The Express.
London, England, 1855-11-29 00:00:00

OUR ARMY IN THE CRIMEA.

GRAND =PLOSION IN THE CAMP.
(FROM OUR SPECIAL
CAMP,

Nov. 16. 6 P.N.
Just at three o'clock this afternoon one of the most
extensive and appalling explosions of gunpowder,
bombs, and artillery materials that has ever occurred
simile the commencement of the war, whether on the

side of the Allies oe within the lines of Sebastopol,

took place on the right of our camp. A greater
quantity of gunpowder itself may have been ex-
ploded in some of the magazines dieoharged for the

isstreetioa of the buildings and worki after the
abandonment of the ruined city and fortress ; but
this is doubtful, and certainly there were never fired
at the same time so gnat a number and variety of
deadly and explosive projectiles. The frightful cha-
racter of the occur:anon was greatly enhanced, too,
by its isolated and unexpected nature, suddenly
bursting oat in the very midst of the amps at a
time when all wee suppled to be secure, and
when the sounds of the bombardment, once

loud and familiar enough, had dwindled down
into the occasional dropping shots interchanged
between the north and south Mdse. Another element

of alarm was the spreading and fury of the fire after
the first great explosion, and the constant fresh com-
munication with other stores of explosive (sambaed.
bless, the amount and nature of which were involved
is uncertainty from the diffictilty of learning what
had already been destroyed. The close neighbour-
hood of the great English magazine of gunpowder,
where in a closely-packed mass between eighty and
ninety to= are said to be stored, farmed no small
ingredient in the general apprehension and panic.
All accounts agree that the first explosion occurred
in the French siege train depot, which is only sopa-
rated by a pathway from the English right siege
train depot in rear of the Light Division. The
French depot leaned towards the right, on the shal-
low part of the ravine, near its eommeseessent, which
ultimately terminates in Careening Bay. This part of
the ravine separated it from the great gunpowder
magazine of the English, from a French ormsaissariat
depot, and the hats and mute of a divisional
ambulance, from the Freseh road loading to Inks:-
mean, and the old encamping pound of the 2nd
Regiment of Zonaves. Immediately on the left of
the French depot was the English right siege train
depot. Around sash depot were the tests and huts
of the artillerymen and men of the field train depart-
ment eassestsd with them respectively. In frost of
ilex two depots were the regiments of the First Bed
gad* of the Light Division : comenesoing from the
right, the 4sd Battalion. Rifle Brigade, 7th. Ski,
sad 113 rd Regiments. The 34th Regiment and s
field battery of artillery was still farther is frost e
and to the right, sot ter from the Careening Bay
ravine, the regiments of the 2nd Brigade of the
Light Division, 19th, 88th, and 77th Regiments, fall
back, so as almost to flank the siege train depots and
encampments en their left, the 19th Regiment being
the merest. In front of these, again, were the 97th
and 90th Regiments attached to the Light Division.
In rear of the depots was a large open

spew, vacated by some French regiments,
*sigh a very short time dose were moved
towards lakermann. It is necessary to recount the
positions of these regiments with regard to the ex-
plosion, aa they were chiefly exposed to its effects.
Sect to the artillerymen is the immediate neighbour-
bowl. the regiments of the first brigade of the Light
Bidden appear to have suffered chiefly : this is attri-
lleini in a great measure to the fact that many men
from these regiments happened to be working in the
visinity of the siege train when the explosion cc-
warred, while large parties of men from the other
brigade bad goes on fatigue duties to Balaklava and
other looalides more or leas distant from the scene of
the calamity. Had the event marred in the night
time, when all the men were in camp, the result must
have been greatly more disastrous.
It is inspoosille to give any distinct description of
the effeet of the first crash: it varied according to
circumstances of position and distance. Those who
escaped from the artillery tents and immediate
vicinity of the siege depots appeared utterly bewil-
dered. The force of the blow from the impelled air,
the stunning noise, the flashing of the fire, the saffo-
cities smoke, arrested every reasoning faculty, and
took away all sense, save the instinctive impulse to
fly from the soaves of evil. These lass ran on in all
directions, heedless of the shells and grape which
were falling around, withoat looking back at the
scene of destraedoa they were leaving behind dies,
and never stopped till they had reached or passed the
tents of the seighboaring regiments• Among the
regiments themselves of the Light Division, whether
in tests or hate, a saddest seasstion was felt as if of an
upbeaving of the ground, at the same time that a
violent shock was experienced from the assoundos
of the air. Almost instantly followed the load report
of the explosion : not sounding as if a single charge
or mega:lies had been fired, and without the ring-
ing tone or decided eharaoter of a salve of artillery,
bat seeming rather as if a number of 1111111111105 had
been discharged, one after the other, so rapidly that
all the reports were blooded into one. As the thunder
of the first report subsided, its place was occupied by
the sharp cracking wands of shell' bursting high is
the air, the rush of fragments falling to the ground,
had the load bangs of shells which had been seettored
sad were mitten es all sibs. Siseitaseees with