The Press.
London, England, 1854-08-26 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

any person who saw the place at the time, or shortly
after, the escape of a single person of that number
amounts almost to a miracle. The ponderous
engine, with its large tender, was turned over on its
right side, and every passenger in the train ex-
perienced a great shock, some, of course, according to
their position, of a more serious character than the
others. Upon removing the shattered fragments
several passengers were found severely or fatally
injured. James Grammer, a gardener, in the employ-
ment of Mr. Wyles, at East Peckham, in Kent, had
both thighs crushed, and died in a few minutes after
extrication. The Rev. Mr. Willis, a clergyman of
the Church of England, was injured in the spine,
and on being removed to St. Thomas's Hospital ex-
pired there in less than an hour. Two women,
named Caroline Harris and Ann Saunders, were
removed to the same hospital, where they both
underwent amputation, and are said to be going
on favourably. Many of the wounded were re-
moved by their friends without leaving any account
of the injuries they had received. The traffic on the
line was interrupted for several hours before the
rails could be cleared of the wreck. The engine
drivers and stokers of both engines escaped perfectly
unhurt, but they were all taken into custody. Li-
quifies into the cause of the catastrophe were com-
menced simultaneously by the local magistrates and
by a coroner's jury at Croydon on the following day.
By the former, after a few questions had been
asked, the four prisoners were remanded, and bail
refused for their liberation, the further proceedings
being adjourned to Friday (yesterday). Th•
coroner's jury were empannelled merely to identify
the body of the deceased man Grammer, and take
some formal evidence, after which the investigation
was postponed until Wednesday next. Another in-
quest was opened in London on the body of the Rev.
Mr. Willis on Thursday, but also adjourned after
collecting some evidence.

THE greater portion of the workhouse at King's
Lynn fell with a tremendous and fatal crash during
divine service on Sunday morning last. The building,
which dated from about the fourteenth century,
consisted of a central tower rising to the height of
about eighty feet, and surmounted by a cupola and
two wings about twenty feet lower. Originally it was
a chapel connected with one of the old monasteries,
and denominated St. James's Chapel. At the time of
the Reformation it became an hospital, and finally,
many years back, was converted into a workhouse,
and some modern buildings were added in the rear.
It was one of the most conspicuous objects in the
town, possessed of many attractions in an archaeo-
logical point of view. Though supported by enor-
mous buttresses, apparently of vast strength, fears
had been for some time felt with regard to its sta-
bility. On Saturday an examination of the building
had taken place, at which it was resolved to call in
an architect to make a further inspection. During
the night some of the inmates are said to have heard
a crackling noise repeatedly occurring. In the
morning the clock stopped, and an old man wbo saw
the pieces of mortar falling went out into the yard,
and persuaded the other inmates to follow him. At
this time the girls were at church, and the boys
sitting in front of the building, whilst the women
were in the modern part of the building. Mr. Nel-
son, the governor, attended by Mr. Andrews, cicck-
maker, went up to the clock tower to see what was
swiss, and while they were there the fall took place.
They were carried down among an immense mass of
material, with several old men, who were extricated
comparatively uninjured, with one exception, a man
named Chancey, whose skull was completely smashed.
Mr. Nelson was dug out much injured, but it is hoped
that he will recover. Mr. Andrews was buried in
the rubbish, and his lifeless body was not extricated
for many hours. Had the fall taken place during
the night the loss of life must have been very
serious. As it was, the fatality would have proved far
greater, except for the circumstance of the Rev. S.
Bransley, the chairman of the board of guardians,
having caused the most dangerous part of the build-
ing to be cleared of its inmates that morning.
A MOST TERRIFIC ExpLosioN took place on Tues-
day last at Lund-hill Colliery, Hemingfield, about
five miles south of Barnsley, and half a mile from
the South Yorkshire Railway. On Monday, in con-
sequence of some repairs in the machinery, the
miners did not work ; but next morning they
descended as usual, and at 6.10 a terrific explosion
of firedamp took place, which alarmed the whole
neighbourhood for a mile round. The first thing
noticed after the shock of the explosion was the body
of a bricklayer named William Davey flying in the
air, at a height of ninety feet, and subsequently fall-
ing upon a wall elevated eighteen feet from the sur
face of the ground for the purpose of increasing the
height of the pit mouth : from this he was taken
quite dead. Three more workmen, named William
Mozley, James Batty, and Matthew Pollard, were
found quite dead in the pit when it was cleared and
examined. Some others were much injured by the

explosion.

-