The Sun.
London, England, 1864-08-31 00:00:00

CENTRAL WALES.

The half yearly meeting of this company was held in
Shrewsbury on Monday—Sir C. IL Boughton in the chair.
The report stated that the works of the railway have been
so far completed as to admit of the permanent way being
need continuously from Knighton for a distance of 17 miles,
and the other portions of the works were in a forward state,
and the line would be ready for traffic early in October. Thu
amalgamation of the company with the Knighton, un the
opening of the Central Wales Extension line to Llandovoy,
was sealed by this company and the Central Wales Com-
pany on July 4. The directors expected that the through
traffic would prove of considerable advantage to the amal-
gamated companies.
In moving the adoption of the report,
The CHAIRMAN said it was a matter of great satisfaction
to the directors to be able to give so favourable an account
of the progress of the works. A short time ago the direc-
tors themselves went over the line as far as Llandrindod,
and were well satisfied with the substantial character of
the works. Ho thought the amalgamation would be bene-
ficial to the company. lie had only to add that every pos-
sible exertion was being made to forward the completion of
the works, and they were looking forward very hopefully
to the success that would attend their opening.

Mr G. PRICE, M.P., seconded the motion, and it was
agreed to unanimously.

CENTRAL WALES EXTENSION.

The half yearly meeting was held on Monday at Shrews-
bury—Sir C. R. Boughton in the chair.
The report stated that the works had made considerable
progress during the past six months. The tunnel at the
Sugar Loaf had made steady progress, the cutting at the
south end being completed. The works at the north end
had been delayed by the difficulties of contending with the
water. The Neath and Brecon Company's Bill for tho ex-
tension of their lino to the company's line at Llangawmareh
received the Royal assent during the past se.sion, and the
agreement had been sealed between the two cumpaniss for
the interchange of traffic.
The CHAIRMAN moved the adoption of the report, and
congratulated the shareholders on the successful progress
of the works, and upon the completion of the arrangements
with the Neath and Brecon Company.
Mr G. PRICE, M.P., seconded the motion, which was
carried unanimously.

Mr W. F. Maitland and Sir C. R. Boughton, the retiring
directors, were re-elected.

Mr J. Green, the retiring auditor, was re-elected.

The CHAIRMAN said the next resolution he had to pro-
pose was that £120,000 in ordinary £lO shares be created,
in accordance with the company's Act of 1863.

Mr G. PRICE second.d the motion, and it was carried
unanimously.

The directors were authorised to borrow, when neces-
sary, £40,000, on the security of the company's debenture
bonds.

This motion was also agreed to, and the meeting separated.

COLNE VALLEY AND HALSTEAD.

The half-yearly meeting of this company was held at
Halstead on Monday—Mr J. Brewster in the chair.
The report was taken as road.
The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the report,
stated that the revenue account had been prepared, but as
there was a difference of opinion between the secretary and
the auditors as to some of the items being properly charged
to revenue, it had not yet been settled. The result was not
so favourable as could have been wished, although as much
so as could have been expected in presence of all the interests
acting adversely to the company. A staff was required for
working a line of 20 miles as if it had been much longer.
In fact, it had become evident that some arrangement must
be come to either with the Great Eastern Company or some
other company. Negotiations were pending with that com-
pany which he had reason to hope would result in arrange-
ments satisfactory to all parties.

The lion. Major VEREKEB, seconded the adoption of the
report, which, atter some discussion, was adopted, and the
proceedings closed with a vote of thanks to the directors.

Explosion of a Federal Ammunition Ship.

