The Sun.
London, England, 1845-03-07 00:00:00

NAV AL INTELLIGENCE

PORTSMOUTH, WEDNESDAY.—The Rattler, screw.,
propelled steam-sloop, one of the steam-trial squadron,
came up to Spithead during the night of Monday, and
came into harbour yesterday morning. She left for
Woolwich this day, to have some alterations made in her
machinery.
The 11.bernia, 120, was taken into dock on Monday
afternoon ; her copper was stripped eff yest,srday.
Captain Richards took up his appointment to her yester-
day, and hoisted the pendant over the housing at one
o'clock.

The Fantome, 16, Commander Sir F. Nicolson, Bart.
was paid advance wages yesterday at Spithead, and her
crew completed by a draught from the Victory. She
sailed to-day for the Mediterranean to relieve the Stout,
18, Commander the lion. J. R. Drummond, whose period
of service has expired.
The Belvidera, 42, Lieutenant Ward commanding, was
paid off this day.
The Siren, 16, was unducked on Monday, her dock
being wanted for the Hibernia. The Siren has been
overhauled and examined, and will complete her refit iii
the basin.

The Harlequin, 16, is in the basin, waiting to be
docked and brought for re-commission.
The Dwarf steam (screw) ♦essel, Lieutenant-Com-
mander Proctor, left this afternoon, for the river, to
transfer her company to the new tender Fairy.
The Black Eagle Admiralty stpum yacht, Master-
Commander S. B. Cook, left this afternoon, for Wool-
wich.

The royal yacht Victoria and Albert has got her
steam and the jack up in the harbour for a cruize.

DEyoNron.r.—The Shaine. 12, Commander Crawford,
was at Madeira, all well, on the Ist ult. In her trial of
sailing with the (Ivey, 12, Commander Patten, Water-
witch, 8, Commander J. Francis Birch, and the Pan-
taloon, 8, Commawkr Wilson, after leaving Plymouth
Sound, she butt them by a long distance upon every
point of sailing, especially in light breezi,s, before the
wind. They only had one trial, having parted company
in a gale a few days after leaving port.
The Canopus, 84, was commissioned on Sunday by
Captain Fairfax Moresby (1814).
The Dee steamer transport, Master Commander
Driver, put into this port, on her way to Cork from
Portsmouth, on Sunday.
The Rolla, 10, Commander Simp,on, came into har-
bour to repair defects on Saturday.
The Daring, 12, Commander Matson, joined the Es-
piegle and Flying Fish in the Sound on Saturday.
The Netley tender arrived on Sunday with supernu-
meraries from Portsmouth.

STEAM-BOILER EXPLOSION AT
BLACKWALL.

(ADDITIONAL PARTICULARS.)

The names of the sufferers arc us follow:
Killed—Thomas Wright, Richard Grimes, James Chapman—all la.
tourers.

ttcalded and wounded—Jonathan Smith, fitter; Joseph Baddown,
smith ; George Neale, boiler-maker Thomas Whitcombe, engine-
driver ; William Ingledew, labourer ; Alexander Mahoney, labourer ;
Joseph Vincent, labourer ; and Mr. Lowe, the manager of the works,
who experienced a very narrow escape when the explosion took
place on board the steam-ship Gipsy (poen, in November last, when
ten lives were lost.

As many erroneous statements have been already given relating to
the terrible calamity of Wednesday, and the causes which led to it, we
are induced to lay before our readers the following correct version of
the facts:—

At the mouth of the River Lea (there called Bow-creek),
and close to the Thalues, Is a range of factories, Which steam
navigation and other improvements have called Into being.
The most prominent are the Thames Plate Glass Company's Works
and the steam-engine factory of the Samuda Brothers, one of whom
was killed by the explosion on hoard the Gipsy Queen last November.
The business has since been carried on by the surviving brother, Mr.
Joseph Samuda, a gentleman of the Jewish persuasion, whose. name
and that of his brother, as connected with many improvements in the
arts amid sciences, and particularly with the atmospheric railway sys-
tem, Is well known. The factory, dwelling-house, and workshops oc-
cupy an arca of about an acre and a half on the banks of the Lea.
The machinery of the factory was put In motion by a steam-engine,
or rather two of eight horses p..wer each, and the steam was supplied
by a large tubular boiler, which l'lrst begun to. work about three
months ago. This boiler wits originally intended tar a new steamer,
and was tendered with the boat in which it was placed. '1•I:e
b.at was built by Messrs. Fairborn, the engineers, and the boiler was
manufactured by the same persons front a design of Messrs. Milner
(formerly Braithwaite and Milner), of Bath-place, City-road. The
engines of the boat were made by Messrs. Milner. After the re-
jection of the boat by the Waterman's Company, the boiler was pur-
chased for the low price of 30 guineas by Messrs. Samuda, for the
purpose of supplying steam to the engine in their factory at Black-

