The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-07-13 00:00:00

A CHAPTER OF ACCIDENTS.

"A chapter of sad accidents leads the merlinin news to-
day," says the correspondent of The 'firreiii, writivir from
Philadelphia on the 25th of June—and thus proceeds with
the narrative :

The cable has nu doubt informed you of the heart-
rending calamity on the Grand Trunk Railway of
Canada, near Belleville, on the morning of the 22nd
id June. Before daylight, the engine of an express
train going east from Toronto jumped she track,
for some reason not yet announced, and a fear-
ful wreck ensued. The baggage car immedi-
ately behind the engine remained on the track,
and " telescoped " tee smoking car and second-
elms passenger car which followed it. The wreck
of these cars, with the people in them, was in
an instant piled on the top of and around the shattered
engine, the imprisoned passengers being elposed to the
escaping steam from the boiler. Here they were
penned for some time, but the first-class passen-
gers in the uninjured ears at the rear of the
train soon eet vigorously to work and rescued them
as speedily as possible. Five persons were found
dead, and sixty others were scalded, many so
severely that they soon afterwards died. The wounded
were laid by the roadside, where they writhed in
agony. Some, unable to endure the torments, ran
wildly over the neighbouring fields. Every few
minutes some one died, and before evening on the
22nd of June twenty-three had died. Others have
since died from their injuries, and so many of the
scalded have suffered mortal wounds that it is thought
the total number of victims may exceed forty. All
came aeon from Belleville, and thither the dead and
dying were taken. This calamity has cast a gloom
over Canada and our Northern States.
On the name day, near ConnelLsville, in Western
Pennsylvania, a freight and a passenger train on the
Baltimore and Pittsburg Railway ran together at full
opted while on a short curve which prevented the
engine-drivers seeing the approaching danger. Both
trains were badly wrecked-, three persons being killed
outright, eight no seriously injured that the majority
of them may die, and nine others injured, though not
mortally.
In New York the same day a fire and explosion
occurred in a chymist's shop in Liberty-street. The
firemen were quickly on the ground, but they had no
sooner entered the building in the performance of their
duties than a series of new explosions occurred among
a large quantity of carbolic acid, vitriol, and other ex-
plosive articles. Each explosion scattered burning
substances about the shop and upon the persons in it,
causing serious injuries to fully twenty mai, nearly all
firemen, if whom four are not expected to survive. The
fire did little damage to the building, but about 30,000
av,rtli id drugs was destroyed. Several of the
wounded will lose their eyesight.
The same day the steamer Franklin sailed from
New York for Stettin, and goon after getting under
way a tank of petroleum on board caught tire and ex-
ploded, injuring one man said doing considerable
damage to the vessel and cargo.
On June 24 the steam lighter Wallace, engaged in
assisting at the laying of the foundation of a new light-
house on Long Island Sound, at New London, Con-
necticut, exploded her boilers, shattering the entire
vesseL Out of the• crew of 13 persons, only four
escaped severe injury. Three were killed, and some of
the others are very badly injured.
A fire, followed by a destructive explosion of gas,
occurred in Chicago on the morning of June 23. This
explosion, like the one in New York. was disastrous to
the firemen and polio., who had entered the burning
building, two being burnt to death and three severely
injured. The building and its contents were entirely
consumed.

There war a terrific explosion of nitroglycerine at a
powder factory in San Franciheo on the evening of
June 21, which shook the entire city, but fortimately
injured no one. Six buildings were demolished, and
the explosion made a chasm in the ground beneath
thew, 12ft. deep and over 100 feet in diameter.

The DIVISIONS on the BALLOT BILL.
The House of Lords presented a crowded and
animated appearance on Monday night upon the con-
sideration of the Commons' amendments to the Lords'
ametdmenta on the Ballot Bill. Mr. Gladstone, Mr.
Disraeli, Mr. W. E. Forster, sari other leading mem-
bers of the other House were present behind the wool-
sack during part of the debate, and the Commons'
Gallery was unusually well filled. Baron Brunnow
was present during a brief period in the Ambassador's
Gallery, and a considerable number of Peeresses occu-
pied the Ladies' Gallery. Great excitement existed
during the division on the Optional Ballot, which was
called as early as twenty minutes to eight o'clock.
The members on the Ministerial and Opposition
benches seemed so nearly balanced that it was diffi-
cult to say on which side victory would lie. The
Contents (in favour of insisting upon the Lords'
ztmendment) were ordered to go out by the Throne,
and the Not-Contents by the Bar, and the upward and
downward streams were erwerly watched by the
strangers in the Gallery and around the Throne. It
was soon discovered that the Government would be in-
debted for a majority to the votes of Conservative and
neutral Peers. Among the Not-Contents who nega-
tived the Optional Ballot were the Archbishop of York,
the Bishops of London, Manchester, Oxford, and
Chichester; the Dukes of Northumberland and Somer-
set ; Lord Eversley, Lord Ossington, Lord Lytton,
Lord Powis, Lord Nelson, Lord Leitrim, Lord iLong-
ford. Lord Darnley, Lord Stair, Lord Portman, Lord
St. Germain's, Lord Stratheden, and Lord Stanley of
Alderley„ In the Minority in favour of the Optional
Ballot were the Bishop of Gloucester and Rochester •

Earle Russell, Stanhope, and Derby; the Duke of
Wellington, and Lord Ormathwaite. As soon as the
numbers were announced from the Woolsack a hearty
cheer arose from the Ministerial benches.
. _ . _

The next division of importance was upon Lord
Beauchamp's clause limiting the duration of the Act.
The Bishop of Oxford was the only Prelate who voted
with the • Government on this clause, and Viscou• t
Halifax also voted in this division. In the Opposition
majority were the Archbishop of York, and the Bishops
of Rochester, Chichester, and Manchester; the Dukes
of Cleveland, Somerset, and Wellington; Earls Rus-
sell, Grey, Fortescue, Minton, Derby, Darnley,
Porvis, Longford. Devon, Stair, and Nelson ; and Lords
Overstone and Vivian. On the School Polling-place
clause all the members of the Episcopal bench pre-
sent voted in the majority, with the Marquis .4
Salisbury and agaihst the Government. In the "Il-
literate Glaiise," the ArcLbishop of York and the
Bishop of Oxford voted in the minority with the
Government, while the Bishop of Rochestsr went into
the Opposition lobby. The triumph of the Govern-
ment on the Optional Ballot I,lll.lsed so much conver-
sation and confusion that the Duke of Bucclench rose
to order, and pointedly alluded to the groupo of l'eers
around the Throne, who rendered it impossible to hear
the discussion. The division appeared to give greet
satisfaction to the majoiity of the members of the
other House in the galleries and at the bar. The
House rose at half-past nine.