The Boiler Explosion at Masborough Iron Works
Nine men were killed on 3rd December 1862 at a boiler explosion at the Midland Iron Works, Rotherham.
On the morning of 3rd December, 1862, a boiler explosion took place at the premises of Messrs. Beatson and Co., the Midland Ironworks, Masborough. A number of men were killed.
Several boilers, of various dimensions, were fixed in the rolling-mill to furnish the power necessary to work the large number of rolls that were in use. One of these boilers, nearly the largest in the place, was embedded midway between two smaller ones, at about 80 yards from the entrance gate. The roof of the shed which covered it was partly sheet-iron and partly slate, and the supports were wooden and iron beams crossed upon iron pillars.
The Explosion
At a few minutes after 7 in the morning, there were about 150 men and boys employed in the shed. The work was proceeding as usual, when suddenly a tremendous noise was heard; the large boiler launched itself forward into the mill, and in an instant the whole place was in ruins. The explosion was described by those who saw it as having been most awful. The two large tubes of the boiler were projected with immense force to the rear of the premises, accompanied by red-hot bricks from the bed of the boiler, slates and sheets of iron from the roof of the shed, and other portions of the debris, covered the whole space around.
The boiler itself, was launched with inconceivable force right into the body of the rolling-mill. The supports of the roof were broken, solid iron columns of 12 or 14 inches thickness snapped off, as if they had been made of glass. The roar of the explosion was terrible, and was quickly succeeded by still more appalling sounds, the shrieks and screams of the unfortunate persons who were buried beneath the ruins.
The survivors set immediately to work, having first, taken steps to check the other boilers. They found five bodies, most of whom were killed outright by the rush of the boiler or the fragments which it displaced.
Their bodies were removed to the Butcher's Arms, a nearby public house. Two others, were unconscious, and died shortly afterwards. Up to 1 o'clock there had been 7 deaths; 25 persons injured, most of them suffering from serious injuries, caused by the scalding water and steam, or by the fall of fragments of the ruins. Nine of them were taken at once to the Masborough station and by train to Sheffield, where they were removed to the General Infirmary.
The collapsed tubes, and the numerous vents in the side of the boiler, indicate that the explosion was caused by the want of a proper quantity of water.
The exterior of the mill also bore numerous and serious traces of the force of the explosion and the extent of the destruction.
The fronts of some houses nearer Rotherham were also damaged, while in the other direction a couple of fields were covered with pieces of sheet iron, slates and bricks. The broken tubes of the boiler, which were about 30 inches in diameter, and several yards long were also found in these fields, one of them at a distance of 150 yards, and the other about 300 yards from the scene of the explosion. The larger fragment of the boiler flue was found in the corner of a field close to the Woodman Inn. The boiler measured 21 feet by 6 feet and had been in use several years.
The damage to the works was estimated at £3000.
Those Killed
Seven men were killed:
James Fitzgerald
George Copley
William Carboy
Joseph Adams
William and Joseph Cawthorne, father and son
John Ellis
List of the Injured
James Ainsworth,compound fractures of both legs
Charles Woodcock, severe burns to face and arms, and wounds to the head
William Johnson, severe burns to face and arms, fractured shoulder, wounds to the head, compound fractures of the arms and legs
Jacob Foster, lacerated wound to right elbow, severe bruising to the back
Richard Duffield, compound fractures to thigh and kneecap, severe back injuries
James Cooper, various contusions to the head and back
Henry Ward, severe burns to both arms, severe facial contusions, lacerated wound to leg and severe bruising
James Fleming, severe lacerated wound to the skull, fractured left leg
James Cawthorne, severely burned on the face and arms, severe scalp wounds and bad fracture of left leg
Simon Edwards, severely crushed and burnt
Robert Pinkney, severely injured
Frank Damms, broken arm and leg
Thomas Cawthorne, severely burnt and bruised
William Murfin, dangerously burnt and bruised
James Wordsworth - a boy, slightly burnt
Charles Sheldon, seriously injured
John Day, severely injured
Isaac Wood, slightly injured
Mick Day, slightly injured
John France, slightly injured
Sam Taylor, shoulder injuries
William Myers, slightly injured
Thomas Walker, severely injured
George Ogley, slightly injured
Charles Sorsby, injuries to arm and head
Harry Crooney, severely injured
George Bradley, badly hurt
William Thompson, slightly injured
James Smith, slightly injured
Several others received bruising and other injuries.
