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Fatal Boiler Explosion 1870Researched by John Lumsdon

A very serious boiler explosion occurred at the works of the Chatterley Iron Co. near Tunstall on Saturday morning in March 1870 by which, we regret to say two work people were killed, and six others were badly injured, and one of the numbers being very dangerously hurt. There was also a great destruction of property.

The Chatterley Company have been hitherto engaged in raising ironstone, and are now erecting furnaces for manufacturing iron near the present works, which are situated on the down side of the North Staffordshire Railway, a short distance from the Tunstall station.A large engine-house stands between the two principle shafts of the mine, and by the side of it are eight horizontal boilers in parallel sets of four each of them being forty feet long and five feet in diameter. One set of four having flat ends with internal tubes. These boilers supplied steam to the engine employed in drawing ironstone.

About half passed eight on Saturday morning, the outer one of the egg ended boilers exploded with terrific effect, the report being heard distinctly over a radius of more than a mile and a half. The tube is composed of thirteen lengths of plates, riveted together places. The boiler was severed at the fifth joint from the furnace end, almost as cleanly as if sawed through.

Two parts were thrown in opposite directions, fortunately clearing the engine-house and the pit gearing. The smaller portion, however was driven thought the upper part of a building used for storing slack, which it considerably damaged, and after it had passed the roof of the shed on the opposite side of it, dropped on its end.

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The larger portion of the boiler was projected about three hundred yards, and fell in the middle of a field. It was slightly dented in the sides, and the circular end was battered in.

In its course from its old bed to its new position, it came in contact with two boiler tubes, each nearly three feet in diameter, placed on timbers two or three feet from the ground for the purpose of being repaired. The portion of the exploded boiler striking one of these tubes, it took from its centre two lengths of iron which were battered into a flat piece, three or four feet square, testifying to the tremendous force of the explosion.

The second tube was broken. A railway waggon laden with earth was at the same time smashed, and its large cast-iron wheels were snapped into many pieces. A large heap of tram-way rails and chairs were broken. All the buildings on the works bear marks of the havoc which was caused by the explosion, and the only wonder is that the destruction of life was not considerably greater.

The two men who lost their lives were Wm Dooler a married man without family, age thirty years; and A Barrow, age seventeen years. The was dangerously injured was Mark Birchenough; and the others who have been more or less severely wounded are Richard Lee, James Ravenscroft, Joseph Chadwick, and Wm Griffiths. Dooler was struck dead while he was wheeling a barrow load of slack into the slack-house.

Barrow was assisting two men who were repairing a boiler next but two from that which exploded, and he met with death as he was passing the boiler end to take them some rivets, the two whom he was assisting escaping miraculously.

There were many others who had very narrow escapes. One instance may be mentioned. A man was standing by the side of a horse about fifty yards from the boilers at the time of the explosion. A heavy missile struck the horse a tremendous blow, which killed the animal instantly, and the man escaped with an injury to his shoulder.

By accident a large number of men were prevented from working at the new furnaces and engine-house; otherwise the fatalities must have been more numerous. Again, a very short time later there would have been a great number of men in a shed between the slack-house and the pumping-house, where they usually breakfasted; and if the explosion had occurred while they were there the loss of life would have been much more considerable.Seeing that there were so many hands employed about the premises, and more than fifty were within a short distance of the boilers, it is surprising that there were not more affected by the accident?

Row of 4 Steam Boilers as example

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Birchenough and Lee were conveyed to the North Stafffordshire Infirmary, and the others were removed their respective homes. The damage to property will exceed a thousand pounds. The cause of the explosion will probably be disclosed at the adjourned inquest. It seems that the boilers have all been cleaned once a fortnight, and thoroughly examined once a month; and those who were in charge of the boilers that were worked on Saturday morning declare that all of them were kept filled with water.

The inquest on the bodies of Dooler and Barrow was opened before Mr. Booth, coroner, at the Bridge Inn on Monday. Mr Bishop of Chatterley Company; Superintendent Povey and Inspector Longdon, were present. Mr Blackiston, solicitor, also attended on behalf of the Company.-

Mr Bishop informed the coroner and the jury that every known had always been taken at the works to prevent accident, and the proprietors were desirous that a most searching investigation should be made as to the cause of the present calamity, with a view of avoiding future accidents if possible.

John Chadwick, engineer tender deposed that Wm Dooler had been a labourer, and Alfred Barrow a rivet runner at the Chatterley Company’s Works. They were both employed on Saturday last and were killed by the explosion of a boiler which exploded.

There were four boilers connected with the engine; and a branch pipe connected them with four other boilers. The explosion took place somewhere about twenty minutes past eight. The pressure on at that time was about 40 lbs. to the inch; he could not tell to a pound. He examined the steam gauge just before the explosion.

