Jump to content

Death in The Brewery.


boginspro

Recommended Posts

Forgive me if this has been posted before, the title attracted me, it sounds like a Boris Karloff film but it's just a bit of Sheffield history from that great Chris Hobbs site.   Are there any descendants of the Hornsea family on here?       -----------------              https://www.chrishobbs.com/deathhornsey1900.htm

donbrew1890.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, boginspro said:

Forgive me if this has been posted before, the title attracted me, it sounds like a Boris Karloff film but it's just a bit of Sheffield history from that great Chris Hobbs site.   Are there any descendants of the Hornsea family on here?       -----------------              https://www.chrishobbs.com/deathhornsey1900.htm

I used to work with ammonia refrigeration plant. A very effective refrigerant, but wicked stuff to work with.

The ammonia gas, was fed from the compressors into coiled tubes which sat in the bottom of a brine (water-salt solution) filled tanks, and it was this chilled brine solution which acted as the secondary coolant, as it was pumped from those tanks through plate heat exchangers and shell and tube heat exchangers.

A very similar kind of set-up, I would imagine to the one described in the brewery.

We had very few problems with running the ammonia compressors themselves, or indeed the ammonia condensers. After-all, we were all too well aware as to the nature of the beast that we were dealing with. The problems, when they came, always came with the brine-tank-coils, as after-all, brine-solutions, like sea-water, can be particularly corrosive, despite any amount of anti-corrosion agent used, or planned preventative maintenance employed.

Fortuitously, the brine solution itself, seemed very effective at 'mopping-up' ammonia, so, if you did have a leak in the brine-tank-coils, it was still detectable, but not so much as to prevent a hasty evacuation.

Being overcome in an enclosed room with ammonia gas exhausting directly into the air however, must have been a particularly unpleasant way to die.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

37 minutes ago, LeadFarmer said:

Where exactly on Penistone Road was the Don Brewery located, and do any of the buildings in the above photo still exist?

Working Men's Club was there at one time using some of the brewery buildings, but all gone now.    Image (c) Picture Sheffield   - http://picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;s25732&pos=3&action=zoom&id=28174                ----------------        Map (c) NLS  -    http://maps.nls.uk/view/102345217   

don_brewery.png

club.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, neddy said:

The last death in the brewery I know was a very nice lad at Stones and I still think of him now.

Yes, I remember this. I knew him when I worked there many years ago. I thought of him immediately when I saw this thread title. 

There were also deaths at another brewery in town. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...