The Sun.
London, England, 1858-07-05 00:00:00

KILLED.

Mr. Thos. Forsyth, manager and engineer-in-
chief, aged 39. Leaves a widow and seveillchildren
to lament his loss.

Mr. Thos. Grinsell Nichol, gentleman appren-
tice, age 22, son of Mr. W. Nichol, of 2, Glowester-
crescent, Regent's Park, London, sculptor to St.
John's Hall.
Mr. Wm. Dawson, the foreman boiler-maker, has
left a widow and family.
Mr. Edward Stocks, gentleman apprentice, son
of Mr. Stocks, surgeon, Dublin.
James Carmichael, rivetter, has left a widow
and family.
Thomas Adamson, boiler-maker.
-William Conduit, rivet carrier, a youth.

INJURED.

Gustav John, 21, native of Germany, severely
icalded—not likely to recover.

John Gajeweski- 35, inspecting engineer to the
French Credit dobilier Company, and principal
inspector of the railways being constructed by that
company in Russia, badly scalded—may recover.
Michael Kelly, 27, boiler maker, suffering from
concussion of the brain, having been struck by a
piece of the boiler plate. Likely to recover. Not
scalded.

William Sands, 18, apprentice, boiler-maker,
slightly scalded, and is suffering from concussion of
the brain. Likely to recover.
Jas. Mawson, 36, engineer, slightly scalded.
Likely to recover.
Mr. Forsyth, it appears, exactly thirty years
ago, had the misfortune when a boy to lose his
left leg by the first railway locomotive that
ever rau in this country, which was on the
line between Liverpool and Manchester. Mr.
Forsyth commenced his career as a stoker, and
from that position very meritoriously rose to the
post of inspecting engineer to the London and
North-Western Railway Company for the Wolver-
hampton district. From there he went to manage
the extensive business of Messrs. Sharp, Stewart,
and Co., about seven years ago.
THE INQUEST.

On Saturday afternoon last, an inquest was opened
upon the bodies of the unfortunate men before Mr.
E. Herford, city coroner, and a most respectable
jury.

- The evidence gone into was mainly for the identi-
fication of those bodies that were not so mutilated
and torn as to render identification impossible.
Two or three could not be identified from their
remaining fragments.
• Prom 4,-,`“, mvirlence of John Mess, boiler-maker,
who was present uuriug Llie teLtiLig Li V.-e
It appears that the boiler was leaking, and that by
the request of his foreman, he went to fetch a
caulking-tool to stop the leakage. The tool, owing
to its being soft, was not used. Witness, in a
moment from fetching the tool, turned away, and
then the explosion took place. Before this occurred,
the steam was blowing off very rapidly from both
the valves. The steam pressure, he believed, five
minutes before the explosion took place, was about
from 1161 b. to 1181 b.

This witness and others then described the posi-
tion in which they found the bodies, remains,
limbs, &c., of the deceased.
After the Coroner had briefly addressed the jury
as to their duties, and had informed them that Mr.
W. Fairbairn, and other eminent engineers ap-
pointed by the firm, would examine the boiler, and
give evidence before them as to the cause of the
lamentable accident, the inquiry was adjourned till
Friday next, when it will be resumed at the
Coroner's Court, in Ridgefield.
Mr. John Robinson, one of the firm, who was
present, said the proprietors were most anxious that
the fullest particulars should be given and inquired
into, by the jury. Mr. Wm. Fairbairn, who was
in Aberdeen, bad been telegraphed for, and it was
expected he would commence examination of
the boiler on Monday or Tuesday.
The Coroner and jury then proceeded to the
Atlas Works to inspect the boiler and the place
where the catastrophe occurred. They were ac-
companied by Mr. J. C. Forsyth, Res.-Engineer
and General Manager of the North Staffordshire
Railway, who was present on the part of his de-
ceased brother. Mr. Chas. Stewart, of the firm,
'was also present • Mr. John Hick, of Bolton,
engineer • Mr. John Ramsbottom, of the London
and North-Western Railway Company, inspecting
engineer, Crewe.
On examining portions of the bciler plate which
was blown off, Mr. J. C. Forsyth called the atten-
tion of the jury to the edges of the pieces of the
plate. In some parts they were discoloured, while
in others they were white and the colour of iron
recently broken. He wished the jury to bear that
fact in mind, and that the pieces of plate should be
in the care of some one.

