The Sun.
London, England, 1850-12-19 00:00:00

THE FATAL ACCIDENT AT THE IVETT
WESTIIIIIVSTER SEWER.

Mr. Bedford, the coroner -tor Middiest..7., and a jury of
respectable inhabitants of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, as-
sembled yesterday, at two o'clock, in the board-room of
St. Martin's workhouse, for the purpose of investigating
the circumstances under which Edward Gorman and
William Gardner, two bricklayers' labourers in the
employ of Messrs. Humphreys and Thirst, the con-
tractors for building the new Victoria, sewer in Scot-
land-yard, met their deaths on the morning of Mon-
day last.
'lhe board-room was very full. Among those pre-
sent we remarked Mr. Woolrych, secretary to the Com-
missioners of Sewers, aid several other officers of that
body; Mr. Humphreys (of the firm of Humphreys and
Thirst), Etc.
Mr. Le Breton, clerk to the Board of Guardians of St.
Martin's, was in attendance. _

Some particulars of the accident have already ap
peered, but none of the accounts hitherto published ex-
plain accurately how it occurred. The coroner ex-
amined two or three witnesses yesterday without
makiug the matter at all intelligible, and it was only
after the third witness had been called that some light
was thrown upon the origin of the catastrophe. It
enema that two new sewers ale in process of forces-
tutu under the surface eat Scotland yard, both
of them having one outlet into the river. The first is
intended to convey the sewage from the vicinity of Tra-
falgar-square, and the second runs from Whitehall-place
along Parliament-street and Whitehall. In the forma-
tion of the former it became necessary to cross an inlet
called 'Blind ack," through which the sewage of
Regent-street and the surrounding districts descends. It
is stated that the design furnished by the engineer to
the commissioners proposed to cross this d -ck by an
open cutting. The contractors, judging from the evi-
dence adduced yesterday, attempted to obtai❑ a commu-
nication between the works by means of a tunnel under-
neath the bed of the dock; and to this proceeding on
their part—all knowledge of which is denied by the
officers of the commission—the fatal occurrence seems to
be fairly attributable.

Alm the formal identification of the bodies by a
witness Lamed William Wheeler, foreman to the con-
tractors,

The Coroner inquired whether any party was in at-
tendance on the part of the contractors?
Mr. Humphreys said he was a member of the firm
who had the work in hand.

The Coroner—Have you any party here who can give
us information as to how the accident occurred? Mr.
Humphreys—The clerk of the works is here, sir.
Mr. Woolryoh (to the Coioner)—l beg to say, sir,
that several of the Commitsioners of Sewers are in at-
tendance, and will be quite ready to give any explana-
tion in their power.

The Coroner—Has any inquiry been mule into the
circumstances of the accident? Mr. Woolrych—A pre-
liminary investigitti)n has been made, and a report
thereon presented to the commissioners, but it did little
more than announce the fact of the accident.

The Coroner considered that i❑ so grave and serious a
matter something ought to be done by the commissioners
to satisfy the public mind, which had been painfully ex-
cited by the catastrophe.
Mr. Woolrych said, the engineer to the commissioners
had been ordered to make a further report, which would,
probably, be presented on Friday. This would, of course,
be at the disposal of the, jury.
Plana of the works were here put in, and explained to
the jury, but from their technical character, it was quite
evide❑t that they were of little assistance in making the
matter clear. At length one of the jury suggested that
they had better visit the spot.
The Coroner said there could be no objection to thi-,
and as it was not likely they should be able t.) complete
the investigation that day, before they resumed the in-
quiry he thought it would be well they should do so.

Sir. William Booth Scott was then called. He said
he was a civil engineer, and clerk of the works of the
Victoria sewer under the CommLisioners of Sewers. The
plan of that sewer was prepared by Mr. Frank Forster,
and witnrss bad to see the works carried out under the
general direction of Mr. Gotto, the surveyor of the
commissioners. The witness here explained that the
northern sewer had been completed on both sides of the
" Blind Dock" when he left the works on Seurday
evening. It was necessary to obtain a communication
across this dock, and when witness arrived at the works
ou Monday morning, he heard for the first time that the
contractors' men had made a tunnel underneath the bed
of the duck during Saturday night and Sunday. Feel-
ing satisfied that such a work must be attended with
great danger, he determined to go down and warn the
men to desist.. He was prevented doing so at the mo-
ment, and about five minutes before he was about to de-
scend the accident occurred. The tunnel, or " heading,"
as it was technically called, had been carried tweet).-
five feet under the bed of the dock, and the workmen
had nearly completed the communication between the
two sewers when the water broke in from above, and
inundated the whole works. Witness considered that
to ptrform such a work when the dock was full of water
was exceedingly dangerous. The tide on Monday
morning was unusually high, and the pressure would be-
correspondingly greater. Witness had examined the
works since the accident, and satisfied himself that it had
occurred in this way.

A labourer, who -wai at work in the tunnel when the
water broke through, was next examined. He stated
nothiug of importance, but gave a graphic account of
the terrible struggle for life in which all the unfortu-
nate men in the hewer at the time of the accident were
involved.

Wheeler, the contractors' foreman' was here recalled—
lam satisfied the water came in by breaking through
cbe bottom of the dock. The tunnel was finished all
but five hot. The tunnel was six or seven feet from the
bed of the river. The dock is never dry. I paid parti-
cular attention to the safety of the men. I was in the
tunnel myself on Saturday and Sunday. Mr. Perrett
(the other foreman), and myself, and Mr. Thirst, consi-
dered it safe to go on with the tunnel as we were, and I
should have bet n down in the tunnel in five minutes
after the accident. I can't say how soon before the
accident the engineer was on the work. The tunnel was
only commenced on Saturday evening. The work was
suspended on the Sunday night. Mr. Thirst did not
inspect the tunnel himself; but be ordered us to go on
with it. The works ure now in the same state as at the
time of the accident, except the stopping up of the
breach. I would undertake to go through the tunnel
this moment.

Henry George Parrett, joint foreman, examined—l
am a carpenter by trade, and clerk of the works to the
contracterr. I never had any communication with the
Commissioners of Sewers, or any of tht it officers, as to
the tunnel. No doubt there would have been a commu-
nication made to the officers on the works at the time of
commencing it, but there was no officer there then. I
am a carpenter by trade, and have not much experience
hi tunnelling, except what I have gained in the present
Jo. I know there is a grew difference between tunnel-
ling in airy ground and under a river or wet dock. I
havf, been in the do, kin question. The bottom of it is
paved, and above that is a stratum of clay.
The Coroner, at tnis s:age, observed that he did not
see that he could carry the cabe further at present. He
thought that a short interval slight enable them to ob-
tain turth..r evidence; and he should like, therefore, to
adjourn the case. In the meantime, the jury might visit
the spot; and as the Commissioners of Sewers were about
to make a further investigation of the case, he had no
doubt but they would afford every aasistauce in their
power to elucidate this important inquiry.
Mr. Woolrych, on the part of the commissioners,
promised to render every possible information; and the
Coroner then adjourned the case until Monday next.