The Sun.
London, England, 1866-10-09 00:00:00

A House Blown up at Sheffield.

Yesterday morning, between five and six o'clock,
one of the most fearful outrages which has been com-
mitted in this town for some years was perpetrated
upon a house in New Hereford-street, Sheffield, which
is occupied by a man named Thomas Fearneyhough.
It seems that Fearneyhough is a saw-grinder, in the
employment of Messrs. Butcher and Co., and up to
twelve months ago he was a member of the Saw-
Grinders' Union. Circumstances took place which
induced him to leave the union, and since that time,
with the exception of one occasion, he has shown a
determination to go on his own way. He states that,
several months ago some negotiationstook place with
the view of his readmission into the society, but that
the sum which was demanded (£l3) as the price was
too large, and he broke off the treaty. Since that
time he has lived in apprehension that an attempt
would be made to injure him, and, unhappily, he
could refer to too many previous outrages upon saw-
grinders to justify his fears. On Sunday night he
went to bed with his family at the usual hour, having
first carefully fastened the small iron grate over the
entrance to the cellar. In the house there were seven
persons sleeping, and in the house behind—which is
built " back to back" with it—were other seven per-
sons. About half-past 5 o'clock, according to the
concurrent testimony of a number of persons, a loud
report was heard resembling the discharge of a small
cannon, and in an instant Fearneyhough and his
family were awakened and found their house in ruins.
The man rushed downstairs, and into the street at
once, but he could see nobody about. He then turned
back and assisted his family down the crumbling
stairs and into the street, which by this time was half-
filled with the terror-stricken inhabitants of the ad-
joining houses. The explanation of the scene that
met their gaze was not for a moment doubtful. All
the symptoms, so to speak, of a " trade outrage"
were there, and an examination of the premises con-
firmed the truth of the conclusion. In the cellar
the fragments of an " infernal machine" were found.
It would seem that the grate had been forced open,
and a metal can, tightly wrapped with cord to in-
crease the force of the explosion, and containing about
two pounds of powder, had been thrown into the
cellar. It was exploded in the usual manner by a
fuse, which was probably long enough to enable the
*assassins to fly from the neighbourhood before the
explosion took place. The force of the explosion
was very great, and, in all probability, if the house
had been of stronger construction, it would have
blown up the bed-rooms, and thereby caused the
death of the inmates. As it was, the blast seems to
have rushed up the cellar staircase, blown the door
into fragments, and then spent its force on the house
and the staircases leading to the bedrooms. The
destruction is so complete that the escape of the
inmates of the house seems marvellous. The win-
dows and the shutters of the living room were blown
out and across the street. The house is next to an
entry, and the dividing wall is only one brick in
thickness. Fortunateiy this gave way at once, and
the force of the explosion spent itself in the passage
in a great degree. Enough was done, however, ill
the house to show how great the danger had been.
The staircases and the supporting walls had been
split from top to bottom ; the windows and doors
were shattered to pieces, and the whole of the house
side seemed to be on the point of falling in a mass.
The house behind, occupied by a family of seven
personsrnamed Jepson,was also seriously damaged,
but very fortunately, out of the 14 persons who were
thus exposed to the hazard of a frightful death, not
one was injured. This remarkable result reminds
us of similar outrages in Bramber-street some years
ago, when a house was partly blown to pieces by all
infernal machine without any of the inmates being
injured. The explosion was heard at a considerable
distance, and crowds of persons flocked to the scene
at once. Great sympathy was manifested for Fear-
neyhough and his family, and the utmost horror and
detestation of the perpetrators of the crime. Tile
chief constable visited the scene at an early hour;
and took possession of the fragments of the exploded
can.

A PARTIZAN CORPORATION.—The Manchester
City Council have declined to join in the invitation of
Lord Derby to Manchester to inaugurate the Albert
Memorial. This decision had already been come to bY
the General Purposes Committee, and, after some discus-
sion at the Council Meeting on
was coufirmed7 T4l;rsday, Pie resolutia