The jury were then bound over to attend on
Friday next.
On inquiry at the infirmary on Sunday our
correspondent was informed that all the injured
were alive, but that Cohn was a little worse, and
not likely to recover.

ANOTHER TERRIBLE AND FATAL
BOILER EXPLOSION.

FOUR MEN KILLED AND SEVERAL MAIMED.
The mining village of Tictoria, South Wales, has
been the scene of a terrific boiler explosion, which
almost equals, in the fatality of its consequences,
that which we had occasion to record on Saturday,
as having taken place at Manchester. Between five
and six o'clock in the morning the inhabitants
were much alarmed by a sound resembling the
discharge of artillery, and it at once occur-
ring to the majority of them that an accident
had happened, there was a general rush out
of doors. It was soon perceived, from the
cloud of steam and ashes which were flying about,
that an explosion had taken place at what is called
" the puddling forge" of the Tictoria Iron Works,
and on approaching the spot the terrible conse-
quences which had resulted, not only to the works
themselves but to human life and limb, were ren-
dered painfully apparent, dead and maimed bodies
lying scattered amongst the masses of fallen ma-
sonry and ironwork. Incredible as the fact would
seem, were it not the case that similar instances are
constantly occurring, the accident was entirely
owing to the gross and reckless conduct of some of
the men, one of whom actually sat upon the lever
of the safety valve to prevent its yielding to the
surplus pressure of the steam. The boiler in whisk
the explosion took place was 40 feet long and 7
feet in diameter, and was one of a series of three,
which were connected together and served by a
stack 80 or 00 feet high ; and it appears from the
evidence that a few minutes before the explosion
took place, James Coombs, a fitter at the Victoria
Works, and Benjamin Morgan, who is also in the
service of the Victoria Iron Works Company, saw
Thomas Price, the engineer ; Thomas Rees, a
youth ; and the fireman or stoker, David Nunnery,
on the top of the boiler. One of em was observed
to put his hand upon the ball of the safety valve
lever and press it down, and in a minute or so
Price, the engine driver, got on to the top of the
safety valve and sat upon ir. . The motive which
• led him to commit so reckless an act can only be
conjectured ; but it is thought that, as the steam
• from two only of the boilers could reach the engine,
he found,some deficiency of power, and got on the
valve for the purpose of preventing its blowing off
steam. Whatever might have been his object, the
consequences to himself and all within reach were
most disastrous. He had not been sitting on the
top of the valve more than half a minute
when the explosion took place, blowing
the boiler, the large stack, a puddling stack,
• contiguous, and all the surrounding masonry
to atoms. The boiler was torn into three l age
pieces, the solid plates being rent asunder as if
they were paper, the large stack, being struck at its
base by the heaviest of the three fragments of the
boiler, was seen to quiver and fall, while the other
stonework was scattered in all directions. Hap-
pily, the stack fell in a direction from, instead of
towards, the sheds. Had it fallen across the sheds,
the loss of life must have been very great ; as it
was, four unfortunate men were killed and several
dangerously maimed. The fireman, David Nun-
nery, and the young man, Thomas Rees, were
blown into the air with such force that their bodies
were not recovered for some time afterwards' when
they were found sadly maimed and scalded, and
quite dead, amongst the debris some GO yards off.
The corpse of Thomas Price, the engine-driver,
was found nearer to the stack, and Jonathan Wood-
ford, who died soon after being discovered, at no
great distance from him.
Amongst the men most severely injured were the
following :—Lewis Edwards, severe scalds and
fractured arm ; Wm. Young, labourer, severe,con-
tusiona and compound fracture of leg; John Powell,
labourer, badly scalded and bruised ; Robert Saw,
ditto.

