Star.
London, England, 1802-07-24 00:00:00

NEW DUCKS, BLACKWALL.

In the STAR of yefterday we gave a fhort fiate-
ment of the melancholy accident which took place
on Thurfday evening at the Weft India Docks,
Blackwall,together with Inch particulars in regard
to the lots as we were able to colle& We now
lay before our Readers the following more detailed
' account; and it gives us great pleafure to find
that the lofs, in regard to lives, has not been. by
far fo great as was at firll reported.
The Dock, now nearly ready to be opened, is
an oblong fquare, communicating with the River
by a Loci at each end, and extending acrofs the
Ifle of Dogs. The bottom of the Dock, and of
the Luck leading into it, is about so feet under the
fuiface of the River at high water.
The whole of this Dock, and the Locks, were
dug and built round with mafonry and brick work,
before any communication was opened to the Ri-
ver ; but as it is ultimately neccfrary to cut an
opening, by which (hips may arrive at the Locks,
piles were driven in, and a dyke formed, like thofe
dykes which keep the lea from Holland, made of
wood and earth, about eight or nine feet in thick-.
nets, which was built acrofs the mouth of the
opening, that the workmen might follow their
operations without being interrupted by the water.
The (pace behind this dyke, and between it
and a temporary bridge that erodes the month of
the Lock, was the fcene of the unfortunate acci-
dent. Men were employed in that fpace to deepen
it, and prepare for opening the Dock in the courfe
of a very thort time ; and the ground on which
they were working was about so feet undei the
level of the water. The bottom is of rand, and
the piles in the dyke bad not been driven to a fuf-
ficient depth ; fo that when the workmen got un-
der the level of the lower points, the tide broke in.
On "fliurlday evening,at five minutes paR (even,
it be'ng then high water, though only a neap
tide, it was fccu that the piles of upper gate
were giving way, and the alarm was given. At
this time, from the heft information we could col-
led, there were twenty-eight men at work, cutting
away the earth on the Wide; the lighters were not
at woi k, it being Kish water. By the AAUP. Icing
given, about ten or a dozen were enabled to climb
lip on the wharf, in the centre, and rave their
lives; but the notice of the accident was fo &on,
that the remainder were unable to efcape. The
barrier, the embankment againft the Thames,
being much reduced, the ground beneath the piles
gave way, and the water, which entered but
gently at tirfl, in a few feconds acquired fuch force,
and rulhed in with fuch a fudden violence, that
the piles and the whole of the woodwork were in
_ - _

fired, and many perfims millaking the foam and
[pray of the water %kenning to a confidet aide
height, for Imoke.
• The news of the accident fprearl a moil fright-
ful alarm round the neighbourhood. Many hun.
dreds of men are employed on the docks, at.d the
friends of each feared they had fuffered. Cr,wds
flocked to the place. and great 'lintels prevailed,
wives and children in the !onion .inguith. It was
a longtime before a boat could come ;silo the ..barn,
the entrance of which was choaktd up with piles
and pieces of wood ; the water inilde was Atli. co-
veted with wood, the wreck of the wites. Boats
dragged for the dead bodies, and about ten o'clock
four were found ; at two o'clock yetterday union-
ing a fifth was titund. There live bodies were yet
terday lying at a public houfe in the neighbour-
hood. The body of Mr. Doff's brother could not
be recovered, though a reward of five guineas was
held out to encourage the watermen in learching.
Two boats were dragging and feeling with poles
all yetterday forenoon, but without Basel,, and at
three o'clock they difcontinued fearching. They
found, however, a piece of Mr. Duff's coat, with
his line and rule in the pocket; they found his hat
alfo ; and they found fame mkr articles' of wear-
ing apparel. The roll of the water carried in a
gt eat part of the hank with it, into the Coffre Dam,
which, in confequence, was in many patts filled
with mud, two or three feet deep. In this mud,
or beneath the bank, it is fuppoced the bodies are
buried. Others imagine they may have gone out
with the tide, which ebbed in th.; night.
Five of the fix unfortunate fulferers were mar-
ried, and four of them had families; but we know
that the Gentlemen interelled in the concern have
already given direetions to afford all the aid that
can be given in fintiar circumilanc.s.
The D. erfeer, Mr. Dim, was tent there by
his brother, merely on account of hinnell being
obliged that day to attend at the London Docks.
He had recently arrived in town, where his wife
and family are toot. expete... This unfortunate
man had dined with a friend at the.Plongh, in
Blackwall, and had not been gone out above two
hours when the accident took place. The alarm
was great beyond expreffion, and all yefterday the
concourfe of the curious was numerous.

