The Express.
London, England, 1864-05-28 00:00:00

SHOCKING DEATH PROM PASSION.

INQUEST.—(THIS DAY.)
This morning Mr. Walthew, deputy-coroner, held
an inquiry at the Windsor Castle Tavern, Victoria-park,
touchiog the death of Mary Stromell, wed 56 years, who
expired from a flt of furious passion.
Mre. Emma Abraham, 34, New Nicholl-street, said that
deceased was a domestic servant in her employ. On Thum
clay morning last deceased was in the act of pouring out
the tea for breakfast when witness's eldest child, four years
old, spilled some coffee on the floor. Deoeued threw the
baby that she bad in her arms on to the floor with great
violence and rushed at the elder boy. She caught him
furiously by the arm, and flung him to the other end of the
room, eearly dislocating his arm and causing it to bleed.
She stamped her foot and cooks terribly loud to witness
' when remonstrated with. Witness never saw her go es
in such a way before. Suddenly she gave a terrible
scream and fell on the floor on her face Witness sent fey
a doctor, who found she was dead. Witness' was told that
in the morning the deceased had been drinking, but not
much.

Dr. Roper mid that death resulted from dismal, of the
heart, caused by violent emotion. The jury returned a var.
diet accordingly.

TERHIBLZ E.XPLOSION AT STOWIILRE CT. —Oll MUM-
day an Inquiry was commenced at this town into the cir-
cumstances attending • disastrous explosion of gun cotton
at the works of Messrs. Prentice and Co., which resulted
in the death of • young woman named Fanny Barrows
and injuries of • more or less serious character to several
other persons. The explodes took place in a mall
building no the mimed* aide of the river to that on
which the principal part of Moms. Prentice's works stood,
and into which the gas mhos was taken to be cut
up into lengths of six inches and packed ready for one.
The cutting of the cotton was effected by • machine fur-
nished with • knife, and half • rope, or about 20 lengths,
bad been cut off, when, while the last piece was being cut,
aa explosion took *es. The knife, it is supposed, by
' some mean. struck fire, either hum friction or from
striking against something brides the cotton. Four girls
who were at work at the time—one of them the deceased—
, were dreadfully burnt. Cobb, the foreman of the works,
was also much burnt. Tbe jury proceeded to the home in
which the body of the deceased was lying at Combs, •
village sear Stowniarket. The body presented a terrible
cad only bete sod them a small patch of the
satirrilid its natural look, the rest being scorched,
blackened,re arid blistered so as to present a dreadful aspect.
The jury were accompanied by Mr. Prentice and Mr. Rory,
an Austrian gentleman, who explained minutely the whole
of the promises connected with the manufacture. Mr. Bevy
expressed en opinion that the explosion was ceased by the
beating of the knife from its having been so long in use oo
the day of the accident, and he pointed out to the jury the
appearances which lad him to form that conclusion. The
principal of these wee • discoloration of the knife such as it
prodooed on polished steel by the action of heat. The jury,
however, generally seemed to be of opinion that the spesdat
which the knife travelled was not sufficient to mum such
en amount of heat as rather to diaoolour the steel or ignite
the cotton, and this opinion was borne out by the evidence
of the foreman. Cobb, taken by the side of the bed which
the poor fellow is still unable to leave. Cobb's face would
undoubtedly have suffered to a much greater extent but
for the beard which he wive, and which. being thick and
strong, no doubt protected him face in no small degree
from the scotching blast which swept by him at the =meet
of the explosion. He seemed is good spirits when his
evidence was taken. sad his mental faculties were quite
clear. The inquiry was adjourned.
A Bin Sototzn.—The whole of the officers and
men of the Royal Engineers now at head-quarters, Chatham,
were yesterday drawn up on the parade-ground at Bromptou
barracks, for the purpose of bearing promulgated the finding
and sentesos of • district eourt-martial, which recently ter-
minated its sitting, for the trial of Sapper W. Watkins, of the
Royal Engineers, on a series of offences. The prisoner, who
is incorrigible, broke out of the barracks in which be was con-
fined, and, on being arrested, endeavoured to get possession
of the sword of one of the escort, and actually succeeded
in disarming him. On being secured he destroyed every
pane of glass in the guard-room. When brought out before
the corps to hear his sentence read he permeated a most dis-
graceful appearance, most of the uniform being in tatters,
from big attempts to tear his clothes to pimea. Although
he has been but a comparatively short time in the Royal
Engineers, he has been several them 'triad by court-martial,
and be has scarcely ever done a day's duty, hie object being
to be dismissed from the service, The met sentenced him
to three mouths' imprisoament in Fort Clarence military
prison, Rochester, sad to be placed under stoppages until
the oast of the property he destroyed has been made good.
From the general good character of the men comporin
the corps of Royal Emmen the trial of such a determined
character as the primer is exceedingly rare.
A FAMILY OF SOLDIER& —At Kingsoroborne,
near Stockbridge, in Hampshire, there are cow Beige an
aged couple whose united ages amount to 165 yeses. They
have four seas in the army. and the husband's grandfather,
uncle, father. sad four brothers were soldiers.
The New York Times records the death of Dr.
Never, and says that his principal sad moat successful
effort in practical chemistry was the discovery and intro-
duction of kerosene oil, and oils distilled from coal, bitu-
men, dcc, into America. He was, • man of untiring
energy and perseverance, sod deserves the high reputation
which he milord both in America and in Europe as a man
of science.

