The Sun.
London, England, 1865-09-28 00:00:00

Liverpool Cotton Market—This Day.

Market rather quite. Sales probably 15,000
bales.

A HOUSE BLOWN Ur.—At midday on Tuesday a
fearful explosion of gunpowder took place at a house
on the Butts, near St. Augustine's Church, Bristol. The
house containedfour rooms, two of which are on the ground
floor. It has been tenanted during the last three years by
Mr. and Mrs. Floyd, who for a considerable time have ma-
nufactured fireworks. They had to complete a large order
by Staturday next in anticipation of tho Ist November, and
yesterday morning, while Mrs. Floyd and a little boy were
engaged upon some portion of the work in a downstair
room, Mr. Floyd and two boys, Thomas Harris, aged 12
and Henry Elliott, aged 10, were in an upstair room used
as a workshop. Mr. Floyd was cutting out the cases, and
on one side of him the boy Harris was ramming some
powder into a tube or case, while. Elliott, the other, boy,
was engaged upon some portion of the work on the. other
side. There was a quantity of powder on the bench in
front of them, and from this heap the boys were taking the
powder to fill the cases. Suddenly, from some unexplained
cause, while Harris was ramming the powder into a case it
exploded, burning his face in a frightful manner, and
igniting the various inflammable articles around him. The
flames caught the clothes of Mr. Floyd, and were soon
communicated to the heap of powder on the bench be-
tween him and Elliott. This powder exploded, and
the room was quickly in flames. The fire reached the
staircase, near which was stored a barrel of powder. This
exploded with a tremendous report, the shock being so vio-
lent that the whole of the house, from roof to basement,
was blown down, and the occupants of the upstair rooms
were blo*n into the street. Floyd's clothes were then in
flames, and it is stated that he was about to rush madly down
towards the river, when some of the neighbours stopped
him. A police-constable was quickly on the spot, and he
hastened to give the alarm to the Ere-offices and police-
stations, as the rafters and other portions of the ruins of
Floyd's house were burning fiercely, and the flames were
extending to the house adjoining it. Beyond some violent
bruises Mrs. Floyd and the little boy who was at work
with her downstairs had a most miraculous escape. Police-
constable 121 (Wickham), at once conveyed Harris to the
Infirmary in a cab ; Mr. Floyd was taken there by a Mr.
Latham, and Elliott was carried to the institution imme-
diately afterwards. The fire reels were quickly on the
spot, and in a very short time the fire was extinguished.
The violence of the shock was so great that windows in
four or five of the houses adjoining Floyd's were forced
out and broken to pieces. The narrow thoroughfare was
completely broken up and rendered impassable by the rub-
bish. Mr. Floyd was burnt about the body in a fearful
manner. Harris was frightfully burnt about the face,
head, and arms, and Elliott, though badly injured, was not
burnt so much as the others. The boys live in St. George's-
road. The sufferers remain in the infirmary, and, on in-
quiry yesterday afternoon, the reporter was informed that
Floyd and Harris were in a very critical condition, and
that Elliott was progressing favourably.