The Sun.
London, England, 1864-10-05 00:00:00

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gunpowder whip

PRICE ..4d;
STAMPED....Sd.

fled, he could aek as many questions as he chose. He then
announced that he would do the vest trick, which Fay would
seldom do before a public audience, but reserved for the edifi-
cation of believers, in private circles, as the spirits had told
him that it was too mysterious and sublime for unbelieving
eyes to behold. About this time, the Fays began to show
strong symptoms of wishing they were somewhere else; but
still 11. Melville put as good a face on matters as possible.
It was evident the sympathies of the audience were fast
running towards the Itcv. Mr Dobbs.. Ho was succeeding
admirably. A vest was borrowed from a gentleman in the
audience and placed in the boy, not in reach of the operator
—for it must be remembered that during all these demon-
strations he was not only tied tightly down to his seat by
strong cords, but his hands and feet were so securely
fastened that it seemed almost impossible for him to move.
The doors were closed, the room darkened, and on less than
a minute he called for light, and there was a vest, with one
arm of the operator passed through the armhole, and his
hands still tied as tightly as before. The applause now
was deafening, and the heads of the Fays and some of their
more ardent admirers, and firm believers came down
another peg. The great flour test seemed to be Fay's
best holt, as he had alluded to it ones or twice dur-
ing the evening, Mr Dobbs now gave notice that he
would attempt it. The committee placed in each of his
tied hands a small portion of flour, and in less than two
minutes the spirit hand and other demonstrations were
made, but when the doors were opened he walked upon the
stage with the full amount of flour still in his hands, The
audience now rose in one wild shout. The wonderful and
miraculous "flour test" was triumphantly accomplished.
Down went the crest of the Flays and their friends another
notch.

Dobhs then proceeded to explain to the audience; the,
whole minute of these tricks. He was tied in a chair by the
committee on the stage, in the full glare of the gaslight,
where all had a good view, and untied himself with the
greatest ease, and in a very short space of time, He demon-
strated fully how the knots were tied, and lucidly explained
how the " tricks in the box" were accomplished. He did
many more remarkable things during the evening_than we
have mentioned, but as they are done in a similar way it is
unnecessary to go into further detail. Suffice it to say that
it was a most searching, thorough, and successful exposi-

tion of one of the boldest humbugs ever practised upon a
confiding community, and the Rev. Mr Dobbs deserves the
thanks of all who hold religion sacred, and we hope he will
not give up the good work commenced, but will follow not
only Fay, but the Davenport Boys, and expose them in
every town in which they may attempt to exhibit.
It seems that Fay is an old practitioner, and has been
often exposed, though never so thoroughly as by the Rev.
Mr Dobbs, who showed him up in the winter of 1863, hav-
ing been appointed on the committee to examine Foy, who
was then giving exhibitions at Titusville, and having dis-
covered the modus operandi of the affair at that time he fol-
lowed the fellow up, through Western Pennsylvania, ex-
posing him everywhere, and driving him out of the country
into the east. He received a splendid gold watch for his
efforts in the matter.

It is to be hoped that this revelation will open the eyes
of the people to the manifold devices which the Davenport
Boys and other mediums are constantly palming off upon
them. Let them no longer be deceived.

NEWSPAPER

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;counts rendered by titi pralctig
es, who are best able to speak upon

appears that the whole quantity of

ich was exploded amounted to about

1,040 barrels, or 104,0001 b, there being 100 lb to a
barrel. Of this, 75,0001 b were stored in the maga-

zinc of Messrs. Hall, 20,0001 b in their barges which
were being unloaded nt the time of the erplosior,

and 9,0001 b in the depot of Lowood Gunpowder
Company, or which is commonly known as that of

Messrs. Days-Barker and Co., the previous ownez

The Lowood Company were expecting a large sup•

ply of powder from their mills at Newton-in Cart.

met, Lancashire, which had been delayed through

export and other orders deliverable at their other
depots.
Their magrzine at Belvedere was about 40 felt
long by 30ft in width, and consisted of two floors.

It was erected about four years ago, and stood at a
distance of 60 or 70 yards from that of Messrs.

Hall. Like that, too, it had a wooden jetty pro-

jeeting into the river for the loading and unloading
of gunpowder. No one had entered it on the morn.

ing of the explosion.
The number of persons killed and wounded by
the explosion has now also been ascertained with

tolerable accuracy. Five have died, and there are
five mere missing—namely, a man named Wright,
who was employed 'as under.storekeeper at the

magazine of Messrs. Hall, and four men who navi.
gated the two barges that blew up. The names of
the latter are William Jemmett, master, and Luke
Barker, mate, of the barge Good Design; and
John Dodson, captain, and Daniel Wise, mate, of
the barge Harriet. The dead are George Rayner,

storekeeper at the magazine of Messetklialli loho,
Yar-ki,Tt-boy orf 5, -6, ilitiyed there ; Elizabeth

Wright,-about the same age, daughter of the miss-
ing under-storekeeper; and John Hubbard and

