Apethorn Mills Co
of Gee Cross, Hyde.
1887 'On the afternoon of Wednesday, the 7th inst., a destructive boiler explosion occurred at the Apethorn Mills, near Hyde, belonging to Mr. Benjamin Ashton. The boiler was of the ordinary two-flued Lancashire type, ..... The bottom of the shell where it rested on the brickwork seatings had been allowed to waste away by external corrosion for a considerable portion of its length, especially at the left-hand side and towards °the back end. The plates in several places at this part were reduced to 1/8 in. in thickness. In addition to this the plates themselves appeared to be of very poor quality. The corrosion seems to have been due to moisture draining into the brickwork seatings from the surface of the surrounding ground, which at the back end was on a higher level. The boiler, which was upwards of twenty years old, was only worked intermittently, and appears to have been very much neglected. It is perhaps needless to add that the boiler was not inspected or insured.' No injuries reported.[1]
1891 Directory (Hyde): Listed as cotton spinners and manufacturers. More details