The Express.
London, England, 1864-10-01 00:00:00

EXPLOSION OF TWO POWDER
MILLS.-(THIS DAY.)

SEVERAL PERSONS KILLED AND
WOUNDED.

IMMENSE LOSS OF PROPERTY.

At a quarter to seven this (Saturday) morning,
the two powder mills of Messrs. Hall and Sons, at
Low-wood, Belvedere, exploded with consi-
derable loss of life and immense damage to
property; within a radius of seven miles. At the
time named three suocessive explosions occurred,
completely demolishing the two mills and three
houses near. The bricks and machinery were thrown
a distance of a mile, whilst portions of build-
ings iu Erith, Beadenfield, and Belvedere were
shaken down, and there is scarcely a sound
pane of glass to be found within a radius
of four miles. At Plumatead and Woolwich shop
windows were shaken out and the goods thrown into
the street. At these places the scene was in-
describable. Those in the streets were shaken,
staggered, and aeveralfell, whilst those in bed were
thrown almost out of bed. After the first impulse
that an earthquake bad taken place had subsided,
it became current that a terrific explosion
had occurred in the arsenal, where 4,000 people
were at work. The people employed there on feeling
the shock became uncontrollable and rushed out in
the air, whilst thousands from the town besieged
the arsenal gates, women and children shrieking in
expectation of relatives killed, the excitement being
only increased by several men being brought out
bleeding, who had been hurt by broken glass, &c. In
about ten minutes after the shock the excitement
was allayed by the invoices and other papers of
Hall and Sons dropping in the Arsenal, showing
that the explosion was neither in the Arsenal nor at
the government powder magazine, Plnmstead
Marshes. A large detachment of Arsenal and the
town police were at once despatched to Messrs.
Hall's powder mills, and on arriving and render-
ing assistance found 19 killed, missing, and
wounded. Twelve wounded were conveyed by
train to Guy's Hospital, where it is feared several
will die. The dead, including Mr. Rayner, the
foreman, Thomas Hubbard, in the employ of Mr.
Carey, contractor, Elisabeth Wright, a young
woman, daughterof a man employed on the premises,
and others were conveyed home. Four men and a
boy in two powder barges alongside the
mills iu the river Thames are missing, the barges
and the occupants disappearing with the explosion,
being undoubtedly sunk. It is also feared
several others are buried in the debris.
Two human legs and portion of a skull
were picked up at distances varying from
100 to 400 yards, and for which no owners
are found. Amongst those more seriously
injured are the daughter of Mr. Walter
Silver, the manager, whose house is
blown down Mrs. York and two children, and a
girl named Elizabeth Osborn, daughter of • man
employed and living on the premises, whose cottage
was also blown down. Mrs. Rayner and son (wife
and son of the foreman killed) are also in a preca-
rious position. The southern outfall works at Cross-
Less Point had a narrow escape of being blown down,
and are somewhat injured. On belying of the
catastrophe, Mr. Webster sent his men to the
assistance of the wounded. The damage by the
explosion, including the demolition of the Low-
wood powder mills and premises and mills adjacent,
is not less than 200,0001., and it is doubted whether
a million will cover the total damage, including the
thousands upon thousands of squares of glass de-
stroyed in Erith, Belvedere, Plumstead, Woolwich,
Charlton, Eltham, Shooter's-hill, Blackheath, &c
The damage by broken windows, &c., in
the Royal Arsenal, Dockyard, Artillery, and
Marine Barracks, and other government establish-
ments is very large. The South Eastern Railway
Company have also experienced loss by
damage done to their stations on the North Kent
line. It is computed that 30,000 barrels of gun-
powder exploded. The smoke did not subside
for half an hour. The embankment of the River
Thames was blown down, and the most frantic and
Arenuous exertions are being made to re-
pair it before high water. If it cannot be made
sufficiently strong in time, the river will
overflow its batiks into Erith and adjoining villages.
The shock was perceptibly felt all through the
metropolis and suburbs. The shutters of several
shops in the Lower-street, Islington, were thrown
down, and glass was broken in the windows of a
chapel in the same locality. At Walworth and
Highgate the shock was equally great. The first
impression, natural enough, under the circum-
stances, was that everbody was tumbling out of
bed, while many looked out of the windows to see
if any hurricane was blowing, or any " wild hunt
of Pickford's vans was passing the house.
Windows and doors were shattered in the dis-
tricts of the Rosemary Branch, at Peckham ; the
glasses at the Waterloo Arms Tavern,George-street,
Camberwell, were sent dancing about the tables ;
and chairs in the Father Red Cap, at Camberwell-
park, were forced round the large club room ;
the inmates of the Anchor and Hope, in Southamp-
ton-street, were terribly frightened, it being appre-
hended that the building was falling. The houses
in Camberwell-grove, on each aide of the road, were
all shaken, and abutters forced down ; the same
effects were experienoed at Stoke Newington, six
miles further northwards. Most of the houses from
Blackheath to Dartford are more or less injured.
Tu give anything like an idea of the shattered
state ~f the whole district in the neighbourhood of
the scene of the catastrophe, would be a matter of
impossibility. In one direction windows are
blown in, and walls are levelled ; a cart
in which some men and women were pro-
ceeding to market was forced in two, the
horse killed, and strange to say, although the
occupants were pitched head foremost out of the
vehicle, only one was seriously hurt. The trees
for miles round have not escaped many having
been lifted out of the ground as if they had been
mere reeds. Such a terrible sight as the whole of
the districts present has not been seen during the
present century—not even when the gun cotton
factory exploded some years ago, when so many
lires were sacrificed.

With all possible despatch, litters with beds upon
them were made up, and the poor wounded crea-
tures were forwarded by train to town. The first
train brought four to town ; a second batch of five
arrived at Guy's Hospital about 10 o'clock.
Of the latter number there were four
io a whole family, the parents and two children. The
father is stated to have expired shortly after he
reached Guy's, and one of the little girls also died.
The South Eastern Railway Company behaved with
the greatest promptitude in the matter, and Mr.
Knight, the superintendent, proceeded to Belvedere
with a special train to bring up the sufferers. As we
write, poor wounded creatures are arriving at the
hospital.