The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1874-10-06 00:00:00

TERRIBLE -EXPLOSION OF
GUNPOWDER.

A few minutes before five-o'clock on Friday morning •
tug-boat was slowly towing four barges along the Regent's
Canal, London, on their way to the Midland counties,
when suddenly a cargo of blasting powder carried by one
of the barges caught fire, and blew up with • terrific
explosion that was beard all over London, even to the
extreme south and east. The barge was shivered to
atoms, and the three turn on hoard were killed. Of the
three other barges two miraculously escaped, while the
third was utterly wrecked, and sunk in the cant'. The
explosion occurred while the barge was passing under the
north-gate bridge at Regent's Park, and its first effect
was to blow up the whole superstructure of the bridge,
which fell back into the canal, choking it with a heap of
debris 2D feet high. All the buildings within • radius of
half a mile were shaken and damaged by the shock.
Some in the immediate vicinity had their costly interiors
completely wrecked, and the scene iv described IA sugges-
tive of a bombardment. For hundreds of feet from the
bridge on either side the solid embankment has been dis-
placed, &MI along the canal for Inure than a mile, and far
into St. John's Wood. the houses prevent a mournful
picture of desolation. Near to the bridge there stood a
lodge of the park superintendent. It has been so utterly
ruined that in the course of the day a gang of men was
employed to pull it down. There were five persons in
the lodge at the time, but thou4k one wall gave way,
and the furniture was destroyed, they Al providentially
eaasped. . .

Many awoke with the sensation of having a thump over
the region of the heart. in St. Jo)lli's W.RNI numbers of
persons were positively lifted as if by main force from
their lash and hurled to the door. Panes of glass were
shivered into fragments, square yards of plaster dropped
from the ceiling, scores of persons rudely awakened
rushed into the streets in their nightgowna Those who
were out saw a red light in the sky, and then were
appall.' by a sharp deafening explosion, so powerful in
its displacement of air that they reeled back as if 'thin
full in the face. The smell of gunpowder was strung near
Regent's Park, every window was cracked and shivered,
the railings twisted into curious shapes, the lamps
demolished, the ground strewn with broken glass. Within
the park branches were snapped, bark peeled off, and on
some tangled 'mug'. awe& of clothing awl splinters
of timber were strewn. In a house in Portland-terrace,
Regent's-park, a ivater-Imttle standing on a table was
unhurt, while a silver Mg Which was close by had its
handle twisted as if it bad lawn violently wrenchwl. All
the lamps at the Farringdon-street station were blown out,
and the place left in total darkness.
Mr. JaSepil Hatton. Wie. reeideß (4.1. perhaps We should
say resided) at Titchtield Terrace, Regent's Park, writes
that at ten t,iiliitel to lite 10, was aroused by the looxit
terrible sensation of ruin awl destruction which it is
possible to ituo,iue. " Falling timbers, the smashing of
glass, the mingled cries f i township -dying into is dis-
tant wail or misery. Darkness no. made visible by a
lurid light that came, with is howling wind, through
openings all around no. Covered with broken glass,
hainpered with blinds awl curtain,,, blocked in by fallen
roofs and iliswa, our situation was too alarming for
description. Every ,bwr mid window Was blown in.;
drawing, dining and b a edstwns -chaeo ; hardly s whole
thing in the pace.rw., little children sleeping in one
bed were covered with debri+ of a roof awl two windows ;
yet they escape,' with a few slight scratches. My servams
alipfearitzlf.ua
chua.t
11."thrt.
slept in is back room while a front oue was being repaired;
thu latter was covered with sashes, blink, and glass.
The sight-sturs, he adds, were "tickled to death- at the
appearance of the devastated houses; "then. was quite
a merry crowd contemplating the ruin of the beautiful
house of M. Tadema, though they seemed a little
.saddenwl when a dead body Was carried by the spot.
At the Zoological I iardens the I and tigers, hylenas
awl wolves, bears awl leopards, howled dismally. at the
moment the explosion. Nearly all the hertavorous
animals, bow tier, Were in a condition of the greatest
terror. The giant giraffes were trembling in every limb.
The elephants awl the rl l werus were in • dangerous
state of excitewent ; the windows of their 'raise had been
blown in moil them. The roof of the western aviary was
Woven out, and from tu to 31.1 doves, weaver birds, de.,
escaped, bid many of them were retaken in the course of
the day. The f tid the monkey house was smashed,
And both ends 1,1,wn out, to the no small disquieted., of
the chattering inhabitant.s. The glass roof of the reptile
house was broken, but the glass in all the cases luckily
remain.' intact.
. . . . .

