May 15 1937

From The Space Library

Charges against members of the Manchester Interplanetary Society are dropped after society president Eric Burgess agreed to no longer mix potassium chlorate and sulphur, an illegal explosive under the British Explosives Act of 1875. Burgess and other members of the society had been attempting a rocket launch on March 27th when an explosion injured several people. Burgess denied that the rockets were fireworks. The stipendary noted that in the absence of any expert technical opinion by the prosecution to refute Mr Burgess' claims he was bound to give the society the benefit of the doubt.