The Sun.
London, England, 1822-11-14 00:00:00

FATAL EXPLOSION.

ConosEß's INQuEsT.—Last night an Inquest
was held in the Board-room of the Middlesex Hospital, befur
T. STIRLING, Esq. Coroner, on the bodies of Alexander and
John Bettie, the former twelve, and the latter ten years of
age. The case excited considerable interest, and the room wv.s
crowded.

Messrs. Hall, sen. and jun. gunmakers, of 46, Upper Mary-
lebone-street, Cavendish-square, were separately examined, but
their testimony did not prove the immediate cause of the acci-
dent. The deceased, it appeared, were in the employ of Mr.
Hall, sen. foe the last two years, during which period they wer,
engaged in making fulminating powder, which was formed into
cakes, for the purpose of priming percussion guns. Yesterday
morning Mr. Hall, sen. left home, and the deceased, with his
son, daughter, and a servant girl, were all at work in the same
room together where these combustibles were lying. At about
five in the evening the parties all proceeded to have their tea,
when the deceased took a candle, it was supposed, into the room
where they were in the habit of working, and the whole neigh-
bourhood were alarmed by an explosion which completely dashed.
part of the front premises to atoms, and had the sound of the
firing of cannon. Mr. Hall, jun., proceeded to the workshop,
suspecting some accident, and there he discovered the deceased.
lying on the ground, dreadfully mutilated and disfigured.
candle was lying near them, and they were blown a yard and a
half from each other. They were taken to the hospital, where.
they expired.
The witnesses could not account for the accident, except that
the deceased's curiosity induced them to examine the grindings,
which were of an inflammable nature, and would cause the ex-
plosion by a spark flying on them, or if the cases were trodden
on. There were only six ounces of grindings near the

ceased.
The Jury being told by the Coroner that it would be im-
posible for them to come to any other conclusion than that the
deceased came accidentally by their death, in the absence of
evidence, advised them to view the bodies. The unfortunate
children were in a dreadful state, their arms being blown off,
and large holes in their legs and side, as if bullets hid pene-
trated them.
The CORONER, on their return, said he hoped ttiis
be a caution to parents and persons engaged in dangerous
cupations, not to employ persons of such tender age.
The Jury, after about a quarter of an hour's con§ultatiQn,
brought in a verdict of " Accidental Death, -through the ex-
plosion of fulminating powder, being left without proper
at-
tention by the employers; and they added a deodarut of 51.
The Coroner explained that it would hot be proper to levya
deodand ; the powder was all that it could he levied on, and that
had wasted into air. The law did not warrant a deodand, unless
the article causing the death of an individual could be recog-
nised. If a cart or carriage moved to the death, it is seized by
virtue of the deodand, and forfeited to the King or the Lord ut.
the Manor. The Jury, therefore, excused the part of the ver-
dict relative to the deodand.
Mr. Hall entered into an explanation, and observed that it
was clear he had not considered the place unsafe, as he ti::a
suffered his own children to work with the deceased constantly.