...
When the powder ignited the Ulrev. loan on board must
have been killed instantaneously. Of their companions
on the other vseisels some were dung insensible on the
hank of the canal. shaken and scorched; and others were
stunned. It must have been a terrible moment whea this
magazine of powder, calculated at forty barrels (that is to
day 411110110, went up with an impetuous burst of flame
and • rear as if Doomeday. The three bodies of the killed
have been removed. They formed the crew of the
Tilbury barge on which the explosion occurred. The
injuries base been principally in the lieaiL Charlet.
Ilextun, captain of the Tilbury, is a native of Lough-
borough, in Leicestershire ; and knives a wife UPI family.
Ile has been deeply cut over the right eyebrow, his body
was scorett and most of his loom broken. The second
min has a portion of his skull blown 'away, and the
trams protrude. In his pocket wan found an attorney's
letter, dated July last, and ;alarmed to one Taylor of
Dudley, requesting immediate payment of the sum of lls.
and legal fees. The third body has a severe cut on the
right temple, and the hair on one aide of the head has
been burned off. _

Many suggestions have been made at to the eill*v of the
accident. One is that • flaah of lightning struck the
barge; another, that the powder barrels were ignited, by a
spark from the tug ; a third, that ane of the men had gone
nuder the tarpaulin out of the rain, and had commenced
smoking. But as all the men on the Tilbury were killed,
it is doubtful if ever the true cause will be known.
Withemn White, who was on board the use, the boat
iminediarely preceding the Tilbury, in company with the
steerer Edwards, states that as they were priming North-
bridge he observed a desk followed by some smoke and a
report like that of a gun. He called out to the young man
who was steering the Tilbury.," You have got some powder
on Me." Ile replied, "It haa blown me pretty nearly out
of the doorwaf (meaning the doorway of the cabin, which
Wild tor ards the tiller). The ether two men were asleep,
the young man shouted to White to tell the people on
mud the steam-tug to stop, He passed the word along,
d the steani-tug did stop. Immediately an awful dash,
wttls a fearful report, followed. White was knocked with
grwe. t force against the side of the cabin, and i 11111 l ediately
immune insensible for • time. He could not say whether
there was any amoking on board the Tilbury, but it was
usual for the boatman to smoke Often they did not
know the nature .4 their cargo, not seeing the bills of
lading. Of tennis: a gueea might be given to the centrists
of the boat, Between the first small report and the final
xplotion there might have been the spate of one and a
bar or two minutes.
On Saturday afternoon, [Jr. Hardwicke, deputy-coroner
for Central Middlesex, opened an inquiry at the Mary-
lebone Workhouse.
Mr. Sampson, solicitor, announced that it was intended
to open a eubscriptiem on behalf of the sufferene.
A 'seaman. named Hall employed on one of the barges,
identified the body of Taylor, and said there M. a the on
his Vessel.
The Coroner: Did you see any sparks from the stemulug
Witness: Ye.: segue sparks esine esa.asionally, but they
aid net go wire than two or three yanla.
A Juryman : Would they not go further under a bridge?
Witness : I think not, fliere was nu wind blowing.
John Hill identified the body of Beaten, and the pro-
cocainae were adjourned.
The third body has not leen identithel.
In the poeket of Beaton al js. we.. found in a cotton
vane, in which, likewise, ea. a silk handkerchief, quite
black, thought to have leen rendered so I.y the eapleiden.
Upon thu luau Taylor tLerc Wss I'd,.. 24. in silver and
copper. A curious far tis that while the motley taken
from the garments of Taylor was emiaiderably discoloured
by the gimp.. der, and 'welt very etrengly of that sub-
stance, that belonging to Detain was quite free from any
coating of the kind. Upon the features of the dead men
there PI *l.llXuely any distortion and ahmnout a l,eiseef ul
a
look as if they were sleeping in their own cabins, andln,
solemn silence beim: towed up the Regent's lark Canal.

.•
THE CORN AND CATTLE TRADE.
AL the leading provincial markets last Saturday the
wheat trade we* uniformly dal!, and micas in almost
every place receded Is. per quarts/. t Dereheater corn
exchange there was a geed supply of wlaat, !samples of
the best quality owning at late rates. while 44wouolary
descriptions wen, Is. per Inertia cheaper. The quotations
may now be set down at front ils. to 4& per irupertaj
quarter, against lie the official average of last week. A
geed supply of barley, the best realising late prices, and
to secondary qualities being la lower quotation+ :Es
47s- per iwrrial quarter, agaiiat 434.a5.d iirl. the official
laat week, when Lard quarters realised
136. At the fortnightly auction sales of stock by
Mr Eraser, there was an average aupply of both cattle and
sheep. Nat beef may be quoted at from its, to 154. 1,44
and mutton at about late prices.
At Downton fair on Friday priests for itheep were about
the in., 44 et Wit ton; Wharfs, in a few instances a little
better. Same culls were mid at Se tid. • head!
8,,,,r0aD MARKET, Saturday, October 3.—A large
attendance of fanners and dealers a
as at our market to-day.
The market-house during , usfuev• hours being quite f.
Wheat dull trade at from hit to 154. per qr. Berlay in
large gar which hands at rather advanced
ea. tan,. pee qr. Oats the mune as
lad weak. Tares cheaper, from 9s. 2d. to 10!.. pee 444 t.
liaquiß for wool at riainflher." A lot of Ma deers
was am at about tO via