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63
the Board of Trade for securing the safety of the public
were adequate, and what (if any) further precautionary
measures were necessary.
The facts which the Vestry brought under the notice of
the Board of Trade are as follows:—
In the afternoon of the 14th September the cover of a
Distributing Box almost immediately in front of the Vestry
Hall was observed to be hot and dry, notwithstanding rain
was falling at the time. The attention of the Company
was at once called to the matter by the Vestry's general
foreman, but although it was evident that there was great
heat in the box, no precaution was adopted against accident,
or any step taken by the Company, so far as the Vestry
are aware, until early the following morning. It was then
found, the Vestry understand, that water was in the
conduit to a sufficient depth to connect the conductors,
with the result apparently that some of the water had
been resolved into its constituent gases by electrolysis. A
naked light was put into the conduit and an explosion
occurred.
About six o'clock in the morning of the 29th September
an explosion occurred in a distributing box at the corner of
Duke Street and Jermyn Street, the explanation given by
the Company being that coal gas from a leaky main had
penetrated into the conduit, and had been fired by a pilot
wire which had given way.
"The Regulations made by the Board of Trade for preventing
accidents of the kind are as follows:—