The Sun.
London, England, 1845-03-10 00:00:00

BLACK W ALL. AS)
INQUEST ON THE BODIES.—(THIS vr
Mr. Baker, the Coroner for East Middlesex, and tifeoi#
men empanelled to inquire into the circumstances !'ssrs
the death of Thomas Wright, labourer, aged 3° 'of
Richard Grimes, labourer, aged 29 years; and Genserress
man, labourer, aged 26 years, the unfortunate stlaseo
the explosion of a boiler in the yard of the Messrs.4o
the eminent engineers of Black-wall, met this er
ten o'clock, at the Town-ball, Poplar. A; '5 osti°
Mr. Ballantine attended to watch the proceee'll6
part of Mr. Samuda.
The names of the jurymen having been called oveesttei
s .
Mr. BAKER explained that he had requested theqbee;
ance of Mr. Carter, the Coroner for Kent, as one els
fortunate men had 'died on board the Dreadnought, SSA
hospital-ship being in his district, his attendance ti.,',501,
would prevent a further inquiry. That gentleman "
however, in attendance. boal
On the return of the jurymen from visiting the ,
Joiiathan Smith, another victim, s
James Cole was called. He identified the body as
Jonathan Smith, in the employment of the Mess's; S'00,11• 1
He had seen him at work on the day of the est**
had no doubt his death was caused by that accident.
sos,
John Cockayne, living at 4, Orchard-place, MI rt
am a grinder of plates for the railway. have Siei eor
played by the Messrs. Samuda for the last six or fevrim,slot
rhe boiler was purchased after I came. Ido not "
was given for it, nor from whom it was purchase„tai,,,.
boiler has not been there more than a month at far
Deep
never did work upon it until the period of its coeo ree:,
with the engine. It was commenced tO he. 050
meted upon Saturday night, and the exPl°„sl otilied;
place on the following Wednesday. I sm' perfee,'i
the matter with the boiler at that time. It was.ss,
connected with the engine on the Tuesday m0"01,7,0te1,
not know the power which it can bear. I saw
blown off occasionally by the safety valve, and it 01:"E ,d Rit
escape freely both by the hand. (raising the valve)'"gestos,,
out it. The operation by the hand in letting off tilve,
to pull a lever downwards, thus lifting the vl'
Lowe had the control of the engine. He is the for ar),
Messrs. Sannida's works. The engine was entirelS;of
control. I had nothing to do with the provtag Os;
boiler, and did not observe the process of proving !es°, e
not, therefore, speak of its power. I was eom1:70D0l;
Wednesday morning after • breakfast, when I
" It is a bad job that we cannot get to work to aedos'
said, " It is a bad job, and whatever is the reeve
A, 06
know, there is plenty of steam." res"4r,
By a juror—Was the engine at work when yeti
remark? Witness—Yes it was but going very sleree'reteetjo
Lowe said, " There is plenty Of steam ;" and I °see
him to say there is between 40 and 501bs.
e
m t
juror—Wean to the square inch
on . tbe tlst
By a as he the top of the boiler or'eo
Witness—No; he was down below. There sverVetlid:e
men kept turning round the flv-wheel to see if ",hisgiesi
any faster, but et would not. lie did not order an.Polo'"'is
then, nor did I see him put more fire on. I saw a eie';st f
ee'
about four or five feet long, and about three ineheodtbl
placed against the boiler. It had a nail driven into iti,e IP,
was a play of one or two inches allowed between,t„it it 3.t si
the safety valve handle. Mr. Lowe was engagseuss's reJ
time. I put my foot at the bottom of the wow' --risiogasJ.
the rail np to the lever, so as to prevent it fro`" A and 4,4 t.
letting the steam off. Mr. Lowe turned roun"o at Saul
i
" Let it be," and he put it back directly as it,gaitl°,os
I then went into my own shop, and did not see t ..13 10"
after the explosion, which took place in some te sr
after. ie!"011
The CORONER—Did the steam blow off befoliod
your bot to the wood? Winess—Oh yes, it WO ,dif•
before then. abs:.o"
The CORONER—When you put your foot t 0 :e7llos
ference did that make as to the steam going off? Wit'
I did not notice. faster? tit
the engine.at any time go
ness—l did not see it go any faster. ', to see
The CORONER remarked that he should like tr
piece of wood alluded to. fe
The CORONER subsequently asked if anYrysegel•eS
tleman was in attendance on the part of ner'sseole's
Ballantine said lie appeared for Mr. Samuds*Lf 116 to
anxious to give every explanation in his pow e'
la- t
cause of the unfortunate occurrence. era
sec
, Mr. Stanley, the foreman of the jury. Put tIO
cb
tions to the witness, but without eliciting mod
,set;
already stated to the Coroner. strides' Os
The CORONER—I think it will be necessarYs's tlt's,lll'S
go through the whole of the workmen engage"iispar.4g
about the engine, because it may have been estafrsee'
operation that caused the mischief. Whether '
not ,
sloe ,or the piece of wood was done I not, I VI"
wee
y
present.