On Wednesday, soon after the men employed in the factory had
rettfrned front their bre:Abu:to, and the works were in full operation.
the boiler gave way with a loud explosion, dealing death and destruc-
tion aro7nid. Every man in the engine-house was either killed or
wounded, and the steam-chest and outer casinz of the boiler were
sha tered and distributed in all directions. The explosion was distinctly
heard along the whole line of the 'Rockwall Railway, from Fen-
church-street to the East India Docks, and in Gre nwich, Woolwich,
Bow, Brumley, Stepney, and Limehouse. The mischief done on the
premises, and in the immediate locality, was terrific. The engine-
house was hi an instant reduced to a heap of ruins, and the principal
part of the materials hurled to a considerable distance. - The premises
of the Thames Plate-glass Company's works, the Crown Tavern, and
numerous tenements adjoining, are damaged, and the windows and
frames blown out. Portions of the boiler were found In the Plaistow-
marshes, on the opposite side of the river, about 150 yards from the
factory. In the same place the body of one of the unfortunate suf-
ferers, which had been blown across the creek, was picked up in a
mutilated condition. It is believed that he w•as on the top of the
boiler and in the act of easing the safety-valve when the occurrence
happened. The other victims were found close to the spot where the
boiler stood, and they appeared to have been killed instantaneously-.
The outer casing of the boiler, and the steam-chest, are completely
destroyed, and the top row of tubes bent, and thrown over on the
side. The other rows of tubes, wills two or three exceptions, have
escaped Injury. The destructi‘m of the engine-house was complete.
It was a building about P,O feet square, and not more than nine feet
high. The (nettle itself did not sustain much damage.
There appears to be only one opinion as to the cause of the acci-
dent, and as It has been given by more than one practical man, there
can be no harm in publishing It. It is necessary to premise that the
steam-chest was found divided in three pieces. One piece, and the
largest of the whole, weighing about half a ton, was carried a
distance of 200 yards towards the premises of Messrs. Turner and
Co., of the tar and turpentine works, carrying away in its pro-
gress a portion of the parapet wall of a house, and passed over
the road, where it fell against the side of a warehouse doer with such
tremendous force as to shatter the door-post, and demolish a portion
of the brick-work. The next largest piece, about six cwt., was car-
ried In au opposite direction towards the Thames Plate-glass Com-
pany's works, and the piece where the connexion of the steam pipe
was made was Ibund in a field in the rear of some premises on the
opposite side of the road. A quantity of the fallen materials fell into
the Creek, and pieces of iron, tints, bolts, and serews, connected with
the boiler were found in the yards at the back of the Crown
Tavern, and In the grounds in the rear of the adjoining
premises. At a moderate computation there were not less than
11re thousand panes of glass broken by the concussion. The
window-frames were shattered in several dwellings, and the
furniture displaced. The dwelling-house of Mr. Lowe, the manager
of the works, situate at one corner of the yard, also suffered, and
every window was broken. The residence of Mr. John Howard,
foreman grinder of the Thames Plate-glass Works, situate near the
Western corner of Mr. Samuda's premises, Sustained considerable
damage. Tte windows were all broken, and the parapet was blown
down.

