The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-12-10 00:00:00

TERRIFIC GAS EXPLOSION IN LONDON.

On Monday afternoon, a most serious explosion of
gas took place on the premises of Mr. Geerge Colk,
chemist and druggist, No. 29, Fleet street. City, nearly
opposite the church of St. Dunstan's in the West,
resulting in the destruction of a considerable amount of
the extensive stock, in addition to the damage to the
premises, but, fortunately, unattended with injuries of a
serious nature to any person, notvvithstandingsthe fact
that a young man, who fills the office of assistant to Mr.
Colk, was seriously burnt about the hea i and flee. It
appeared that on Friday and Saturday last, the gas in
Mr. Colk's shop burnt black and smoky, and did not give
a brilliant light, i. oOnocquotac. 141,11 C.,11,
wrote to the company, requesting that a man might be
sent to see what was the matter with the pipes. Accor-
dingly the gas company directed one of their servants to
attend on Monday morning. The person in
.question
left Mr. Colk's premises shortly after twelve o'clock,
having previously investigated the cause of the defect.
About one o'clock the assistant smelt gas, and in order
to ascertain from whence it proceeded, at once struck a
light, and placed it at one end of a glass case in the front
window, through which the gas pipe passed. While he
was doing so the other end of the case was blown out
with great force, and a sheet of flame rushed round the
shop, bringing down nearly 200 bottles (some of them
containing very valuable drugs) ha its conrse, hurling
them on to the floor and smashing them into pieces.
Passing to the end of the shop the flames broke through
some plate glass windows in the door of a lobby, into
which it entered, and from there through other glass
windows into the back surgery. The shop front was
greatly damaged, and most of the windows and bottles,
containing acids, perfumes, &c., which were deposited
therein, were blown out into Fleet street. The young
man was severely burnt upon the head and face, but no
dangerous results are anticipated. It is supposed the gas
had escaped from the pipe during the time the gasman
was cleaning it. The damage done to the premises and
stock is very considerable.

The Board of School Directors in the city of St. Louis
have passed the following resolution : " That henceforth no
teacher shall be allowed to inflict blows on the head in any
manner ; that the use of the rattan, or like instrument upon
the hand, is prohibited e and that bruising or maiming the
hand, or any other part of the body, will not be tolerated ;
and this board wish it distinctly understood that, in accord.
ance with powers reserved in their rules, they will consider
departure from such restrictions good cause fa immediate
discharge from the service of this board."
DETERMINED SUICIDE OF A GENTLEMAN.—Yesterday in-
formation was received by the police, of a determined suicide
by a gentleman, in Highgate Cemetery, who shot himself
through the head with a pistol. The body, on being dis-
covered, was removed to the Angel Tavern. It is that of a
man about 40, clad in a fashionable suit of black, and loose
over coat ; on one of his fingers was a handsome gold signet
ring, and in his pocket a sum of money, two letters (sealed),
one addressed to Miss Parrott, and the other to Miss Part-
ridge, and other documents, leading to the belief that the
deceasei waa an officer holding a high position in the army.
TILE UNITED STATES AND NEW GRANADA.—A Wash-
ington letter says :—" The Hon. Isaac E Morse, formerly
member of Congress for Louisiana, and who has also held
the post of attorney-general of that state, is expected here
in a day or two, when he will receive the appointmont of
envoy extraordinary to New Granada. His duty there will
be to endeavour to effect an arrangement with the New
Granadian government in reference to the claims of our
citizens against that government, arioing out of tho
sacra at Panama in April last, and also as to security from a
repetition of such outrages. A number of cabinet meetings
have been held in regrard to this matter, but as yet no defi-
nite conclusion has been arrived at. The question is a very
delicate and difficult one, and one with which the adminis-
tration find it hard to deal."
LANDSLIP NEAR HALIFAX.—OR Sunday night, SOOT]
after eleven o'clock, a landslip occurred at Stump Cross,
about a mile from Halifax. A considerable quantity of
water had collected in the hollows on the Northowram hill-
' side, in consequence of the recent thaw and the heavy
showers of rain which fell during Saturday and Sunday ;
and in the afternoon of the latter day the water was observed
springing up in a column about as thick as a man's arm. at
a short distance below one of the ponds. This had no effect
upon the residents, except to excite the curiosity of some ;
but at night, when many of them had retired to rest, they
were greatly alarmed by a rumbling noise, which was followed
by the falling of thousands of tons of earth from the upper
to the lower part of the hill, bringing with it large trees
and fences, and almost completely blocking up the carriage
way below. Fortunately no one was hurt, but two or three
of the inhabitants narrowly escaped with their lives, and
many were so teraified that they sat up the greater part of
the night.
INSURANCE ON GRAIN.—During two years past, of all
vessels that have gone from here to European ports, loaded
with grain in bulk, but one has been lost, and that in a gale
of last January, and not from being overloaded. Over
twelve millions of bushels of grain have been sent in this
manner, and only nine thousand lost. Perhaps this great
exemption fr m loss may be fairly attributed to the appoint-
ment of an inspector, whose duty it is to examine every
vessel that seeks insurance, and without his certificate that
she is properly loaded, the vessel cannot be accepted by the
underwriters. Of all the vessels thus examined and certi-
fied, but one has been lost, as before mentioned. This
wonderful success shows that accidents at sea are usually
the result of negligence on the part of owners or officers,
and that the underwriters make a great saving in exercis-
ing vigilance in the loading of vessels insured.—New York
Observer. [As our readers are probably aware, this plan
is followed out by the Liverpool Underwriters, who have no
less than four surveyors in their employ.]