Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1849-1856, 1854-06-29
JRSDAY MORNING JUNE 20, 1854.
ATTEMPT TO Blow UP THE GAS WORKS.

Saturday morning, between the hours of
and 10 o'clock, the officers and operatives
Of the gas works on Cary street, as well
as the citizens residing in the vicinity of
the works, were startled by two distinct and
terrific explosions in the purifying apart.
ment. A few moments after the occur
renee, the operatives ran to the room, and
discovered the lids of two of the purifyers
shattered to pieces and the mangled and
mutilated remains of a negro man employ
cd in the blacksmith shop lying near the
Southern wall, with fragments of the heavy
iron lids upon his body. They proceeded
instantly to an examination of the condition
of the man, but glance satisfied them that
life was extinct His head and breast
were crushed and mutiated, and both of
his legs were broken by the explosion.
Shortly after the occurrence of the acci-
dent, coroner's jury was empanneled
when it appeared in evidence that the man
who had lost his lite was slave, belong
ing to Mr. Oliver Neely, of Mississippi; that
he was "a blacksmith by trade, and had been
in the employment of the city at the gas
works upwards of 2 years that he formerly
belonged to Mr.. Edward Sydnor, of Hanover,
but had been recently purchased at very
high price by Mr.. N.-that he had frequent
ly manifested discomfort at the change oi
owners, and that not doubt existed that
he had purposey applied lighted match
to one Of the purifiers, and had thus sought
to blow up the gas works, regardless of
the consequence TO himself and the lives
and property of others. In support of this
opinion, it appeared that the purifiers which
had exploded had been cleaned out short
time previously, :nl had not beeu uscd.since
that both contained foul air or gas, which
would explode by ignition, and that the
position of the man at the base of the wall
in front of the purifiers, covered, as his
body partially was, with fragments of the
lids, showed that he was on the lid of one
of the purifiers when the explosion occurred.
In further support of this opinion, it aP
pearcd that the man worked in different
apariment-that he had no business which
called him into the purifying apartment.
that the pressure of gas, even when the
purifiers were in full use, was never sufii-
cent OF itself to cause an eXplosion--and
that the presence of lucifer matches near
the purifiers lead also to the conclusion that
the man removed the plug in the lid of one
of the purifiers and applied the lighted
match
After patiently hearing the evidence, the
jury gave as their verdict that the slave
John, employed as a blacksmith in the gas
works, left his work and went into the puri-
flying ROOM where his business did not call
him, and finding valve in one of the puri-
fcrs necessarily open, set fire to the same,
thereby killing himself, &c. The concus-
sion produced by the explosion injured the
building to the extent probably Of $1,000,
but no interruption will take place in the
generation or publication of tie gas, and
therefore no Inconvenience will result to
the publis. The man John is represented
to have been a shrewd sensible fellow
lie knew full well the explosive quality of
the gas he fired and his intention WAS, no
doubt, TO have blown up the whole works.
Fortunately he was the only victim of his
diabolical act.-Richmoad (vq,) Eng. leh.