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Throwback Thursday. Below is the news paper article. ![]()
THE BOILER EXPLOSION AT![]()
ZEEHAN.![]()
INQUEST ON BIDDELPH AND![]()
MARRA.![]()
ZEEHAN, Wednesday.![]()
The coronial inquiry on the bodies of![]()
David Biddelph and T. Marra, the victims![]()
of yesterday's boiler disaster, was opened![]()
at the hospital this afternoon before![]()
Coroner Hall and a jury, of which Mr. R.![]()
McLeod was foreman.![]()
William John Skeggs, guard of the![]()
Zeehan town tram, gave evidence of![]()
witnessing the explosion and of the finding![]()
of the bodies of driver Biddelph and fireman![]()
Marra as detailed in yesterday's Mercury.![]()
Thomas Bagley, engine-driver, deposed![]()
that he had driven the engine which ex-![]()
ploded for two and a half years, and would![]()
have been on her that morning, but for![]()
having to drive a special explosive train to![]()
Strahan. Had helped to put the engine![]()
together when it arrived new at Zeehan. It![]()
was tested to blow off at 140lb. pressure.![]()
Had sometimes, but seldom, blown off at![]()
less than that. Knew of no defect in the![]()
engine, and had never had any accident![]()
with it. The engine was inspected three![]()
weeks ago and nine months ago. Had![]()
driven the engine out to Williamsford and![]()
back on the previous day, when everything![]()
was all right. The boiler was full when![]()
he handed her over to the cleaner on![]()
Monday night. The boiler was cleaned![]()
out on Sunday. He had made no com-![]()
plaint with regard to the engine, and had![]()
made no report in the report-book. The![]()
safety plugs in the engine were renewed![]()
about every three months. One new one![]()
was inserted about three weeks ago. It![]()
took from 1½ hours to 2 hours to get up![]()
steam in the morning. Had formed no![]()
theory as to the cause of the accident.![]()
Alexander Cummings, cleaner, stated![]()
that he received the engine from the last![]()
witness on the evening of Monday last,![]()
when the water in the gauge-glass was full![]()
up. He cleaned the engine that night.![]()
At 4 o'clock in the morning he lighted the![]()
fires, and by 6 o'clock had 40lb. pressure of![]()
steam on. Biddelph and Marra then took![]()
charge, and took the engine out of the shed![]()
about 6.30. The water was a quarter of an![]()
inch lower down the glass in the morning![]()
than at night. That was the result of the![]()
usual leakage. On Monday morning last![]()
the steam blew off at the safety-valve with![]()
40lb. pressure. He drew the attention of![]()
Bagley to this, and the latter remedied it![]()
immediately. The engine and boiler were![]()
all right when he cleaned then on Monday![]()
night.![]()
Thomas Bagley (recalled) said that when![]()
the steam blew off on Monday morning![]()
there was a pressure of 60lb. He thought![]()
the reason was that a bit of dirt had got![]()
under the valve. A light tap on the![]()
safety-valve was sufficient to put it right.![]()
At this stage the inquiry was adjourned![]()
till next Friday afternoon, to allow of a![]()
full inspection of the engine being made.![]()
At the request of the foreman, the![]()
Coroner gave orders for the production of![]()
the driver's report-book on Friday.![]()
Mr. A. G. Omant watched the proceed-![]()
ings for the relatives of the deceased men;![]()
Mr. C. Eaton Brown for the Railway De-![]()
partment; Mr. J. W. Hudson for the![]()
Engine-drivers' Association; and Superin-![]()
tendent Pillinger for the police.![]()
Mr. Green, the newly-appointed West![]()
Coast Inspector of Machinery, was present;![]()
also Mr. W. P. Hales, Superintendent of![]()
the West Coast railway lines, and Mr.![]()
Parry, the stationmaster.![]()
Much interest was taken in the proceed-![]()
ings. Hundreds of people have visited the![]()
scene of the disaster.![]()
The body of Marra will be sent to Hobart![]()
for burial.![]()
A large public meeting was held at the![]()
Academy of Music to-night, at which the![]()
candidates for the Town Board vacant![]()
seat—Messrs. Whitelaw, Kirkwood, and![]()
Lee—addressed the electors.![]()
J. McIntosh, aged 17, while wood-cutting![]()
on the Silver Queen property this morning,![]()
accidentally gashed his leg with an axe,![]()
cutting through the knee-cap, and making![]()
a serious flesh wound. He was conveyed![]()
to the residence of Dr. Kennedy, who,![]()
after dressing the wound, ordered![]()
McIntosh's removal to the hospital.
Tell us Tuesday! What did this become? what did it do? We know the answer, how about you?
What a Beauty! Have you been here? We would love to see your picture in our comments!![]()
The Quarter Mile Bridge, originally known as the King Bridge, is a significant structure on the West Coast Wilderness Railway in Tasmania. It was constructed to cross the King River and has undergone several improvements over the years. The original bridge was a wooden trestle built in 1896, but it was later reinforced with steel to withstand the harsh conditions. The current bridge, built in 1992, is an ex-army Bailey Bridge that spans about 90 meters and is designed to handle the one-thousand-year flood level. It remains the most dependable version of the bridge, having been built above the flood-prone areas that affected earlier versions. The bridge's construction and maintenance have been a challenge due to the challenging terrain and the King River's frequent flooding.
Throwback Thursday! Trail Harbour Circa 1960. Did you holiday in one of the shacks? Perhaps you still do? At the West Coast Heritage Centre we love photos! If you have a picture of your time at Trial Harbour, we would love to see it in the comments below.
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