Weekly News. — 1890-08-28 (Blandford, Dorset, England)

INQUEST AND VERDICT.  On Monday Mr. C. C. Lewis, coroner for West Reaex, held an inquest at the Royal Gunpowder Factory at Waltham Abbey relative to the deaths of William Naptheu and William Maynard, who were killed by the explosion which took place on Friday. The jury viewed the blackened and shrivelled re• mains of the men which have been placed iu two ootlns in a =tall building in the factory premises, and as the jurors were on their way to that building they were suet by a man who had just found another portion of one of the bodies. The jury also inspected the Beene of the disaster, and another building similar to that which has been destroyed, and the officials gave the ceruner an explanation of the methods sit working tin thy spot. The evidence &hewed that the der...tired num %vete 3; and 43 years old respectively. They were Leah married, and had families Both had been employed iii the factory as nearly as nomible 18 yelsrs, and they were sober and steady men. The men's clothes and boots have been found in the place, provided fir them during working hours, so that it is evident that both of them had put on the regulat clothing and slippers before they entered the building in which the ex• plosion took place. It W. a quarter past 6 o'clock in the mornieg when Charles Tott, us boatman, delivered to them 12 barrels, each containing 120 h. of gunpowder in the form of mill take, to be ground to meal. As Teti left the place he saw Napthen starting the water-is heel which worked ti,, nuheun, and May' nard wee trundling tido tee house over the leathern floor the barrels of mill cake on which they were to beetle their day's work. At 6.35 nil. the explosion took place, and the men's bodies and the material of hieh the building wise composed were scattered in • : davotions. The machinery in the place had been inspected on the previous day and :ouud in good mandition. The officials, M:,jor•General Noble, the superintendent, Mr. Findley, the master worker, and their suboidin•tes, said they had carefully luvestigated with a view to discover the cause of the explosion, but they had foiled to find out what it was, end the superintendent said there wae little hope that it would ever be ditioovered. as the de. ceases! wore the only two men in the building at the time. Albert Wilson, the then who was injured by the explosion, was unable to attend the inquest. Re was iu the little house in which the men leave their boote and put on slippery. This house is detached, and between 'Laud the breaking-down house there is • solid piece of Le tokwork higher than either of the adjacent buildings, and about 12 feet in thick• nese, in spite of this protection, however, the building in which %Vilsou was at the tinie was severely shaken, end he was thrown out at the doorway and out by falling glass and other debris. No other evidence but t hut of Wilson was lacking, and lii. jury returned a verdict that the deceased men were killed by the explesion, amid how that explosion was caused there was no am deuce to show. 1  At the Camden Town Skating Rink, a youth named (urge, while skating at a considerable flieed, fell, and several skaters following in his track were tripped up and thrown upon him. Ueorge was removed in an unconscious condition. Ind a doctor who was called pronounced life extinct.  Manumit Harrison, aged Si years, Jew, slipper maker, who was sentenced to death at the Leeds assize. for the murder of his wife,has been reprieved, an the ground of insanity. .  In connection with the recent damage to the harness of the battery of the Royal Artillery at Topsham Barracks, Exeter, the damage having been repaired and the bill sent to headquarters, the bill VMS returned with the intimation that as the damage was not canard by fair wear and tear the battery would have to bear the out: It is further stated that prior to the battery proceeding to Oktlianiptun for practise the men were informed that tie. would bn deducted from sash man's pay for the purpose, an announcement which gave ttle to tiluGh dinette, faction.  General Brousart von Schellendorf, the former Henn= Minister M Wax and now eammanding the First Army Corps (Konigsberg), has met with a Revere accident while inspecting some troops at Peterhof. His horse stumbled and teE, throwing the general heavily to the ground. The death i 6 announced of Frances Louisa Lady Boehm, wife of Sir Edgar Boehm, Bart.,