The Sun.
London, England, 1870-06-20 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY MORNING, JUNE 20, 1870.

SPIRIT OF THE PRESS-THIS MORNING.
THE LAND BILL.

The Times considers that the main scheme of the
Irish Land Bill is generally recognised and approved,
It is an agricultural bill. It secures tenants in the
agricultural occupation of their holdings, not by
virtue of the mere good will of landlords,—a
guarantee always liable to interruption—but by
the scale of penalties. The substitution of law for
usage may, as Lord Derby said, produce greater strict-
ness of relations, but " short reckonings" make " long
friends," and we are confident that the greater security
the bill affords, obtained as it may be by limiting the land-
lord's power, will still be so beneficial to his interests that
the general rise of rents Lord Derby predicted will
fellow and be cheerfully borne. We have the satis-
faction of seeing a great work about to be accomplished.
The Lord Chancellor acknowledged on Friday night that
he had never voted for any of Mr. Sharman Crawford's
bills, and he took shame to himself at the retrospect. It
may be confessed that we are none of us free to look back
in this matter, but we may look forward with hope that
our task, however tardily undertaken, will prove to be a
clay-spring of peace to Ireland.

THE EXPLOSION AT WALTHAM ABBEY

MILLS.
THREE MORE DEATHS.
The explosion at the Royal Gunpowder Mills at Wal-
tham Abbey, which caused the death of James Reeves
and Lewis Wilson, has resulted since in the death of
Charles Simpson, a labourer, 35 years of age, of Abraham
Homes, likewise 35 years of age, and John Ward, aged
51 years. These three poor men, all received severe con-
tusions, and their ribs, &c., were fractured. Ward was
also much burned.
On Saturday afternoon, Mr. C. C. Lewis, one of the
coroners of the county of Essex, held inquests at the
offices of Colonel Younghusband, the superintendent of
the works, on the bodies of all the deceased excepting
Simpson, whose death tooleiplace in Hertfordshire.
The interest in the proceedings for many of those pre-
sent seemed to turn upon the question whether in the
event of an explosion of the large quantity of gunpowder,
admittedly kept at the works, Waltham Abbey would not
be blown to pieces. The inhabitants, it would appear,
have for some years past entertained apprehensions onthe
point, and have even sent a deputation to the War-office,
to make representations on the subject.
William Adams, master worker at the Royal Gunpowder
Works, deposed that on Thursday morning at a quarter
past ten o'clock he saw Reeves and Homes enter the press-
house. He called out to them, and asked them how they
were getting on, and they replied " All right." He then
went to his office, and at a quarter-past eleven o'clock he
heard the sound of two distinct explosions. He ran out,
and went to the spot whence the sound proceeded, and he
found that the press-house and the corning-house near
to it had blown up. He saw several men struggling in
the water of the River Lea close by. He subsequently
saw the bodies of two menwho were killed on the in-
stant. He could form no opinion as to the cause of the
explosion.
Thomas Carter, first-class labourer, said that he was at
work in the corning-house, near the press-house, when he
heard the latter blow up. He ran out, and saw a man
lying on the ground with his clothes on fire, who asked
him to " chuck him into the river," which witness did.
Homes was in the river, and witness helped to drag him
out.
The Coroner stated that all in the press-house lost their
lives. It was said that the men in the corning-house
owed their safety to the promptitude with which they
rushed out when the first explosion took, place. A young
man named Akres was at the window when he saw the
flash ; he leapt out, calling to the others, " Fire ! men,
fire !" The others followed him, and for the most part
got into the river just as the corning-house blew up ; but
Henry Collop, William Barker, a man named Parker,
Alfred Clapham, and James Reeves were all more or less.
badly wounded.
Mr. Edward Finlay, superintendent, stated that on
Thursday last he was at Purfleet when the explosion
took place. He immediately returned to Waltham and
saw the dying. Reeves made this statement : " I and
Holmes were in the press-house unloading the press, and it
was half unloaded when it went off." He was not able to
say more. When Simpson was asked whether he knew
how the accident occurred, he said, " I was unloading
the press, and the other men taking the powder out. I
put the stud (a copper chisel) under a cake of powder,
when I saw a spark coming from the end of the chisel
while I was pushing it under the powder and against the
copper plate. I knew when I saw the spark it was all
over with me, and it all blew up. They were all doing
their duty just as if you had been there yourself."