The Inquest
The adjourned inquest on the bodies of the nine men killed by the boiler explosion at the Midland Iron-works was held before Mr. John Webster, coroner, at the Prince of Wales Hotel, Masborough. The accident was caused by the boiler bursting, in consequence of the water being allowed to run too low.
The inquiry took the shape of an investigation into the conduct of George Radford, who had charge of the boiler at the time when the explosion occurred.
It appeared from the evidence of Mr. Hartley, the manager, that Radford had nothing to do with the supplying of fuel, his only duty in connection with the boiler being to see that the water supply was right, and that the boiler was performing correctly. He had also a steam hammer to attend to, but it was only 12 yards away, and he had plenty of time to go and attend to the boiler. The hammer was not working at the time of the explosion, in consequence of its being repaired.
Mr. Isaac Dodds, engineer, of Masborough, stated that he had examined the fragments of the boiler, that they appeared to have been in perfectly good working order, and that in his opinion part of the surfaces of the boiler and tubes had got red hot, from the water being allowed to run too low, and then, owing to the sudden flushing of fresh water, steam had been generated in such vast quantities that the boiler had inevitably burst.
Mr Dodds suggested that safety valves of any kind would have but little effect in preventing the explosion. The process he had mentioned was the most fruitful cause of the boiler explosion. Mr. Dodds also stated that the system of heating the water, in this instance, though generally employed in ironworks, required more caution than the methods commonly in use. His theory as to the cause of the explosion was fully borne out by the evidence of Isaac Nicholson, who had stated that he saw Radford put water into the engine, and almost instantaneously the boiler exploded.
A point of inquiry in the case was as to the breaking of the glass gauge indicating the quantity of water in the boiler. This was proved to have been broken on the night before the explosion, and it had not been replaced when the boiler burst. Radford had stated that he did not know distinctly to whom he was to apply for a gauge, and he applied to Joseph Hobson, the fitter, as soon as he came in the morning. Hobson told David Ogley, the watchman, whose duty it was to find the gauge; but Ogley forgot to supply it. Moreover, Ogley admitted that he saw the gauge broken on the night before the explosion, but took no steps to get it replaced.
The coroner, in summing up, said he thought a criminal charge could not be sustained against Radford. No doubt, he was to blame; but Ogley and Hobson were also to blame, and the proprietors shared the responsibility in having a system of heating which required so much care.
The jury, after a consultation of about an hour, returned a verdict of "Manslaughter" against Radford, accompanied by a strong censure of Ogley, and a wish that more care should be exercised in the management of these boilers.
Radford Acquitted
At the Winter Assizes at York on 20th December, 1862, Radford was indicted for the manslaughter of William Cawthorne. Mr. Maule and Mr. Fullerton prosecuted and Mr. Waddey defended the prisoner.
It appeared that the duty of Radford was to see that the boilers of 2 engines were supplied with water, to work a Conde's hammer, and to see that the pumping engine which supplied the boilers with water was kept going.
Radford was told that the float gauge, which measures the quantity of water in a boiler, had been broken the night before, and Radford has asked a man named David Ogley for a glass water gauge at 5.30 on the morning of the explosion. Ogley told him to ask another
Radford's duties during his 12 hour shift required him to attend to the steam hammer from 200 to 300 times; and he had not been brought up to the duty he had undertaken, but was an iron turner. It was contended that the fault did not rest with him that the glass water gauge was not supplied, and that in attending to his other duties he had not observed that the water had got too low in the boiler.
His Lordship in summing up , left it to the jury to say whether the explosion had been caused by culpable negligence of Radford. His Lordship went on to say that he hoped that in the future, it would be made the duty of some person to attend to the boilers where it was so all important that their condition should be monitered, and the person employed in this duty, should not have his attention distracted some 200 to 300 times a shift, by having to look after the working of the steam hammer.
The jury, after short consultation, acquitted Radford.
