o those who
give it the opportunity to escape by some neglect of the proper
precautions.

One accident occurred at Arrowfield during the winter which seemed to
give the final touch to my uncles' increasing popularity with the
work-people, and we should have had peace, if it had not been for the
act of a few malicious wretches that took place a month or too later.

It was one evening when we had left the works early with the intention
of having a good long fireside evening, and perhaps a walk out in the
frosty winter night after supper, that as we were going down one of the
busy lanes with its works on either side, we were suddenly arrested by a
deafening report followed by the noise of falling beams and brickwork.

As far as we could judge it was not many hundred yards away, and it
seemed to be succeeded by a terrible silence.

Then there was the rushing of feet, the shouting of men, and a peculiar
odour smote upon our nostrils.

"Gunpowder!" I exclaimed as I thought of our escapes.

"No," said Uncle Dick. "Steam."

"Yes," said Uncle Jack. "Some great boiler has burst. Heaven help the
poor men!"

Following the stream of people we were not long in reaching the gateway
of one of the greatest works in Arrowfield. Everything was in such a
state of confusion that our entrance was not opposed; and in a few
minutes we saw by the light of flaring gas-jets, and of a fire that had
begun to blaze, one of the most terrible scenes of disaster I had ever
witnessed.

The explosion had taken place in the huge boiler-house of the great
iron-works, a wall had been hurled down, part of the iron-beamed roof
was hanging, one great barrel-shaped boiler had been blown yards away as
if it had been a straw, and its fellow, about twenty feet long, was
ripped open and torn at the rivets, just as if the huge plates of iron
of which it was composed were so many postage-stamps torn off and
roughly crumpled in the hand.

There was a great crowd collecting, and voices shouted warning to beware
of the falling roof and walls that were in a crumbling condition. But
these shouts were very little heeded in the presence of the cries and
moans that could be heard amongst the piled-up brickwork. Injured men
were there, and my uncles were among the first to rush in and begin
bearing them out--poor creatures horribly scalded and crushed.

Then there was a cry for picks and shovels--some one was buried; and on
these being brought the men pli