He had two very heavy loads of stone to be drawn up and the engine went very “dogged” with it. The

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heavy loads caused it to work slowly, and the engine was getting very weak for want of steam. Very little above 45lbs was the extent of his gauge. He never noticed anything particular before the explosion; He did not notice the gauge run up quickly.

About five minutes before the explosion the boiler which did explode was the fullest of water of any one of them. There were floats to show this. He should think it would be two or three months since the boiler in question was repaired. It was cleaned once a fortnight. It was cleaned a fortnight ago. He cleaned that and another. He always scraped every joint when he cleaned them. There was no leakage and there was no repair required.

The fireman attended to the filling of the boilers. They were filled by a “donkey engine” Six of them were connected when the explosion occurred. Two of them were off- one to be cleaned and the other to be repaired.

Remarks by jurors:There was a pressure of 40lbs at the time of the explosion.The pressure had been up to 45lbs and steam had been blown off before the explosion.He was certain that steam was not blowing off when the explosion occurred.Mr Marshall inspected the boilers. He (witness) had never altered the boilers since he had been there.A man was filling the boilers when there was a pressure of 40lbs to the inch, and he did not perceive the steam increasing.He was sure there was not more than 41lbs of pressure on when the explosion occurred.The last time the boiler in question was repaired two new plates were put in, in place of two which were cracked and damaged.

James Joynson, fireman, said he was employed at the set of four boilers which did not include the exploded one, but which four were with the others. About ten minutes before the explosion he went to the top of the boiler seatings. He noticed the floats, all of which were in good working order. They were about the usual height, indicating that there was plenty of water in the boilers. The boilers all carried the same pressure- from 45 to 50lbs, and they should start blowing off at 45lbs. They were blowing off at the time of the explosion. They never let the pressure go below 45lbs if they could help it.

By a juror: Mr Marshall gave them instructions as to the pressure they should work. They had no printed instructions.

By the Coroner: The engineman regulated the valves when the steam blew off.--

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A juror: You seem to have no definite instructions: how did you find out you could work at 50lbs pressure?Witness: Because it has been usual to work at 45lbs working pressure-A juror: Supposing you had got it at 60lbs, would anybody have said anything to you?Witness, it won’t work at 60lbs. In answer to other questions, witness said nobody but the engineman and Mr Marshall gave the fireman any instructions. No one had given him instructions to work to work below 45lbsThe engine would not work unless the pressure was 45 or 50lbs It would not draw heavy loads with less pressure. He saw the floating gauge before the explosion and was sure it was in working order. The steam was blowing off at all the boilers when the explosion occurred. When it blew off at one it did so at all. It was blowing off at all at a quarter past eight o’ clock.

James Marshall, head engineer for the Chatterley Company, deposed that the boiler which exploded was repaired three months ago, when two new plates were put in the bottom. He never allowed a month to pass without going through every boiler. About a fortnight ago he was through the boiler which exploded. He did not see the slightest defect.

The boilers were weighted by the engineers who put them up. The engine tenders and firemen were not allowed to tamper with them; they reported to from witness when anything was the matter. He did not keep any regular day-book as to what was done to the boilers.

He had always given instruction that the pressure was to be kept at from 45lbs to 50lbs. They would blow off just after 45lbs. At 50lbs the steam would blow off strongly. It was impossible to get above 50lbs. He believed the whole of the eight boilers had been up between seven and eight years.

By jurors: Mark Birchenough was a spare fireman. He (witness) gave instructions to the firemen to watch the indicator, but not to tamper with the valves. He did not examine the valves on Saturday morning, but he believedThey were in good working order, because he had seen them frequently every time he passed them.

James Hulson, night fireman, said that at five minutes to seven o’ clock on Saturday morning the boilers were full and in working order. The exploded boiler had been cleaned a fortnight ago. He had never had to report the boiler for leakage. By jurors: Mr Marshall used to come to the firemen and grumble.

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A communications was received from the house surgeon at the infirmary, stating that one of the injured men would not be able to leave the institution for at least a week, and the other would not be able to be removed for a month or six weeks. These men being required as witnesses, and it being necessary that there should be a scientific examination of the boiler, the inquiry was adjourned.

Late Boiler Explosion adjourned inquestMr Booth, coroner, concluded the inquiry yesterday 7th Oct 1870 touching the deaths of William Dooler Alfred Barlow and (Mark Birchenough?) from the effects of the explosion of a boiler at the Chatterley Iron Company’s works on the 17th inst. There were present at the inquiry Mr Bishop, one of the proprietors; Mr Homer, manager; Mr Wynne, Government Inspector; and Superintendent Baker.

The evidence of the witnesses previously taken was read over, and they were questioned as to an encrustation of the boiler which Mr Wynne had noticed. They were unable to account for it. John Chadwick, engine tender, corrected the evidence he gave on the previous occasion. He had looked at the dial and found that the steam blew off at 50 lbs instead of 45lbs as he previously stated.