The scone at the works when the catastrophe be-
came known in the village was of the most heart-
rending description. The place was crowied with
the relatives and friends of the dead and wounded
men, and the shrieks of the women and children
rent the air.
The damage done to the works has bean variously
estimated at from 2,300/. to 4,000/, and a sad copse_

quence of the accident is that during th e repairs
some 200 men will be thrown out of work.
At an inquest held upon the bodies, b afore W.
Brewer, Esq., coroner, it was proved tih tit Price,
who is a steady man, was at the time ql tiize sober,
and that he was generally very careful )in the ma-
nagement of the engine. The jury retuz ned a ver-
dict in each case of ' accidental death."

DIRECT TRADE OF TDB GRE.49I LASES
AND GREAT WEST WITH EC ROPE.

In the years 1853 and 1854 we published
Chicago circulars, calling the attention of the corn
trade to this, comparing it with that of 01 .e Black
Sea ; but we could never induce our fri ends to
send out orders, as they looked on it as ; a thing
impossible that a ship should come through an in-
land navigation of 1,600 miles of lakes, river ~s, and
canals, and then cress the Atlantic, " Europe di-
rect" being considered a myth.
In 1856, the Dean Richmond arrived iu 1 'Jiver-
pool from Chicago in 61 days, out of which sloe lay
seven at Quebec, proving the practicability ag the
trade. The Times, foreseeing what a vast business
would be done direct with the Great West, :gave
the ship's log, devoting a leader to it. This set ,son
the three-masted schooners D. C. Pierce (ca. fled
after Captain Pierce, of the Dean Richmond, the
pioneer of the trade), D. B. Sexton, Corrrespt
dent, Black Hawk, Chieftain, L. H, Carman, G )l.
Gook, E. S. Adams. C. J. Kershaw, averaghig
400 tons register, have sailed from American lake
ports for Liverpool, with cargoes of wheat, flour,
black -walnut, and staves. Others were to follow ;
and from Canadian ports the Alliance and Indian
Queen, with many more loading, so that the trade
may be considered fairly established. As the
canals do not admit vessels of more than 10 feet
water, few British-built ships can engage in the
trade ; but should our owners think of doing so,
iron vessels 146 feet overhead, 26 beam, and 13 feet
hold, or deeper, if they could carry full cargoes on
10 feet draught, would be suitable. These are the
dimensions of the vessels navigating the Welland
Canal. Freights from Chicago being about 10s. to
lls, per qr., or 50s. per ton, with return cargoes
of railroad iron and manufactured goods at the
same rate, the voyage ought to be a profitable one.
The vessels could convey passengers out.
The whole charges of the Dean Richmond, 388
tons register, for steam-tugs, canal dues, and
pilotage, on hip and cargo, were 621. Since then
the canal (Dies have been reduced to 3id. per ton
on ships ; 2s, Bd. on salt, iron, or coal ; 3s. 9d. on
pork, corn, oats, and barley ; 4s. 9d. on beef,
wheat, flour, or butter, all in currency. It is the
custom for the shipping to pay all dues which are
included in the freight. If the vessels were pro-
vided with a ten or twenty-horse power propeller,
they could steam through the Straits of Belle Isle,
St. Lawrence, canals, and River Detroit, saving
time and towing. At the present prices of grain in
Chicago, corn could be shipped at 365. ; spring
wheat, 325. ; red winter, 275. ; and white, 425.
per A.Relb., cost and freight, for the United King-
dom, whou aro beveral shillings per qr. under those
from the Black Sea. Goods are carried by rail ill tue
States at twelve miles an hour, by steamboat at
eight, and by canal at two, the cost of freight by
canal being three times that of steam, and rail five
times, so that the advantages in time and cost can
be seen in shipping direct without transhipment.
The average coat per tau from New York to Chicago,
and vice versa, is 48s. between lake and canal,
being almost as great as the freight direct to
England.—Belfast Mercantile Journal.