The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1869-10-05 00:00:00

ALARMING FIRE AT DORCHESTER GAS
WORKS.

On Thursday nr.roing 'art, shortly after nine o'clock.
much consternation was created in the town by •
report that the gas-house was on fire, and • crowd
collected in the neighbourhood of the works in • few
minutes. A sheet of flame was seen issuing from the win-
dow of the " governor-room," mounting upward for a
dozen feet, and the roof and door were smoking and crack-
ling in the blaze. It will evident that the flames arose
from an escape of gas, andthe popular imagination was
readily excited to anticipating an explosiion of the gas,-
meter. All the neighbourhood had • great fright,
but, fortunately, in the end very little damage was done.
Mr. Osmond had just gone to Weymouth relative to
the unleading of a coal vessel, but the men at the
works at once took the precaution of "sealing the
syphons," and preventing the flow of gas to the
•• governor." Meanwhile the fire-engine was fetelieil,and
in a very short space of time • copious stream was thrown
into and upon the burning room Apprehending the
possible destruction of Mr. ()mood's house, the
removal of the furniture wasimmediately commenced and
the goods were taken out with as much care as the hurried
ammeter of the proceedings would allow. In • few
minutes, the gas was stopped. mid then the flames in
the " governor•rontii" were quickly subdued and ll
danger was at en end. An outlay of about £lO will
cover the damage done. It is thought the fire arose
through the men inserting a plot into the end of the
new main which is being laid, the fierce of which jerked
the "governor," ranting an escape of gas, which
was ignited by the jet kept burning in the room. Of
course the flame prevented any access to the room to
stop it, and so it burnt on till the flow of gas was
stopped.

WOLLASTON ROAD, NO ROAD: A HINT TO
DORCHESTER CORPORATION.
Tu Ike Editor.
Sta.-1 was travelling, not long sines, in • vet y
distant pert of the Empire of France, and on a certain
Wednesday passed over a pier° of road in course of fors
matioo, the tough stones of which appeared to have been
laid on that very day. It was undeniably rather a bone-
setting operation ; but there WOTO elements of hope i
ros,ected with it in the shape of sundry heaps of sifted
earth, and an enormous iron-roller drawn by no lea
than 16 magnifieent mules. Still, notwithatandhig this
comforting apparatus. I had no sort of idea that. on re-
passing the name road, no Inter than the following
Saturday, I At-told and it thoroughly oonsolidated, and
in quite as good a state as our own London read is at
present. or ever used to be, when it was occasionally
repaired.
I could not help drawing a moral from these eircoms
stances, which I now venture to offer to the attention of
the Corporation of this ancient borough.
A oonsiderable number of months ago • track was
marked out ,to the north side of Wollaston-field, and
an stomas made to it from the owner of Wood and Ston,
lane, both of them being thickly covered with a large
,laantity of very hard and impracticable-looking nodules
of gravel. There they were, and there they are, and
there, to all appearance, they are likely to be during
many • mayoralty.
I fear it would be utterly hopeless to aspire after 16
a. fine mules as the Emperor of the French can com-
mend ; but I should Imagine that • few heaps of sand or
chalk, and • stoutish iron-roll were not quite out of
the reach of the municipal finances; and. assuredly,
notes. sotne ouch steps are taken, the boon conferred
upon the inhabitants of this now coloy, end their
visitors, will long prove to be a very unsubstantial one.
—Your obedient servant,
Dorchester, September 29, 1569.

VIATOR.