The Sun.
London, England, 1846-10-17 00:00:00

APPOINTMENTS.

Stephen Lushington, Captain; Henry A. Story
Joseph G. Bickford. Charles Hawkey, Hon. John R. M.
Byng, and Philip W. Darrell, Lieutenants; Robert Sol-
mond, Master; Bartholomew Verling:, Surgeon; Robert
Wallace, M. 1)., Acting-assistant Surgeon; James S.
Mourchien, Paymaster and Purser; Thomas C. E. War-
cup, Naval Instructor; Rev. George C,oper, Chaplain;
Francis T.:Jameson, Second Master; F. A. Dewdney,
George Todd, J. H. E. Wemyss, 'and C. E. Day, Mid-
shipmen; Robert A. Parr, J. R. Bowling, Spencer P.
Brett, and George E. Massy, Naval Cadets; Henry S.
Ley, Master's Assistant; Edwin Death and John Donald,
Clerks; John Compton, Gunner; William Bray, Boat-
swain; and James H gers, Carpenter—to; the Ven-
geance.

- Rev. NV. S. Miller, Chaplain to the Queen.
Alexander Leys, First Engineer; James W. Bills,
William Josey, and John Saunders, Second Engineers;
W. H. J. Newberry, W. L. Covey, and Richard lien-
❑edy, Third Engineers—to the Excellent for the Retri-
bution.

