The Express.
London, England, 1864-10-03 00:00:00

LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 3, 1864.

THE DREADFUL EXPLOSION OF GUN-
POWDER AT MUTH.
_..--

It la believed that the explosion on Saturday first bath
Omega board oiled the barges ; and it in suggested—though
there is not the milled particle of proof of it—that it might
have been caved by a spark falling from • pipe, which one
of the bargemen might have been smoking. It is, however,
said that Mrs. Raynor, who was extricated from the ruins
of her home alive, on being asked where her husband was,
answered faintly, "Oh, I know, he must be haled.
He came to my bedside and told me to get
up, and I saw him blown through the wall of
the house when the explosion took place.' If
this is free, it would appear that the origin of the diming,
was net on board the barges, bat both they sad the two
magazines were blown to pieces. The quantity of powder
which exploded has been imaieseely exaggerated by public
rumour. it was Mated that there were sot leis than
30,000 barrels in the magazines, each barrel °detaining from
8014 to 1001 b. ; bet Messrs. Hal write to my that they bad
only 700 barrels sa their Moak, besides 200 which were in
the barge. The quantity is the other magazine has not
bees stated.
Whatever the quantity might have been, the results of
the explosion were terrible. Not only were the magazine,
afrosgly built as they were, rased to the ground—nothing
whatever beingleft but their foundations—bat the very earth
for the space of hundreds of yards, was tuned up in
huge mares or blocks of a ton weight end up-
ward' in all directions. Of the poor man Rayste's
home nothing remains but • few feet of one of
the western walls, while the residence of Mr. Silver has
the parlour and the flooring of the first floor hanging down-
ward in a slanting position over it, the whole of the upper
part being gone. Mr. Silver was writing in his little office,
and was Dearly buried amid the falling walls, Boon, and
ceiling of the house, but he extricated himself, and was
comparatively unhurt. A nephew and niece, who lived
with him, were both in the house ; they were much injured,
and the niece was not expected to recover, having been
partly diumbowelled. The &brie lay soattered for many bun-
' dred yards in every direction, and there were to be seen
heavy beams of timber, some weighing over half a ton, in
in the adjoining fields. A large portion of the Belvedere
station, upwards of • mile distant, was carried away ; and
at the moment of the explosion, the bricks of a new build.
ing in course of erection at the station were scattered over
the line. In the district, of Eritb, Belvedere, and
Plumstead, not only were the windows, but the
maims, and even the abutters blown out ; and there
wee scarcely a books that bad not suffered more or lees.
The Belvedere Hotel had all its lower windows crushed is ;
whilst, singular to relate, with me exception, the upper
'4l.6lernes escaped. Round to the westward, up the hill, at
Eardley-place, nearly all the windows were smashed ; and
two shops—one a grocer's, and the other a pastrycook's—
have the whole of their shop fronts destroyed, framework,
shutters, and all, as if a coal waggon or some heavily laden
vehicle had been dashed through them. Some of the villa re-
sidences had their walls split and their onlinp cracked, and
their furniture dashed about and broken. Woolwich also
suffered immensely ; the Barrack windows on the Common
were smashed in every direction. So great was the shook
that it was at first thought that some dreadful disaster had
happened at the Arsenal, and the greatest alarm was felt is
the town in consequence. It was not until portions of Mears.
Hall's books and papers were seen floating in the air that the
exact truth was ascertained. A man Tamed James Girnee,
who was at work just off the spot where the explosion
took place, ballast heaving, states that he hap-
pened to look toward, (ho (magazine, cud at the moment
he sew something bright on board one of the barges. He
said to has mate " Why there, a flash of lightning," and
almost before he got the words out of his mouth, there was
an explosion. He was blown up into the air out of the
lighter at least thirty yards (according to has own words)
and fell dowel on the deck, from which he rolled into the
river, and swam ashore. As he was doing so • large pieos
of timber struck him on the kip and injured him so severely
that he could scarcely reach the shore and crawl on to the
bask, where he laid for some time in great agony until he
wee fortunately discovered and removed.
The shock is thus described bye watchman at Gravesend:
—" I was on the pier," he rid, " when I suddenly lost my
balance, and almost instantaneously I heard as awful ex-
plosion. On turning round I saw, as it were, a pillar of fire
rising to the clouds, which it appeared to strike, and then
Nereid out like a Lugo fan, presenting a most beautiful and
grand spectacle."
Sergeant Cox, of the polio, division stationed at Erith,
give. the following narrative of the circumstances :—He was
getting up about a quarter to seven when be heard the explo.
sioo. He ran out and found all the tack wiodows were
broken, the sashes as well u the (gleamed. He
looked in the direction from whence the sound proceeded,
and imagining from the smoke that one of the magazines
had exploded, he proceeded to the scene of the disaster.
procuring assistance by the way. Mr. Churton, and Mr.
Tipple, tao medical gentlemen of the vicinity, were on the
spot almost as soon as the police, and, with Mr. Matthew.
son and other surgeons, did all that was possible for the
sufferers. On arriving at the scene of the dimmer, having
literally picked his way through the beau of rubbish and
masses of 11C0001 and brick that had been strewn about by
the explosion, Sergeant Cox went to the place which, alas !
had been occupied by Mr. George Ray nor's cottage, the man-
ager of Muses. Hall and S‘m's magazine, and there in the
garden found the body of the unfortunate man lying on the
ground. He was dressed, but had not got on the usual slippers
that are worn in the magazine. He was much cut about the
face, as if by splinters, and the back part of the head, over
the left ear, was cut open, the braiu protruding. He was
quite dead. Sergeant Cox next saw Mn. Rebecca Wright,
who was removed as soon as possible, under the care of the
medical men. A son of Raynor, named Oliver, was next dis-
covered. His head was smashed in • fearfulimanner, and death
must have been quite instantaneous. There was no indication
either upon father or son that concussion had caused death;
it must have been from the splinters or brick, hurled In all
directions by the fearful explosion. Elisabeth Wright, aged
13, a daughter of the poor woman previously mentioned,
was next found, and she was carefully removed to Guy's
Hospital in the train, but died a few minutes after her
admission. She had sustained a compound fracture of the
skull, a fracture of the left thigh, end was severely burnt
on the chest and upper extremity of the body. The bodies
of Raynor and his son were removed to the Belvedere Hotel
sod placed in • shed to await the coroner's inquest, sad
shortly alter the body of a man, apparently about sixty
years of age, not known, was foetal in the mud of the river,
sod he wee also conveyed to the some place. Amongst the
others lotted those whose names we append were conveyed
to Guy's Hospital. and it is needless to say they received
every attention from Mr. Sidney Tuner and the other
officials :—Mary Yorke, 38, fracture of thigh ; Lennie
Yorke, 7, canned aim and leg, with buns ; Harriet Ray-
nor, 40, wound on shoulder and face ; Minh Yorke, 6,
wound, on feu, tack, and legs; Elizabeth Osborne, 7,
wounds on face and hands ; Edward Singleton, 24, fracture
of arm and burns ; Jane Eves, 38, fracture of skull—very
dangerous (since dead).
In addition to this list we have to gin • further number,
oomprising George Smith, William Mildred, William Li- ;
wards (who was thrown • distance of upwards of thirty
yards from where be was standing) ; William Johnson, who
was much hurt about the heed and shoulders; and George
Hubbard, who was found lying outside at the back of one of i
the cottages. Two children, named Alfred Reynor, aged
12, sod William Yorke, aged 11, were taken charge o' by
Captain who resides at Belvedere. The first
named was found on the tint floor of the cottage, part of
which yet rumens standing. The poor little fellow was
cevered with plaster and dust from the ceding, but irre-
spective of the fright did not sustain any injury. Two
younger children beloeging to Mrs. Wright are in the oar,
of Mrs. Price, of Leasnees-heath, and that asingdetes the bat
of those who have bees foiled. It is most laniesUble to
have to record that the bodies of two of the men who
worked with Raynor have not yet bees recovered. Their '
names are Yorke arid Wright.
I '
A very short time elapsed after the catastrophe before ca
important discovery was made. It was found that the
embankment of the river had bee& broken to the catgut of
between 170 and 180 feet, sad although fortunately at the
time it was low tide, it was felt that unless most energetic ,
uertiona wets used, the river would overflow and canes the
most senate destruction. Some three or four hundred own

