THE EOYAL ARTILLERY INSTITUTION. 
25 
The former of these alternatives is unquestionably to be pre¬ 
ferred ; because the isolation which secures the magazine itself 
against external risks, goes a long way towards securing other 
buildings from the effects of those internal sources of danger which 
can never be wholly eliminated from a gunpowder magazine. 
But this alternative is not always possible; and if the retail 
trade is to exist at all, it is one which could not be compulsorily 
imposed. In fact, the proportion of retail dealers who could 
provide a well-isolated store is very small indeed; and even if the 
retail dealers could be disposed of, there would remain the private 
consumers—gunmakers, sportsmen, and others—who frequently 
require to keep in their houses an amount of powder sufficient, if 
not properly stored, to constitute a serious element of danger. 
There is another point of view from which the question should 
be considered. It must be evident that the storage of gunpowder 
in and about dwelling-houses and shops in such a way that it is 
exposed to the risk of explosion by fire greatly increases the risk 
of the firemen and all engaged in extinguishing the conflagration. 
The knowledge that a quantity of gunpowder was so stored might 
easily paralyse the efforts of the firemen, and cases might arise in 
which the Superintendent of the Brigade might be justified in 
refusing to expose his men to the desperate risk of entering a 
burning building containing a quantity of gunpowder. Some of 
the Superintendents of Fire Brigades have furnished me with 
particulars of cases which have occurred within their knowledge 
in which either explosions from this cause have actually occurred 
or have been narrowly escaped. 
The following abstracts from the Manchester Fire Brigade 
Reports, with which Mr. Tozer, the* Superintendent of that 
Brigade, has favoured me, illustrate very effectively the nature 
and extent of the risks upon which I am insisting :— 
Abstract from Manchester Fire Brigade Report . 
“December 19 th, 1864.—A fire occurred at A. Cadden’s, GunmakeFs 
Workshop, No. 5 Brook Street. Before a jet could be attached, three heavy 
explosions of gunpowder took place, scattering bricks and the contents of 
the shop in all directions; part of the- front wall and sides was blown out, 
and the rest of the building was in a very dangerous state. Having been 
informed that a large quantity of gunpowder was stored on the first floor, 
the Superintendent was convinced that if it exploded it would do serious 
damage to the neighbourhood. The fire was soon after sufficiently subdued 
to send one of the firemen into the first floor to search for the gunpowder. 
“ Near the partition wall were five casks of loose gunpowder, which were 
brought into the street. 
“ One of the casks had been broken by the explosion, and part of the 
contents was spread upon the first floor. Upon examining the debris i several 
cases of gunpowder and cartridges were found. 
“ Before the arrival of the Superintendent, there were several explosions 
of a large quantity of fireworks.” 
4 
