The Express.
London, England, 1855-03-26 00:00:00

FRIGHTFUL RXPLOSION OF OAS IN PORTS-

MOUTH DOCKYARD.

PottlaMotrrm, SOMDAY.
An explosion of gas of a very Frightful character
occurred to this dockyard at 10 o'clock last night. The
scene of the catastrophe was at the dockyard police-etation,
adjoining the North or Steam Factory entrence to the yard,
and in the large room of which mina of the force were waiting
to go on duty. It appears that the men Dad fns ,me days past
experienced a very disagreeable smell in this room, evidently
analog from an 'tribe of gas, sad they had complained of
he circumetance to their superior officers, by whim it had
been, we are informed, reported to the proner official,. No•
thing, however, appears I. have been done in the matter,
and the result is the accident that has happened and a con-
, sequent loss of life. The men were sitting, as usual at the
above hour, last night in the station-room, when the
smell of gas seemed to them to be stronger than
ea say previous occasion, being, as one of the
saferers from the explosion informed us, quite
suffocating. To ascertain where the escape came from, one
of the men applied a light to cifferent crevices in the floor-
ing boards, Ac., and at length doing so at the one from which
the gas actually escaped into the room, a terrific explosion
took place, resembling the discharge of a piece of heavy ord-
nance, and being heard and indeed felt at a omeiderable
distance off. it appears that the gas bad eicapea from a
main ri :ming under the etetion-house. The whole of the
fluor of the room wee blown up, together with its fur-
niture, and all the unfortunate men who were sitting
in it. In addition to this, tie roof of the building, only con-
sisting of a ground floor, was blown into the air
Toe report of the explosion brought a number of officials
and others to the spot, and some lab were at once set
to work to extricate the unfortunate m-n who were buried
is the rubbish. This was speedily effected, when the suf-
feren were found to be Inspector Henry Stroud, both legs
broken; Sergeant Thomas Ripley, leg bruit. n; Privates
James Odes, arm and leg broken and internal injuries
Weep Lithe, arm and le • broken ; domes Wastell, thigh
broken; T. Sydenbam, leg broken; D. Palmer, Henry
Neville, W. Rimer, and W. Miller, seriously injured, but
the precise
ting merest to the spot where the light was sp-lied to the
gas findiog its way from under the floor into the room,
escaped with fewest injuries, unless it should turn out that
he has received internal injuries of serious cha-
racter. With the exception of Miller, all the
poor fellows required to be taken to hospital,
and they were at ores conveyed over to Radar.
After enduring great suffering, Private Odes died this
morning at Basler. Inept. tor Stroud is in a most danger-
ous stare. Should be survive, ha must undergo amputa-
thre of both legs.
The appearance of the ruin this morning bears evidence
of the terrible force of tie explosion. Nothing is 'Larding
but the bare walls, and these are rent and spilt from top to
bottom, • bilst the strong beams supporting the roof are
literally broken sharp off, as though they were but matches.
Men are being employed to day in distovirieg the sot of
the escape of the gas trout the main pipe, and in repair-
lag •
ti.

THE EARTHQUAKE AT BROUSSA.

The Journal de Constantinople gives the following
further detsils of the eartoqnske at Brousse :
" The shock took place after torrents of rain which had
lasted 24 hooey, accompanied by gusts of wiud from the
south-east, and by thunder. The sky became all at one,
obscured; a strong am.II of sulphur we, perceptible, and
then the esrtberake took place. There was first of all an
oscilletory movemeat from the rut to the east; then very
elserp shock.; and then another Quint,: ion which was much
more violent than the first. The earthquake lasted alto-
gether between 50 and 60 seconds. From 60 to 80 minarets.
and am many mosques were thrown down, or so greatly
demaged. tbst they are *eery moment i• danger of telling.
Several khans were totally destroyed, end asce.ngst them the
Fasklyenikhan, lila-Khios, and Keradjahey•K:.an ; and
otters have large rents their walls. The mosque Davoullets-
bloniatir, a Greek eonstruction about 1,200 years old, is
onthieg but a beat, of ruin*. The large mosque of Ouion-
Djiami, a hich Is 600 years old, and which la or 01 eat beauty,
his had two minarets destroyed, and its cupolas have sus-
tained what is considered irreparable damage ; the part of
the town which has sustained the greatest injury is the
Baloak-Bssar. In that neighbourbt.ed, enormous blocks of
rock from the mountain and of masonry from the old fort-
ress, falling down, crushed a dozen howee, and a small
manufactory *ailed IladjeAnastase. In this manufactory,
thirty persons were killed, and amongst them were the
owner and his two sons. In the evening a fire broke out
amongst the ruins in this quarter, and spread to the houses
which had escs7ed injery. It was sic hour, before it could
be got under. In the night shocks took place at intervals
of half an hoar, but with less force. Ti • d.y atter they
continued at irregulsr intervals, hut slightly. All the
po7slatien abandoned the town, sad took up their readers*
outbids in tents. The number of victims, as far as is known.
is between 280 and 300. The earthquake esteeded all
through the province, and is some places completely
destroyed a neuther of villages, and killed a great many of
their inuabitaots."
A letter from Brooms, of the 6th instant, contain, the
following plunge:
" The shocks of earthquake continue ; every four or five
hour, the inhabitants are filled with terror. The greater
part of them, indeed, have left the town, sod are living
under tents in the open etonatry. The number of victims
is computed to be too. rui Emir Abd-el Ksdor has hap•
pily escaped; his house, though a very old Cu., has not
suffered. kin himself remained calm in the midst of the
panic."

INSTITUTE OP ACTUARIES.—TitIe of paper to be
teed this ereniog—" An examination of the objections
urged against the plan of deeimal cutup proposed by the
Royal Cemenissioure and by the &lett 0 moults.* of the
Nous of Commons." By Charles Jollicor, TS.q , V.P.
71112. NEAR BOND-STREET.—Yt Wei day thornier,
et an early hour, a fire broke out in the eurnaivd rat.g• of
premises keown u Beiktlay Chambers, 13 Bruton-a:rest,
Bond street, nertspied by various pullets, n, ..mong them
being Mr Noble, the well-known seulp.or, whose studio,
situate on the ground-Leer, tantalised property of great
The fire, which originated in the appermut story,
raged tumuli for 'enrol bout. Mr. Braldwootl, in bat
'Melia report, desolate the damsge done as fullnwe :
"N+. 13, Brivon strest, Berkeley Cumbers, cceopit d by
smithy gentlemen,. The second and third Snore of front
house destroyed, the roof burned se; one. the turbilue de-
stroyed. Th• rest of premr-se very rerb.tr•ly damaged by
firs, water, dte. Mr. Matthew Noble, aoulotn.r, on Kee %ma
film. Cultural' on ground Boor hark rows damaged by
water; not insured." Among the property in Mr Nobles
studio *re a full length figure of the late Sir Robert Pea,
eight feat high, a fedi length figure of the Arci,bish,,, of
York, intended for York Minster, and various amble bUsts
of great value, on some of which the water fill at. boiling
heat, inflicting much damage.