The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-11-03 00:00:00

§toT7Rtlitn f*,-/ §Lntril.

MYSTFRIOITS EXPLOSION ON THE
UNDERGROUND RAILWAY.
In London, on Tuesday night, an attempt was made
at ta-o points, evidently with a design to do serious
mischief and Cause great alarm, if not to wreck trains
and injure ps.esengere, in the node, ground railway
rho more disastrous of the two attempts in the result
was made near the Praed street Station of the
Metropolitan Railway, where, by the explosion of
some compound placed or dropped against the side
wall af the t innel at a distance of about sixty yards
from the station, the passengers in the three last
carriages of the train which left the plat form at
7.51 p.m. were injured more or less severely by
cuts from broken glass, Ac. As this train left
Praedostreet for Edware-road the guard in the last
brake, looking out on the off-side to see if the signals
in the six-foot way were right, and the engine-driver
looking back, both saw a flash of white light, and
immediately afterwards there was a loud explosion,
the force of which threw the guard down on his back
on the floor of the van. The windows and window
frames, panels, doors, and outside woodwork of the last
three carriages were shattered, the end of the last coach
hut one apparently having received the full force of the
explosion, for a fixed tad lamp was blown off and
was found across the line. The framework of the car-
riages was not materially injured, and the train ran
on until pulled up, in order that the nature of the
mischief done might be ascertained. Of the passengers
in the three third-class carriages mentioned five were
so seriously cot and injured by the concussion and
wounds caused by the broken glass, that they were taken
to St. Mary's Hospital and kept there for the n Kht.
They were a trooper of the 4th Husears, named
Warren, whose throat was badly lacerated by the broken
glass, and four others, apparently of the labouring
class. There were some 30 more who had received
cuts and abraieons of a less dangerous char. ecter, ['hese
were attended to by surgeons of the neighbourhood
and sent to their homes. Two schoolboys, Lamed
Arthur M'L4ntock and Ernest Lindley, who had
come up to town for the day from Clacton•on Sea,
had slight surface outs, which were promptly at-
tended to and the lads placed for the night in the
Great Western Hotel. With regard to the nature
of the explosive used nothing certain can yet be
stated. Its effects may be described as very like
those produced by the substance exploded at Whitehall
a few months age. At the spot where the substance
had been placed there was a hole in the brickwork
of the tunnel wall reaching to a height of perhaps 15
or 18 inches from the ground, and shout 8 or 9 inches
across, the front bricks being broken into rubble.
The earth was scooped out, as if by a spade, in a
direction at right angles to the length of the tunnel.
For a distance of seven or eight feet the iron gas
pipe, of about 2in. diameter, fixed along the wall at
a height of Sin, from the ground, and supplying the
station, was broken off and bent upwards into the
shape of one of those hoops whish are put across
vans to hold a canvas cover, while laterally the force
of the explosion had twisted into most fantastic
shapes
eapews otrtee d hollowirtir t
treorn rod which
bundle
o f
telegraph
the points
wires carried along this wall at a height of 4ft.
or Mt. from the ground was torn apart, and the
insulating cover blown into fragments. The line for
many yards were strewn with splinters of wood blown
from the carriages, and the ground for many yards in
both directions—that is, up and down the line—
seemed powdered with crystals, so thickly was it
covered with the shattered glass of the carriage
windows. One or two lamp tops and other por.
tions of the fittings of the earriages lay about.
In the Praed.street Station the windows of
the signal-box were blown out, and although
the brickwork of the tunnel shielded the box
from the direct force of the shock, the signal-
man was thrown back, and, of course, roughly shaken
by the concussion. At the further end of the station,
probably sixty or seventy yards from the mouth of the
tunnel, the windows of the offices in the direction of
the explosion and the large plate glass windows of the
refreshment room above the gallery were completely
smashed. Divisional Superintendent Howard and
Inspector Foinett in charge of a body of police were
quickly on the spot, and the railway oficials, having
bat seen to the injured passengers, quickly got the
line into working order again.