The temporary Bridge of waist is to be remnv.
ed, and one moving horizontal:y on a pivot to be
fiabllittated in its place. A delay in opening the
Docks will, of neceflity, take place, and when that
happens the flood gates will he opened at low sea.
ter, to that the Dock may till with the riling of the
tide. A number of very fpacious warthoules are
already finilhed for the reception of Welt India
produce ; and we hope that this limed) accommo•
dation to the Merchants will tend greatly to en-
creafe the Commerce of the Capital.
The names of the Ilifferers are—
RICUAILD Durr, . overfeer.
JAMES wooer,
HENRY PIDDING*I ON
mica AEL has; - Unarm
TUONl.lll3olcuya,
WILLIAM GAMIN,
Of thole who were laved, many were feverely
wounded, and have been carried to the Hofpital.
The Coroner, ED. WALTiIt, Eli'. attended at
nine o'clock in the even:ng, in order to take the
Inquilition, and after waiting a conliderable time,
owing to the non-attendance of the Jury, he at
length impannelled on.: ; but tyou sailing over.
their names, he found they were all pea fons com-
poling the labouring claffes of fociety, who, in
the event of his adjouraing the Inquefi, whichhe
expeded to do, would he. ill able to l'pare the time
for a fecond attendance. He obferved that this
was a matter of very fcriousconfequence ; he was
forty the Summoning Officer had taken poor men
from their occupations, who were to receive ne
remuneration for their trouble and lots of time,
and whom he lhould feel it his duty to fine if they
neglected to attend—he might have to lit eight or
ten hours, and then in all probability be obliged
to adjourn ; and if any of the Jurors failed in
their attendance they would be Itabjed to a penal-
ty. He therefore could not help feeling for therm
This was a bulinefs of very great magnitude, and
it was an extremely incorrect thing to fatmmon
Inch a Jury. The officer Ihould have fummoned
I,perfons of a very different delcriprion, the mind-
, pal inhabitants of the para. He was really at a
100 s how to ad—a number of men had 101 l their
lives, anJ he was called upon to enquire whether
they had been the vidims of carelefbnefs or negli-
gence? It was not like the common cafe of per-
font who ...ere accidentally drowned—blame
might be imputable fomewhere —it was a very fe-
-1 .
nous queftiou to the Public. His intention had
been, that the Jury Ihould have viewed the bodies,
in order that he might have figned awarrant for
their interment ; and then he had propofed to :ad.
'imam the examination of evidence till tomorrow.
He fltould difcharge the prefent Jury. He Lk-fired
that twenty-three, at kelt, of the molt refpedable
Houleholders in the with might be fummoned ;
and if they failed to attend, he Ihould certainly
fine every defaulter tol. He hoped he Ihould
have no occafion to aft with filch leverity. He
regretted much that the bodies of the unfortunate
men Ihould remain unburied ; but he was left
without any alternative.
The jury were accordingly difcharged.
Numbers of people were alLmbled to hear the
refult of the Inquell, and leaned at a lots to con-
jeafture the realm of fo unufnalla.circunallance at
its adjournment. Five coffins were broughc to
the Houle, but the deceafed fufferers could not
be put in them, as the necelfary ceremony of
view by the Jury had not taken place.
The Inquett WAS furnmoind for this evening at
eight o'clock.
It is remarkable that, as we are informs', limi-
lar accidents happened at Liverpool and Al Hull,
when the Lea ks were opt hed there. At Hull,about
fourteen years ago, the wawa bairn in, in the Wile
manner, and twenty-fix lives were 1011.
When the City of St. Peter Omagh was building,
there were more people drowned by the breaking
in of the water than there are inhabitants in that
capitql, even at the prefent day. After this, we
fcarcely expert to fie the tunnel under the Thames
--orf;el

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