Goodier and Co

of Bank Street, Manchester

1825 John Goodier listed as calenderer and stiffener, 9 Bank Street. House: Chorlton Place, Chorlton Row.

1832 'EXPLOSION OF A STEAM BOILER. — FIVE PERSONS KILLED
A violent explosion took place on Thursday afternoon, at the extensive calender house of Messrs Goodier and Co., situated between Bank Street and the new Market Buildings, in Manchester.

'It appears from such information as we have been able to collect, respecting this very melancholy occurrence, that the calender works of Messrs Goodier and Co. are driven principally by an engine of 33 horses' power. On Thursday forenoon the engine was found to work indifferently and when it stopped at twelve o'clock for dinner, the engineer discovered that the excentric motion which works the steam valves had sustained some injury ; and as it was necessary that that injury should be repaired before the engine could be used again, a millwright was set to work upon it without delay. The engine was consequently not started after dinner ; but as it was expected that the repair would be completed in the course of the afternoon, moderate fires were kept under the boilers, and the steam kept up.

'About half-past four o'clock, the millwright and the engineer were at work on the excentric motion, and Mr Goodier was superintending them, when, we are told, without any previous warning, a tremendous explosion shook the whole building to its foundation and volumes of steam and hot water rushed through every aperture in the wall between the boiler-house and the engine-house, and severely scalded the hands and faces of all the three persons we have named. At the same moment that portion of the lower part of the outer wall of the building, which separated the boiler-house from Crow Alley, was forced outwards with tremendous violence, and the upper part, as far as the roof of the building (which was five stories in height), being no longer supported, fell to the ground, carrying with it, of course, all the floors from top to bottom, and all the calenders and other heavy macliinery which they supported, and which were all precipitated into the boiler-house where the explosion had taken place.

'There were, at the time of the explosion, about 40 persons were at work in different parts of the building but fortunately very few on those portions of the floors which gave way. On the ground floor, however, exactly over the boiler-house, there were five boys playing, their work having been interrupted by the stoppage of the engine. These poor fellows were all enveloped in the ruins, and have all lost their lives. Besides these boys, no person lost their lives; but several were severely scalded. By the force of the explosion pieces of bricks and rubbish were driven to an immense height in the air, and many of them fell at considerable distances from the premises. A large quantity of water from the boiler, also, was thrown to a considerable height, and fell, like a shower of rain, for some time after the explosion. - Manchester Guardian.'

Location: The factory was in what is now the heart of central Manchester's shopping centre. Bank Street is now Old Bank Street (connecting St Anne's Square and Cross Street), and Crow Alley is no more, being covered by the Royal Exchange.

Did the firm become Goodier, Krauss and Cooke?

See Also

Loading...