in a very pre carious
condition. Faint hopes, indeed, were entertained of
the recovery of any of the unfortunate persons, with
the exception of Brown, who it was thought was likely
to survive. Several other of the workmen were more
or less injured, but none to a very serious extent. One
man, named Thomas Glyn, employed in the rolling-
' mill at some distance off, . received a severe wound on
the head, inflicted by some of the falling material, and
is now going on favourably under the care of Mr.
Hicks. The only wonder is, that the occurrence was
not fatal to many. There were about 150 persons em-
ployed iri the establishment at the time, but the greater
part had left about an hour before the explosion took
place. With respect to the cause of the explosion,
there are, of course, several theories afloat. Some
consider it arose from a deficiency of water in the
boiler, and others from j,he pressure of steam. This,
however, will, no doubt, form the subject of inquiry ;
but we may mention that it was a tubular boiler, which
had been in work for about 11 years, although it had
been examined so recently as Whitsun week, when it
was found to be quite safe. It was the ends which
gave way. The great mass of the body of the boiler is
still entire.—Birmingham Journal.

ALLEGED ATTEMPT TO POISON A
FAMILY AT MANCHESTER.

A woman named Cecilia Knott has been apprehended
at Manchester on the charge of attempting to poison
the family of Mr. H. J. Warrington, surgeon-dentist, of
232, Oxford-street, in that city. Mr. Warrington and
his sister and brother-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. M'Donald,
reside in the house named, Mr. M'Donald following the
business of an'architeet, and Knott lived with them as
domestic servant. On Monday she was taken before
Mr. Maude, at the Manchester City Police Court, for
examination on the very serious charge named against
her. The evidence went to show that Mr. Warrington
had not been satisfied with the conduct of the prisoner,
and had often found fault with her in consequence.
' General inattention to orders, and the exhibition of a
strong self-will in respect to the performance of all her
duties, were the principal causes of his dissatisfaction
with her, and in particular be had spoken sharply about
the late hour at which she persisted in washing the front-
door step, when, in fact, the business of the day had
commenced. This greatly irritated her, and to Mrs.
Stewart, a nurse in attendance upon Mrs. M'Donald,
she several times complained of the treatment she re-
ceived from the family. On one occasion she said, " I never
saw such a d— crew in all my life;" and on another
occasion, after some fault had been found with her, she
exclaimed, "By G— I'll do their job for them." Last
Wednesday, Mr. M'Donald dined about half-past one,
and between three and four o'clock, he was attacked by
a serious affection of the stomach, which caused him to
vomit very much, and harassed him all' night, and he got
worse next day, but was afterwards relieved by some me-
dicine administered to him by his father-in-law. He felt
an increase of his illness after each meal that he had that
day. On Thursday night Mr. Warrington and Mr. and
Mrs. M'Donald all took coffee together, and the meal
was scarcely finished before Mrs. M'Donald exhibited
the most alarming symptoms. She was so completely
paralysed by sickness that she was unable to get up stairs
and when in her bedroom could not undress herself or
get into bed without considerable assistance. Next
morning the sickness increased, and, continuing through.
out the day, it was thought advisable to send for medi-
cal aid. Mr. J. W. Wainwright, surgeon, of Bur-
lington-street, therefore, was called in, and at once
declared that she was labouring under the effects
of poison, and in a very dangerous state; is fact, she had
then sank so much that she was in a state of collapse.
While Mr. Wainwright was attending Mrs. M'Donald,
Mr. Warrington was seized with the same sickness and
vomiting which his sister and brother-in-law had experi-
enced, but timely remedies were applied, and he did not
suffer so acutely, nor for so long a time. Mr. Wain-
wright deposed that when he was called to attend Mrs.
M'llonald he found her extremely prostrated from the
effects of vomiting and retching, and on examining the
tongue he saw all the marks of poison ; the mucous
membrane was excessively irritable, and the skin of the
body generally was cold and clammy. He had never
met with a case which more clearly showed that the
patient had. taken irritant poison, and he treated Mrs.
M`Donald accordingly, with gratifying success, though
she was still in a state of great debility, and had evi-
dently been in great danger of losing her life. Mr.
Warrington was subsequently attacked, and presented
the same symptom of having taken poison ; but in his
case the remedies were applied at an. earlier stage, and
he did not fall into a state of collapse. Superintendent
Taylor, of the D division, who brought up the case,
applied for a remand, to allow time foe a chemical ana-
lysis of the matter voided by the poisoned persons, and
the woman was remanded to Thursday. Mr. Maude,
before remanding the woman, asked her if she had any-
thing to say respecting the charge ; but finding from
the first words she said that it was likely she was about
to admit the charge and defend her conduct, he stopped
her, and advised her not to say anything then. There
was no evidence whatever to show what the poison was,
or whether the woman had administered it. There was,
in short, nothing against her but the threats she had
been heard to utter after the quarrels with the various
members of the family.

MUTINY ON BOARD AN AMERICAN EMIGRANT SHIP.—
A mutiny broke out yesterday morning among the sea-
men on board the Fidelia, American emigrant vessel, be-
longing to Messrs. Baring Brothers, of Liverpool, and
lying in the Mersey, intending to sail for New York.
We, have not received full details of the occurrence, but
we learn that the captain (Dixon) shot one or two men,
and that (luring the struggle which took place a number
of the sailors were seriously bruised. 13 of the muti-
neers have been brought ashore in custody, and will be
placed before the magistrates this morning. It seems
that the emigration officer was clearing the ship, when
the mate ordered the hands forward. They refused to obey,
ho seized one man by the arm, when the fellow drew his
knife from the sheath, and made several attempts to stab
the mate, who ultimately received a wound on the arm. The
other men then joined in the attack, and the result might
have proved serious to the mate, when the captain sprang
forward and discharged two pistols among the mutineers,
both shots taking effect. One man (Nylar) was shot
through the back of the neck, and is said to be in a dan-
gerous condition. The other man was only slightly
wounded.

PARACHUTE DESCENT.-14. Latour, whose projected
ascent, suspended from the car of a balloon, and descent
in a parachute in short, time back, became a failure at
Vauxhall, and terminated in a ludicrous, but fortunately
not fatal manner, ascended yesterday with his apparatus
attached to a balloon from Cremorne-gardens, and,
after being wafted through the air at a consider.
able height from the earth, descended by the aid
of his parachute in safety, in a field opposite the Sun-
in-the-Sands, Shooters'-hid, about half-past 7 o'clock in
the evening. The parachute, as far as 3 judgment could
be made by those who were not immediately on the spot
011 Which the descent took_ place appeared to descend
steadily and with comparative slowness, and with less
oscillation than has attended some former attempts.