Kentish Chronicle, Saturday 8 October 1864.

DREADFUL EXPLOSION OF GUNPOWDER AT ERITH.

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The Inquest.

The inquest was opened on Tuesday morning, at the "Belvedere Hotel," about a mile and a half from the scene of the disaster, by Mr. Carttar, coroner for West Kent, and a jury of 17 of the most influential inhabitants of the district. The room in which the inquiry was held had almost every window smashed, and the weather being excessively stormy, the task of conducting the inquiry was by no means a pleasant one. The inquest was held upon the dead bodies of three persons which lay comparatively entire on the ground in the coach-house in the hotel yard. The remains of Mr. George Rayner, aged 40 years, the foreman to Messrs, Hall, lay on a mattress, covered up with his own coat. Next him lay those of Thomas Hubbard, aged 52, and John Yorke, a boy of only 13. Numbers of ghastly parcels were deposited on the floor of the outhouse, and their blood-stained appearance gave a sickening indication of there contents. In them were collected different portions of human bodies, supposed to be the sole remains of the men Wright and Yorke, who were known to have been at work in the magazine at the time of the explosion. In addition to the men whose lives are thus known to be lost, we may state that, on board the barge Harriott, belonging to Messrs. Monk and Co., were known to have been John Dadson, captain, Daniel Wise, mate, and William Dadson, son of the captain. On board the barge Good Design, belonging to Messrs. Hall, were William Jemmett, captain, and Lake Barber, mate. All these human beings completely disappeared along with the barges, and not a trace of them has as yet been found. The scene of the explosion can be viewed from the "Belvedere." 300 marines are still actively at work strengthening the temporary embankment, for the wind from the north-east was high, and threatening. All apprehension of the giving way of the barrier is now, however, laid, and the measures still in progress are designed to render assurance doubly sure.

The jury having been sworn, the Coroner opened the proceedings with a short address. He said that the jury would find their duty an anxious and onerous one, but he was sure that so respectable a body of jurymen could not fail to give satisfaction to all parties interested in the proceedings and to the world at large. There was no tribunal so well qualified as the coroner’s court to investigate, not only the fact of the deaths of persona killed by great calamities, but; for the inquiry into the circumstances attending the occurrence. It was not necessary for a person to be charged at the bar as in other courts, and they were not therefore restrained from going into evidence that did not strictly bear upon the one point of the guilt or innocence of that parson. His own knowledge of such calamities was, he was sorry to say, not limited. He had too frequently been called upon to inquire into the causes which resulted in fatal explosions, but this was the first instance in which he was concerned in the case of an explosion of a powder magazine or store-house. He would not prejudge the present case by a word. He knew nothing of it but by the general reports which was known to all. But he was confident that from Messrs. Hall and the other proprietors the court would obtain every facility for arriving at a satisfactory conclusion, and it was for the jury to see what recommendations they might deem it useful to submit to the consideration of Government for the regulation of such establishments. It was deemed necessary to prohibit the storage of more than a certain quantity of petroleum and fireworks, and it was hard to say why no limit should be placed upon the amount of gunpowder, which was the most dangerous compound of all. That was, however, merely his own suggestion. Without doubt it was true that even the explosion of a very small quantity of powder would as effectually destroy the lives of all on the spot as would the explosion of an enormous quantity. But there could be no comparison of the results in respect to the destruction to property and life and limb in the surrounding districts. In all the districts bordering upon the metropolis houses were springing up, and the population was becoming denser year by year, end therefore the question of the storage of highly dangerous compounds was of the utmost importance and whatever time the court might bestow upon the matter would not be thrown away. He proposed, in the first instances to take evidence as to the identification of the deceased persons as far as it could now be obtained. He would then take the evidence of two or three witnesses: but (said the learned gentlemen, referring to the fearful state of the room in which the jury were assembled, and through the apertures of which the wind roared and bawled) I do not wish after the loss of life that has already taken place, to jeopardise your lives or your heath by going on with the proceedings here. If you think it requisite, we can walk to the site of the powder magazines, and inspect the place, but I believe not much information is to be gained by doing so.

Several of the jurors stated that they had nearly all visited the scene of the explosion, and it would only be a waste of time to proceed there now.

Mr. Poland then rose, and addressing the court said that he appeared on behalf of Messrs, Hall and Son, the proprietors of one of the powder stores, and he wished to state that it was the desire of those gentlemen to give every facility and requisite information to the court. If the result of the inquiry should show to them any improved method of conducting their business, so as to conduce to the safety of all concerned, they should feel deeply thankful.

The jury having viewed the bodies and returned to the inquest room, Waiter Silver, who appeared at the table with his head bound, having been injured by the explosion, was called to identify the bodies. He stated that he formerly resided close to the magazine but his dwelling-house had been razed to the ground by the explosion. He was a storekeeper in the employ of the Low-wood, Liverpool, Gunpowder Mill Company, Limited. The establishment was formerly known as Day, Barker, and Co., and their offices were 63, Fenchurch street. He then identified the bodies lying in the neighbourhood of the inquest-room as those of George Hubbard, a labourer engaged in buildings erected near the magazines, and as one not at all conversant with the works. He also identified the body of G. Rayner, who was the foreman of the magazine and that of John Yorke as the son of William Yorke, under storekeeper, who is missing.

Mr. Sydney Turner, house-surgeon of Guy's Hospital, was next sworn and said:- I have under my care some of the persons injured by the explosion. With the exception of Eliza Osborne, who is in a dangerous state, all the rest are doing well. The youngest is six and the next is a girl of nine years of who is sufficiently well to be examined, and indeed could be examined today. Edward Singleton has a fractured humorous, and cannot be examined for a month, Emma Wright a woman of forty, has a fractured collar-bone, and will not he able to be examine for three weeks. Mary Yorke, who has a fractured thigh, is not likely to be able to be examined for six or seven weeks. Another under my charge is Harriet Rayner, the widow of the man who was killed, and she is suffering from a severely contused shoulder, and cannot be examined for a week or two.

Thomas Churton, of Erith, sworn, stated that he was a surgeon, and described the condition of some of the mutilated portions of bodes, part of which, he believed, belonged to one of the unfortunate man named Wright. He also described the condition of two children, one six years of age named Sims, and another named Yorke, twelve years of age, very seriously injured.

The Coroner then stated that his object in taking this evidence was to ascertain when it would be possible to proceed with the inquiry, and obtain a narrative of the occurrence from the mouths of those who actually experienced its effect.

Police-sergeant 15 R stated that seven persons were yet missing, of whom no tidings could be obtained, five of them being from the barge, but, subsequently, one of the legal gentlemen present in the room said that one of the missing parties had since turned up and was safe at home.

This being all the progress that could be at present made, the inquiry was adjourned till next Tuesday, at the Avenue School-room, Erith.