DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.70266#0376
334 KIRBY'S WONDERFUL MUSEUM.
two deep wells in it, were full of beer, which witness, and
those under him, endeavoured to save ; so that they could
not go to see the accident which happened outwardly. The
heighth of the vat that burst, was twenty-two feet; it was
filled within four inches of the top, and then containing
3555 barrels of entire, being beer that was ten months
brewed ; the four inches would hold between 30 and 40
barrels more; the hoop which burst was 700 cwt. which
was the least weight of any of twenty-two hoops on the vat.
There were seven large hoops, each of which weighed near
a ton. When the vat burst, the force and pressure was so
great, that it stove several hogsheads of porter, and also
knocked the cock out of a vat nearly as large, that was in
the cellar or regions below ; this vat contained 2400 bar-
rels, all of which, except 800 barrels, also ran about; they
lost in all, between 8 and 9000 barrels of beer; the vat
from whence the cock was knocked out, ran about a barrel
a minute. The vat that burst had been built between eight
and nine years, and was kept always nearly full. It had an
opening on the top about a yard square; it was about eight
inches from the wrall; witness supposes it was the rivets of
the hoops that slipped, none of the hoops being broken,
and the foundation where the vat stood not giving way.—
The beer was old, so that the accident could not have been
occasioned by the fermentation, that natural process being
past; besides, the action would then have been upwards,
and thrown off the flap made moveable for that purpose.
Richard Hawes deposed, that he lived at No. 22, Great
Russell-street, Bloomsbury, the Tavistock-Arms, public-
house; about half past five o’clock on Monday evening,
witness was in his tap-room, when he heard the crash; the
hack part of his house was beaten in, and every thing in
his cellar destroyed—the cellar and tap-room filled with
beer, so that it wras pouring across the street into the areas
on the opposite side; the deceased, Eleanor Cooper, his
two deep wells in it, were full of beer, which witness, and
those under him, endeavoured to save ; so that they could
not go to see the accident which happened outwardly. The
heighth of the vat that burst, was twenty-two feet; it was
filled within four inches of the top, and then containing
3555 barrels of entire, being beer that was ten months
brewed ; the four inches would hold between 30 and 40
barrels more; the hoop which burst was 700 cwt. which
was the least weight of any of twenty-two hoops on the vat.
There were seven large hoops, each of which weighed near
a ton. When the vat burst, the force and pressure was so
great, that it stove several hogsheads of porter, and also
knocked the cock out of a vat nearly as large, that was in
the cellar or regions below ; this vat contained 2400 bar-
rels, all of which, except 800 barrels, also ran about; they
lost in all, between 8 and 9000 barrels of beer; the vat
from whence the cock was knocked out, ran about a barrel
a minute. The vat that burst had been built between eight
and nine years, and was kept always nearly full. It had an
opening on the top about a yard square; it was about eight
inches from the wrall; witness supposes it was the rivets of
the hoops that slipped, none of the hoops being broken,
and the foundation where the vat stood not giving way.—
The beer was old, so that the accident could not have been
occasioned by the fermentation, that natural process being
past; besides, the action would then have been upwards,
and thrown off the flap made moveable for that purpose.
Richard Hawes deposed, that he lived at No. 22, Great
Russell-street, Bloomsbury, the Tavistock-Arms, public-
house; about half past five o’clock on Monday evening,
witness was in his tap-room, when he heard the crash; the
hack part of his house was beaten in, and every thing in
his cellar destroyed—the cellar and tap-room filled with
beer, so that it wras pouring across the street into the areas
on the opposite side; the deceased, Eleanor Cooper, his