The Sun.
London, England, 1859-09-12 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 12, 1859.

BANK OF ENGLAND, SEPTEMBER 8, 1859.
riIHE COURT OF DIRECTORS of the
1 GOVERNOR and COMPANY of the BANK of ENG-
LAND give notice that a GENERAL COURT will be held
at the Bank on THURSDAY next, the 15th inst., at rwelve
o'Clock precisely, to consider of a dividend. This will also be
one of the Quarterly General Courts appointed by the charter.
JAMES STEWART, Secretary.

short interval, during which the white steam still
obscured all aft the funnel, Capt. Comstock, who
was on the bridge, tried to see what had occurred,
but he could only ascertain by peering over the
edge of the paddle-box that the vessel's sides were
uninjured, and the engines still going. Gradually
then, as the steam cleared off, the foremost funnel
could be seen lying like a log across the deck, which
was covered with bits of glass, gilding, fragments
of curtains and silk hangings, window frames,
craps of wood blown into splinters, and a mass of
fragments, which had evidently come from the
cabin fittings of the lower deck, beneath the grand
saloon. In the middle was a great heap of rubbish
where the fnnnel had just stood, from which the
condensed steam was rushing up in a white, an&
therefore not hot, vapour, but enough to hide com-
pletely all that had happened below. In another
minute all the passengers came rushing towards the
spot. The 20 or 30 who had remained at table inthe
saloon next that which blew up came on deck also,
and it will give your readers some idea of the gigan-
tic strength of the vessel when I tell them that these
latter until they actually saw the smash were almost
unaware of the terrific explosion which had oc-
curred beside them. It was only the dull heavy roar,
followed by the rattling of fragments as they rained
down on and through the skylights which warned
them that something dreadful had occurred. Still
none knew what had really happened or what injury
the vessel had sustained. Capt. Harrison, who was
aft at the moment, rushed forward, and, seizing a
rope, lowered himself down through the steam into
the wreck of the grand saloon, and calling to six
men to follow him, began a search among the ruins
for those who might have been below. The only
one in the apartment was his own little daughter,
who had just arrived at the after part at the mo-
ment of the explosion, and who, completely shel-
tered by the wrought-iron bulkhead, had escaped,
by a miracle, totally unhurt. Captain Harrison
merely gave the order to pass her up through the
skylights, and continued his search. This was no
easy matter. The wreck and rubbish piled in all
directions in the ladies' small saloon, forward of the
funnel, made it difficult to move about. The steam
hid almost every object; the place was broken, the
floor in parts upheaved and riven, so as to show a
still more frightful smash in the saloons and cabins
below. Through these apertures the bright glare
beneath the lower deck of all showed that the fur-
nace doors had either been blown open or blown
away, and the funnel being gone, the draught was
down the remains of the chimney, forcing out the
flames and ashes in a fierce and dangerous stream.
This, as the embers touched water, sent up a close,
suffocating air—half steam half gas—in which it
was difficult to see and almost impossible to breathe.
`ln the meantime most on board, including the visi-
tors, took steps to restore order and confidence. As
I have already said, there were fortunately no holi-
day tourists there, or the matter would have been
much worse. Some of the ablest engineers and
machinists were on deck, who could pretty well
guess what had happened and what worse might
follow. A funnel, filled similarly to that which
had blown up, was evidently getting intensely hot,
and of those present none knew to what extent its
" jacket," or outer casing, had been damaged or
how soon it might explode. Mr. Scott Russell, fol-
lowed by one or two engineers, at once went below
to the furnaces of these boilers, and ordered the
steam to be blown off, the speed of the engines to be
reduced, and every precaution taken to guard
against mishap. Mr. Campbell remained calm and
collected on deck, getting the crew forward and pre-
venting any unnecessary alarm. Some of the men
instantly went below to search for those employed
in the stoke-holes, whom it was now evident must
be fearfully injured, if indeed alive. At this moment
a cry was raised of a man overboard. Some of the
crew and many of the passengers went aft, when
something like the figure of a human being was
visible among the waves. Life buoys, gratings, and
bits of timber were thrown over all at once, and two
gentlemen were endeavouring to lower a boat when
it was stated that the alarm was a false one. Un-
happily, however, it wasbut too true, as was after-
wards ascertained. The man was a fireman, and
when the explosion took place he rushed, to avoid
the steam, to the aperture out of which the ashes
were emptied, and from this jumped and caught at
a beam under the " sponson," in front of the paddles.
To this, it is said, he hung for a few moments,
when, probably weakened by the explosion or
scalded by the steam, he relaxed his hold, and fall-
ing under the paddles was, of course, instantly
killed by them, and so floated past astern. All that
I have stated occurred in the space of three or four
minutes. Mr. Trotman, with one or two others,
went below to the lower deck cabins, where one at
least was known to be covered by the wreck, while
Captain Harrison came on deck and ordered the
ship's course to be altered towards the land till it
could be ascertained that there was no immediate
danger from fire or injury to the frame of the vessel
below. The latter risk appeared to be most immi-
nent, as the flames were still rushing fiercely from
the furnace doors. The hose was therefore ordered
to be laid on, and instant preparations made for ex-
tinguishing the fires. During this time some gallant
fellows among the crew had gone down to the
stoke-hole to see after those below, and bring the
poor firemen who were on duty near the funnel at the
time on deck as quickly
as possible. It was said that
only two or three men were below, and that these
men were but slightly injured, though it was, un-
fortunately, soon found that there were not less
than twelve more or less hurt. Two or three of
these poor fellows walked up to the deck almost, if
not quite unassisted, and this may have led to the
belief that their injuries were slight. Their aspect,
however, told its own tale, and none who had ever
seen blown-up men before could fail to know at
a glance that some had only two or three hours to
live. A man blown up by gunpowder is a mere
figure of raw flesh, which seldom moves after the
explosion. Not so with men blown up by
steam, who for a few minutes are able to
walk about, apparently almost unhurt, though
in fact mortally injured beyond all hope of
recovery. This was so with one or two, who, as
they emerged from below, walked aft with that
indescribable expression in their faces only re-
sembling intense astonishment, and a certain falter-
ing of the gait and movements like one that walks
in his sleep. Where not grimed by the smoke or
ashes, the peculiar bright, soft whiteness of the face,
hands, or breast, told at once that the skin, though
unbroken, had in fact been boiled by the steam. One
man walked along with the movement and look I
have endeavoured to describe, and seemed quite
unconscious that the flesh of his thighs (most
probably by the ashes from the furnace) was burnt
in deep holes. To some one who came to his
assistance he said quietly, "I am all right. There
are others worse than me. Go and look after
them." This poor man was the first to die. Another
stoker was brought up with the scalp hanging in
raw strips from his head. One of the crew went to
assist another fireman, and caught him by the arm,
and beneath the grasp of those who thus aided him
the skin peeled off the poor fellow's hand and armlike
an old glove, and this, too, without the sufferer
apparently feeling or knowing it. As fast as the
men were got up they were taken aft to the infir-
mary, where cots were prepared, Drs. Slater and
ship,
w aitrhy,soneowthe
Hospital,hic
Watson,
visitors, theror surgeonsAiarkha
Markham,
theof
St.
Mary's
were at once in attendance, and everything
unremitting kindness or medical skill could suggest
was at once done for their relief. It was, however,
seen at once that but little hopes existed for many,
if not the majority, of the sufferers, who were 12
in number. Most of them seemed very restless,
and almost if not quite delirious ; but a few of
those whose injuries were likely to be more imme-
diately fatal remained quiet, half unconscious
or at most only asking to be covered up, as if they
felt the cold. For these latter all knew nothing

