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

SCENE AT THE RAILWAY STATION.

The scene presented yesterday at the London-bridge ela-
tion of the North Kent line was one th►t almost baffles de-

ecription. The railway authorities, in anticipation of a large
extra traffic yesterday, consequent upon the desire of the
public to witness the scene of the explosion, had made ar-
rangements for the running of several trains, in addition to
those usually running on the Sunday, but their arrange-
mute fell far short of what was required, and the result
was, especially in the after-part of the day, considerable
confusion and disappointment. The trains commenced
running as early as seven o'clock in the morning, and from
that hour until eleven several thousand persons had been
conveyed to the scene of destruction. Oa the reopening
of the station at one o'clock the rash of people into
the booking offices warn tremendous, and • the
platforms, both on the high and low level,
speedily became filled with a dense multitude of
people impatient for conveyance either to Belvedere or
Frith stations. From 1 o'clock until 3 the trains departed
in rapid succeasioo, no leas than 10 trains besides the two
ordinary ones having bees despatched between those hours,
bat still there was no perceptible diminution in the crowds
on the platform. Boon after 3 o'clook a telegraph arrived at
London-bridge requesting that no more trains should be
despatched until the ordinary train at 4 o'clock. As the
line was completely blocked up telegraphs were at coos sent
down the line to the effect that on ao account wee a train to
leave a statics Wars As Adios swam had useived a.
telegram that the trims is front had left the station in ad.
vance. This was a wise precaution, for though it involved
considerable delay, the train leaving London-bridge after
2 o'clock occupying over 2 hours in the journey usually per-
formed in three-quarters of an hour, it provoked accidents
that would otherwise have occurred. At 4 o'clock
there could not have been lees than 5,000 penman
crowded together on the London platform of the low level
station, and at this moment an uptrain ran into the sta-
tion on the off side. It had hardly stopped to =able the
passengers to alight, when • terrific rush was made from
the opposite platform and across the lies, carriages were
scaled in all directioes, and the people made their way in
through the windows before the up passengers had vacated
their seats. As may be supposed the greatest possible con-
fusion maned, se not one-tenth part of the people could
obtain admission into the carriages, although as many as
_ _

' eighteen and twenty crowded into one compartment—in
' tended to accommodate only ten pawns. All remora seance
or expostulation on the part of the railway officials was
treeless, and the train left with its heavy freight at ten
minutes past four, arriving at Belvedere at twenty minutes
past six. Two more train left London between that time
and five o'clock, when it was announced to the thousands
still waiting that no mere passengers would be taken
down the lies except the ordinary pasisengen of the day,
and that those holding return tickets for Belvedere and
Frith would have their money returned on presenting their
tickets at the booking-offices. Similar scenes were also
taking plans at Charing-cross station, though not to so
great an exteet. The trains leaving London-bridge being
thus filled, it bonnie impossible to take up the numerous
wingers at the various station, down the line, these at
New-cross and Woolwich being some hundreds in number,
and conaidenble disappointment and inconvenience ensued,
especially to the ordinary passengers, who were thus kept
waiting for hours, the company being unable to clear the
local station, above two or three times daring the day. It
is stated that 50.000 persons were taken down the line from
London-bridge sad Cliaring-arces during the day.
As may be coejected, the scene at the Erith and Belvedere
stations towards evening when everyone was anxious to get
home, wasters of great omit arias. At Belvedere, especially,for
which the great bulk of the tickets had been taken, as
being the nearest station to the scene of the explosion, the
scene between five sod six o'clock was terrible. This is •
small station for the accommodation of the few hundred
inhabitante of the hamlet of Belvedere, and totally without
acooramodation for any large traffic. At and around this
station at the above hour several thousand persons of al
sexes, classes, and ages had congregated in one mass, and as
each up train arrived the struggles of the people to obtain
admiesion into the already overcrowded carriages was ter-
rific. At six o'clock, the platform, the fields adjacent to
the station, and even the line itself, became blocked up with
the returning crowd. At this time an empty train of car-
riages was sigoalised coming down from London to Erith to
take up psaseegers. The crowd at Belvedere determined
to mire upon this train and prevent it going on to Erith ;
and with this object, as the train approached the station,
blocked up the line, necessarily bringing the train to a
standstill. A rush was made to the doors on both aides
of the carriages, and in less than • minute they were all
filled to overflowing. The guards, portent, and police on
duty were powerlere to resist the invasion, and the train,
after proceeding further down the line, to shunt, returned
heavily lades to London.
Great prin. is due to the railway guards, porters, and
°thereon duty for the manner in which they performed the
arduous duties falling upon them so unexpectedly. lip to
10 o'clock but two accidents had been reported ; one being
the catching fire of one of the carriages of the train leaving
London-bridge at 3 o'clock, freer the Mottos of the wheels
e impelling the train to rehire to the stellar for the carriage
to be taken off, during which time • lady had her foot
severely burnt, and the other that of • lady having her
leg broken in the straggle to get into • carriage at the
Plumatead station.

