226 Sir Frederick Abel [March 13, 



and non-ventilated space, must speedily diffuse itself througli the air, 

 and render the latter more or less violently explosive. 



When attention was directed to the highly inflammable character 

 of this xerotine siccative by the slight accident referred to, official 

 instructions were issued by the Admiralty, in June 1881, to ships and 

 dockyards that the preparation should be stored and treated with the 

 same precautions as turpentine and other highly inflammable liquids or 

 preparations. 



The following November, however, telegraphic news was re- 

 ceived of a very serious explosion on board H.M.S. Triumpli, then 

 stationed at Coquimbo, due to the xerotine siccative. The explosion 

 took place early in the evening of the 23rd November, and originated 

 in one of the paint-rooms of the ship ; the painter and a marine 

 who was assisting him were in the upper j)aint-room at the time ; 

 the former received severe internal injuries and afterwards died, the 

 latter was killed at once. One man standing at the open door of the 

 sick bay furthest from the explosion was instantaneously killed, others 

 in close proximity receiving only superficial injuries. Altogether there 

 were two killed, two dangerously wounded — of whom one died, and 

 six injured, by the explosion. 



The results of the official inquiry held at Callao led to the con- 

 clusion that the explosion was caused by the ignition of an explosive 

 gas-mixture produced by xerotine siccative which had leaked from a tin 

 kept in a compartment under the paint-room and quite at the bottom 

 of the ship, usually termed the " glory hole " ; that locality having 

 been considered by the captain of the ship as the safest place in 

 which to keep this material, to the dangerous nature of which his atten- 

 tion had been recently called by the receipt of the Admiralty Circular. 

 It transpired that the painter had sent his assistant down to this 

 compartment from the paint-room to fetch some paint. The man, 

 who had a hand-lantern with him, while unscrewing the hatch 

 which had not been opened for three days, made the remark that there 

 was a horrible smell; the chief painter told him to return, as he 

 thought the smell was due to foul air, and immediately afterwards 

 the explosion occurred. 



The tin can which had contained six gallons of the liquid was 

 found, after the accident, to have received injury as though some heavy 

 body had fallen, or been placed, upon it ; this appeared to have been 

 done before the explosion, and there is no doubt that the liquid had 

 leaked out of the can, and had evaporated into the air in the compart- 

 ment beneath the paint-room, and probably also to some extent in the 

 adjoining spaces. The damage done was very considerable. An iron 

 ladder leading from one paint-room to the other was so twisted up as 

 to have lost all semblance of originality, the wooden bulkhead separa- 

 ting the upper paint-room and sick bay was completely blown away, 

 the framing of the ship's side in the sick bay was blown inwards and 

 broken, the furniture in the latter was completely shattered, and the 

 bedding and clothes of the me^ near the explosion were much 



