The Sun.
London, England, 1845-03-11 00:00:00

THE LATE EXPLOSION AT
BLACK WALL.
INQUEST ON THE BODIES.

(Continued from'our Afternoon Edition of yesterday. )
On their re-assembling, Mr. Fa: ey stated that he had seen
the boiler since it had been removed a small distance from
the place where it stood at the moment of explosion. The
explosion was outwards, bursting the exterior shell of
the boiler. The boiler had been burst by a very
intense pressure. It was not to be accounted fur on any
supposition of the safety-valve which he saw being merely
overloaded ; but he thought that it must have been fastened
down, thus rendering this case very different from those
explosions which they,had on record. All the steam pro-
duced being retained, anZ so accumulated within the boiler,
occasioned a pressure which had burst the boiler with ex-
treme violence, projecting large pieces to a height in the air
and to a very great distance—one niece in particular had cut
itself into the bricks of a wall at a considerable distance
from the boiler, which showed that that piece must have
been projected with a velocity which might have been
expected from an explosion of gunpowder, but not
from any ordinary explosion of a steam boiler. The
earth on which the boiler stood had been forced
downwards by the violence of the explosion, that being
a symptom of c splosion by gunpowder, but not a usual
symptom of explosion by steam. The appearances convinced
him quite independent of any information to that effect, that
the valve had been fastened down, and that the engine had
not been at work at the time at any speed which would pro-
duce escape by expenditure. He was convinced that a pros
sure of 1001bs. on the square inch would not pro-
duce the effect which he had seen there. The pro-
duction of gas within a boiler, and the explosion
of that gas would be impossible, unless in the case where a
boiler was empty, or nearly empty, and the metal in the vi-
cinity of the remaining water red hot. There was no ap-
pearance o fsuch having taken place. The supposition that
hydrogen gas might be produced within a boiler was that a
portion of the water in it had had the oxygen absorbed
from it by the oxidation of the metallic parts of the boiler.
If that took place oxide of iron must be found in the boiler in
palpable quantities. There were no such appearances in the
present case. Another supposition was requisite to account
tbr an explosion taking place of the hydrogen gas, supposing
it to be produced, namely, that atmospheric air, or oxygen,
from some other source, and that that oxygen in a state
of gas should become mixed with the hydrogen, as it was only ,
the mixture of hydrogen and oxygen in a gaseous state, which '
would cause an explosion, the explosion itself being in fact a
combination of the two gases previously mixed in suitable
proportions for combining. The supposition was, that the
water was first decomposed and again combined at the mo-
ment of the explosion. In this case he saw appearances
which warranted him in supposing that the water had been
decomposed, and recomposed again in the form of gases.
There was no appearance of a sufficiency of water in the
boiler; the uppermost row of tubes which must have been
the first to have been laid dry by the deficiency of water,
were brass, and showed no symptoms of having been over-
heated. If they had, the brass would not absorb oxygen from
the water in sufficient quantities to have liberated any hy-
drogen. The tubes lower down were iron, And showed no
appearance of having been red hot.
In answer to a question from a juror,
Mr. Farey said that in explosions in as works he found
them arise from a combination of hydrogen and air,
and they were always attended with tire. In at-
tempts made some years ago to construct engines being
propelled by a vacuum caused by explosive action—a
substitute for steam engines—the circumstances were so
similar to those attending this case, as to leave no
doubt whatever on his mind that the explosion was
occasioned by the elasticity of steam alone. There were two
instances on record of explosions from safety-valves being
fastened clown—one in the case of a boiler of one of the earliest
attempts at locomotives; the other at Lyons, by which Mr.
Steele lost his life. He had never seen so much violence oc-
casioned by any steam explosion before, in fact it looked
more like the effects of gunpowder, for the ground was do
pressed to an amazing extent by the recoil of the boiler.
Edward Bell, engineer, Putney, stated he had practised
fur the profession for eighteen years,.and was also a public
lecturer on steam-boilers. He had seen the boiler in
question, since it had been removed, and he had also heard
the evit'ence of Mr. Farey. The conclusions that gentle-
man had drawn were perfectly correct. The safety- valve
must have stuck fast, or it must have been fastened
down. Two valves would have been more safe ;
because, in the event of one getting fastened, the
escape of steam might take place by the other. Those
parts of the boiler which were there exposed to view
bore no appearance of having been overheated, and it there-
fore appeared that the pressure must have been gradual, and
not instantaneous. That would have been the case had
hydrogen gas been formed in the boiler, and from the Omer-.
rations he had made, lie could only attribute the bursting of
the boiler to the safety-valve not having acted properly.
He' had examined the safty-valve, and found that the
difference between the area of the valve and that of
the valve-box, immediately above the seat, was only three
inches. This would allow an escape sufficient to prevent an
explosion like the present.. Ile also concurred with Mr.
Farey that there must have been at least a pressure of 100Ibs
to the square inch. The pressure must have been immense.
The CORONER asked when the engineer, Lowe, would be
enabled to be present?—Mr. Bain, his medical attendant,
said that upon Friday be might be le to attend.
The CORONER thought that in that case it would be bettor
to tix Monday next for further inquiry.
The inquiry was then adjourned to the latter period.