The Sun.
London, England, 1845-12-27 00:00:00

THE LATE BOILER EXPLOSION

AT BOLTON.

On WE dnesday the adjourned inquest was held on
view of the bodies of the unfortunate sufferers in the
late melancholy catastrophe at Bolton. Since the day of
the accident four other persons have died of the injuries
they received, so that the total number killed is, up to
this time, fourteen. There are others still in a danger-
ous state. An opinion gained ground that there was
considerable blame attached to the master, and therefore
the court-room in which the inquest was held was
crowded to excess. On the bench where the coroner sat
there were a number of magistrates, and a considerable
number of millowners and other respectable inhabitants,
also the sub-inspector of factories for this district. Mr.
William Fairbairn, of Manchester, the eminent engi-
neer, who had been called in by the jury to investigate
the cause of the accident, was also on the bench, accom-
panied by Mr. John Hick, a boiler-maker.
The jury having been reaworn, they proceeded to view
the bodies of the four additional sufferers. There were
two witnesses who were considered of importance, but
could not be removed from their beds, so the coroner
and jury proceeded to their homes, where they took
their depositions.
After s(ime evidence as to the circumstances of the
explosion had been taken, a long paper was read by Mr.
William Fairbairn on the subject of steam-boiler explo-
sions, which ended as follows:

" After the selection of competent engineers and as-
sistants, I would recommend the following precautions:—
" 1. That the practice of placing boilers under build-
ings where the workpeople are employed be discon-
tinued.

" 2. That two safety-valves be attached to each boiler;
one of them to be weighted from the inside to the re-
quired pressure, and to have a long ascending discharge
pipe, out of the reach of interference ; the other to be
under the control of the engineer. These valves, in
order to be perfectly safe, should have respectively an
area equal to one-half of the steam-pipe, or about one
square inch to every two horse of the computed power of
the boiler.

3. That in cases where boilers are situated under
mills, a mercurial gauge, indicating the pressure of the
steam, and an ascending column of water corresponding
with that pressure, will be found of great value in cases
of negligence on the part of the fireman or engineer.
" Lastly. Each boiler should have a water gauge
and two fusible fire-plugs, composed of suitable mate-
rials."

The CORONER said that was the conclusion of the
evidence on the part of the Queen, but if the owners of
the mill wished any other witnesses to be examined, the
jury would, no doubt, be glad to receive their evidence.
Mr. Gaskill, solicitor, who appeared for the firm, said
they had no important witnesses to bring forward.
The jury then retired, and in about three-quarters of
an hour returned with a verdict of " Manslaughter"
against Thomas Kitts, one of the partners in the concern.
The foreman of the jury said he had been requested
to express the thanks of his the jury to Mr. Fairbairn,
for the great assistance they had received from his valu-
able document, and to request that it should be forwarded
to the Secretary of State for the Home Department,
with a view of bringing the subject of steam-boilers
before the Legislature.

RATING OF PRINCE ALBERT'S

FARM AT WINDSOR.

The question of the liability of his Royal Highness
Prince Albert to pay the poor rates for the farm the
Prince occupies in the parise of Windsor, is about to be
submitted to the law advisers of the Crown.

Mr. Darwill, solicitor, of Windsor, having been pro-
fessionally employed by the overseers and churchwar-
dens of the parish to endeavour to obtain from his Royal
Highness the payment of arrears of poor-rates, amount-
ing to nearly 2301., and not having succeeded, after
a correspondence with Mr. G. E. Anson, the Prince's
private secretary, on the subject, the parochial au-
thorities determined to memorialize the Prince him-
self on the matter in dispute. Accordingly a memorial,
couched in the most respectful language, was trans-
mitted to his Royal Highness, pointing out the great
losses which had been sustained by the parish during the
past 12 or 14 years, in consequence of the vast amount
of property in the town and neighbourhood which
had been purchased by the Crown, and consequently,
was now unrated ; and showing, at the same time, in
the opinion of the inhabitants, in vestry assembled, that
his Royal Highness, having clearly a beneficial occupa-
tion in Flemish farm, was liable to be rated to the relief
of the poor, equally with those who were compelled to
pay the poor-rates upon property adjoining that occu-
pied by the Prince.
A letter has just been received by Mr. Darvill, written
by Mr. G. E. Anson, by command of his Royal High-
ness Prince Albert, in which it is stated in effect, that
the Prince still demurs to the legality of the claim
which has been made upon him by the parochial autho-
rities, in pursuance of a resolution passed at a vestry
meeting held in September last, aad that his Royal
Highness, under the impression that the parish has no
legal claim upon him for any poor-rates alleged to be
due for Flemish farm, intends to have a case submitted
to the law officers of the Crown, and to abide by their
opinion on the subject. As soon as this opinion has
been obtained by the Prince, no time will be lost in trans-
mitting a copy of it to the memorialists on the part of
the parish. In the event of the opinion of the law
officers of the Crown being in favour of the view taken
by the Prince Consort, a vestry meeting will be imme-
diately called for the purpose of laying the case and
opinion of the law officers before them, as well as the
correspondence which has passed between Mr. Anson,
on the part of the Prince, and Mr. Darvill, on the part
maycoofmtheetopasoromcehiafilnaaludtheocirsiitoiens,onina
sourbd they
cre-
ated great excitement throughout the borough.

On Wednesday morning the large number of
married and single men, amounting to nearly 200, em-
ployed in the firm of Messrs. Coombe and Delafield, the
porter brewers in Castle-street, Long-acre, received
tickets to procure for the married men, their wives, and
"children each 5-lbs. of beef, 1 lb. of bread. and a pint of
porter, and to all the single mcn 2s. 6d. in money. The
gift is from Mr. Delafield, it having been the practice of
bia late uncle.