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

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 the ex-
tension of their line to the company's line at Llangammarch
received the Royal assent during the past se:sion, and the
agreement had been sealed between the two companies for
the interchange of traffic.
Tho CIIIIRMAN 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 IV. 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. Puicu seconchd the motion, and it was carried
unanimously,
The directors were authorised to borrow, when neces-
sary, £lO,OOO, on the security of the company's debenture
bonds.

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

COLNE VALLEY AND HALSTEAD.

Tho half-yearly meeting of this company was held at
Halstead on Monday—Mr J. Brewster in the chair.
The report was taken as read.
The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the report,
stated that the revenue account had been pr epared, 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 Hon. Major VEREKER 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 hero, where the mailboat
lands, there is—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 shook, 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 iust ahead of the one I was on, but it proved to be
trio ammunition car .1 nenarucs. twat had exploded trom
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. You
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
dust 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
fixed 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
that is not riddled by shell, solid shot, or small ammu-
nition. The massive pine wharf, which was bolted down
upon piles and sleepers of pine trees, is brushed aside for
about a third of its length, as if it had been made of the
paper 1 write on, while the substantial plank warehouse,
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 in the safety of their persons, with perhaps
one or two exceptions, which will be found in the accom-
panying list of casualties. Every frame how in the town
was jarred by the concussion alone to the extent of having
its inside plastering knocked off, besides other damage by
missiles, &e. Against the houses and other obstructions
near the wharf, and oven upon the hill, hundreds, and
perhaps thousands, of broken, twisted, and splintered
muskets and such debris 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 minis balls, pieces
of shells, nails. 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 ill 11312.•
diat3ly after a dreadful hailstorm. Up on the hill, 200 yards
from the s( one of the explosion I noticed a shattered musket,
among many others lying around, stuck muzzle downwards
into the hard street to the depth of more than a foot, and so
that it could not be pulled out by any ono 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, haring been absent at the time of the explosion on
another boat. Theo Cher boats entirely destroyed and sunk
were the General Meade and the J. C. Campbell. Tho un-
fortunate fellows on board the Kendrick were mostly
coloured labourers, and some of their remains were blown to
various parts of the town. Various theories are 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 the 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,