The Sun.
London, England, 1871-01-04 00:00:00

BOILER EXPLOSION AT ROCHDALE.

On Monday morning a boiler of eight-horse power, in
the foundry of Mr. James M`Owen, in George-
street, Rochdale, exploded with terrific force, and the
shock was felt over a radius of a quarter of a mile. The
boiler was used for supplying blast, and was fixed
beneath the surface five or six feet. The explosion is
supposed to have been caused by the freezing of the.
feed pipe. Four or five men were working in the foundry
at the time, but fortunately escaped injury, with one
exception : James Holt, of No. 7, Sussex-street, was
struck with a missile on the back of the head, but no
serious result is apprehended. One end of the boiler was
blown to a distance of about 100 yards, and a part of the
body was ripped up into slips and forced into various
directions. The portion of the foundry adjoining the
boiler, was thrown into ruins, and the roofs and windows
of neighbouring houses were broken by the shower of
bricks and stones. A large stone, about 2001 b. weight,
was thrown over the adjacent houses, and struck the wall
of Mr. Jenning's mill, a distance of about 100 yards from
the foundry. Several windows of the mill were broken,
one of which was in the fifth storey. The damage is
roughly estimated at upwards of £2OO,

TIIE CENSUS.—A census of the inhabitants of the
United Kingdom will be taken in April next. The statis-
tical section of the British Association has presented to the
Home Secretary a memorial setting forth the anomalies
of previous enumerations, and offering suggestions for
their future avoidance. The suggestions are these :—.
1. That the principal body of tables relating to the num-
bers, age, sex, birthplace, civil condition, and occupation
of the people, should be drawn up and printed in an
exactly identical form for the three parts of the United
Kingdom. 2. That while the commissioners may with
great advantage continue to exercise their free &sere-
tiou in drawing up such minor tables as appear to have
especial interest for distinct localities, they should agree
to prepare in a uniform manner such minor or sum-
mary tables as may be of importance as regards all
parts of the United Kingdom. 3. That a general index
of subjects should be prepared for the whole of the
reports, appendices, and tables, so that an inquirer can
readily ascertain where the corresponding information for
different parts of the United Kingdom is to be found
without making, as hitherto, three• independent searches
through a mass of complex and almost nntndexed infor-
mation.
- _ _

SEAFARING MORTALITY.—If we can do nothing
to diminish the number of preventible accidents in the
public streets and on railways, we might at least extend
our consideration to unfortunate sailors who have no Dr.
Lankester on board their ships to inquire into the cause of
their deaths. Mr. Finlaison, actuary of the National
Debt, in a letter to the Secretary to the Royal Commission
Patriotic Fund, which appears in the appendix to
the Annual Report of the Commissioners just issued, calls
attention to the very large proportion of deaths brought
about by causualties proper only to seafaring life (as
shewn by the Statistical Abstracts of the Health of the
Navy), which, he states, is distressing to see. No less
than 60 per cent, of the deaths from injury are accounted
for by drowning and falls from aloft. If the prevention
of accidents is a matter worth serious attention, surely
there is room for, at all events, a slight reduction in
these figures ; for even if it is absolutely necessary that a
large number of sailors should be annually drowned, a
little carefulness might prevent them falling from aloft at
this rate. In respect of deaths in action Mr. Finlaison
adds that the loss of the naval force stated in the only
return available for reference is " absolutely trivial."'
Out of 5,080 men employed on the China station from
Midsummer, 1864, to Midsummer, 1865, 24 only fell by
the hands of the enemy. This is at the rate of 47 per
10,000 men, and not one-half per cent. In the four years
ending with Midsummer, 1868, the whole number which
fell in action was 33. This is another proof, if any were
needed, that our enemies are really our best friends, for
they never destroy us half so ruthlessly as we destroy our-
selves.—Pall MO Gazette.