The Express.
London, England, 1862-05-29 00:00:00

rsiutrpro EXPLOSION.

Last evening, between 5 and 6 o'clock, consider-
able alarm was °used in the neighbourhood of Church-
street, Shoreditch, by a terrible explosion. For some time
put men have been employed constructing the main drain-
ers sewer in Church-street, and between the corner of
Briek.lane and Club-row in the same street the horse pave.
meet had bees pulled up, cod the heavy stones taken
there-
from were piled upon the footpath and the edge of the
carriage roadway. -Immediately under those portions of the
thoroughfare were the immense mains need for supplying the
by etzesta and shops with gas, whilst a little further was a
powerful steam urine used for drawing up the earth and
lowering bricks as the soil beneath was 'being excavated.
The weight on the pavement caused the atones to fall
through, and they coming in contact with the length el
piping, snapped it at one of the joints, and the gas ex-
ploded with a fearful report from coming into contact with
the furnace of the engine. A number of men in the am-
ploy of the contractor working in the cutting were pro-
stated and were all more or less injured. A 1.31Da1l named
Jane Smith, who wu passing along the pavement, wee
knocked down and her clothing set on fire. The poor crea-
ture exhibited a complete burning mass, sad, to add kith,
No.. the house of Mr. J. Maya, boot and shoe maker,
No. 151, in Church-street, was Mown to the pound- Tloo
dibris falling upon the poor woman she was obliged to
remain in the midst of the flaming mans until extricated by
the firemen and others. She wee then found to be so ex-
tensively burned that when touched the flesh of the poor
creature peeled off. She was immediately upon being
extricated removed to the London Hospital, but
not the least hopes are entertained of her re-
covery. The gas having entered several other houses they
became ignited, and then a scene occurred which beaus
description. The fronts of the houses from 146 to 155
were blown out, and the furniture extensively de.
mitred. The house belonging to Yr. J.
wee E. Man-
ning,
_haberdasher, No. 150, in Church-street, nearly
riddled by the force of the explosion, and the
stock in trade and the furniture severely injured. This
tamer was insured in the Sun Fire-onlos. The pe next
filled the premises of Mr. Gerrard, tobacconist, T. 12, in
the same thoroughfare, and blew up the greater portion
of the building. Strange as it may appear, no one was ma-
terially. injured in this house. This sufferer was insured in
the Union Fire-office. The pa then appears to have passed
in a dense current scans the roadway sad to have entered
every house on the opposite side of the street from No. 44
to 52 inclusive, blowing out the windows and window fames.
Several other bonus in the rear to nearly a dozen were likes
wise similarly injured.
Smith, the parish engineer,
and Mr. Bridges. users re-
markably early in arriving, and a good supply of the Fast
London Company's water having been procured, the parish
engineer and firemen went to work, and succeeded in extin•
guishiog the fire.
Thousands of persons Socked to the some of the eater
trophe, and it required the assistance of a strong body of
police under Mr. Superintendent White and Inspector
Broad to keep the crowd out of danger.
Yr. Hayes. who is the most serious loser, was insured
in the Scottish Provincial Fire•office.
The pa directors gave immediate orders for " bladder
'toppers" to be inserted in the mains, sod that having
been done, the gas was prevented from again
pasuK
through that portion of the mains. No further miacLid
need therefore be apprehended.

FURTHER PARTICULARS.—(THIS DAY.)
We regret to state that the unfortunate woman Mm.
Smith lived not more than a few minutes after her admix.
sion to the hospital. Two boy. and two men still remain
in the hospital, end a little girl. The other four cases,
although of a serious character, are not expected to termi•
nate fatally.
The house of Mr. Hayes, the boot and shoe maker, which
suffered the most severely, was blown to the ground.
The proprietor of the tobacconist's shop (Mr. W. Gerrard)
No. 152, and his family were warned by the smell of gm
and the loud rushing noise of the vapour, and ran off to •
distant place for protection.