The Staffordshire and Potteries Examiner. — 1880-12-11 (Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England)

SUICIDE OF AN ABSCONDING CLERK. TERRIBLE BOILER EXPLOSION. An inquest was held in Bristol, Cu Monday, on the About Linea o'clock on Friday morning a frightful body of James Thomas Symonds, which was picked explosion occurred at Maidstone. It appears that up on Saturdzy at the mouth of the Avon. Deceased, • thy treetioneangine, belonging to Messrs. Jesse Ellis a stosk brokers clerk, had lived with his sisters and at t- C.., drawing two lucks laden with manure, was mother in Carlton Road, London, until October .2?t, itt tto•yeeing from Cie Medway Wharf down Mill when he mystyriously disappeared. Next day his cv vt, a. narrow thoroughfare, and when near Mr. mother received a letter from his office, I, Coptlaall ment s carpenter's shop, and opposite the eastern Court, siring o "My dearest Mother, I enclose yttto l•••t Lion oi the parish church of All Saints, by some pout office order for £2, which I borrowed from y it: 3lls IL, boiler, with terrine report, exploded. The last night. I have got into a great mess iv wm In cl.arse of three men, one, as usual, and have thrown my body over the Clifton:o oiopyastitii we.sing in front, wham, the others were on the box Bridge, as I cannot bear the agony any longer. droving and steering. Frank llnder.own, aged 19. God bless you my dear sisters Emily and Alice, and 1 was engaged in steering the engine, was blown also your clear self. From your most wretched son, Ito instance ot 41 yards from the scene of the disaster, io .• '- I ant blUed instantsneoual lim  Near the spot are sic._ trees in the adjoining churchyard, overhanging the 1 onti, audLilti poor fellow was blown through one of the trees, in which a portion of his clothing is still hanging. The other two men, Moses Martin, the driver, and Harry Render, the advance man, were also seriously inj eyed, the former being dreadfully scalded about tile face and body, and the latter having one of his arms broken. They were conveyed to the West Kent Oeneral Hospital, where their injuries wore at once attended to. A workshop of a Mr. Clements, close by, was greatly damaged, the fly-wheel of the engine being hurled with great violence against the side of the building, which fortunately iv a substantial one, or otherwise it would have been a perfect *leek ; one of the piers of the building, however, was bulged, nearly all the windows blown out, the brick cork discoloured, and other damage done. l'he devastation was very marked on the other side I of the road ; a large breach was made in the wall enclosing the parish churchyard, whilst the tombours were broken and hurled in all directions, one Limb being lifted from its foundation and rent weeder. fhe old pariah church of All Saints is extcnsively damaged. Opposite the scene of the r, about 50 yards from the road, is the eastern portion of the tiurch, and the handsome window of stained glass, erected as a memorial to the late Mr. A.:ex:miler Randall, a former high sheriff of Kent, at a cost of several thousand pounds, is completely w reeked, whilst the much-admired memorial windews on each side are more or less damaged. One or the brass bearings of the engine was blown against one of the windows, breaking the stonework and shattering the glass, and is now lodged in the wire work used to protect the windows. The interior of the church is also dam. . _ . . .  301.!.10  ;;Ta;:hole-i-o-i,-1-;:al in the side of the handsome organ, which has but recently been erected at a large cost, and the pipes very much injured, whilst there is evidence of the force of the explosion in other parts of the edifice, the largo western window bong also bulged. in an outward direction. Mr. L. Arthur, in company with two constables, having hoard the report whilst in High Street, a short distance from the spot, immediately proceeded to the scene of disaster,and found the neighbourhood in utter darkness, the force of the explosion having extinguished the gas lamps. A few minutes later other persons came up, and having procured a number of torches, • search was made for the body of the missing man, which was found close to the old burying-ground, where the poor fellow was found bleeding from a frightful wound in his head, lie was conveyed to the Globe Inn close by. During the day the scene of the disaster was visited by large numbers of persons, and Mr. Aveling, of Rochester, the manufacturer of the engine and boiler, which has only been constructed three years, visited the scene, and gave instructions for the removal of the safety valves, with a view of having them examined prior to the corenor's inquest.