The Sun.
London, England, 1860-05-24 00:00:00

THE BOILER EXPLOSION AT ASHTON.

An inquest was held at the Town Hall, Ashton-
under-Lyne, on Monday afternoon, before Mr.
Rutter, county coroner, on the body of Richard
Wood, who, it will be recollected,
,was killed by a
boiler explosion, on Friday last, at the works of
Mr. Benjamin Swire, nail maker, Ashton. Mr. J.
Lord, solicitor, Ashton, attended to watch the case
on behalf of Messrs. Mills and Sidebottom, occu-
piers of part of the premises, who have lost consi-
derably by the explosion, Mr. Sidebottom being
also much hurt; and Mr. Noah Buckley, solicitor,
Stalybridge, attended to watch the case on behalf
of Mr. Swire.

Mr. John Wood, the father of the deceased, a
general dealer in harm, identified the body of the
deceased, and said he was upwards of 11 years of
age.
John Rasbottom, a chimney-sweep, said, about
eleven o'clock on Friday last, he was standing
about 20 yards from the big doors of the works,
where the explosion took place, when he heard a
noise like the issue of steam, and immediately he saw
bricks, slates, and timber flying about in all direc-
tions from the works. He ran towards Delamere-
street (the front of the works), and saw men and
boys getting through one of the windows into the
street. After two or three had got out he got
through one of the windows into the works. He could
not find any one, but he heard some one moaning.
He durst not go far, as the materials were falling
about him. He saw the boiler had exploded, and it
was split in two. It was entirely removed from
its bed. Witness afterwards found the body of
the deceased, near one of the beams of the engine,
about five yards from where the boiler had stood.
Mr. Henry William Harman, C.E., and the chief
inspector for the Association for the Prevention of
Boiler Explosions, had made an examination of
the boiler. He said—l can account for the ex-
plosion. The corrosion had gone on to such an ex-
tent as to reduce the thickness of the plate (8 or 10
feet) to the thickness of a sixpence. The patch
had been put on to cover a visible crack
which had probably existed some time.. It
is the thinness of the boiler through
corrosion that has caused the explosion. The plate
put on had been put on in a clumsy manner, by
some one evidently not knowing what he was about.
Boilers ought to be inspected every three months
externally, and every 12 months externally and in-
ternally. It is not fitting that a boy 15 years of
age should drive an engine. Mr. Swire was not a
member of the association. I would, on hearing
the noise, have smothered the fire out with small
coal, as in my opinion that would be better than
withdrawing the coal. The steam gauge was such
a one as 1 never saw during my experience of 30
years. It was most unfit and improper.
After some other evidence,
The Jury announced that they had agreed to a
verdict of manslaughter, and also that they were
unanimously of opinion that there ought to be a
periodical inspection of boilers at least not less than
once in 12 months.

EXCELLENT ANGLING.—Sir Alexander Gordon
Cumming, Bart., of Altyre, last week, from the 7th to the
11th, killed with fly, in the river Lochy, 15 salmon. Their
average weight was 131 b. 4oz. The largest weighed 351 b.
There was also one salmon lax, 221 b. The whole were
taken with a very fine single gut line.—Elgin Courant.
EIGHTEEN YEARS' INCOME TAX.—It may be
gathered from the Statistical Abstract that more than
£l2o,ooQ,oo6ohave been paid as income tax since it was re-
estebliehed by the late Sir R, Peel,