The Sun.
London, England, 1856-11-14 00:00:00

WEST FLANDERS.

The u3ual half•ytarly mee ing of this company was
head yesterday at the offices of the company in Moor.
gate-street.
The report„ from which we Interact the following, was
unanimously agreed to :

" The receipts of the whole line from the Ist of January
to the 30th of Jane last exceed those of the corresponiiing
period by 6J21., while the expenditure amounted to 14,016/.
against 13,612/. in the same period, which is explained by
the increased mileage open. The aggregate length of the
lines is now 74 miles, and they are worked at a cost of
somewhat less than 2401. per mile for the half year. The
balance of receipt over expenditure is 2,853., which,
added to the balance in hand, the Governtment guarantee,
and other small matters—and providing for the fixed
charges on the revenue—will enable the directors to
declare a dividend of 2s. 3d. per share, and leave a ba-
lance of 801. The directors have appled the interest on
the preference stock brought up under the resolution of
the general meeting of the 7th of last November, in pur-
chasing some of the company's shares, and have em-
ployed the dividande accruing from thew in the same
mariner, so that the number of shares now hel in
trust for the company amounts to 541 preference and 200
original shares, and a further purchase of 35 original shares
has since been made. The dividend of 2s. 3d. per share will
be declared at the meeting at Bulges on the 19th iust., and
will be paid at the offices of the company in London or
Bruges un and after the 27th inst. The report of Kr,. Chan.
trell, the resident director, states that the receiptson the
old line, from Bruges to Courtrai, -mounted to 249,315 f.
(9,9731.); on the new lines, from Courtrai to Poperinghe,
1 n
1 (5,6451.) ; and, from Ins,telmunster to Deyuze,
3ilig,3,tlh22et 7
' t.rlle,i2pst3B/2n;
thetog eotlhdelrine42wli,t,hB
tihf.o,(olo6f,Bt7hle).Compar
correspond-
ing period of 1855, an it.crease of 536 f. (21/4 is shown,
while, on the Courtrai and Poperinghe line there is a de-
crease of upwards of 5001. arising from passenger and mer-
chandise traffic, but since June the traffic has improved.
The balance tire by the Belgian Government for the year
1855, of 131.311 f. (5,2521.) was duly received and accounted
for. The ;ompauy's claim on the guarantee for the first six
months of 1856 is 170.176 f. (6.803.), which will be paid
shortly, the accounts having been agreed to at the corn.
mencement of this month. The whole of the lines are in
the best working order. On the 3d of January last the
Deyuze line was opened, since which time the bridge over
the Lys has continued to work perfectly. The construction
account may be considered as closed. The servants of the
company continue to fulfil their respective duties to the
satisfaction of the public. The construction account shows
that 601,9131. had been received, and 591,9611. expended,
leaving a balance of 6,9521.

FEARFUL EXPLOSION OF A LOCOMO-

TI YE.

TYNEIIOIITH, Wednesday.—Shortly before dark yes.
terday evening a fearful locomotive explosion took
place upon the Blythe and Tyne Railway, at Percy
Main, a short distance from this town. A small pilot
engine, No. 1, was in stearn standing near to the work-
shops, and according to the best accounts that can be
gathered, the pressure was at 60, and the engine was
blowing off steam plentifully. The driver and fireman
had been off the engine about a quarter of an hour,
and the fireman etas in the act of stepping on to the
tender,
when an explosion took place, and the whole of
the end of the flues of the boiler and tubes rushed
through the fire-door, and crushed him against the end
of the tender. And when what remained of him was
dragged out from the debris, nearly all appearance of
humanity had been destroyed by the steam and fire. The
shell of the engine was disconnected from the tender by
the explosion, and drive.. wiin tearful- vel city down the
line. In its flight it came in contact. with another engine,
also in steam, and, springing up, drove one of its
wheels into the sue.ke-box of the engine ; but it fortu-
nately did not injure the boiler, else another, and pro-
bably more fearful explosion must have taken place.
The shell of the pilot engine then toppled over, and the
machinery seems to be totally destroyed. The engine
the shell ran into is very much injure J, and the whe..l
of the pilot engine, which was left in its smoke-box, is
nearly aq broken to pi. ces. The name cf the unfortu-
nate fireman was Joseph Percy. He was a young man.
rne ruins of the engine bad been examined by Mr.
Lundy, the
cause,
so far, can be te•signed for the explosion. The
manager of she line, this morning, but no
end of the tube plate hai wino away at the rivets, but
the plate
be held on the body of Percy this afternoon.
appears to have been sound. An inquest will

SOUTH.*ESTERN RAILWAY EXTENSION FROM YEOVIL ,
Exeter,
miles from
TO EXETER...2r corltraC tun Mr. Taror, of Manchu-
ter, has commenced the work 4 of this line. He has
and has c,,minaced there the heavy
es-ahlished his hea -quartrrs H niton, about sixteen
works in Connection with the tunnel tb be made near
that town.