ham the min drainage weer at Omer= Point were
speedily en the spot with shovel sad Mr, and by great ex-
intros raid by relays of the Saginaw, Marines, and Artil.
ley, to the number in the aggregate of nearly 2,000 OM%
sad the re of sandbags supplied from the military stores,
they saleseded is keeping out the water, although
about one o'clock, when the tide was at its
height, the water was found to be making its way through
the Mak, and the greatest 'prober:roes were excited.
Fresh debriments of troops, however, arrived, and Mr.
Webetees nark', by redoubled exertions, .uooeeded is
oaring the bank temporarily wore. By this time, the
locality of the disaster brims become generally knows,
the Booth Eastern Company brought down by every
train daring the afternoon husdreds—one might almost
say thostrods—of people. By the 2.15 train from Cha-
ringror Captain Harris, one of the assistant commis-
:laws of metropolitan police, with Inspector Walker, and a
Wong detachment of the A division, arrived, and aided the
kcal and dockyard and Royal Animal constables, under the
able disestione of Mr. Bray, the esperiatendeut of the die-
t:rid. fa keeping the grimed. The extent of the awe of
derstrien we, however, so great, and the visitors in•
!cressing hundreds from Woolwich and the surrounding
districts. r well is the zeirepobis, every hoar to such
I an err* SW it was found seeessary also te all in the
aid of the military, and pickets of the sth Fusiliers were
refined at intervals, with their arms end Med
Myra& llejor General Wards, the °mammalian of
Ike Iftsohale garrison, Colonel Masters, and other
ineedes d Me staff, were on the ground superin-
trills the operations during theentire day, and did not
leer until past six o'clock in the evening, when all fear of
the embankment giving way at the next rising of the tide
ii
was ersidered to bar been effectually provided whir.
. The MIS who had been at work during the day were re.
Herd at about Sr. o'clock be 13d of the flappers and Miners
from Woolwich garrison, under command of Captain Webb.
I and they were to continue strengthening the embankment
throughout the night. A farther detachment of the Mk
Fasiliors sad a large body of police from London also
arrived to relieve their acemades in guarding the ground,
and additional police were also stationed as &lib, Danford,
Abbey Wood, sad adjacent villages, to protect the houses
the windows of which bad been shattered by the explo.
▪ and which would be easily accessible where not boarded
up for protection from robbery.
Yesterday it was found that the prectutioms which bad
been taken to prevent the inundation of Erith would prove
ineffectual. It was found the new embankment had begun to
give way : it had sunk considerably, and it is raid that the
water bed actually commenced in one place to trickle
through. The wind blew almost a gale from the eastward,
driving jibe water against the yielding barrier with a force
that Wiener was evidently not stroog enough toner. As
troops of the garrison were returning from church a tele-
graphic message was received hear the scene of the explosion,
requesting all the troops might be sent thatoould be collected.
Upoe the receipt of th is communicatiorehiajor•Gemeral Ware
despaired 500 of the Royal Hone Artillery, a body of the
Sappers and Misers, and a picket of the Sib Fusiliers
to Faith. These mon were under the command of Colonel
Hawkins, ILL ; Colonel Price, C. 8., of the Royal Hone
Artillery; Colonel Arran, C. 8., of the nth Brigade;
Colonel Gage, Royal Hone Artillery ; Brigade Major Hays ;
Captain Mangles and Captain Willem*, A.D.C. Major-
General Ward. himself proceeded to the ground, and took
the command in chief.

