The Express.
London, England, 1859-03-31 00:00:00

DREADFUL EXPLOSIONS AT THE HOUNSLOW
POWDER MILLS.-41TEN PARSONS KILLED.

Yesterday morning, at a quarter to II o'clock, aas
of these bed cataetrophee—apinat which the alma oak

Ike mesa impounde io provide—occurred at the &hove en:
taws works, awelleslug the most painful =munition. net
only in the immediate neighbourhood but for many milm
mad. The Bret explosion took place in one of the corning-
beents, in which at the time many men were employed, and
in which a large quantity of powder in an unfinished state
was stored. Ina few seconds mother explosion In an ad.
joining building took place, resulting in the death of seven
men awl wounding many others, some it is feared mortally.
It is stated that u many se three hundred and twenty hula,
including men, women, end children, were engaged In the
various departments at the time of the accident, and theater=
and terror that seised upon them, as they rushed frantically
about, it is impossible to describe. Meters. Cattle, the pro-
prietors of the mills, were not on the premiere, bet Yr.
Ashby, the manager, who line in a villa adjoining, was
, promptly on the spot, and gave dinette= with a view topes vent further *oddest, and to alley as much as posit.= the
suffoings of those injured. Idemenpre were instantly
despatched to the verious surpass ; but they were met on
the read hastening to the scene of the disaster. In the erec-
tion of the corning-houses, from the known danger that
tante in the peculiar precool the powder undergoes in this
stage of its nasnefuture, every pp tion is taken. They
cousin of extensive wooden breath a, fastened with copper
bolts end copper nails; not a vestige of iron bong allowed.
The men employed in them are under the meet stringent re.
snlationa, and wear dream and shoes of a particular make
and material, to provide, if against accidents; sad
bow the dreadful calamity i= that has snatched from
life seven unfortunate meta is a mystery, and possibly will
ever remain so. Mr. May, the Iceman, wee so =I
Mimed, that it was meted= bad died_ upon wag
to his house. Of the other men k their bodies we
heeled into fragments and scattered wit the &iris of the
buildings over many acres of ground. It was also repotted
that two more persona were missing, and the general opines
seemed to be that they had been literally blown to Mum
The meet active search Is bang made for a cousWerable dies
mate from the spot. A river that rubs through the premeds,
Is which lane quantities of wood had been throws, wee bag
dregged,with a view, if pueblo, to amnia= the fate of these
two poor fellows. The report of the explosion wee Surd foe
miry mass round, and some ides of the effect of its violence
nay be lensed from the fact of one hundred and one pans
! glem being broken at Fortescue-houee, Twickenham, a
as of three miles.

TheMinlanature of the catastrophe we. greatly In-
creased by the snivel of many of the wives and children of
men employed upon the works, all maxima to sesertstin the
safety of their relatives. Mr. Ashby, the umnager, wee sal
the spot, end mid hie best mdeavonre to calm the
excited feelings of the multitude, in which he we. ally
essi.ted by the medical pinking' poseat; bat
the grief and am/My which prevailed wen Wale I
to wades. As soon se predicable the mneter-roll of
the workais wee celled over when the followlsg were
skew :—Thaelas Lankford, over,
Henrys; Beery Davie, aged
30; wy Lenoock, aged 33; limb eke, mml22; Jobs
Cromptcs, aged 31; end Thomas Afters*, .4.11 if. Ste-
plans May was found at same distance from the coming-
home, in en insensible condition, in which state be remained
until death released him from his sufferings ghostly after-
wards. Littleford, Davie, Lew*, awl Must, were as-
played in the press-home when the explains omitted. The
Brat three were married men, and have left rang families.
Short bad only recently purchased his discharge from the
militia, for the purpose of taking service is the mill..
Compton, Allburse, and May wen employed la the cordig-
ieg-koom. All them unfortunate men were married. May
hoe left a large badly of youounngg children, end AWsurnis
wife to daily expecting her con t.
Colonel Key and Major Crawford, of the 16th Human,
mud a party of the men of their regiment over to the work.
with hum, for the chance of their being sinful V the COO'
"'We of sufferers to the hospital. They were not called
upon to perform this duty, but proved very useful is Whet-
tag the dirjobted remains of the poor fellow. who had been
blown up in the two buildings. In proof of the dresdhil
Marmara, thempiteles it may be ended that cnly three out
of in bade hod his. dimmed. up to desk lest evening.
• rest many of the men employed by Messrs. Curtis and
Harm reside ta cottages built upon their own ground. All
Wee ware unroofed by the force of the eiploaim, and may
of flee inmates were much hurt.

14 is • noiewO;thy;if:4ll:ll.l7;llCC in connexion with this
melancholy occurrence that the poor Wow Compton, who has
lost his life, was one of the sufferers by the explosion which took
play in 1852. Ills mother and Miter reside at Acton, some
six Intim distrait tit= the mills. Even they. the report wee
lased and windows shaken. Compton's mother, who would
seem to have had a presentiment of the calamity, imme-
diately sxcleimsd, Oh, that la the mill ;my son is data !”
Her daughter hemcdintely took the train, where she met ha
unfortunate brother's wife, who Lad jam returned from the
mills, when she had secertained the fate of her
A full Investigation will take place tams the coroner, sad
a government inquiry is able expected.