To the witness Cockavne—Did you. see a es''
attached to the lever? Witness—No. !;e'
John Guiver Barnard, 12, George-street, P- tithe
wright—l have been in the employment of toe athe
bootr /0
muda for seven or eight months. I know nothiage
ing. the purchase, or the period of time when t„0 of
bought. I knew nothing of it, in fact, till the Peek, il31";
cident. I was first employed on Sunday night ~,oftl'esPefiss
ing and connecting the feed-pipes and steam-IsP'Say'ai
andthe workappeared to me done in a prePer and; as' el
like manner. The explosion has not laid open for
in the boiler, as far as the pressure it was mod :001 0
cerned, but I think: there was great misnl3llB° Wit
safety-valve. 940'001
The CoßoNEß—Confine yourself to my ela,.sltoge„ jib e
the interior sound and good, and did it ael'e3'-fes,"
for the purposes it was made for ? Witness-- losoP 0•Ovi
observed no cause in the work for the e:‘,P is at
boiler. It seemed to me quite perfect. -rl'e `1"10'..
wrought iron but I cannot give the dimensions's, pr,';
itself was of wrought iron. It is a low pres.o.oolo"ts,tet,
put to high pressure use. The ordinary Pewreres 1125 i,
sure engines varies, sometimes 9, 10, 20, O',o sts'iss"
square inch. I should be sorry, however, itb
This engine was •en the locomotive prineiPle:iitill4,l
linders. They could run on the road.
The •CORONER—If 40 or 45 lb. were 4'r Tee;
square inch in such a boiler, what would be P),aretsl' sostr
it ? Witness—l should think it very dsahs,g-sde s f tl;,s, o
would be a great danger of explosion. 1 '14p5,11,,1,••
two or three times that some accident woe leggin" Pe of
pressure were kept up, but it was no me sy. "to
anythingsfor he would always have his own wthesloo4
'she CORONER—HOW do yon explain for sere are
the engine ? 'Witness—From the waste of t's
the-distance of the boiler from the engine.
..as tbe,l7o,oils
CORONER—Have you any idea of what ";,...el`srd of
applied at the time of the accident ? Witheb- t se/
swear what was the weight on the valve, u lottir
pdsif
witnesses i 1
CoßoNEß—What would be your maximums? be
Not more than 201bs.
.ist se ties°
The CORONER—NN as there more than s.l- bele - dr,
the accident ? Witness—l could not ovenr sereile
the
t`e-d re was more. tbe nritic
(A plan of the lever was here submitted , $e
who copied it into the depositions. It e:xl,iiblch it Or
of the safety-valve, and the manner in will ,hele p'
1
upon by the lever.) °eWile esia
Witness—Anything placed under the the se
would prevent the valve from rising, an' isce• Vita
escaping an explosion must, of course, take Pic? T'
The CORONER—That is the simple prineir ,
It is, Sir. oo° t 5'
s of le sfes.!et!`"
The CORONER—And now about the Plec„- breles,srPslo
Witness—l was working at the job a"e"sfessfee ,se
coming out of the workohop I saw the nieces°, o 3 sooeoo
against the side of the boiler. I heard foiightoes isec
puffing up and down inside the shop, and though
was playing with the safety-valve. I tbars, Si• eeproui es‘,
and saw Mr. Lowe there. lie said "Barri- so s
and a nail." I could not get a hammer, cbse t sessl
chisel and drove in the nail with the sboaeiehasl•
a piece of wood lying there by the be 1;; i"llloieletele
five feet long and about three inches 1.1 istetti,
be held the handle up while I drove the orid let.Autte
Mr. Lowe pulled down the handle again, d seat"
blow off hard. I then went into the shoe all siia
0 rot .00
played with some time after. • the r/sceteill e
.O:IRONER—What did you see done wtt 1t seri. $ Irv^
before you went inside? I want to have
s,l,etted lsg,e'oottla
be particular. 'Witness—The wood was r' SIII*IO3O
below the valve, before the nail was driven° t.ds:
held it in that position while I did drive th Pit, teoll4-01%°,
not of course allow so much extettssi,tasof ,fetissit;io