Sandbags and entrenching tools, picks, rammers. sho►els,
Lc., were forwarded by rail sod artillery waggons by Cap-
tain Gordoo. of the Royal Horse Artillery, the principal
engineer of the arsenal. Upon arriving at the scene of the
threatened inundation it was found that not s moment was
to be lost. The 150 navvies had been hard at wok during
the night, and they were completel► worn out. They were
immediately dismissed from their labours, and the troops
took their place. The artillerymen stripped to their work,
and went at it withs will. Numbers were toldotf to fill the
sthdbags,of which several thousands had been brought down
from thew...nal, which was fortunately so near, and the
vast, will the Sappers, began the labour of 4:matrix:nog a
new embankment The whole area occupied until Saturday
morning by the powder mills sod other buildings of Mum.
Hall at once assumed the aspect of a camp.
By slow degrees the tide roes, and its progress was re-
garded with no little anxiety by the officers in command of
the works, but owing to the unwearied exertions of the men
wider them the barrier advanced in proportion. It steadily
lin:reseed in height and width, ►nd when at three o'clock the
water rose to its greatest height the presser*, though ren-
dered immense by the wind, which blew with extraordinary
force right up the river, was met with • resistance that
proved effectual, and the danger was pronounced to he over.
To show how real and how imminent the danger had been,
it is only necessary to state that all the efforts of the mili-
tary had only been sufficient to raise the barrier 12 inches
above the level to which the river reached at the hour in
question. At half-past four the trumpet sounded, and the
troops, amidst loud cheers, threw by their tools, having tri-
umphantly accomplished their work.
The number of excursionist. to the spot was extraordi-
nary. Some 20,000 went down during the day from Lon-
don-bridge station alone, and it may safely be estimated
that from other natio°s and by other routes at least four
times that number found their way to the 'pot. The road-
way on one part WI so completely blocked up that the
military, on their return at five o'clock in the evening
were brought to • dead non, which was only pat an end to
by their charging forward and tumbling the luckless civi-
lians into the fields sad ditches at either side—an operation
which was, strange to say, provocative of much merriment
to all coooerned.