The Express.
London, England, 1864-03-02 00:00:00

THAMES AND MERSEY MARINE INSMIANcg
COMPANY.-(THIS DAY.)

This day the fourth ordinary half-yearly mertin.,
of this company wee held at the Londoe Tavern ; ILL la°
DUI in the chair.

17 followiiog u the report :
" The directors now present to the shareholder, the 4.
sensate and balance-sheet of the company for the year eodiog
Dee. 31, 1863. These socounte have been dolt' verified by the
auditors. The balance carried forward on Dec. 31 last,
after payment of all claims and exposes', together with the
divideed paid no shareholders for the six mouths eudio,
30th June last, amounts to 367,1281. 9a. 10d. The conc.
paws operations boring now extended over • period of
three years sad • half, the direness, after careful 000sidsr-
snow, are happy to announce that the underwriting accounts
for 1860-61 have been closed with • clear profit of et
Inset 36,000/. The balance when finally ascertained will, a
accordance with the opinion expressed at the last geoend
meeting be carried to a reserve fund. The directors feel
justi in emuming that the underwriting accounts for
1862 will prove even more satisfactory. The directors re.
oommend that • dividend at the rate of 10 per cent. per an.
nom on the paid-up capital of the company be paid for the
peat half-year, and that the board be empowered to make a
like payment per share on amount for the baffle,:
sea* 30th June, 1864, should they then think fit. In sc.
cordanae with the deed of settlement, the directors have to
report that the following directors retire from office, but,
being eligible, offer themselves for relection :—London
Meows. Mackey, de Castro, Kennard, and Adamson; Liver.
pool—Mama Johnston, Tobin, and Saunders ;
oheeter—Kessn. Peel, Mendel, Harrison, and Leahunt.
Mr. Durban' dose not offer himself for re-election, and
it is not proposed to fill the vacancy. Mr. James Iheidale,
jun., who temporarily retired, has been re-elected by hie
colleagues at Manchester, which requires confirmation by
the meeting. The auditors, Mr. Coleman. for Loodoo •
Mr. Banner, for Liverpool; and Mr. Child, for Manchester-
retire, but being eligible, they offer themselves for reeler:-
Moo."

The CHAIRMAN, in movies the adoption of the report,
stated that the business of the company had twee moat
successful, and that the dividend would be paid out of
interest en capital and iureetmente, without touching on the
profits of the business.
The report was neanimously adopted, and thanks gives to
the chairman and director.

FRIGHTFUL BOILER EXPLOSIO_V.

SEVEN PERSONS KILLED.

Yesterday afternoon an accident .4 a fri;:.l.titil
sad fatal character occurred at the ironwork. of Mr. Thom..
Johnson, sen., Church-lane, Hall-End, West Bromwich, by
which seven persons were killed, and thirteen shockingly
injured. It appear that Mr. Johnson's work., which are
known as the " Old Works," are connected with what are
called the New Works, in the occupation of Johnson and
Co. There are ten furnaces in the old works and eleven in
the new, together with s6opq'mg for milkmen, rollers, but.
diem, stocktakers, boltersdown, and all the apparatus aid
machinery requisite for carrying on an extenive trade.
There were about forty men employed at the works of Mr.
Thomas Johnson in the day tarn, and a similar number of
men in the night turn. Yesterday afternoon. at about a
quarter past 3 o'cipck, after the men had returned
from dinner and had recommenced their labour for the
remainder of the day, when each ow was busy with his
work and all seemed going on as usual. a load hissing
sound wu heard, evidently proceeding from the direction of
the engine and the machinery, and this was immediately
followed by a deafening report. In a moment. eosins ea I
boiler. machinery, furnaces, and human beings were cot.
founded in • heterogenous mats. The boiler, a very large
one of the kind commonly termed "erg-ended,' was
situated in about the middle of the premises, and
the effect of the explosion was to blow the two
sides of the boiler aped, nearly at right angles,
one part being projected a distance of sixty or
seventy yards, into Church-lane, end the other about
twenty yards in another direction. The remaining portion
of the boiler, and by far the largest. was hurled almost
perpendicularly Mu the air, and descended not far from
the place where it was originally fixed. The explosion was
heard at a great distance, end immediately after the re-
port hundreds of mechanics from the neighbouring works
for miles around rushed to the scene of the catutrophe.
Those in the immediate vicinity describe the effects of the
explosion as darkening the air. Tons upon tons of brick'
and mortar were precipitated into the streets. The shop.
ping was blown from its foundation, the roofs of the
venue buildings in which the work was carried on were
literally riddled by the falling material. Three oil out
of the eleven furnaces were left standing after the explosion
and beneath that mass of mingled iron, briekw end
di6ris ley the unfortunate men and boys who, bat a few
minutes before, were cheerfully labouring, without dreaming
of the fate that was to overwhelm them.