§ MR. A. B. FORWOOD (Lancashire, Ormskirk)I beg to ask the Civil Lord of the Admiralty, whether a tube of a boiler exploded yesterday, by which five men were seriously scalded and one 921 killed; and, whether the explosion took place on a Babcock water tube boiler intended for, or actually on board, a torpedo boat destroyer building under contract for the Admiralty?
§ THE CIVIL LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY (Mr. EDMUND ROBERTSON, Dundee)I presume that the question refers to an accident which happened on the 1st instant at the Fairfield Company's Works, Glasgow. The Admiralty has called upon the Fairfield Company for a statement of the facts, and they have promised to send us a copy of their Engineer Manager's Report. In the meantime our Engineer Overseer on the spot has reported that the accident occurred when steam was being raised in a Babcock-Wilson boiler. A plug used for stopping one of the holes from which tubes had been drawn for trial purposes, blow out at a low pressure (about 70 pounds), scalding six men, one of whom has since died. This boiler is intended for a torpedo boat destroyer, building for the Admiralty by the Fairfield Company, provided only it is found satisfactory on the experimental trials on shore. This is all the information I have received at present. On receipt of the Fairfield Report I shall be glad to communicate its substance to hon. Members.