The Sun.
London, England, 1847-09-23 00:00:00

LATE STEAM-BOAT EXPLOSION.

ADJOURNED INQUEST.
(Continued from our Afternoon Edition of yesterday.)
In reply to Mr. Chambers Mr. Lloyd stated that
he had merely cursorily looked at the boilers of the
Ant and Bee. If they were of the same character as
the boiler of the Cricket they were dangerous.
Mr. Galloway said they were ten times thicker,
he had examined them and could depose to the fact.
Mr. M. Chambers said he asked the question for
the satisfaction of the public.
Mr. James, on the part of Mr. Joyce, stated that
the boilers were not of that thickness.
Theinquiry was proceeded with after a short ad-
journment.

Mr. M. Chambers stated that Poletti, Clarke, and
Haisman were ready to be examined. The company
did not put those _persons forward as their
witnesses,
but simply as witnesses whom the Coroner or jury
might examine, if they thought proper.
Thomas Clarke then voluntarily tendered his evi-
dence. He said he was a smith and a machinist, and
lived at 62, Commercial-road, Lambeth. He said
when I first took charge of the Cricket, on the 4th
of April last, Edwards was the stoker. I took the
first opportunity of examining the boilers. I found
one of the plates at the back of one of them blistered.
I communicated the fact to Mr. Joyce, and on inves-
tigation it was discovered to be of no importance. I
had some words, I think, on the 25th of April, with
Skinner, and as Edwards passed by he said, " Give
it to the —." He also swore at me. I discharged
Edwards on the Monday. It was on that morning
that I first heard that the valves had been tied. I
heard it first from Poletti, the superintendent, and
Mr. Smith, who spoke to me about it. He told me
that Edwards had informed him so, and he cautioned
me not to do so. The valves never were tied down
whilst I was in the boat. I remained in the boat
about five weeks after. Other men were employed
in it. I have been away from it three weeks at a
time. I drove the boat the last time about three
weeks before the explosion. Haisman was in charge
of the boat from the Bth to the 15th of August. I
never saw anybody tie the valves. The boat worked
very well, but, like other boats, she required over-
hauling occasionally, and I repaired her with
assistants. After I had been in the boat a
fortnight the steam escaped accidentally. The
engine sometimes got hot, but it was easily
cooled. I can only account for the occurrence by
saying that the " listing" of the boat on one side
whilst lying at the pier, the steam .was generated
too fast for the valves to emit it. Sometimes, when
the boat was lying on her side, the boiler fullest of
water would not blow off her steam. The safety-
valve worked well—everything of that kind worked
well. I have known the safety-valves to stick—l
have known them to stick twice ' • and on one occa-
sion I called the attention of the engineer to
it. I lifted the lever with a piece of iron
at these times. There is no pulley to lift the lever
up. I used to shake the stalk of the valve with a
piece of iron until I got it free. The last time I had
to try to move it several times. I know Knight. I
never saw Knight do anything to the levers except
shake them, and then only by my direction. He
used to shake the string, and tie one end to a nail ;
but I never gave him any directions to tie the other
end of it.

By Mr. M. Chambers—l worked for Mr. Joyce
for nearly four years before I went into the service
of the company. I was a kind of foreman. I put
up two engines in Mr. Smith's premises, by direction
of Mr. Joyce. This was about six months before I
went into the service of the company. This required
engineering knowledge, but a great deal of the work
was done at Mr. Joyce's. After I left Mr. Joyce,
and before I entered into the service of the company,
I worked as a turner, for six months, for the General
Steam Navigation Company. I worked a good deal
at repairing engines during the last fourteen years.
I was apprenticed to Mr. Davis of the Blackfriars-
road, and remained with him six months after its ex-
piration ; also of Mr. Evans, of Moorgate-street, and
two or three other persons. A person named Kent
drove the Cricket before I want. Buttress was there
a few days before me also. I found strings attached
to the lever. I did not notice them particularly, as I
thought I had a good stoker. I was not spoken to
about tying the valves the Sunday Edwards com-
plained of me. Mr. Smith and Poletti came down
on the Monday. The valves were not tied down. They
did not come down together. Poletti came down early
in the morning. Poletti told me about the charge.
I asked him if he thought I was mad ? We had
some more words, and he said he should tell Mr.
Smith. The strings on that day had been put round
the nail to get them out of the way. They were not
so tight as to prevent the valves working, if there was
steam enough. When Mr. Smith came down, he
said he hoped I did not tie the valves, and put peo-
ple's lives in danger. He told me not to run any
risk. I told him I did not tie the valves. Mr.
Smith travelled both before and after that by the
boat. He could have come down at any time. He
came down, I think, about twice after. Sometimes
he stopped the whole length of the journey. Once
he said he did not like to call me away from the
engine, so that if there had been any danger, he
would have been one of the first to suffer from it.
When I went first the fronts of the boilers were a little
convex—five-eighths or three-quarters of an inch.
I believed that they had been made in that shape. I
had no idea of any danger. The boat was sent down
to Mr. Joyce on the 3d of August to have her
boilers repaired. She returned on the Bth. That
was the first time since I have been in the service of