The correspondent of the .New York Tribune
gives the following account of the explosion of gun-
powder 'on board a Federal ammunition boat, at
City Point, James River, on the 9th inst.:--

At the main steamboat landing here, where the mailboat
lands, there ia—what's left of it—a substantial new pine
wharf, a third of a mile or so in length along the river.
Behind this, 10 or 12 feet from the edge of it, ran a mam-
moth now pine Government warehouse, nearly the length
of the wharf, and opposite the ammunition section of this
warehouse lay the barge Major-General Meade, loaded with
condemned stores, including ammunition. Outside of her
the ammunition barge J. E. Kendrick, loaded with fixed
ammunition for distribution, and outside of or near her the
J. C. Campbell, loaded with commissary stores, with other
boats and vessels close around and above and below.
On the morning of the explosion, while sitting on the walk-
board along the top of a car, I heard a deafening shock, as
of the terrific explosion of a monster shell near me, and felt
as if the concussion of the air were bending me involuntarily
over on the deck of the car, as a plant bending before the
storm. My first thought was that an ammunition car had
exploded just ahead of the one I was on, but it proved to be
the ammunition car J. E. Kendrick that had exploded from
the careless handling of percussion shells or some other
kind of ammunition, it is supposed. No one that was aboard
of the boat remains to tell the tale of her destruction. Yea
have read of eruptions of Vesuvius, such as buried Her-
culaneum and Pompeii ; you have seen illustrations of
them in the books. This must have been such an explo-
sion as one of these, except that, instead of lava and
duet and ashes, it rained over the circle of a mile,
in whose packages and by piecemeal, everything you
can imagine at a military depot. Entire boxes of
flied ammunition came down among the tents in the
town a quarter of a mile distant, and scarcely a tent or
house or boat can be found within the circle of a mile
solid shot, or small that is not riddle- by shell,
ammu-
nition. The massive plee wharf, which was bolted down
upon piles and sleepers of pine teen, is lastshed aside for
about a third of its length, as if it had been made of the
paper I write on, while the substantial plank wareLousey
with massive beams, built for at least a quarter of a cen,
tury, has been crushed nearly its entire length as if it had
been a.lady's bandbox. The pine board row in which
were the post-office, Adams's express office, and a quar-
termaster's office, was also crushed—but fortunately, or
rather, miraculously, none of its occupants were seriously
injured. The neighbouring sutlers, while equally unfor-
tunate in the demolition of their establishments, were
equally lucky is the safety of their persons, with perhaps
ono or two exceptions, which will be found in the accom-
panying list of casualties. Every frame house in the town
was jarred by the concussion alone to the extent of having
its inside plastering knocked off, besides other damage by
missiles, &o. Against the hotisz.,,s and other obstructions
near the wharf, and even upon the hill, hundreds, and
perhaps thousands, of broken, twisted, and splintered
muskets and such d6bria lay in heaps :like straw drifted
by the wind, and all over the ground for at least a
quarter of a mile from the scene of the explosion the shell,
solid shot, grape, canister, musket, and minie balls, pieces
of shells, naile. screws, bolts and bolt heads, and fragments
of almost everything wooden, iron and leaden you can think
of, are strewn and drifted like hail and chunks of ice imme-
diately after a dreadful hailstorm. Up on the hill, 200 yards
from the scene of the explosion I noticed a shattered musket,
among re any others lying around, stuck muzzle downwards
into the hard street to the depth of more than a foot, and so
tight that it could not be pulled out by any one man. This

was near where the twisted section of a boat keel lay.
Everywhere are seen the rents, dents, deep abrasions and
scarred furrows of the iron and leaden storm. The thou-
sandth part cannot be told. And now for the casualties.
How many were blown into into the river, from the Ken-
drick, never to be heard of, is not known, but probably they
will not exceed a dozen or so. The captain of the Kendrick
is safe, having been absent at the time of the explosion on
another boat. 'f he other boats entirely destroyed and sunk
were the General Meade and the J. C. Campbell. The un-
fortunate fellows on board the Kendrick were mostly
3oloured labourers, and some of their remains were blown to
various parts of the town. Various theories aro afloat as to
the cause of the explosion. Some say the careless handling
of ammunition, others an old-time torpedo ; some surmise a
rebel spy in the matter, while others attribute tho disaster
to a rebel shell or shot from across the river. The entire
loss of property by the explosion is estimated at about two
millions. The noise of the explosion was heard for many
miles around, further than any artillery, and the smoke
ascending was taken, 30 or 40 miles down the river, for the
conflagration of Petersburg or Richmond. Vast water-
spouts were thrown up, which, mingling with the powder,
cinders, and ashes, caused a black pasty shower, with the
other debris,