The Sun.
London, England, 1865-11-01 00:00:00

FURTHER PARTICULARS.

To give a clear idea of the whole calamity it is
necessary to state that at the works of the London
Gaslight Company at Nine-elms there were two
gasometers, each capable of holding, it is said, a
million cubic feet of gas, the one gasometer, called
No. 1, being about 400 ft. or 500 ft. nearer to the
river than the other, which is called No. 2. Both
gasometers were filled with gas, when, from a cause
whic'h is apparently a complete mystery to all
engaged about the works, No. 1 suddenly exploded '
with the sound of a park of artillery, shattering the

massive iron roof of the gasometer, and filling the

air all around with flames. The second gasometer
quickly caught fire and burnt with great fury, but
no greater calamity arose from this—from all that
can be gathered—than the loss of gas. The men
about the works were panic-striken for a short

time, and many endeavoured to make their escape
for their lives ; but it must be said to their honour
that seeing others in danger they returned and did
their best to rescue their comrades. The work of
destruction in the vicinity of No. 1 gasometer was
indeed complete, the whole of the new meter house,
which; before the explosion, was there now being so
completely destroyed that scarcely one brick stands
upon another; yet the fact that the building was
a solid one was shown in large masses of masonry-
like brickwork which had been heaved bodily from
their places.

Within a very short time some thirty men were
got out of the ruins, six of whom were quite dead,
and so disfigured that they could not for some time
be identified, and the others were taken at once to
St. Thomas's Hospital, where they were at once
seen by the surgeons, Mr. Le Gros Clark and Mr.
Sidney Jones. Some were only slightly injured,
and were able to leave after having their wounds
and bruises dressed ; but with about a dozen the
case was different, and these were taken in. Two
of these died soon after admittance, and it was ex-
pected that others would not survive the night.
The names of the men in the hospital are J. Harris,
J. Cox, J. Spencer, L. Collins (or Cummings), T.
Bush, S. Smith, P. Shaw, W. Newman, G. Swale,
J. Sullivan, W. Dunton, and E. Magrath. To-
wards the dusk of evening another body was found,
making nine that it was known by that time had
perished. Besides those of the injured who were
taken to the hospital, a great many were seen on
the spot by three medical gentlemen who very kindly
attended—namely, Mr. Short, of the Royal Dis-
pensary, Pimlico, Mr. Sutcliffe, and Dr. Leslie.

There were many eye-witnesses of the calamity
'or the works were close to the river, on which, al

this time of the year, there are always plenty of
passenger boats. Those who saw the explosion
describe it as one vast upheaving of flame, shooting
high in the air, with a burst which shook every-
thing around. People nearly a mile off were thrown
violently down, and persons who were in houses in
streets adjacent to the works have received some
severe burns from the heat of the flames.

From a very short time after the calamity the
place was thronged with people in the utmost state
of excitement, and they waded about the sea of
black mud with which this wretched district is
covered with the utmost indifference. By the aid
of the police all who had no business in the works
were kept from crowding about the spot, and so
were saved from accident.

Many of the directors of the company were on
the spot, and had made arrangements, it was said,
for lighting the districts supplied by them from their
other gasometers at Vauxhall, a short distance from
the scene of this explosion. The accident was quite
unlooked for, as it had been the idea of those en-
gaged in gas manufacture that a gasometer could
not explode.

Lon-
don Gaslight
On inquiry at the Nine Elms works of the
the reporter was informed that no more than the
Company, shortly before midnight,
seven bodies had been found, though a good deal of
the material of the destroyed meter-house had been
overhauled. Up to that time no satisfactory con-
clusion as to the cause of the accident has been ar-
rived at ; but it was the general opinion that the
explosion commenced in the meter-house itself, and
so communicated with the gasometer, to which it
was very close.

The districts supplied by these gssometers were,
so far as gas is concerned, in total darkness. Where
there was,a communication the Vauxhall gas works
of Ihe company gave a supply, but of course a very
limited one.

Around the gates of the works, even until 11 and
12 o'clock last night, were relatives of men employed
there, anxiously asking respecting the names of the
killed and injured. It appeared as though many
were missing, and as only 13 in all were in St.
Thomas's, the most anxious fears were awakened.
The 13th added to those in St. Thomas's was a man
named Patrick M'Cormack, and on inquiry there
late last night the information afforded was that no
more than the two who died soon after admission
had succumbed to their injuries. The names of
these two are Sidney Smith, aged 53, a foreman ;
and Patrick Shea, aged 58.

Labourers were employed all night in removing
the fallen material, and their work was carried on
by the light of huge fires lighted over the ground.