At 11 o'clock the brains were corningAn rapidly to Losdon-
bridge, the painergere by which reported that a lugs num-
ber of persons were still waiting down the Hee.
A lugs Haber al prime were takes down to Erith per
steamboat, and the road from Woolwich to Belvedere was
crowded with vehicles and pedestrians.

Oar Woo'wadi cerrospoadsat writes : "Sunday, 9 p.m.—
The streets of Woolwich aro ►t this boar crowded by
t►oossads of moons who bars visited Wooden, sad boys
bon toto/ly amble to obtain ram acooolioodatios for

(TWOPENCE

their return. Throughout the day the entire line of route
from London to Frith has presented a epectacle resembling
that of the road to Epsom on a ' Derby day.' Carriages
of every description from the baronche tothecostermonger's
barrow have ;eased through Woolwich in a continuous stream,
and the prewar, on the locomotive department of the South
Eastern Railway has been such that it was impossible so ac-
commodate the traffic, although amerces exist Arsine were
in requisition. The rash this evening at the Belvedere,
Krill, and Pltimstead stations of the North Kent line by
passengers anxious to returned home baffles description and
several accidents have occurred. At Belvedere the
station and its approaches were literally blocked,
and several persons were more or lees injured.
At the Plumstead station a woman was pushed
down and had her leg broken, and it is astonishing that lives
were not lost. Appalling as the accident has been it might
even have proved wore insomuch as two additional maga-
zines, coetainiag an immense quantity of powder, are still
existing on the river shore between Belvedere and Woolwich
Arsenal. One of thee, stores, which is only a quarter of
a mile from the magazines blown ap, contained at the time
of the accident upwards of 1,000 barrels of powder, and
although every window in the building was destroyed, sot a.
single barrel of the powder was touched. The services rea-
-1 dared by the Royal Artillery, Fusiliers Military
Trein, Engineers, and Mertaes, is reptiriog the
river wall have been invaleshis tlywerds of 2,00 ff
Nand bags, with a waggon train containing every de-
scription al tools, wee famaxdrilsosa the Maya Armada
early on Saturday morning, and Major-General Wards,
commandant of the garrison, with a staff of oaken, wee*
quickly on the spot. The explosion has ceased an Mimeses
amount of damage at Woolwich. At the Royal Animal
the royal gun factories sustained the greeted amount of
injury, and in the other departments windows were blows
out by hundreds. At the Royal Marine Hospital two
massive gates were thrown off their hinges, and 6/ey large
Nuns of glass were broken ; and at the Dockyan: Royal
Artillery, and Royal Marine Barracks, broken windows are
almost numberless.

At the time of the explosion a complete shower of papers,
ooesiating of amounts and documents relating to the powder
factories, fell over the area of Woolwich, Plunistead, and.
Charlton, and an oil portrait at Lord Neiman, partially
blackened by powder, was picked up at Plumatead railway
bridge. The whole of the available police force from the A
it, and M Divisions were on duty at the scene of the,catas-
trophe during the day. And front the exertions mad* by
the military, and the labourers employed by Menem. Web-
ster, the contractors for the anthill sewage works, the river
wall is believed to be perfectly ware, and the whole of the
military returned to barracks this night.

