The Sun.
London, England, 1861-10-26 00:00:00

THE EXPLOSION AND LOSS OF FIVE

LIVES AT BALLIACOLLIG.

As we briefly stated in our yesterday's impression,
an explosion of gunpowder, involving the death of
five human beings and the destruction of a portion
of the works, took place at the Ballincollig Powder
Mills on Wednesday. The catastrophe occurred
about 10 minutes before 12 o'clock, and happened
precisely on the same site where the dusting house
blew up in August, 1859, when five men were killed.
After that accident a building was erected on the
same spot, to be used as a press house. It was a
small wooden structure, situated in the western

part of the works, with low walls of brick under-
neath, supporting the sides and flooring. It was
fitted up with a hydraulic machine placed for the
most part under the floor where the men worked,
and was composed entirely of gun metal and copper.
It needless to say that in this, as well as in all the
other portions of the works, every precaution against
explosions that human foresight could devise was
carefully carried out. The flooring of the house
was completely covered with leather, there was no
communication between the upper portion of the
building and the place where the machinery was
situated, and the men whenever they went into the
house were obliged to put on leather shoes, manu-
faetured without a nail, leather aprons, and canvas
smocks ; and as a further protection against acci-
dent the buckles in their belts were made of copper.
In this building, which was completely isolated from
the rest of the works, five men were employed.
They, it is said, were some of the steadiest hands
employed in the establishment. How it occurred
is inknown. At 6 o'clock on Wednesday morning
the five men were inspected by Mr. Somerville, the
superintendent, preparatory to their going to work,
and found to be properly attired. At 8 o'clock he
visited the house, and having inspected it, found
all right ; and it was but a very short time before
the explosion occurred that the house was cleared,
and all the powder it contained carried away.
Immediately afterwards a small supply, consisting
of eight barrels of charges and eight barrels of
dust, was put in. At 10 minutes to 12
o'clock the men employed in other parts of the
works were startled by hearing an explosion. It
was so slight that it was at first supposed to have
happened in one of the small sheds in the eastern
portion of the establishment, and known as the
composition mills, where the powder underwent its
first process. Mr. Somerville, who was in one of
eastern departments at the time of the explosion,
at once ran out and looked to the eastward, expect-
ing to see smoke rising in that direction ' • but it
soon became apparent that the accident had taken
place at the other end of the establishment. In
this direction, then, most of the men employed about
the mills hastened, and on their arrival at No. 2
press-house, a truly horrifying spectacle presented
itself. The entire pressing-house, with a shanty at
one side, where the men used to keep their victuals,
was blown to fragments, which lay scattered over
the ground for a considerable distance. For at least
60 or 70 feet around the building the ground was
strewn with pieces of timber, sheets of iron, and
portions of the machinery, while in one or two in-
stances large deals were imbedded several feet in
the banks of the canal close by. On the western
side of the building was a young plantation, and the
greater number of the trees in this were completely
'destroyed. Three of the bodies of the unfortunate
men employed in the building were found in the
immediate vicinity of the house, but so fearfully
mutilated that recognition was all but impossible.
Portions of the limbs and other ports of the bodies
had been torn away. One had the top of his skull
blown away. Small portions of the limbs and flesh
were blown across the river, and were found there
afterwards by parties who went across to search.
The body of another was completely torn open in
the middle, the entrails hanging out, and the heads
of two of the men were blown off. In a very short
time after the accident occurred Dr. Rountree, medi-
cal officer to the works, hearing the explosion, hast-
ened to the spot, in the hope of being able to render
some assistance, but medical science was of course
of no avail to the mutilated corpses that lay before
him. With one exception, all the men killed had
families, and when their wives and children arrived
at the place, the scene was a most heartrending one.
The bodies found were placed on carts, and around
these the relatives of the deceased gathered, utter-
ing loud and piercing cries, and other passionate
demonstrations of grief. Sir Thomas Tobin, Mr.
Rudd, Dr. Rountree, and Mr. Somerville were on
the spot doing everything in their power to alle-
viate the sufferings of the wives and children of the
unfortunate men.
When the explosion took place it was heard dis-
tinctly in Cork, and appeared so near that some
people imagined it was the discharge of heavy
ordnance in the immediate vicinity of the city.
However, owing to the small quantity of powder in