James Eaves. The two last named were labouring
men, unconnected with the magazines, but who
were engaged in constructing a river wall in their
immediate vicinity. At the time of the explosion
they were collecting their tools in an outhouse at-
tached to the cottage of Walter Silver, the store-

keeper at the Lowood magazine, preparatory to
beginning work for the day. Seven of the sufferers

are at Guy's Hospital, and ali doing well, with one

exception. There are also a few others in and

about Erith who are more or less injured. One of
these, John Simms, a boy of 11, was gathering
mushrooms, with an elder brother, at the time of

the explosion, about 100 yards from the principal
magazine. He sustained serious injuries, but his

brother escaped unhurt. He was struck on the
head with what he thought was a brick, and which

,ore off the scalp at the back and depressed a por•

lion of the skull partly upon the brain, He is now
under treatment by Dr. Tipple, of Erith, and hopes
are entertained that he may recover. William
Yorke, aged 6 years, a younger brother of the boy
John Yorke, who was killed, was picked up among
the ruins just after the explosion, badly injured.
Two pieces of wood about two inches and a half
long, and one a quarter and the other half an inch
thick, have since been extracted from his head,
where they were completely buried, and one of
which pressed upon the brain. Captain M‘Killop
kindly took the poor little sufferer into his house,

where he still remains, but in a somewhat preca-

rions state. Three cbildren, between 8 and 11

years of age, were staying with Walter Silver

at the time of the explosion. One of the three,
Samuel Fletcher, his nephew, he had sent to

post a letter. The boy had just left the cottage
when the explosion was heard, and he was thrown
down and had two of his ribs broken. He
was at the moment passing the man Hubbard, who
was killed on the spot. Another of the children

escaped with a few scratches, while a third, Eliza-
beth Osborn, with whom it was playing, received
injuries from which she ;is not expected to recover.
The escape of Silver himself was little less than
miraculous► He was straining milk through a sieve
just within the back door of his cottage when he
was startled and thrown down by the first explosion
in the barge, while the second and still more ap-
pallingone in the magazine shattered the house about
his ears. He was afterwards dug out of the ruins
with a few bruises about the head and body, and
has since being going about.

A public meeting has been held in Erith with
the view to obtain compensation for the serious
damage occasioned to property in the town and
neighbourhood by the explosion, or, at all events,
protection from any similar catastrophe in future.

It was attended by the principal inhabitants of the
place, and also of Belvedere. Archdeaco❑ Smith,
the vicar, who acted as chairman, commented upon
the vast and almost overwhelming calamity which
had suddenly befallen that district. There were,
he said, some points connected with the catastrophe
which were not unworthy of remark. Among these
were the zeal and alacrity displayed by the entire
population to render every aid under the direful
circumstances, and the singular sobriety and praise•
worthy demeanour manifestechby the thousands of
persons, from remote places, whose curiosity led
them to visit the spot. They had, indeed, reason
to be thankful for that ready aid, which doubt.
less prevented a mighty river from asserting
its dominion, and again flowing over the broad
acres where it no doubt at one time found its

original bed. The great sacrifice of property
was, after all, as nothing when compared to the
sacrifice of human life ; and he hoped it would go
forth to the world that the sympathy of that meet-
ing with their fallen brethren was paramount. He
conceived that the meeting had assembled for two
objects. First, it desired to make a well-considered
and temperate expression of regret, or he might ino
deed say remonstrance, against the re-erection of
powder factories so near populous localities ; and
they wished also to consider the question of loss and
compensation, and to come to some decision as to
who was responsible. Resolutions were afterwards
passed to the effect that the disaster clearly proved
the impropriety of large quantites of gunpowder and
other explosive materials being allowed to be mann.
factored or stored in the vicinity of populous places,
and that communications be made to the Home.
office and to the licensing magistrates, pointing out
the dangers attending the establishment of guns
powder manufactories and warehouses in such places,
and urging the discontinuance of existing licenses
and the refusal to grant new ones for such places in
future. A committee composed of 17 of the chief
inhabitants, with the Archdeacon at their head, was
appointed to carry out the objects of the meeting.
The committee was also instructed to consider the
mode of carrying gunpowder in barges and the dan-
gers attending it, as pointed out by Capt. M‘Killop,
with the view to make a proper representation to
the Government on the subject. Before separating
the meeting passed a unanimous resolution marking
their high sense of the services rendered by Mr
civil engineer, Mr Webster, the contractor
at Moore,cros
Crossness Point, and his men, and of the military
authorities at Woolwich on the sadoccasion—ser-
vices which, by the speedy restoration of the on,
bankment of the river, tended to preserve a large
district of country from inundation. It was stated
that Messrs Hall had undertaken to provide for the
widows and orphans of the men who perished by
the catastrophe.
It is but due to the authorities of the North Kent
Railway to state that in the enormous pressure put
upon them on Sunday by the thousands upon thous
sands of visitors to the scene of the calamity they
had recourse to a stringent regulation which no
doubt greatly conduced to the safety of the p:ssen-
gers in the emergency. The trains as they filled
were dispatched one after another at intervals sure
ficiently long to prevent danger from collision, but
in addition to that no train wss allowed under any
circumstances to leave a station until a telegraphic
message had been received that the train immedis
ately preceding it had left the station in advance of
it. So imperatively was this rule adhered to that
in both the down and the up journeys the trains
were often detained a considerable time at a sta.
tion, This, of course, with respect to the up-journey,
caused great delay in bringing such an enormous
number of people back to London, but it was justia
fled by the paramount consideration of the Fubtm
safety.