The Sun.
London, England, 1861-02-01 00:00:00

IN SHEER.

SHEERNESS, THURSDAY.

This morning (Thursday) a most 'distressing and
fatal accident occurred in the dock at Sheerness,
involving the sacrifice of three persons' Jives and
jeopardising another, besides inflicting serious in-
juries on three more workmen.

- From information obtained on the spot, immedi-
ately after the fatal occurrence, the following par-
ticulars may be relied upon :—lt is necessary to
mention that the Sheerness yard, as in other
Government establishments of the kind, is divided
into a number of separate compartments or work-
shops, each compartment being devoted to some
particular branch of Government employment, and
that the department in which the accident occurred
is termed the boiler shop, and is in connection with
the steam factory. This building is about 320 feet
in length, 70 in width, and 60 in height, and isfitted
with forges and machinery. Transversely in the
building, at an elevation of about 40 feet from the
floor, are erected what are technically termed " tra-
vellers," or tramways, which can be moved from
one end of the building to the other, as circum-
stances require. On these travellers are placed
"jennys," or locomotive cranes, which can
be moved backward and forward for the
purpose of lifting or moving boilers, and
other ponderous pieces of machinery. At the time
of the accident, which was about 10 minutes past 7
a.m., 100 men, as nearly as can be ascertained, were
at work in the building, 8 of whom were on the
traveller, or tramway in question, engaged in moving
a huge boiler, weighing not less than 28 tons. A
connection between the crane and boiler had been
formed, and the men who were on the tramway
were turning the jenny for the purpose of raising
the boiler from its position, when, from some cause
not explained, but most probably from the heavy
strain, the traveller broke with a sudden crash just
above the boiler, and at the point where the strain
must necessarily have been greatest, throwing down
seven out of the eight men, as well as the jenny or
crane. The names of the men are John M'Donnell,
Anthony Bessell, Wm. Hadlow, Timothy Parker,
Walter Weybraw, Wm. Fackerell, and J. B arragh.
Six of them fell on the boiler which they were ope-
rating upon, and one of them was precipitated to
the ground a distance of 40 feet. The jenny, which
is from three to four tons in weight, also fell on the
top of the boiler, as well as on the top of the six
men, instantly killing two of them, and seriously
injuring the four others. Assistance being at hand
it was immediately called into requisition, by which
means the bodies of the unfortunate fellows were
speedily extricated. Dr. Cross, surgeon to the esta-
blishment, was also quickly in attendance, and ren-
dered every aid. The two men who were killed,
viz., M'Donnell and Bessell, must have died instan-
taneously, their bodies, which presented a frightful
spectacle, being very much mutilated. Of those
injured, the one who had fallen to the ground, and
whose name is Hadlow, sustained a severe fracture
on the skull, besides other injuries, and has since
died in the military hospital from the effects. An-
other of the injured- persons, named Timothy Par-
ker, who has been removed to the military hospital,
lies in a dangerous condition, having been in-
jured in the ribs and had his thigh broken just
above the knee. The injuries inflicted on the
others are, we are happy to state, not of an alarm-
ing or fatal character. The following is an authentic
list of the casualties _

Killed—John M'Donnell, boiler-maker, aged 48,
leaving a widow, and Anthony Bessell, aged 50,
leaving a widow and six children.
Since Dead—William Hadlow, assistant boiler-
maker, aged 28, a single man from Sittingbourne,
having been engaged only a few days in the estab-
lishment.

Injured—Timothy Parker. (in the hospital), boiler
maker, aged 46; thigh and ribs broken ; has a wife
and three children. Walter Weybraw, assistant
boiler-maker, 'aged 34 ; a severe fracture in the
knee ; has a wife and, two children. William
Fackerell, boiler-maker, age 30; fracture in, the
knee ; has a wife and one child. John Harragh,
boiler-maker, age 36 ; injuries in the ribs and back;
has a wife and two children.

An inquiry into the cause of the calamity is ex.
pected to-morrow (Friday),

GOVERNMENT EMIGRATION.—The Government
emigrant vessel Nile, of 716 tons, Captain F. S. Warley,
belonging to Mr. Duncan Dunbar, of London, sailed from
Plymouth, on the 29th ult., for Sydney, New South Wales,
with 17 married couples, 116 single men, 102 single women,
15 boys between the ages of 1 and 12, 8 girls between the'
same ages, and 1 male infant, making a total of 270 souls,
equal to 2571 statute adults, under charge of Surgeon-
Superintendent William Holman, assisted by the services
of Mary A. Robertson, matron, and Edward H. Flannery,
schoolmaster.

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