§ SIR THOMAS DEWAR (Tower Hamlets, St. George's)To ask the Postmaster-General whether his attention has been called to a recent action to recover damages for personal injuries sustained through the explosion of gas in a telephone inspection chamber fixed in the footway in Regent Street; and, seeing that both Judge and jury expressed the opinion that, in the interests of public safety, the accumulation of gas in these telephone inspection chambers should be prevented by a system of ventilation, will he state whether he proposes to adopt the suggestion.
19 (Answered by Lord Stanley.) My attention was called to the case, and it has been carefully considered. I fear that ventilation of the inspection chambers is not practicable, as I do not think the local authorities would consent to my fixing ventilating pillars in the footways, and the owners of private houses would not allow me to carry pipes up the walls. Ventilating covers could not be adopted, because they would not keep the cables free from mud and water. I am proposing to lay down certain precautions to be taken by my staff when opening manholes in which the presence of gas is suspected; but it is right to say that, so far as the facts are known to me, no precautions taken by my employees would have prevented the recent explosions in Regent Street.