GRANT= FOR Tilt THALIIIB EIIBANICMICNT.—The
contracts for the gigantic sod costly nedertaking of embank•
log the worth aide of the Thames are at present to the course
of being let. The dos* to be principally employed is
granite, sod we are glad to lesrq, that the contraot
for the supply of granite for the Mt section his been
secured, usder the government oontraetor, Mr. Furness, by
the lessees of the granite quarries of likkoonnell and of Old
Leeds, on the Urr, belonging respectively to Mr. Whitam,
of I: irkconoell, and Mr. Maxwell, of Mooches. The first
section of the embeakment extends from Westminster to

Waterloo-bridge, and the quantity of stone will be very
greet. There is thus every prospect that our local quarries
will be wrought with the utmost vigour for some time to
come, and give abundance of employment, thus proving
highly advantageous to the whole district. Among others
who are likely to bandit by the full development of the
resources of the Kirkostmli quarry are the development
Commis-
sioners of Tonnage. as the whole of the stone taken from
Kirkoonnell must be forwarded to London by sm.—Dum-
fries carrier.
Taarrto Racrirts.—The traffic reoeipta of nal-
ways in the United Kingdom amounted for the week ending
the 21st of May, oe 11,198 miles, to 876.0901., and for
the corresponding week of last year, on 10,806 miles, to
1 689.0871., showing an increase of 393 miles, and of
87,0034 in the receipts. The gross receipts on the follow-
ing 14 railways amounted in the aggregate, on 7,744
miles, to 544,9624, and for the corresponding week
of 1863, on 7,565 miles, to 474,3504, showing an in-
' anise of 179 miles and 70.6321. in the receipts.
The incrust on the Caledonian amounted to 1,9081. ;
on the Great Eastern to 3,627/. ; on the Great
Southern and Western to 9151. ; on the Greet Western
to 3,3131; on the Lancashire and Yorkshire to 18,8724;
on the London and North-Western to 15,7001.: on
the Manchester. Sheffield. and Lincolnshire to 4,6684 ;
on the Midland to 8,1054 ; on the North British to
1,2314 ; on the North Eastern to 10,5921. ; and on the
South Eastern to 4,4354—t0ta1, 73,4164 ; but from this
mast be deducted 2681., decrease on the Great Northern,
Mel. on the London and Brighten, and 2,0131. on the
London and South-Western, leaving the increase as above,
70,6321, The goods and mioeral traffic on those lines
amounted to 950,3004, and for the corresponding week of
1863 to 240,3364, showing an increase of 9.9641. The re-
alists for ngers, parcels, &c., amounted to 294,6821.,
against SPIV., showing an increase of 60,6661. The traffic
receipts on 63 other lines amounted, on 3,454 miles, to
131,1084, and for the corresponding week of last year on
3,240 miles. to 114,7371., showing an Mareme of 214 miles,
and of 16,3711. in the receipts. The total receipts of the
pest week show an increase of 28,7541. se compered with
those of the preceding week, ending the 14th not, and ea
eompered with the corresponding week of last year iodinate
• oonaiderable increase in the traffic of tiessantry.
CRYSTAL. PALLOR.—Ors SHILLING DAT.
FRIDAY, MAY 27.—Athaniods as payment, 2,1110; ditto
by mane tickets, 1,015 ; total, 3.115.