whatever could be done, as, in fact, they were then
dying. In the meantime on deck the hose had been
got at once into play, and a stream of water was
poured down into the stokehole beneath the lower
deck, so as in a few minutes to quench the fire in
the furnaces, and put at rest all fear of danger from
that source. Within 20 minutes after the blow-up
the real cause and nature of the mishap was known,
and the total safety of all the engines and after
boilers was &finitely ascertained. Fearful as was
the explosion, it was seen that, owing to the im-
mense strength of the ship, its violence had been
entirely confined to the compartment in which
it had occurred. Beyond this no injury was
done of any kind, excepting a stray piece
breaking a skylight here or there. Prudently,
therefore, and in order to prevent exaggerated
reports or unneczssary alarm, it was determined
to resume the original course and steer for
Portland. Before this was done Mr. llawkins,
one of the boatswains, had discovered that Mr.
Rawlinson, one of Mr. Gray's assistants, who was
in a lower-deck cabin, was completely buried, and,
in fact, suffocating beneath a pile of lumber of all
kinds. In an instant men were set to work to free

him, who dragged away the wreck and splintered
glass and wood by handfuls, till Mr. Rawlinson
was caught sight of and pulled out by main force, a
good deal shaken, contused, and cut about the
head and face, but not dangerously. All danger
from fire or another explosion beirg now at an end,
those who chose were enabled to go down and ex-
amine for themselves the scene of the disaster. The

litter on the deck showed that in the compartment
in which it had taken place, and where it was
confined by the wrought-iron bulkheads, it had
been wide and general. The fore part of Mr.
Crace's beautiful saloon was a pile of glittering
rubbish, a mere confused mass of boards,
carpet shreds, hangings, mirrors, gilt frames,
and splinters of ornaments ; the rich gilt
castings were broken and thrown down, the brass
work ripped, the handsome cast iron columns round
the funnel overturned and strewed about. In the
more forward part, a State sitting-room for ladies,
every single thing was destroyed, and the wooden
flooring broken and wrenched up. As one gazed
on the evidences of the appalling force of the explo-
sion it was recollected with profound gratitude to
Providence that the accident occurred at the only
single moment when the grand saloon was empty,
and the berths on each side were unoccupied.
What the consequences would have been if it
had taken place an hour later, when the visitors
would be sitting in the saloon, is almost fearful
to think upon. But the damage in this part
seemed a mere bagatelle when compared with the
ravages among the lower deck cabins beneath. It
was difficult to go down there, for the whole place
was filled with fragments of boards, chairs, beds,
cabin fittings, broken steam pipes and syphon tubes,