Another amount says :—The alarm in the train
amongst the passengers was very greet, as the lights
were extinguished on the instant of the explosien,
the terror being increased by the smashing of
the windows and the crushing in of the wood-
work. Before the noise had subsided screams
were heard, and there was a terrible scene on the
arrival of the train at the platform at Edgware
road. Those in the nnii jured carriages rushed out
upon the platform, many falling down in their eager-
ness to escape from the unknown danger. The third-
class carriages were in a fearful condition, and
the shrieks and cries of the injured filled the station
and reached the ears of people passing in the
streets. Measures for the relief of the wounded
were instantly taken, and in the work the
officials were zealously assisted by the unin-
jured passengers. Bet the work was one not easily
accempliehert. As the Ruff, rers were extricated they
were placed upon the platforms; while further aid
was sought to c•‘nvey them to suitable places for
examination and succour. The few roems at the
etation which were available were soon crowded with
the injured, and such slight aid given as was thought
prudent until the arrival of medical men.
Upwards of forty people were found to be hurt;
and of that number tweety.five were conveyed in cabs
to St. Mary's I=l, spiral, which was not far distant,
Mr. Owen, the medical superintendent of the hospital,
despatched messengers for all the medical men in
the neighbourhood. Dr. ()anon, with several
medical student-6, proceeded with all speed to the
railway stivien, where they had a busy time examining
the injured, and relieving those in want of temporary
help. Most of those who were treated at the la.spital
were afterwards sent home in conveyances. Beyond
these, many others were but slightly hurt, and they
prooeeded home from the station, after receiving at-
tebtion there. But four others were seriously injured,
and they were detained in the hospital.

The second attempt °conned on the District Rail-
way. It appears that at a few minutes after eight
o'clock an explosion olcurred between Charing Crops
and Westminster stations, and at both these places
thick plate glass was blown out of the windows in
various parts of the buildings, the lamps on the plat-
forms were extinguished, and the place was enveloped
in darkness. There were several people waiting for a
train at Charing Cross, and three of theus, ',eluding
an elderly lady, who was considerably shaken aad
frLaitened, were thrown down. The train from the
Mansion-house due at five minutes past eight o'clock
was just "slowing" into the station as the ter.
ritic detonation was heard. In several of the ear-
riages the lamps were simultaneously extinguished,
and great alarm prevailed. Einme of the station
officials ran intls the open air as quickly as they
eouid. Volumes of black dust came pouring out of
the tunnel to add to the confusion. At first it was
thought an explosion of gas b ad taken place, but as
the lamps could be immediately relit, some other
cause was sought for. As soon as possible, the line
between the stations named was patrolled by
officials of the company- and police, but they could
not discover that the permanent way had been in-
jured. At a point about midway between the two
stations a considerable portion of the roof was
toned to have been blown away by some explosive
of considerable power, and a hole was scooped in
the earth. The telegraph wires, toe, had been
wrecked, so that all traffic bad to he immediately sus-
pended. It has been suggested that some explosive
was either thrown or ignited through one of the
ventilators, but at present the search of the line has
revealed nothing to warrant a definite theory. It was
fortunate that a pasting train did not cause the
explosion, for the trains were heavily laden in con-
nexion with the Fisheries Exhibition. The inconve-
nience which was caused was very groat, as thousands
of people who were either going to or coming from the
Exhibition were delayed at the various stations, Ken-
sington in particular,

The signalman at Westrainster•bridge Station, the
windoN e of whose box were shattered by the mucus.
Rion, says that great clouds of dust and smoke oame
out a tunnel immediately he heard the report and
felt the shock, and he looked at his clock at the moment
and noticed that the hour was 83. Two minutes
te fare a train had left Westminster-bridge Station for
Charing cross, and the conclusion which forage itself
upon those who have been making ingoiry into
the mysterious affair is that the explosive, what.
ever it was, was dropped out of the train which left
Charing-cruse at 8.1, and that it bad something in the
nature of a fuse attached to it, whereby the explosion
was delayed until the train eonvey log the perpetrator
of the dastard'y act was at a safe distanoe. It was
deemed advisable to at once stop all traffic when the
first alarm was given, and for an bow and a half no
trains ran between the two stations. During this
time a thorough inspection of the line was made by
the station inspectors and their assistants, and when
it was found that the damage was not so sellout
as to impede the working of the line, the train
service was resumed at half-past nine, and continued
until alter midnight. The search, however, was eon.
tinued, and kept up until shortly after twelve o'clock,
among those assisting and directing in the search
being ford E. Cecil, one of the directors of the Dis-
trict Railway Company, and the General Manager.
Notwithstanding the meat diligent search, however,
nothing was foand which would lead to a clue to the
nature either of the explosive or the cartridge or other
material which contained it,

REPORTED DEFEAT OF THE FALSE

PROPHET.

A Renter's telegram dated Cairo, Oct. 31, lays that
the Eoptian Government has received information
that Woke Pactia, after two engagements with tht
enemy, had entered El Oheid, which was abandoned
by its defenders.
The False Prophet lord many killed, and his force
were broken up. The fate of the False Prophet him
self was not known.
-

---
Details are wanting at present, and no news of th •
affir has yet been received train Hicks Paella him
self.