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	Individual Details		Individual Details

Age:	23
Died:	29th Apr 1856
Accident:	29th Apr 1856
Year Born:	abt. 1833
Colliery:	Crowtrees
Company:
Occupation:	Fireman
Notes:	boiler exploded
Buried:	[not known]
Category:

Boiler Explosion at Crowtree's Colliery

On the 29th of April, a boiler exploded, killing the fireman, William Barry, 23 years of age.

In this case there were three cylindrical boilers with hemispherical ends, connected with a pumping engine, the southernmost one of which was occasionally shut off from the other two, and used for working an adjoining hauling engine; but on this occasion that boiler was empty, and not at work. Both the pumping and hauling engines were non-condensing.

The pumping engine was working at the time of the explosion, and had been kept working for a long time previously. James White, the engine-tender or plugman, stated at the inquest that he had examined the floats on both the working boilers only about three minutes before the explosion, at which time the steam was blowing off, and the floats did not indicate any unusual lowness of water in either of the boilers, although he then tried both of the two floats on the boiler which exploded, in order to see if they were working freely, and found them doing so.

The centre boiler, which exploded, was being fed at the time of the explosion. The pressure gauge indicated a load of 38 lbs. per square inch, about an hour before the explosion, and had not been particularly noticed during that. hour.

Martin Turnbull, the master blacksmith who had the boilers to keep in repair, being sworn, stated that he had examined all the three boilers only seventeen days before the explosion occurred, and had at that time repaired some trifling defect in the boiler, which has since been burst by the explosion.

He further stated that, the plates near the top of the flues had some appearance of having been overheated at the time of the explosion.

Mr. John Hedley, engineer to the South Hetton Coal Company, being sworn, stated that he had examined the boiler since it had been blown away by the explosion, and found indications of the plates having been overheated at the part along the top of the flues, particularly on the south side; and he therefore, thought the water must have been too low, and considered that the boiler plates were strong enough to have sustained the ordinary working pressure.

Mr. George Hopper, engineer, of Houghton-le-Spring, being sworn, stated that he had examined the exploded boiler, and found indications of the plates having been overheated in some parts, from which he considers that an extra generation of steam had resulted, causing an overpressure sufficient to burst the boiler, thus causing the explosion. He considered the plates quite strong enough to have borne the ordinary working pressure, or even twice that pressure.

From my own examination of the boiler, and a calculation of its strength, I feel satisfied that it had not exploded by the working pressure; and I agree with the two last-mentioned witnesses, in thinking that the generation of steam too quickly to be vended by the safety valves and the working of the engine, is most likely to have arisen from applying the feed when the plates along the top of the flue had been at too elevated a temperature, owing to the water in the boiler having from some cause or other, been allowed to fall to too low a level ; this cause might probably have been from the feed pump not acting properly, or from the plugman, James White, having neglected to apply the feed at a proper time: and although evidence was adduced to prove that James White had been absent from the engine and boilers a short time before the explosion, talking to some workmen who were repairing the adjoining hauling engine, leaving his own engine at work during his absence, yet as the time of his absence was stated to have been so short, and the lowness of the water in the boiler being only matter of opinion, without positive proof, the jury found a verdict of accidental death.

It is perhaps worthy of remark that, in boiler explosions, it often happens that the only persons who can prove the quantity of the water in the boiler at the time of the explosion are the very persons who would be likely to be blamed or convicted, if they admitted that it was below its proper working level, and hence it is probably difficult to obtain such an admission even in cases where the lowness of the water has led to the explosion.

• 1856 Mines Inspectors Report

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