valve. The nail was either an 04;'S- 0e s-stelore
clasp nail. I removed the handle 01 / did lithe riNa
from the rivet some three or four times, as with ,f
Salo,
it safe in that • position. I left the boilers.t i
resting on the nail. Ido not consider era OP.; inflet
room for the play of the valve between "th else e
'eteen 5ll
nail. There was not, lam sure, a 51- rof csc
(parte, .0( eP,
The explosien took place within a
I had left the boiler. I cannot say that ft of teethe,
any other person go to the boiler after l'ii;! geoid the
By the Foreman—l account for the pipes. pole
cot
gine by the condensation of steam in thesoten
the fact is so, by putting a cock in the4re ,OSITO
pipe, at about nine feet from the top, TV eat 'olo,eti
boiler. Lined
Derjell'is
The CoRoNER—Did you suggest anYesreddthertoooo,4
Lowe? Witness—Yes, I did. I Nogg s o „A , ct
place a cock just above the boiler, to tjVfoiS, 4 sP•
water; but he would not sto apply it. 1
didn't PP _A 01
know nothing at all about it.' He
ld be boa'
abßy the Foreman—The it himself
I thi
discharge kV . •P° svo- tlte tD
op 00 tie
water with the action of the-boiler. broken lied iej
By the CORONER—A )anothergage-gass was! Was Allep tfd
day before the accident, and .Is, Wocessie
srse
Tuesday succeeding, which was Ova
tls
time of the es plosion. There were two 'Oa" D$
14.114
one and found no water. I sunsh'erThereoci
not water enough in the -boiler.e.ttes,.s_jbee.,"biLit
only some six or seven feet when she
cLa'giee les 1:11,1
had, I believef beerrpumped in. The Tee betting...ooJ
very slow, at about eleven evolutions.
ese gee
_tee,
with tubes, and in order to prevent roUt so tb (t'aicr'v tts
the water ought to be above them,
trusty for
be generated to a high state of ease bige
thus cause an explosion, as I believe In_suce too
etieesio/
By the Foreman—The pressure was s
boiler to bear it. gates t
they BywthereeCoin
tteronNdEe(rit—forl
adoionvrot_pthreino losurtseh_ eebnrsiiid-teo, tel/40$.7esre;asi,
used at high pressure. While Iwa ssicX,s. the it•_o,r
was knocked down by a quan
t4tua lebßoise eau
caused by the explosion. iv were in; .11.4 r•
Mr. Lowe and the stoker _ set tssie4lnt ,1,
thought at the time that the engine into
in removing water from the cylitt,aer_7, the elPt" seees
The CORONER said that Mr. areS; did poto ,;
resent but h ece I,se
and Mr. Putney were p Nom pr". 11
could examine them until he had
_e could ogee,"e
them. He did not also see how us_terisils a,,
abscace of Mr. Lowe, who was so_rnf os cot
_oidfi
cially when one rare, $lO pe
evidence already adduced to pieces
0. lisps 9bt
• Mr. Ballantine said the evidence °
„plosi° 804 lYie
question perhaps Qs'
reference only to the causes of the
seta" erPer
the wreck of the boiler itself.
takTfinie,
had also gone down to look at the poi" a top
jurymen thou tchooruognhert,
that said Arr Fit‘tti7._r_e•lnY t, tie 0:e
11.:10,01:
• hs the vs• '
had taken place.aM of
TheCOlwNEnaidthoaft
into the circumstances
an inquiry had been institutedfof I
body of evidence, inc.uding_ 'IIII,LO
.00;
scientific men was found dee ios again WOl
thought, with the necessity of en, ,_febera.„ l• es rfe ,
and technical examination oft aim to seits,a re re,
eee ee
re' °P•Sielle er
the Mera.u}s'earoe,thweasacecTdeenntttl,ajlulYd
spection. a lecttl-we .au
A letter from Mr. Edward Bell, Id gi se ere
expressing his willingness to atte,ndifeies 00` oiv
the inquest, was read, and on :Ur.
gailn7ferons h's iiileeseq,
ea
of e!t"titcs, ad 540
he stepped forward. swots ,0110 e irt).
ge'nrthleernj uerns:,obefore
dr eleeeoivvei nts,os•
rtelitelstoergteenctl)tbaSteltAlsisaocil.oite
On their re-assembling, Mr. Fateya% satfaesplood
the boiler since it had been remos_e_os o_siser
the place where it stood at the mune ogle
explosion was outwards, bursting i"

./