The Sun.
London, England, 1847-08-28 00:00:00

BOIV-STREET.

Yesterday afternoon a man named Japhei Edwards,
a stoker, who had been recently employed on the
Cricket steam-boat, attended to state some particulars
as to the cause of the dreadful explosion on the river,
and to ascertain if he could be allowed to inspect the
vessel before the crew and others interested had access
to it.

The applicant stated, that about three months ago,
he was the stoker and occasional driver of the boat
in question. Complaints having been made of the
slow pace of the vessel, the engineer attached a
cord to the extreme points of the levers regulating
the safety valves, and, pressing them downwards to
prevent the escape of steam from the boiler, fas-
tened the other end of the cord to a nail in the roof
underneath, thereby maintaining a permanent pres-
sure. As the boiler was very old, and this continual
strain appeared likely to cause an explosion, he (the
applicant) made a complaint to the captain, and re-
presented the danger of such a system, especially as
there was evidence of the stays of the boiler being
already weakened and defective ; but his cautions
were wholly disregarded, and he was eventually dis-
missed in consequence of the complaints so repeatedly
made by him on the subject. He afterwards ob•
tamed other employment. He felt certain that if he
had an opportunity, he could show to the jury that
the catastrophe was the result of the most shameful
neglect.
Edwards also stated that the engineer was re-
peatedly drunk.
Mr. JARDINE thought the subject of the applica-
tion an important one for the consideration of the
coroner's jury, to whom it must be referred, his Wor-
ship having no authority in the matter.
WORSHIP-STREET.

Mr. Charles Brown, who stated himself to be a

solicitor, residing at Kingsland, and Mr. Wm.
Carden, a surgeon dentist, was charged before Mr.
Arnold, the former with having wantonly assaulted a
police-constable, and the latter with having attempted
to rescue the other defendant.

It appeared from the evidence of Mansfield, a
police-constable of the N division, and other officers,
that at between two and three o'clock that morning
the first witness was called to quell a disturbance in
the neighbourhood of the Eagle Tavern, City-road,
where he found the defendants, one of whom had been
previously rapping at all the doors and windows
within his reach with a stick, in the company of two
women, and that before he had even attempted to in-
terfere with them he was suddenly attacked by Mr.
Brown, who exclaimed, " Take that, you -," and
instantly struck him a violent blow under one of his
ears, which knocked his hat off into the road. He
immediately laid hold of his assailant, with a view to
take him into custody, when the other defendant set
upon him and strenuously endeavoured to rescue his
companion, and in which he bad almost succeeded,
when several other constables opportunely arrived,
and, after a determined resistance they were both
conveyed to the station. Upon reaching there the
defendants, both of whom were greatly intoxicated,
were in the first instance unsuspectingly placed in the
same cell, but soon afterwards a terrible commotion
broke out between them, and upon Sergeant. Godfrey
and other officers hastening there to ascertain the
cause of it, they were astonished to find that their
into
furious devotion for each other had been changed
furious fighting, the face of Mr. Brown being covered
with blood, while his friend was grasping him by the
throat with such tenacity that it required the united
efforts of no less than four policemen to force them
asunder, and each of them manifested feelings of such
inveterate hostility towards the other that it was found
necessary to remove them into separate cells, in which
they had remained until they were brought before
the magistrate.
When called upon for their answer to the charge,
the defendants, who now appeared to be entirely
bereft of all animosity, and to he somewhat surprised
at the statements that were made against them, did
not deny the truth of them, and alleged as an excuse
that they had indulged after dinner to such an extent
in powerful liquids that they bad lust all control over
their actions, and had no very distinct recollection of
anything that had really occurred.
The MAGISTRATE impressively remarked upon the
disgraceful position in which the defendants, who
were manifestly persons holding a respectable station
in society, had placed themselves, and sentenced each
of them to pay a penalty of 405., or, in default, to be
imprisoned for a week in the House of Correction.
The fines were, of course, immediately paid, and
the defendants thereupon liberated.