The Sun.
London, England, 1864-10-07 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS,

TMES.—The inquiry into the circumstances of
the Belvedere catastrophe is both an easy and a
difficult one—easy, because all the main facts of the
case are known and accepted by everybody; diffi-
cult, because not a particle of evidence can be ob-
tained to confirm these natural assumptions. Every-
thing within the reach of the terrible explosion
was annihilated in its very roar. Man and matter
perished together, shivered into a thousand frag-
ments and whirled away into space. People know
there used to be a magazine in the Erith marshes,
but there is now only a yawning crater there. A
keeper and two assistants had charge of that maga-
zine. They are all three killed. Ts so barges, each
navigated by two men, were on the river, just
opposite the magazine last Saturday morning.
Men and barges together have been blown to atoms.
Etuzna periere ruince—the very mines are lost. A
visitor to the spot went to look for a cottage which
he remembered ; it had been "swept entirely away,
as with a broom." Every witness whose evidence
could have thrown light on the catastrophe has been
hurried out of the world by that tremendous thun-
derclap. Those immediately engaged can hardly be
returned as killed—they are " missing "—that is to
say, their very bodies have disappeared. The
nearest approach to a piece of evidence is in a
strange unearthly kind of story. Three men were
on4be river in a lighter near the Belvedere jetty
between 6 and 7 o'clock on the morning of the dis-
aster. They had observed the barges, and " men
walking on them," but nothing more. Presently
they found themselves enveloped in a great floodof
light, and violently thrown down. One of them was
forced overboard into the water, where a man came
to help him, but that man had his right whisker
blown off and has not been heard of since. Nobody
saw how, when, or where the explosion began.
Stranded, as it were, in the midst of this awful
desolation, we can only inquire what must have been
going on if everything had gone on as it was pre-
sumed to do, and this is what the coroner and jury
did. Mr. William Hall, the owner of the magazine
and the manufacturer of the article which it con-
tained, gave some very clear and straightforward
evidence, by the aid of which we can follow the
victims up to the latest minute of their lives. The
mills at which the gunpowder is manufactured are
at Faversham, and from this place the powder was
brought to the magazine at Erith, and there stored
preparatory to shipment. The magazine itself had
been built in a large area of 18 acres, purchased for
the express purpose of Isolating the building. It
stood about 100 yards from the river's bank, and
was connected with the stream by a wooden jetty.
The transport of powder from the factory to the
magazine was performed by barges constructed for
the purpose. These vessels did contain a fireplace,
which was in the cabin, the cabin being separated
from the hold by a wooden partition lined with lead.
In the hold was stowed the gunpowder, packed in
barrels containing 100 lb. each. When the barges
were on the voyage from Faversham to Erith no fire
or light was allowed on board, the provisions for the
men being served out to them ready-cooked before
starting. Occasionally, however, these vessels are
employed in bringing down from London to Faver-
sham the raw materials used in the manufacture of
gunpowder—saltpetre, sulphur, and charcoal, and
on these voyages cooking was allowed when the
hatches were down and two or three tarpaulins
piled over them. When the cargoes arrive at Erith
to be unloaded the barrels are removed by hand from
the barge to the jetty, placed on a wooden truck,
and drawn by hand into the magazine. The tram-
way on the jetty is made of wood, the truck wheels
are of gun metal, and the nails employed are of copper,
and the workmen wear slippers of soft leather made
expressly for the service. All the men engaged on
the fatal occasion are spoken of as tried, trust worthy,
and intelligent servants. Then how did the catas-
trophe come about ? Nobody can tell. Not even a
conjecture was hazarded. All we know is that
whereas these barges on their trips rely on wind
alone like the wherries of fifty years since, and are
therefore sometimes several days on the voyage, that
delay did occur on the occasion before us. The vessels
had been despatched from Faversham on Monday
the 26th of September, and did not arrive at Erith
to unload till atarday the Ist of October. Conse-
quently the men had been a week afloat, and though
the standing orders about fire and lights were
thoroughly understood the manager of the Faver-
sham-mills acknowledged that he "could not say
what the men did when they got away." Now, as
it does seem to be believed, though it has not
been proved, that the first explosion occurred in
one of the barges, and was thus communicated to
the magazine, as the barges bad stoves and were
provided probsbly with fuel and matches, and as
the men had been six days on board, it appears to
have been conjectured by the jury that, perhaps,
some use was made of fire or light. That, at least,
we surmise from She questions put to the witnesses,
and from the opinion appended to the verdict, that
" the practice of allowing stoves or lights of any
description on board gunpowder barges should be
discontinued." Still it would be unjust to forget
that no evidence to such effect was produced; that
excellent characters were given of the men em-
ployed ; and that, for all we can tell, they were
working strictly according to rule in the discharge
of their perilous duties. Mr. Hall mentioned that
the wooden rails of the jetty were crossed by a
public footpath, which had "always been objection.
able ;" and there is a possibility that something at
this point might have caused ignition as the powder
was drawn over it ; but here the scope of conjecture
terminates. It is a horrible characteristic of these
catastrophes that the witnesses can tell no tales.