Mr. Joseph Salmi(la, the surviving partner of tile firm, was at
Croydon, on business, when the explosion took place, and a Ines-
senger was sent after cim immediately afterwards. Ile appeared
much affected on hearing of the awful occurrence which has followed
so close on the one which deprived hint of a brother, and caused him
a severe pecuniary loss. 31r. Samuda stated that ho had nothing io
do with the manufacture of the boiler, and that he purchased it merely
to drive the works of the factory, because he had not time to make a
new one, and that it had not been used more than five or six times
when it came into his possession. He stated that he believed the
water had got very low in the boiler, and that gas was generated
instead of steno, and an explosion was the consequence.
There were various rumours in circulation, and statements male
by the men employed on the premises respecting the pressure of
steam on the boiler. None of them, however, can be depended upon.
The boiler was certainly capable of bearing a great pressure, but there
is great blame to be attached to some one, and the deplorable acci-
dent on board the Gipsy Queen, last November, when Loa•e narrowly
escaped with his life, noes not seem to have operated us a warning to
him. He has, however, the reputat.on of being a very careful and
skilful man.

SUGGESTIONS RESPEC PING THE
MONUMEN N IN WESTMINSTER ABBEY.
Huge monuments, in the styles prevalent during
the reigns of Elizabeth and James, or before the art
of sculpture had been created in England by Bacon
and Plaxman, block up the aisles or the windows,
whilst architectural decorations of surpassing beauty
have been cut away, to make room for tasteless mo-
numents to men unknown to the pages of history
In the east walk of the cloisters, over the door lead-
ing to the Record•office, may be seen the most
beautiful bit of architecture which the Abbey
affords. Two brackets support mutilated
figures of angels, and the third is thought to have
borne a figure of the Virgin and child; the whole
being surrounded with scroll-work of most beautiful
design ; but in the very centre of the composition a
square tablet has been inserted. Of such barbarisms
there are several hundred instances. The range of
, beautiful arches beneath the windows of the aisles,
once enriched with colour and gil ling, have almost
disappeared, being replaced by tablets of the most
objectionable character. Every part of the building
is crowded ; a huge figure of Watt nearly fills the
chapel of St. Paul, a window in the south aisle is
blocked up with a .mountain of clouds; even the
elegant chapel of Henry the Seventh is defaced. It
is much to be deplored that the dean and chapter do
not take it into their immediate and anxious conside-
ration, whether some change in the disposition of the
monuments may not be effected less detrimental to
the fabric itself, and more conducive to the ends of
monumental design. It has been suggested that tire
chapter-house would be an appropriate place for some
of the monuments, but we should deprecate any step
which would only remove the evil, and prevent the
restoration of the building to the exact state in which
it formerly existed. The triforium is sufficiently
lofty for a large portion of the monuments; it is
well lighted, and would, in our opinion, be the most
desirable place. There is no architectural decoration
which they would interfere with, and we urge that
the advantages of this position be well considered.
IVe have not had the opportunity of personal exa-
mination, but we believe that the height of the tri-
forium is nearly 15 feet in the highest part, from
which it takes the slope of the roof; it is lighted by
the upper range of windows, and is, of course, the
same width as the aisle, and has: a :owl fluor laid upon
the graining. The monument to Wilberforce, an ad-
mirable work, though hardly adapted to its locality, is 9
feet high, including the pedestal, and the greater part of
the objectionable works are much smaller. The
monument to William Pitt, Earl of Chatham, is the
largest in the Abbey, reaching to the capitals of the
piers ; several others are near the same size, and for
these another locality must be found, unless they are
consigned to the lime-burner, a way of getting rid of
them, which, far ourselves, we should hardly regret.
IVhether some of them could be placed in St. Paul's,
without injury to that edifice, or whether, as has been
suggested to us, a cloister could be built in Dean's-
yard for their reception, is matter for very careful
consideration ; but we could well consent to their re-
maining as at present, if other monuments were re-
moved.—The Builder. .

RINGING THE CHANGES.—Master Jonei rang on
Friday night several peels on seventeen different bells in Fitzrry.
square. • This he cleverly effected, without any apparent fatigue, by
running from No. 1 to No. 17, and pulling the area•bclls violently,
one after another. Tbe, tones were very distinct, and a beautiful
echo of each was heard In the dialling-rooms of the respective
houses. Master Jones, who is only nine years of age, wound up his
masterly performance with a grand triple bob-major on the Tleltols
and servants' bells of NO. 18.—Ponch.