The Huddersfield Chronicle 24th July 1891 p3 reported the Coroner's inquest saying…
"The Foreman [of the jury], in reply to the coroner, said that they had unanimously agreed upon their verdict, which he then read as under : - We, the Jurors, say that …That the death of the said John Thomas Hirst was accidental, and we further say that the explosion was caused by the corrosion of the fire-box and the giving way of the plate at the thin part, which was only 1-16 to i of an inch thick, and was not capable of bearing the required pressure... We are of opinion that there was great carelessness and negligence on the part of the tramways manager (Mr. Joe Pogson) and the day foreman (Mr. Tom Moorhouse) in not having discovered the defective state of the boiler, on the 2nd day of June, and that the Tramways Committee are greatly to blame for not giving more definite instructions as to the important of examining the boilers at specified times; and further, if Mr Pogson had done his duty he would have seen that Mr Moorhouse had given more time and care in the examination of boiler No.9."