The reader should observe that even if the very
bodies on which the inquests are held could speak
once more there could be little learnt from the evi-
dence. These corpses do not represent the men in the
barges, nor the men on the jetty, nor the men in the
magazine. Of these poor creatures there is not a
relic surviving, unless it be in some ghastly frag-
ments of humanity which have been picked up here
and there. The body of Rayner, the storekeeper,
was forthcoming, for be, it seems, after giving
directions about the unloading, had gone back to
his cottage to get his breakfast when the explosian
occurred. That, at least, is presumed from the fact
that his ordinary shoes were found on his feet, and
not the leather slippers which he would have
worn on duty. As to the rest, there are the
bodies of helpless wives and children who were near
enough to be killed but not quite near enough to be
annihilated. The real witnesses are as far beyond
the reach and ken as the witnesses of the Deluge.
We might as well ask for evidence about the Siberian
Mammoth as seek for any direct testimony to the
origin of the catastrophe at Belvedere. We can
hardly see that much more is to be gained in the
way of security for the future. The ingenious Rig-
gestion of the Coroner that the ingredients of gun-
powder might be kept separate till the article was
needed for use, and then mixed "like a seidlitz
powder," was promptly negatived by the experienced
witnesses, and though I,ooolb, of gunpowder might
undoubtedly do less mischief than 100,0001 b., it is a
question if even the smaller quantity, once exploded,
would not do as much mischief as could be imagined.
It is something like the engineer's discrimination
of railway dangers—at ordinary speed the train
might be knocked into small pieces; at express
speed into very small pieces. Moreover, the distri-
bution of an Itt stores would multiply the risks in
number while it lessened each one in particular. So
long as gunpowder is in demand, it must be manu-
factured somewhere and stored somewhere, nor is
it probable that the management of so destruvive
an agent can ever be free from danger. Still it is
well to tarn this disaster to account if possible, and
see whether any precautions can be devised beyond
those already in use. The inhabitants of Erith are
naturally anxious on the subject after the desolation
they have witnessed and the alarm they have under-
gone, and there is another inquest pending on the
spot which may elicit useful suggestions. The
arrangements of this fearful trade must have been
somewhat carefully matured if Mr. Hall could say
that neither in the factory nor the barges had there
ever been an explosion before ; but this is a matter
in which no conceivable improvement should be
left unconsidered, and we can only hope that some
ultimate advantage may attend so terrible a
catastrophe.
POST.—The intelligence transmitted by the
American mail is partly of a military and partly
of a political character. Fortune continues to
favour the Federal arms in Virginia, Early having
sustained another defeat—whilst as regards the
Presidential contest its limits are becoming every
day more circumscribed. No one supposes that the
rebellion will be crushed before the middle of the
month of November, and, therefore, howeversalis-
factory it may be to the Government at Washington
to bo able to record victories, even though at the
eleventh hour, the practical effect on the issue of
the election will be inappreciable. It
;juncture,
uita
is,however,.uncre. it
a little singular that, at the present
should for the first time be in the power of the
Federal Government to point to successes in a State
which, considering the measures taken for its sub-
jugation, ought long since to have been brought
within the sphere of the Federal dominion. Vir.

e
ginia is separated from Wier: gland only by a 11%t
and its northwestern panic ,n has been constitute
by the Federal Government a distinct State,.,.eus
nevertheless it is in the foy,rth year of the war w.. 0
we find the Admit2istratie.n of Mr Lincoln cong;„(
tulating themselves on r ictories gained within:;
miles of Federal territor . As Mr Lincoln has :11
merely intimated his in' ention of again seeking i 0
suffrages of his fellow-c itizens, but stands n° ,b,
different chance of b g placed at the head of
Be,
poll, every victory gal, 'ned by the armies of the f.t
public redounds to the credit of his Governor
and recommends it to 'e favourable consideraTft
of the people. During the past three months, thel
Lincoln's principal objet lt has been to avow. I
confession of failure, and to this consideration
_lt
probably owe the continues '1 occupation of the ant
and south banks of the James River by °eh,
but wi
The Federal General can do nothing,
far too politic to say so officially. No one, to he
have already observed, is so sanguine aseii
lieve that the Government; will be able. durleg4ooe
present tenure of office to bring the war to
able-tc
but it would be gratifying to tile latter to be are
show that now, at least, military
being conducted with efficiency and ,succest otittl
are inclined to think the voting at Prestu,,ewhat
elections in the United States teltes place egs, "ttoes
like that at many of our Parliamentary e'ee 5510
here, namely, with an almost tot al indiffert'ness of
the personal feelings and political prejmliceas $
either of the candidates. The Republica.° prats
class will support Mr Lincoln, and the nent,e; en.
