1879.] Mr. F. J. Bramwell on the ' Thunderer' Gun Explosion. 221 



WEEKLY EVENING MEETING, 



Friday, June 13, 1879. 



Warren De La Eue, Esq. M.A. D.C.L. F.R.S. Secretary and 

 Vicc-Prcsideut, in the Chair. 



F. J. Bramwell, Esq. F.R.S. M. Inst.C.E. M.E.I. 



PAST-PBESIDENT OF THE INSTITUTE OF MECHANICAL EKGINEEKS. 



The ' Thunderer ' Gun Explosion. 



The explosion of the gun on board the ' Thunderer' — such, you will see, 

 on referring to the notice paper, is the subject of my lecture to-night, 

 and I commence by reading that title to you to introduce the state- 

 ment I desire to make, that the subject of this lecture is a very limited 

 one. It is not artillery generally, nor " big guns " generally, nor 

 muzzle-loaders comj^ared with breech-loaders, nor the consideration 

 of what is the best material to employ in the construction of big 

 guns ; and it is not any or all of these, for one very obvious reason. 

 The least of the subjects I have mentioned would require an evening 

 to itself to deal with it in the merest outline, while those of more 

 importance would each demand a long course of lectures. My subject 

 is, as I have said, the limited one of the " Exj^losion of the gun on 

 board the ' Thunderer ' ; " but limited as it is, I feel the difficulty of 

 bringing all that I think should be laid before you within the compass 

 of the hour allotted to me. 



I am aware the remark may be made, What more can you tell us 

 than we can discover for ourselves by reading the report of the Com- 

 mittee? and I am also aware it is just possible there may be some 

 who will urge that the event is now five months old, and the interest 

 in it has therefore died out. These, however, were not the feelings of 

 the Managers of the Institution (of whom, let me say, I was not one 

 at the time it was suggested I should deliver this lecture) ; they do 

 not believe, and I do not believe, that the interest which attached to 

 the subject has died out, and that the nation is no longer concerned 

 in the investigation of an occurrence attended with such grievous 

 results to so many of the faithful servants of our Queen, and the 

 cause of a deeply rooted apprehension that the armaments in which 

 we trust are unworthy of that trust, and might not only fail us in 

 the hour of need by refusing to act against the enemy, but worse 

 still, might side with that enemy by inflicting wounds and death uj^on 

 ourselves. Further, Parliamentary papers have not an inviting 

 appearance, and I think it not improbable that but few of those who 



