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William Curtis
| Age: | |
| Died: | 13th Dec 1859 |
| Accident: | 15th Nov 1859 |
| Born: | |
| Colliery: | West Cramlington |
| Company: | |
| Occupation: | Fireman |
| Notes: | Explosion of Boiler |
| Buried: | [not known] |
| Category: |
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| Description | |
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Boiler explosion at West Cramlington Colliery, whereby two persons lost their lives. Boiler thirty feet by five feet and a half.
In this case three boilers were interconnected, two being at that time at work ; the calculated pressure 35 lbs. per inch. The total weight of boiler was about five-and-a-half tons, and as is usually the case was blown into three parts. It was an old boiler, and had been cut and lengthened in the middle ; the plates three-eighths inch thick. Two safety valves were attached to each boiler, also two floats to show the height of water, had also a steam indicator. Immediately before the accident the fireman had been putting on fresh coals, and at the time of the accident the boiler was feeding ; all the safety valves were three inches diameter.
There was no flap at end of feed pipe to guard against the water being driven back into the neighbouring boiler.
The boiler that exploded was thirty feet by five-and-a-half feet, the others twenty-eight feet by five feet nine.
No satisfactory evidence could be adduced as to the immediate cause of the accident, but the most obvious cause was the want of sufficient water.
Recommendations in future :—
- Larger safety valves
- Flap at bottom of feed pipe
- A whistle of one or other of recent invention
That of archer’s most recommended, consisting of a double valve upon the top of the boiler, connected by a lever with the float. When the water sinks below a certain point, the said valve opens and the stem is conveyed down to the fire, the blast of which speedily extinguishes it.
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| Related Articles | |
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| Pub. Date | Article (Newspaper) |
|---|---|
| 19 Nov 1859 | Boiler Explosion (Morpeth Herald) |
| 17 Dec 1859 | Local & General News (Morpeth Herald) |
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| Sources | |
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- 1859 Mines Inspectors Report
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| Researchers | |
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