General M'Ciellan, whereas both will pro balw.c,osA
tertain the same opinions in respect to t e'it
operations iv
dienoy or inexpediency of prosecuting the witcer•
is not likely that upon this latter point mni?,ll".ture
sity of opinion exists, but it is simply humailns,,,tot
that a political faction should endeavour to erl",:sed
the conduct of affairs to those who are its rec
chiefs, and who, if in power, would be both a bleu the
willing to furnish substantial recompense fe,, by
favours they had received. The defeat sustal'''oo
Early in the neighbourhood of Winchester aPile at
to have been even more disastrous than it w4hoo.
first supposed to be. The loss suffered by the ~
federates is now shown to have been so serious; aloe
entirely destroy the efficiency of their army eirio•
for the purposes of attack or defence. Sher'' the
fully appreciating the value of his victory 011„0
18th of September, hastened in pursuit of his ei",i'd
nent, and drove him to bay in the middle p asse-,01
the Shenandoah Valley. After having eva one' $
Winchester, the Confederates retreated i°,lo/
southerly direction along the course of the 01' ea
intil they reached Strasburg. Here they forriel
in line of battle, and seem to have been detern'&;bo
to dispute the farther advance of the Federals.
Southern forces under the command of Early :10
tended from the North Fork (one of the twe 51,70
effluents which, meeting at Front Royal form l'ot
Shenandoah River), on the right, to the Bras',Bl
Motetain, which constitutes the northernly
continuation of the Shenandoah mountains, on t'hf
left, a position which, no doubt with the vier of
enhancing their 'victory, the North describes nr
having been almost impregnable. The right_ ea
the Federal army was entrusted to the coran3t3,
of General Crook, and he, successfully outfiank;i37,.
the Confederate left, threw his troops in be rear of the entrenched lines which had 'l;4
constructed by the Southern General, and in tel
manner compelled their evacuation. Attac'-re
both in front and rear, the Confederates Wet
obliged to retreat, which they did with a loss
sixteen guns and a large number of men slaill,.s°r
1
made prisoners. On the following day the Fene—r-
General despatched a large force of cavalry in 13e,;40
suit of the flying foe, but there is reason to belle:
that Early made good his retreat into Central 17'1.;
ginia. The withdrawal of Fremont and Coebra,lh,"/
from the Presidential canvass reduces the nom-,l
candidates to two—Mr. Lincoln and Genera
M'Clellan ; whilst the resolution of the retiv,oie
Democrats to support the soldier augurs favourshv
for his success. Fernando Wood and Vallandielt
c
ham have announced their intention of abiding "
the resolutions to which they gave their adhesie
at Chicago, and their immediate followers have ci„e.
tided on following their example. The apprehf";
sion of once more seeing the Republicans owe 0
victory to a schism in their ranks operated Sto
strongly as to lead the principal Democrats
merge their own differences. There was no opP°'i
tunity of convening the chiefs of the party a see,e)egt
time at Chicago, nor was it by any means ele:0
that, had the Convention been revived, a candids'
would have been found equally suitable to the re;
spective advocates of war and peace. The Pesetr
Democrats have, like real patriots, conceded the:
points of dispute, rather than see those evil coast:
quences which inevitably ensue when a house ?Is
divided against itself. The position of affairs la
certainly not worse at present than it was on
„ti;
occasion of the last Presidential election. I'
Lincoln at that time commanded the undivin-g
allegiance of the entire Republican party. It;
extremely doubtful, however, if he does so Iv";
There must be no small number of his fortes;
friends and adherents who disapprove of the page.'
he has pursued, and who, however willing to bens:
fit by the patronage their votes may heretofor.
have entitled them to, prefer now to cast in Oleic
lot with those at whose hands they can esPec+,
nothing. Observers on the other side of the Al;
lantio do not pretend to form an opinion regardiee
the person who will prove the successful candidate:
and in this respect we will imitate their reticence.
Whoever may be Chief Magistrate of the RePn,;'bh
,p
-
will, however, act wisely if he inaugurates a po"a
entirely different from that which has been pursued
by the present Administration.