THE EXPLOSION at the WALKER
IRON- WORKS.
NEWCASTLE - ON-TYNE, TII UTISDAY.-The inquest on
the bodies of the three unfortunate men who were killed
at Walker Iron-works, under circumstances already par-
tially described, was resumed this afternoon before Mr.
Reed, coroner, at Walker, The names of the deceased
are, Daniel Davies, Robert Spearman, and Robert
Rogers. The extraordinary nature of the explosion, and
the singular character of the assigned cause of it, in-
vested the proceedings with considerable interest. The
following witnesses were examined :
William Short said—l am the foreman of the black-
smiths at the Walker Iron-works. At about half-past
seven o'clock last Monday night I was going through
the works, when I was told two persons were suffocated.
I received directions from Henry Steward, another fire-
man, to proceed to the regulator, and take off the man-
hole door, in order to get in and plug up a four-inch
pipe, through which the blast was supposed to be es-
caping. Rogers accompanied me, and while he was
uraw-noie-noor -whs'opZneu, I saw-a man .ereFd Thoro2s,
Chalmers approaching with a lamp, when I told turn to
stand back. I had no particular reason for telling him
to stand back, but I thought it was safer. The wind
was blowing very fresh from the north, and Chalmers
wag to the windward of the regulator. After the
man-hole door was open nothing took place for
from three to five minutes. Rogers and I were stand-
ing close to and in front of the man-hole. I said to
Rogers, " Now, go in, and I'll follow you." But he
stood a minute or so waiting for Staward bringing the
plug ; and in that interval I heard a heavy blast, and a
rush of wind come from the main pipe, and a tremen-
dous explosiotrltook place, when I was knocked down
senseless. I don't think the explosion was caused by
the lamp. The air engine that forces the blast along
the pipe was standing at the time. I cannot account for
the explosion by anything I saw. Rogers was killed,
and I received considerable injury.
Henry Steward said, I am the head millwright at the
Walker Iron-works. I was at home on Monday night
about half-past seven o'clock, when I received word that
a gas pipe was on fire, and that I was to go down and
get the engine stopped. I went down to the works, and
found that a lead gas pipe had been melted by the hot
ashes blown up by an escape blast. I cut the pipe off,
and then gave orders to Rogers and Short to go and
plug the hole of the blast pipe in the receiver. The
pipe from which the blast escaped was a branch pipe
from the main blast pipe, and the end of it went under a
puddling furnace among the ashes. The ashes being
hot had heated the branch pipe to a red heat. The
heated air in the branch pipe would go into the main
pipe, and thence into the receiver, and as soon as the
man-hole door was opened the atmospheric air would
rush in and convert the heated air into an explosive
mixture, which might have ignited at the heated pipe.
There was no way of getting at the pipe to plug it but
by entering the receiver. I have been in it several
times when there had been leaks in the pipes, and I
never apprehended any danger.
Mr. Bell said, I am a proprietor of the Walker Iron-
works. About half-past 6 o'clock on Monday evening
last it was discovered that a man named David Davies
and a boy named Robert Spearman were suffocated in a
privy constructed for the use of the workmen. It was
after very considerable difficulty and great exposure to
danger that the bodies of the unfortunate persons were
extricated. They were conveyed to the surgery, where
everything was done to endeavour to restore life, but in
vain. To prevent, if possible, the occurrence of any
further accident, immediate measures were taken by our
men to ascertain the cause of such an unlocked-for dis
aster, with a view to its prompt removal. It was then
ascertained that from some cause or other a joint of an
underground pipe, of about four inches in diameter,
communicating with the main blast pipe, which is about
three feet in diameter, had been leaking, and that it was
the occasion of a loss of blast to a certain extent, which,
making its way under ground to the ash pits of some
puddling furnaces, had caused an increased combustion
of ashes, that might have for some time lying under the
fire bars. The heat thus generated had heated through
the lining of the ash pits, and had communicated igni-
tion to a small stratum of ashes in which the pavement
is laid, as well as to a minute quantity of ashes which
had got accidentally mixed with coal in the
stirring of the furnaces in question. The carbonic
oxide and carbonic acid thus formed had found
vent by penetrating towards the privy, and
caused the death of Davies and Spearman. There can be
no doubt it suffocated them, as their bodies presented all
the usual appearances of asphyxia. The blast engine
being stopped, an endeavour was made to separate the
four inch pipe alluded to from the main blast pipe; but
that being found impossible or difficult to do, it was de-
termined to proceed to the reservoir, or regulator, as it
is termed, which is a cylindrical iron vessel, 20 feet long
and 66 feet in diameter, in which, by opening the man-
hole door, access could be gained to the main pipe, the
stopping up of which would prevent the possibility of
any blast reaching the puddling furnaces or the privy.
The man -hole door having been removed, William Short,
the head smith of the establishment, and an intelligent
man, smelt foul air, and desired ore assistants,ofnhhoyigsgerbs_baeset pipe,
n
who had a lamp with him, to keep at some distance from
the opening. In about three minutes, and while_Short
and Rogers were standing close to the regulator, Short
heard a rushing noise in the blast pipe, and the explo-
sion took place instantly afterwards. Short was thrown
down, and Rogers, who was standing immediatelyoppo-
site the man-hole, was blown over a wall behind him,
in such a manner, that, to have reached the place wherev
he was taken; up, the unfortunate man musvit,ohss so
y mutilated e
mounted many yards into the air.
The explosion
must .
swaadsl in-
stantaneous.
conducted
pieces,ta s. y
oblowingod
one
o f engine,the
one part ofwhich
fragment took a con-
hstirsu
arm,cl a youngwhile
amoaoitihoefr the name of Maughen,
ftandrroargymbrokes direction,
and struck a man of the name of Dyson,
and fractured his leg. Next morning, on going to the
scene of the accident, it was surprising to find how com-
plete the destruction of the receiver was, for of it not a
tenth remained in its seat, though it had been very
strongly laid down. One large piece of it was thrown over
the offices, all the windows of which were broken out.
Another was projected so high in the air that in falling
on some railing 130 yards distant it was impaled. A
third portion was found on the top of the inn, 200 yards
distant, and at an elevation of 20 yards above its original
level. Many yards of the blast pipe were torn like paper,
and fragments of it and of the regulator were found in
various directions of the works. I believe the cause of
the accident was this ;--As soon 45 the man-hole door was