The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-01-06 00:00:00

Mr. Maine. and also on Christmas morning. He reported
it all right to me on Christmas eve, and gave me direc-
tions to have men there on Christmas morning, to
have it cleaned out and filled. It was 70 feet in length
inside, 24 feet 6 inches in width, and 19 feet to the top of
the overflow. It was capable of holding about 195,510
gallons of water. 1 was not in the yard when it burst,
but about an hour and a quarter Wore the bursting I was
there. There were then between 5 arid 10 feet of water
in it. It was about half filled, and would contain at the
time about 400 tons of water. 1 can form no opinion as
to the cause of the bursting. Mr. Maine was present
when the first drop of water was pot into the tank; he
remained there all the time it was being filled ; and 1 left
him there after me.
By Mr. Miller.—l have seen tanks before and did not
apprehend such serious damage from the present one.
Joseph Howell sworn.—l reside at Hawarden, in Flint-
shire. I was brought up at the Hawarden Iron-works.
I was apprenticed to William Rigby and Son. William
Rigby was the head of the firm at that time—twenty-six
years ago. I have been ever since employed there. I
had the entire management and superintendence of the
works from 14 to 15 years. The Hawarden Company
are steam-engine manufacturers and general ironfounders.
The company have executed many orders for Government
and others, and have made tanks for most of the principal
merchants in this town. We have had a good deal of
experience in tank-making. There was a contract entered
into between the Harrington and Hawarden Companies
for the erection of a tank. I was requested to make a
drawing of it. [A copy of the first drawing that was
made handed in.] A drawing was submitted to the
directors of the Harrington Company, and approved of.
The tank was then made at the works in Wales, and
brought over here for erection. It was made of cast iron.
It was formed of various plates. The tank was 71 feet
in length, 24 feet six inches in breadth, and 20 feet in
depth. It was calculated to hold ?-00,000 gallons. It was
not intended that there should be any variance in the
thickness of the plates, hut they did not taper from the
bottom to the top. Some of the plates were the full
length of 20 feet. The tank was altogether composed of
115 plates. Every second one of the lateral plates ran
from the bottom to the top. The intermediate plates
were in two parts, larger and wider. The thickness of
the plates that ran the whole depth were 1+ inch at the
bottom and /ths of an inch at the top. The plates at
each end of the tank were similar to those at the sides.
The side plates were Joined together by flanges and stay-
rods. The stay-rods consisted of cast-iron binders or
braces. There were three tiers of them. They went
inside, and they were secured to flanges on the bottom
and sides of the tank. They held the plates altogether.
There were both horizontal and diagonal stays, which were
fastened to the braces, as well as other diagonal stays,
which were secured to the flanges. The stays were
fastened by means of bolt-holes. There were four tiers
of horizontal tension rods and three in each tier, fourteen
feet apart. Several diagonal rods extended from ribs at
the bottom, to which they were fastened, to the first and
second tier. About 750 tons weight of water would be
in the tank, supposing it to be filled within three feet of
the top. The mean pressure on the sides would then be
3 bs per square inch. After the cistern was erected, I
ha t not examined it to see that all was secure and safe.
It was my duty to examine, and:l was waiting for infor-
maion that it was complete. I sent over the young man,
niDseait oiiii,gAotiuhateinoeefn,ghuii-nhso had been an apprentice of mine, and
etiTiethttoheastsainstk. I
iii joirneignugesthteedpihpiems
,cothne-
moment lie had completed the pipes, to return home and
inform me. He did not do so. When I requested him
to come home when he had jointed the pipes, my reason
was, that I might go over myself, and inspect the astern,
and, if I found it all right, that I might appoint a day for
having the water laid on. Maine was not armed with
any power to direct the water to he laid on. Maine came
over on Christmas evening and told me of the accident.
I certainly intended to make a personal examination of
the tank before 1 ordered the water to be put on.

The other witnesses were David Maine, who denied
that be had ever authorised the tank to be filled, and Mr.
John Grantham, the engineer, who gave general evidence
as to the construction of the taiik and the cause of the
bursting. The Coroner summed up at considerable
length ; and at twenty minutes past ten o'clock at night
the jury, which consisted of fifteen respectable house-
holders, were locked up.

After an absence from court for an hour and a quarter,
they returned a verdict of " accidental death," being
unanimously of opinion that the tank had burst from un-

foreseen causes

OFFICIAL LIST OF THE

MINISTRY

The Standard of Friday published the following official
list of the administration.

Sir Robert Peel, First Lord of the Treasury.
Sir J. R. G. Graham, Secretary of State for the Home

Department.
Lord Lyndhurst, Lord Chancellor.
Duke of Buceleuch, Lord President of the Council.
Duke of Wellington, Commander in Chief.
Earl of Aberdeen, Secret,ry for Foreign Affairs.
Earl of Haddington, Lord Privy Seal.
Earl of Ripon. President of the Board of Control.
Right lion. H. Goulburn, Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Lord Granville Somerset, Chancellor of the Duchy of
Lancaster.

Earl Lincoln, First Commissioner of Land Revenues.
Right Hon Sydney Herbert, Secretary at War.
The following are the new members of the Cabinet :
Earl of Dalhousie, President 01 the Board of Trade.
Earl of Ellenborough. First Lord of the Admiralty.
Earl of St. G,rmans, Postmaster-General.
Right Hon. \V. GladAone, Secretary for the Colonies.

COTTON,

',. and STOCKS of
kc.1844and1845.

STOCK

31stDec.31stDec
I 1844. 1845.

126750 155340
261510 341860
101580 122730
26720 16840
11810 11810
23890 23600

} 10 40
270 220
2420 1330
5910 2680

.... ....
2210 50
1210 1210
220 130
38070 62190
142560 139270
1290 1940
100 ....