The witness then, at the request of the coroner, ex-
plained the process in the press-house. The powder is
placed in layers between 22 copper plates in a box, and
subjected to hydraulic pressure for 20 minutes in the
absence of the men. When the pressure is over the
machinery rings a bell and the men re-enter and take the
caked powder from the plates, using a copper chisel and a
mallet for the purpose. There were 5001bs. of powder in
the press-house when the explosion took place. Reeves
was foreman, and had been in Government employ since
1840. The witness could not account for the spark men-
tioned, and thought that Simpson imagined that he saw
one, or that he saw it after and not before the explosion.
In reference to another point the witness stated that there
were on the lower island two magazines capable of con-
taining 250 barrels of powder, but that on Thurs-
day there were only 50 barrels in one of them.
There were seven or eight other magazines. The powder
that blew up was used for large guns. The jury anxiously
cross-examined the witness as to the quantity of gunpow-
der usually kept at the works, and one of them elicited
the startling fact that there were 5,0001b5. of powder
close to his own house. The jurors expressed their
opinion that there was quite powder enough to blow up
the whole of Waltham Abbey.
Colonel Charles Younghusband stated that he saw
Simpson, and heard from him about the spark made by
the copper chisel. Such a thing was only possible where
a particle of extraneous matter such as a grain of sand or
an atom of iron got under the chisel. But it was impos-
sible that such a thing could happen in the ordinary way,
for every precaution was taken. The men were stripped,
and made to change their clothes before entering. No
precautions, however, were taken with their beards or hair.
He thought that Waltham Abbey would not be destroyed
by the explosion of the magazines ; Enfield would suffer
more.
The Coroner said that the jurors could use their own
common sense as to the danger to Waltham Abbey. For
his own part he would not care to live near it.
A juror said that on Thursday, at Cheshunt, a boy was
knocked down by the explosion, and an orange tree
capped in two.
Mr. F. A. Abel, F.R.S., chemist, said that he visited
the factory frequently. The copper could not of itself
have caused a spark. If a particle of grit dropped
from the hair or beard of a workman it might occasion a
spark, and such grit might be got while walking along the
road. Only the windows of the houses in Waltham Abbey
would be broken by an explosion.
Colonel Younghusband desired to state that there were
only 1,666 barrels of powder at the factory. Each barrel
contained 100 pounds of powder.
Dr. Reed, surgeon to the works, described the fearful
injuries of the deceased men.
The Coroner, in summing up, said that usually in such
cases no evidence as to the cause of explosion could be
got. The statement of Simpson was, however, very re-
markable, and the copper chisel might have produced the
spark if, as suggested, a particle of grit had got by any
means amongst the powder.
The jury returned a verdict of " Accidental death" in
each case.
An inquest was opened on Saturday evening, at the
Moulders' Arms, Waltham-lane, by Mr. Longmore,
coroner for Hertfordshire, on the body of Charles Simp-
son, aged 35 years.
Sergeant Hammond, 9 N, identified the deceased as one
of the workmen at the Royal Factory. He died on
Friday night.
This case was adjourned for further evidence.

SHOCKING ACCIDENT AT NORTH
WOOLWICH.

Yesterday (Sunday) morning a shocking accident oc-
curred at the works of Mr. Hendy, telegraphic engineer,
North Woolwich, to a workman named William Brown,
25 years of age. It appears that he was working at a
crane, when, from some cause at present unknown, the
chain slipped, and he lost his hold of the handle, which
flew ronnd with great velocity, striking him with such
force in the chest as to hurl him some distance. Medical
aid was procured, and it was found that moat of his ribs
were fractured, and the chest bone stove in, and it was
necessary to convey him to the London Hospital, where
he now lies in a very precarious condition.

DESPERATE ATTEMPT TO MURDER.—At the Derby
Police-court, on Saturday, James Allen, aged 21, was
charged with attempting to murder Mrs. Ebury. Shortly
before five o'clock on Saturday morning the accused went
to the station-house at Derby and told the constable on
duty that he believed he had murdered a woman, adding
that " he had done it because he wanted to be sent off."
On proceeding to the house indicated by the prisoner, the
police found that the accused had broken into the pre-
mises, and had beaten Mrs. Ebury severely about the
head with a hammer as she lay in bed. No motive is
assigned for the crime. The accused was remanded until
the injured woman is able to appear. She with her chil-
dren was to have left on Saturday for Hull, en route for
St. Petersburgh, to join her husband, who fills a good
situation tbere. _ _

-
CRYSTAL PALACE DOG SHOW.—The show Will
open to-morrow (Tuesday), the day of the great Review of
Boys by H.S.H. the Prince of 'Peck, and will remain
open until Friday, inclusive. The show will be open each
day from 10 till dusk. To-morrow the jugging will take
place in public. Every precaution has been taken to
ensure thorough ventilation, the greater portion of the
exhibition being held under canvas. The principal
features of the show will be Mr. E. E. Holford's blood-
hounds ; Mr. T. R. Lewis's pack of harriers ; Mr. J. H.
Murchison's 20 fox terrier. ; the Rev. Mr. Macdona's St,
Bernard. ; Mr. S. Long'. setters ; Mr. Frank Robinson's
celebrated champion dog, " Turk" (recently bought for
2450) ; the Bedlington terriers ' • and the pet dogs. The
Drill Review, in which nearly 3,500 boys will take part,
will take place at two o'clock, after which the boys will
compete in swimming and other gymnastic exercises.

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plied in casks and cases for home use or exportation. Quotations
on application to Messrs DUNVILLE & Co. Royal Irish Dis-
tilleries, Belfast ; or at their Loudon Offices, 4, Beaufort Buildings
Strand, W.E.

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE

LYONS • RACES-SUNDAY.
DEFEAT OF BLUE GOWN.

Grand Prix de Lyon of 801 sovs, added to a sweepstakes of
20 soya each, h ft. About miles.
- - -

M. Delatre's Massiuissa, 4 yrs, 3st 131 b (Watkins) 1
M. Fould's Minotaure, 3 yrs, 7st 101 b (Heslop) 2
Count de Lagrange's Gabler, 3 yrs, Bst 21b... ......... 3
Capsule, Contrebande, and Blue Gown also ran. Betting
—Even agst Blue Gown.