The Express.
London, England, 1864-10-03 00:00:00

LATER PARTICULARS.

Terrible and destructive as was the explosion, the
amounts which have been published, obtained in the con-
fusion and excitement, are fortunately much exaggerated,
both as to the amulet of property destroyed and the number
of persons killed and injured. Instead of a million pounds
worth of property being destroyed, as at first supposed, a
quarter of a million is more near the truth, while the deaths
may be set down at Mout twelve in number, Instead of forty
es at first stated, and the persons more or lees injured are
abonttwenty, the most serious cases, nine is number, bevies
bees taken to Gay's Hospital, those suffering from braises
only having been accommodated in the neighbourhood. The
town of Erith, at first reported to have been almost destroyed, 11
has escaped any serious injury, which may be accounted
for by a strong wind blowing towards the metropolis, and it
was no doubt owing to this circumstance that the shock of
the explosion was felt so severely throughout London and its
suburbs. The little hamlet of Belvedere, situate about a
mile and a half from its spot where the powder auguries;
stood, has suffered severely,so far as ►he breaking of the glass
in the windows and shops is concerned, but the damage
done in any other way is inconsiderable. So at Plato/teed,
Abbey Wood, and Woolwich, the more exposed portions of
which have sustained much damage by breakage of windows,
bat very little beyond that. Here sad there a few tiles
have been dislodged from the roofs of house and bricks die-
• placed, but these cases are fortunately few in number. With
the exception of a substantially boils brick house, now in
ruins, erected near the magazines, and occupied by the fore-
man and manager and their families, there wereeo buildings
on the marshes within a mile of the works, besides a few
mud hovels, occasionally inhabited. The works destroyed
were not manufacturing powder mills, but simply a powder
stme or depot, ►nd the number of persons employed there
were but few. It is owing to this that the lass of life has
been comparatively small.
There can be no exaggeration, however, as to the scene of
destruction and desolation presented' on the spot where
the magazines once stood. With the exception of a portion
of the side wall of the manager's home, not a ►estige of the
annieroas buildings is left standing. For at least a mile
round the marshes are covered with bricks and timber, a
great portion of the latter being mach charred, as ifiby firs.
The most serious part of the catastrophe was the breaking
down of several hundred yards of the river well or embark•
meat, protecting the marshes and land surrounding tram
the overflow of the river Thames. Fortunately it wen low
water at the time of the mplasion, or the omesqnsacer
would have beau most disastrous, resulting not only in the
flooding of the =amiss and the destruction of a large quan-
tity of agriculturol produce, and the drowning of some
thousands of cattle and sheep depantaring on the marshes,
bat also in indicting the most serious damage upon the
extensive coattail works of the main draimge system at
Crosses= Point, Master within about one mils d the sows
of the explain.