torn-out rivets, and masses of the inner and outer
funnels rent to pieces like calico, and lying about
like heaps of crumpled cardboard. Everything
was in literal fragments. The course of the
explosion could then be seen at once. The water,
or rather steam, in the casing had crushed in the
inner casing, blowing up the funnel above deck,
while both funnels below it were torn to pieces and
hurled about, sometimes in single rivets or
scraps no longer than one's hand, sometimes
in crumpled up lumps weighing several hundred-
weight. Beneath this deck, towards the stokehole,
where the remnants of the funnel left a yawning
hole like an extinct volcano, the force of the
explosion was still more manifest. Not only
was the iron compartment nearest to the boiler
partly rent and pushed back, but one of the main
deck beams, an enormously massive wrought-iron
girder about two feet deep, and strengthened with
angle irons, was wrenched back and nearly bent
in halves. The ruin here would be an instructive
sight for engineers to witness. It would be still
better if medical men could inspect them and solve
the problem of how it can possibly have happened
that men who stood round the base of the funnel
when it exploded, and when tons of iron were
torn up and cast about, were not only not killed
on the spot, but scarcely one was unable to walk,
and not one has sustained a fracture or dislocation.
This is at present an inexplicable circumstance.
In some parts the explosion seems to have acted
with the capricious violence of lightning. Thus, in
the grand saloon the two largest mirrors on each
side of it, running fore and aft, were quite unbro-
ken, though the silvering was boiled off the backs of
both by the heat of the steam. By the side of these
glasses cast-iron columns were bent and broken, and
mirrors at four times the distance from the seat of
the disaster were almost pulverized, and their
framings even destroyed. The beautiful oak stair-
cases descending to the saloons were blown up like
cardwork, yet not a book on the library shelves
clo eto the funnel was stirred. At the bottom
of the stokehole 1 found one of the gilt framings
which were placed round the Windows of the
saloon ; it was perfectly uninjured. For your
readers to understand this singularity they must
suppose one house—say number eight—to have had
an explosion in its cellar, antlamong the ruins is
found uninjured a drawing-room picture belong-
ing to the next-door neighbour at_number nine.
The boiler, as far as can be judged from a super-
ficial examination, stands firm ; a close scrutiny,
however, will be necessary to enable the engi-
neers to determine whether any part of it, n ore
especially its tubes, are injured. It seems alino:A too
much to hope that when such a severe concussion
was experienced, it can have escaped entirely with-
out injury. Near and upon the boiler lie scraps
and morsels of the funnels, which show where the
first tearing away commenced before the inner
casing was blown up to the deck.
This, as far as the most diligent- inquiry and
close personal observation has enabled me to ascer-
tain, is a fair and candid account of the accident.
It is difficult in mere words to fall into any exalt•
geration in describing the effects of such great ex-
plosions. I have said no more than the circum-
stances warrant, to say less would be equally
wrong. As far, then, as this short cruise is
concerned, I have up to the present given only
the dark side of the picture. In candour to the
public, and in justice to all connected with this
noble vessel, it is right that the bright side should
be told as well. Every engineer on board knows
that no wooden vessel that ever swam could have
resisted the tremendous violence of the explosion
for a second. Whether it had happened to the
Royal Albert or the General Admiral, the result
would have been in each case the same ; they would
hare gone down, perhaps without even time enough
to lower a boat. The Britannia Bridge is a struc-
ture of almost unknown strength ; engineers calcu-
late that the Great Eastern is ten times as strong.
Yet even the ablest engineers on board were as-
tounded at the slight effect produced when the tre-
mendous nature of the explosion was considered.
Again, the vessel never once stopped either
screw or paddle engines, though of course after
this most unfortunate mishap the forward pair
of boilers were instantly put out, while the after
pair to the second funnel were worked slowly
and easily. The only difference this made was
that the screw engines were required to go
faster, and faster accordingly they went, and did
all that was wanted to send the huge ship through
the water "at the rate of knots," as sailors say.
Any ordinary vessel, even those nominally built of
iron, which only mean an outer metal casing with
all the rest wood, must have been burnt by the ex-
plosion. Yet it is not too much to say that all on
board almost smiled at the idea of fire in a vessel
subdivided in every direction into a series of iron
cells, Had fire been possible, the mass of water
that was instantly at hand from large hose con-
nected with the donkey engines would have sufficed
to put out a small volcano.
The accident might and most likely would have
occurred to any vessel fitted with double casing