An immense number of detail., illustrating the damage
which was done by the explosion, have been collected by the-
industry of the reporters. The following will ONTO as a few
specimens the neighbourhood of Newington, Camber-
well, Dulwick, Peckham, Sydenbam, Er., the shock was felt
with tremendous violence. In the Walworth-road, at
Sutherland Chapel, • large number of the window■
were shivered, and at a shop in the same thoroughfare the
shutters were hurled into the ,roadway, the plate glass front
at the same time splitting in all directions. From the
houses in the vicinity of Kennington-park the people
rushed into the streets from their beds, and the
utmost constoru•tion prevailed. The windows of
the houses were in many places shattered, ►nd many
describe the shock am of that ♦iolence that heavy article.
of furniture were rocked about. At a large building in the
Walworth-road the brickwork was found to be split up, and
some men going to work describe the shook se something
terrible, lasting several minutes, as though the ground up-
heaved. In Francis-street, Newington, • gentleman de-
scribes the effect as truly alarming, the doors of his house
being dashed open, locks aid bolts being torn away. At
other dwellings the result was the same. In the Lucas
road, Walivorth, the house, No. 22, was so shaken that part
of the roof was displaced, sal the furniture In • back bed-
room mowed from its position. la Kassiogion-mad sad
Kennington-lane the windows of several homes were shat-
ter:el. In the neighbourhood of Norwood some boilers in
course of construction were so injured by the chock
that they will have to be shored up to prevent them
falling, and in the Norwood-lane some newly-erected stabling
was so shaken that fears are entertained of Its giving way.
The inhabitants of Clapham and Wandsworth also felt the-
terrible coecussion, many perms stating that it resembled
an earthquake. One man state* that it seemed, as he pained
over the common, to roll along and shake the ground be-
neath his feet. The effect of the explosion was felt at the
Crystal Palace and surrounding neighbourhood ; indeed, at
the Crystal Pekes the officials rushed out in great terror,
firmly ordieving that the great towers had fallen, and they
could scarcely credit their senses when they fouled that the
building stood intact. Even at Nottisophill the shook wan
so severely felt that it is stated the two 'lomat staised-glan•
windows over the communion-table in one of the
churches were blown out and smashed. At the
house of Mr. Simkins, tailor, of New Church-road,
Southamptonotreet, Camberwell, two young children be-
longing to • lodger were heartily tilted oat of bed, and the
building itself was much eb•kes. Mr. D. Smith, boot-
maker, of Edward-street, New Church-road, states that he
was standing in his passage, when he was mired with at
locution as if he was about to be suffocated, sad believed
at the moment that the house was about to fall. la the
the tame neighbourhood, at the wood yard of Mr. H.
Fielder, • large stack of timber was thrown down, and s-
portiest fell upon the roof of a small house adjoining it and
dashed it in. Fortunately, although several persons were
in the house, no one was injured, with the exception of a.
little boy who was asleep in the top room, and
was somewhat severely bruised about the bead sod
face. A somewhat singular incident occurred at t►W
house of • poor man named Hughes, living in Lock's-fields
It seems that he was warming some coffee for his breakfast,
when the atone mantlepiece was broken to pieces, part of
which fall upon his head and iallieted a somewhat mum
wooed. The man states that when the shock took place,
and before the stonework struck him, he felt unable to more
from the strange feeling which came over him_

The shock of the explosion was distinztly felt at
Galldford, a distance of 44) miles as the crow the., from
Eritb.

CLIMILIDCII, SUNDLY.—The effecta of the explo-
sion were distinctly felt in this town mad neighbourhood. li.
is said that they were also noticed at Swathing, in the filo
of Ely.

TO TBR ZDITOZ OY 1112 =rum.
&r,—lt is with very deep regret that we have to coadra
the fact of the explosion of our gunpowder magazine, aid
an adjoining one belonging to Days, Harker, and
Co., at Erith, this morning, at a quarter to seven o'clock.
We have to lament the death of nine, or possibly tee pare
seas, end the injury, more or lees serious, of as many more.
The quantity of gunpowder then in store in our magazine
was about 750 barrels, with perhaps 200 same in the berg.
moored alongside ; the contents of the other building we do
not keen. There was at first much apprehension of the
breaking-in of the river wall, but weary glad to my this wmi
allayed by the moat energetic and judicious efforts of
the general comreseding at Woolwich, who promptly
brought • large number of troop, to the place, and
left nothing uadoire to avert the danger. Ur. Webster, tbis.
eminent contractor, also kindly and elbciently as.sited.
There baa been considerable damage to the glass in the
neighbourhood ; bat we hops that ho this mad to the total
destruction of the magazines the injury to property hes
been confined. The cause of this sad calamity is beyond
even the reach of conjecture ; the place was for the storages
of powder only, and no mechanical operations were required
there. Our foreman, whose lose as a faithful and respected
servant we much lament, had held that position for 12
years, and had bees accustomed to gunpowder all his life ;
his assistants were always chosen for their steadiness and
intelligeem. Wee than this, pending the result of the
coroner's inquiry, it would be perhaps indecorous to state.
We may add, to prevent misapprehension, that our corlie
beim 30 miles distant mu not affected by this catastrophe.
We a
das, Oct., L re, Ise. JOHN HALL and SON.
Loo

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LIFEBOAT SERVICES.—During the storms of
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JOHN BROODEN'S EXCELLENTE BIJOU-
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DEAR DOCTOR, what do you advise i I
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thel !capital chops and magntdoent potatoes, and that to the beet
advice I can give you.

the exortoo.