Mr R B Longridge, chief engineer to the Boiler Insurance and Steam Power Company, presented the following report:- I made an examination of the boiler on the 20th inst. I find it divided into two parts, one of these, the firing end, about 22 feet long. These two pieces had been projected in opposite directions, the former destroyed part of a building in front, the latter passing through several obstructions and finally fallen in a field about 200 yards from the original site. The boiler which exploded, I am informed, was eight years old; was cylindrical, with hemispherical ends, about 35 feet long by 4 feet ten inches in diameter, made of 2 eighth inch plates of good average quality.It was provided with a float water gage, a pressure gage, an ordinary lever and safety valve five inches in diameter weighted according to calculation to 63lbs per square inch, a pressure which such a boiler would be well qualified to bear under ordinary circumstances’. As, however the bearing surface of this valve is half inch broad, steam would begin to blow off before it attained this pressure. I am satisfied that the explosion is not, the result of excessive pressure, nor has it resulted from deficiency of water.At the fifth circular seam from the front end where rupture had taken place, the boiler had undergone repairs, as shown by a patch about 3 and a half feet long, averaging 12 inches in width.From the appearance of the plate to which this patch had been riveted, it is evident an extensive fracture had existed previous to the explosion, the leakage from which had caused corrosion of the plate and rivet heads.

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In addition to this patch there is a similar patch on the left hand side between the third and fourth rings of the shell.Several plates over the fire have also been renewed from time to time on account of fractures.

On examining three other boilers of the same construction which had worked in connection with that which exploded, I found that these had undergone similar repairs, from which it is evident that all of them have suffered from the same evils. The evils are- first, overheating of the plates owing to the accumulation of deposits, consisting of carbonate and sulphate of lime, which is present in large quantity; 2nd, sudden contraction of the overheated plates owing to the feed water being delivered cold directly upon the bottom of the boiler; 3rd overstraining of the boiler, owing to the objectionable practice of blowing off the water under pressure, preparatory to cleaning before the surrounding brick work had time to cool.Under such circumstances the underside of the boiler expands and becomes elongated by overheating, and on cooling is subjected to an excessive strain from contraction, which process frequently repeated ultimately results in fracture, and if the practice be not detected in time explosion is the inevitable consequence.

These 3 evils combined have caused the frequent fractures above referred to, and the extensive fracture at the fifth circular seam has been the immediate cause of the present explosion.Unless efficient means be adopted to remedy these evils, it is not improbable that a similar explosion may occur to one or more of the other boilers, the remedies are simple 1st if better water cannot be obtained, collecting vessels or a scrumming apparatus should be introduced into each boiler to prevent accumulation of deposits on the plates exposed to the fire and the boilers should be cleaned more frequently.2nd The feed pipe should be shortened and an elbow attached, in order that the feed-water may be delivered horizontally about two feet above the bottom of the boiler.3rd When a boiler is stopped for cleaning, the water should not be run off until the brick work has had sufficient time to cool that there may be no over-heating of the plates, nor overstraining from contractions in cooling. If these suggestions had been adopted there would be much less expense in repairs, and no danger of explosion from the causes mentioned.

In answer to questions, Mr Longridge said, from the corrosion of the plates he should think there must have been leakage two or three months. It could not have occurred within a fortnight of the time of the explosion.

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If the boiler had been examined on the under-side the leakage would have been detected. There was nothing to lead him to suppose there had been any neglect on the part of anybody connected with the colliery.

Mr T Wynne, Government Inspector of Mines, said he was with Mr Longridge when he inspected the boiler and entirely agreed with his evidence. He should, perhaps, go a little further in one thing – he thought that when the boiler was last off, the fracture of the boiler ought to have been detected.

Mr Chas James Homer, manager of the Chatterley works said there were twelve boilers at those works, and charge of them was left with Mr John Barrow, of Hanley, who had instructions to do whatever repairs to them were required, regardless of expense.

About a moth or six weeks ago, Mr Barrow reported to him that all the boilers were in a satisfactory state. He requested Mr Barrow to inspect the boilers soon after the explosion at Kidsgrove. It was Mr Marshall’s duty to report to him whenever anything required attention. Scarcely a day passed without the boilers being seen by himself. (Mr Homer)

He had no idea of any danger at Chatterley before the explosion. He could not firm any idea as to the cause of the explosion. He should be glad to carry out any suggestions which might be made for the future safety of the works.

The jury deliberated for a considerable time, and they returned a verdict of accidental death, accompanied by the following recommendation:-

That the precautions mentioned By Mr Longridge for the safety of the other boilers should be carried out, that particular attention by the persons in authorityat the colliery to the way in which the men carry out their work, and that greater care be taken by the men on their change of turn.

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