The Express.
London, England, 1862-06-19 00:00:00

SERIOUS ACCIDENT TO THE METROPOLITAN
RAILWAY WORKS.

Since the bunting of the Fleet-ditch on Saturday
and Sunday last, between Rapstrest and Saffron-hill, great
fears have been entertained by the cootnictors of the
Metropolitan Railway Tunnel for its safety. From
Cterkenwell Workhouse, along the whole length otoria-
street, the tunnel rum parallel with and iwn.edif Vicately eon.
tiguous to what is called the new Fleet-sewer I;
and much damage was dose to the works of the
tunnel on Sunday last. Every precaution, however,
was taken by the contractors and their foremen
to prevent accident, but in vain. The heavy rains of Tues-
day last, and which have continued at intervals since. have
caused an immense volume of water is the sewer, and early
yesterday morning it became evident that unless some nee
outlet could be made for the accumulating body of water
serious injury would accrue to the works. Just below the
workhouse, and running along Bay-street, about a quarter
of a mile of lofty brick arching and tunnelling had just been
finished, and about two o'clock yesterds) afternoon
the pent-up water forced its way into the tunnel to
the depth of tea or twelve feet. The bricklayers
were at once ordered to leave their work, and as the water
was to several puts forcing its way through the sides el the
tunnel, emend men were let down in baskets with the view
of breads( holes in the brickwork .to admit of the water
'soaping into the excavations oa each side. This had been
continued for some time, when it was found that the founda-
tions of the arches were giving way, and the men were
immediately called rip from their dangerous position. The
last man bed scarcely been hauled up when the
whole of the arches and tunnelling, to the
length of several hundred yards, was raised
up by the force of the water, and fell in one rams
into a hap of rune, the large timbers by which the walls
were supported creaking like so meny pieces of firewood.
As soon as the duet bad cleared away a scene of greet de-
struction presented itself. Several sass of ground were
covered with huge masses of brickwork and

timicusond the water pouring in in all directionmpreuumg
all the appearances of a destructive earthquake. As •002
as the eoustermstioe occasioned by the occurrence bad in some
measure subsided several hundred labourers were
sot to work to divert the course of the sewer into the old
Fleet-ditch at the corner of Vine-street ; and rip to a late
hour Wit evening wen badly employed in the work. The
pa main in rumelrest, Baystreet, Back-bill, end all the
adjacent streets, wawa destroyed by the force of the water,
which seemed to have unoontrolled possession of the whole
district, the cellars of the houses being all inundated to the
depth of several feet. in that portion of the tunnel de-
stroyed were the locomotive and trucks employed in carry-
ing away the earth from the excavations made, and which
now lie buried beneath the ruins. The destruction of pro
petty is very great, estimated at several thousand pounds,
end will cause a delay in the opening of the railway of at
ken three months.
At a late hoer lest night the alkali of the contractors,
the railway, the pa companies, the New River Company,
and the Oommissionen of Sewers, were all on the spot de-
vising means for staying the destructive power of the water,
which was dill pouring in great fosse into that portico of
I the tunnel stall elanding, and for the safety of which
considerable fears are now entertained. Not a
minute hardly elapses without the fall of=
portion of the massive brickwork or heavy
and this, oombined with the roaring of the water as it
comes tubing dews hum the high level, sod the flub"
resulting from the seemity of turning off the gas, keeps the
zeighbourhood in a non of great excitement. At lle'elock
lest night imeneess crowds were assembled looldag at the
scene of destruction sod the pugs of men at week ming
*SNOW sewer, and • large number el police were remind to
keep the toughs who abound in that osighbosnood is any-
thing like order.

LATEST PARTICIILARS.—(THIS Dir.)
The ►acounts in the papers this morning give
but a faint idea of the great destruction of property ;
deed. the extent of the damage does could lordly to
realised natil this moruing. The whole el the tattering
wall, shoat 30 feet in height and 6 feet I. thicken',
with* had been erected with the heat available materiels,
together with the massive piles of timber planed as shorn
alum the roadway, eztooding from the end of the tassel to
the corner at Vice reek about 100 yards in length, is tying
indinrieninately sheep of ruins. The amide tis irs wooed to
have 116111111 from the deep cutting necessary for the *way
loosening the earthwoeloi at the ides of the sewer, which
at this spot runs close by the tunnel, causing the
crow* of the sewer to collapse. The great volume et
water always pouring through the sewer after heavy min
was thus enabled to mike in way under the foundation at
the battering wall, and the work of this being quite imermi
the soil around being of a light loamy description, it ion
became s prey to the great body of water every minute

&commutating.
The pop of navvies who were set to work yesterday to
loses • new trench for the purpose of divertiog the mates
of the Fleet *ewer into the cowls al the old ditch, will
still remains undisturbed. continued their labours dwindle
night, sad it is expected they will be &hie to open • meant
nication at each end during the day. Until this is dies
there is mo safety for that pestles of the &reheat dal
'Wading, or for the *rah connecting the railway haves
Baspetreet sad Crawfosd-pessage.
During the night greet quantities of earth, brickwork, old
timber were coortently fallisg. Immediately oa *WWI nee
the widest has takes place was a few years des shard
the burial (rowed cif Bt. Peter's, which ems reseed
consequent upon the making of the new Artist. Theis&
then ,em sluing in the ground were collected sod alsesdia s
mausoleum erected on the spot in an excaystioe impel*
made. Lei night this building was struck by the hi%
timbers ed the railway, and the upper portions of Is
walls shattered to pieces, while the lower pert was kohl
by the water from thermic tothe depth of several feet,
ed
many al the boas, or what remained of them, v
we
im
washed out into the opus eznavation, presenting s o

sithedlig time
At the time of high tide in the river Thames the ate
thaw up this sewer as high en the end of Repined. king
heck the regular water of the sewer, and this being Werth
12 o'clock this day, the water wee pouring into the midi
the rated many thousand galloon per minute, sad at that OM
iit was estimated there were at loam 10 feet depth ti net
in the tuned as high up as Hing's-crosa, and which it
feared by its faros will materially affect the found d
the Hoe. As soon as the navvies are able to dimes di
course of the water, pumping engines will be set to id
to dear the tunnel and excavations of the water, at and
We is dose it will be impossible either to recommence 01
week destroyed, or clear away the ciibris.
31r. Jay, the centric-tor, with a large staff of mimeo
end others, bas beta upon the ground since the mcidem
' audthey all have emitted themselves u much m peedle e
provost any further destruction of property. Tbe 64
lose will fall upon the costractor, although the railway cow
pony, from the delay which will be occasioned is the cro
. leg of the line, will also suffer to some extent.