the building at the time, the explosion was not so
great as the one that occurred about two years ago,
when not only was the house in which it occurred
utterly destroyed, but the roofs of several houses at
the opposite side of the river wero blown in, and a
quantity of glass broken in the village of Ballin-
collig.
The following are the names of the men killed :
Owen Begley, foreman of the house, aged about 50.
He had been engaged in the manufacture of powder
for the last twenty-three or twenty-four years. He
leaves a wife and one grown-up daughter; Thomas
Long, aged about 40, had been for some years em-
ployed in the mills. His family consists of a wife
and four young children ; Timothy Merrick, aged
about 30. He had been for years engaged in the
works. A wife and two children compose his
family. A nephew of this man's was killed by the
explosion in '59 ; George Davidson, aged about 24.
Had been at work in the mills since his boyhood.
He has left a wife but no children Thomas*Haily,
aged about 36 years. Had been engaged in the
works for about twenty years. His family consists
of a wife and four young children.
On Wednesday evening Mr. Coroner Honahan
held an inquest on the bodies of three men found—
Long, Merrick, and Davidson.
Mr. David Somerville deposed that he was con-
nected with the powder mills for the last twenty-
two years, and was at present superintendent over
the works. Knew the deceased for years—some of
them for nearly twenty-two years. They were five of
the steadiest men in the establishment. Saw them
last alive at six o'clock that morning, when they
paraded before him, and were examined. That was
prior to their proceeding to their work. Did not
observe anything unusual about them. They were
all fit for their business. They were told to go to
No. 2 press-house. They had been for the three
past days of the week, and for some time before,
employed at the same place and at similar work.
They understood their work well. There was a
foreman in the house. He is missing, and witness
presumes he was in the house when the accident
occurred. His duty was to superintend the other
men. Witness visited the house about eight o'clock
that morning, when the five men were in the house
and at work. At that time they were pressing
powder. The house was in perfect order, and wit-
ness found everything to his satisfaction. Witness
was speaking to the foreman then for some time.
Asked him whether all was right, and he said yes,
and that his machinery was all oiled ; witness
examined it, and found it was so ; the house had
not its full work to do that day, as other parts of
the works had been stopped by back water ; the
deceased went in to do some work, in order that
there might be no arrears ; at about ten minuted
before twelve o'clock that day was in the works
yard, when witness heard a report like that of an
explosion; it was so slight that he thought it was
one of the composition mills, and ran towards
them ; saw others running towards them too ; then
found that the explosion occurred in the western
part of the concern, and made his way towards it as
fast as possible ; found this press-house in ruins ;
saw the three bodies the subject of this inquiry
there ; they were lying at different distances from
the scene of the explosion ; they were dead. The
bodies were in a mutilated state. Has no doubt that
the state they were in was caused by the explosion.
The foreman of the house, and whose body has not
yet been found, was for over twenty years working
at powder. No trace of the other two men that
were in the house at the time of the explosion has
as yet been found. The river and the canal had
been dragged close by, but without finding them.
Witness intended to net the river next morning to
search for the bodies.
Denis Connor, a boatman connected with the
works, was next examined. He said he had been
employed in taking powder that day from the house
where the deceased had been employed. About 20
minutes before the explosion he had cleared the
house of all the powder that was in it, and had left
there 16cwt. of millcake and dust. Went and de-
livered what he took away at a distance of about
300 yards, and as he returned he heard the explo-
sion. When he left the five men were in the house
and were all engaged in the mill. No other person
was near the place except Denis Mahony, who was
engaged with witness at his work in driving a horse.
Dr. Roundtree, of Ballincollig, deposed that be
was at the public dispensary that morning, when
he heard the explosion, and being professionally
connected with the works, and seeing the smoke, he
hastened to the place and saw the bodies of the three
men. Long was very much burnt and mutilated.
r;
hei
the other two had their heads blown off
deaths must have been instantaneous, and the result
of the explosion of gunpowder.
Mr. M'lnnery (foreman) said, though not con-
nected with the powder mills, he knew theta well,
and he could say that whenever an accident
red no no expense was spared by the company
Tent a similar occurrence. to pre-
The Coroner—l am sure the esblishment is as
ra%uaged as TAT ill %Ail scnisutta
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