the company that the boat went to Mr. Joyce's. Mr.
Joyce did not come to examine the engines or boilers.
Mr. Meecham came some times, but he did
not overhaul the boilers. I used to ease the braces,
take the pistons out, and repair tear and wear. That
is the business of a repairer. They were not impor-
tant repairs, otherwise the boat would have been
sent to Mr. Joyce's. I stopped up a tube since the
boat was at Greenwich ; that was all I did.
It did not increase the steam. On the morning of
the explosion I was in the wheel with Haisman. We
moved by the steam to the place we required. This
was from half-past seven or a quarter to eight. She
took her first trip at eight. There were
two broken arms, and a float was off. It
takes about an hour and a quarter to get the
steam up. After performing a journey, during which
we lost about slbs. per inch of steam, it required
about five minutes to get the steam up again. I
think that I left the boat at about a quarter past eight.
I went to the Ant to repair her. I was not
near when the accident happened. I used to
work the engine at a pressure of from twenty-four
to twenty-five pounds. I used to work more with the
weighted valves than with the gauge. I used to
work the lever with the weight at the end of the
lever. I did not know that the placing of the weight

gave a pressure of 66. I judged by the other boas.
When the steam blew off the gauge used to be at 24,
or a little higher. The gauge was, I believe, out of
order.

By Mr. James—l used to look at the gauge two
or three times a day. When I left the boat I used to
shift the weight to a pressure of 19 lbs., and to
unscrew the spring valves. I have not been exa-
mined by the company's solicitor. Mr. Smith asked
me questions. I have given a statement to Mr.
Duke, the solicitor to the company. I have
told Mr. Nash that this was a bad job.
I put a new cord on the lever perhaps once in
three weeks ;it was spun yarn. It used to be worn
out with constant pulling.—(Laughter.) It used to
be burned near the weight. It was three yards and
five yards spun yarn. I have fastened it to
the nail. [Knight was called to face the
witness.] I dare say I have given Knight instruc-
tions to fasten the string. I will swear that I did
not tell him frequently to do so. I will swear that I
did not give him orders to fasten it when " Stand
by " was called out by the captain. I was not
always present when he tied them. I have pulled
the string three or !four times while we havet boeeonr
lying at the pier. I used to lift thke
thvaatl
valve
ehe blacks
three times a voyage. I did not think
I applied to
could stop the valves.—(Laugh
he gave me a
Mr. Meecham :or a new gauge, valves.—(Laughter.)
didnot apply
card where I could get one.
to the company. Mr. Joyce, I understood,
was to supply
the _ gauges. his name Wa3
on it.
I don't think an engineer could fail to
know that the string was tight, if it was tied; but
it was not in my time. The strings were just loose
enough not to be tight. I recollect giving the boat
to Buttress. I will swear that the lever was
not tied tight with the string. At night
the string was generally taken off. The string was fas-
tened to the beam, and two or three times round a
nail. After shutting the valve, the string was usually
tied. The steam has often blown off when the string
has been fastened. The valves could open an inch at
these times. Two inches would be enough. I never
looked to see the cause of the valves sticking. I have
frequently gone on the deck, and lifted the levers.
I do not remember Edwards coming on the deck one
Sunday and making an " oration" before the passen-
gers, stating that the safety valves were tied down.
If such a statement was made I did not hear it.
first time I heard of it was on the Monday morning.
The steam would blow off at 27. The steam would
not blow off so strongly as it should do in conse-
quence of the vessel listing. I never knew the steam
to be so high as 80. I never heard people on the
deck say at the time I was diiving the engine, " All
hot; Captain, all hot." The crew might have said
so. On being pressed, the witness said, I heard
during the last four weeks I was on the Cricket
people say " All hot, all hot." Similar cords to
those used in the Cricket are affixed to the supply
valves of the Ant and Bee. I should say they were
made faster than the cords used to be on the Cricket.
It would require six inches play in the rore. to
allow the valve to act properly. I never saw
Knight fasten the ropes so tight tbitt the valve