The Sun.
London, England, 1866-07-27 00:00:00

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.-Thciay.

HUNTINGDON RACES. THis DAY.
LBY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.]
The MILTON STARES of 5 sous each, with 50 added, for
two year olds ; colts Bst 101 b ; fillies Bst 71b ; winners of
a stake of the value of 60 sovs 51b extra; maidens
allowed 31b; T.Y.C. (half a mile, straight). To close
and name by nine o'clock on Thursday night.

Narino _.
Sweat Home
Satyr 2
3
Six ran.

RACING FIXTI
JU

RES FOR 1866.

Southampton 25
Huntingdon

CGaoeondwood ." ''''
3219
USX.

AUG
Airdrie 2
Deauville
Ripon 6
Brighton 7
Brighton Club
Lewes lO
Egham l4
Wolverhampton l4
Stockton l5
Oxford l6

Hastings 2l
York August 2l
Dover 2.?
Plymouth
Lichfield
I Tunbridge
Yarmouth , 28
Derby Summer ...... 29
Weymouth ~.... 29
Baden Baden
:MBER.

SEPT]
Warwick September 4
Leicester 6
Doncaster
Brecon l7
Canterbury lB
Richmond

Monmouth
Manchester Autumn 25
Newmarket Ist October 25
Walsall .... 27
Lanark , 28

Northampton 2
Lothians' Racing Club 3
Ryl. Cal. Hunt and Kelso 8
Bedford 4
NOV]

Newmarket 2d October... 8
HerefordlB
Newmarket Houghton ... 22

14113E11.
Lincoln
Liverpool
IRISH RACING FIXTURES.
SEPTEMBER.

Curragh
OCTOBER.

Curragh l6, 12 18
FRENCH RACING FIXTURES.
JULY.

Saintes 2B, 29 j Caen 29, 30, 31

AUGUST.
Deauvi11e............... 4,5, 6 Le Man's
Rochefort 5 Laon l9, 20
Bourges...
Valenciennes
Moulins
Cherbourg l9 1

SEPTE
Baden-Baden 3, 5, 7 1
Chantilly

:318ER.:
Paris (Autumn)... 23, 30

WEST INDIES.

LIVERPOOL, July 26.
The Californian, from Kingston, Jamaica, via
Gibraltar, with troops, has arrived here. There is
some sickness on board.
Her news are unimportant.

The Wrest India and Pacific steamer Venezuelan,
from Colon and Port au Prince, has arrived here.

Terrific Explosion at a Drugg'st's Shop in

Bolton.

A most appalling catastrophe, involving loss of
life to three persons, and giving serious injury to a
number of others, happened on Wednesday, at the
druggist's shop of Mr. Alfred Langshaw, in Bolton.
Shortly after noon, Mr. Langshaw received a barrel
of naphtha, containing about 26 gallons, from a
lorry. The barrel was placed in a narrow passage
which adjoins the shop, for the purpose of being
emptied into a large storing cask, kept in a small
and very confined yard at the back. In the course
of the afternoon, Mr. Langshaw proceeded to empty
the barrel, placing a tap in it, running the naphtha
into a tin vessel, and then pouring it into a large
cask, the capacity of which was about 100 gallons.
Whilst engaged in this work he was called into the
shop to dress a man's finger, and had unfortunately
left the naphtha running into the can. Immediately
opposite where the barrel stood in the entry there
was a cottage which was then occupied by three
persons. One of them, a young woman named Nancy
Tempest, seeing that the can was full and the dan-
gerous liquid was running over on the ground, ran
for Mr. Langshaw. Both instantly returned, but
the naptha on the ground had then ignited, and the
flame was hastening to the barrel swiftly. He seized
the barrel, struggled with it a few moments, but was
unable to get it away. The fire reached it, and in
a moment the barrel was blown over a cotton waste
warehouse occupied by Mr. Lowe, and fell in a pas-
sage, which was only about a yard and a half wide.
The flames set the cottage on fire. A bed in one
corner on the ground floor was speedily consumed,
and all the furniture, flooring, and stairway were in
a blaze instantaneously. The borough fire brigade
and fire engines were speedily at the scene of the
sad occurrence, and with an immense power of
water drowned the fire, but the flaring liquid
could not be extinguished, and down the passage
a sheet of flame ran into the main sewer. As
soon as the fire had been subdued, the efforts of the
firemen and others were directed to the dead and
injured. The body of Mr. Langshaw was found
lying in the doorway of the cottage, opposite the
spot where the barrel had stood. Every article of
clothing was burned off his body. His watch was
lying by his side, having stopped exactly at twenty
minutes to three o'clock. His knife and other small
articles not readily consumed were also picked up.
Everything inside the dwelling was burned black as
charcoal. In the corner, near the remains of the
bed, knelt the body of the occupier of the house.
His wife, having apparently fled upstairs for safety,
was found there; both were dead. The bodies were
taken to the infirmary. Several men who ran
down the passage to render what assistance
they could were caught by the burning liquid,
and rushed back into Deansgate, their clothes
being on fire—two of them on fire from head
to foot. The flames were smothered by persons
near, and the injured taken to the infirmary. The
names of the dead are Alfred Langshaw, druggist ;
John Spener, 55 years of age, partially a cripple ;
Ann Spener, his wife, 52 years of age, who was
engaged washing at the time of the occurrence. Of
the men who offered to render assistance, William
Cross, a painter, of Black Horse-street, was the
most seriously injured ; next to him Michael Cana-
van. Both are badly burned about the middle of
the body ; Cross is not expected to live until morn-
ing. Another man, known as Tom Leth, had the
lower portion of his legs burned. Nancy Tempest
(the woman who ran for Mr. Langshaw), niece to
the occupier of the house, had her arm burned.
our arising
naphtha, but it is supposed that the vapour No-
thing can yet be stated as to how fire got to the
from the naphtha penetrated the dwelling,
the
ignited on getting near the firegrate,
and
the
d and spread to
asliciui on fire at one time
Had the fire got to the other sideflame of the
door, there
barrel.
flashed
T he
yardto th e
door spilled
was
been still more fearful.
was the 100-gallon cask, and the result would have

The Bank of France return shows that the situa
_
tion
of the establishment has been further im-
proved.2e notes in circulation have been reduced
I
been a diminution in the
bills discounted of £900,000, and of £43,332 in the
while 9 S, 3t h The bullion has been increased £712,000,
2. There has
advances on stock. The current accounts have
been decreased £40,000, and there is an augmenta-
tion in the Treasury balances of £20,000.
In the Foreign and Colonial Produce Markets
yesterday there was less activity. Only a mode-
rate amount of business was done in sugar at about
previous rates. Coffee continued in fair demand,
and native Cey!on qualities were a shade dearer.
In cotton, tallow, and drugs the dealings were to a
limited extent, without any material change in
prices. _ _ _

At the meeting held to-day of the Scottish Aus-
tralian investment Company, the report for the
half-year ended 31st December in Australia, and
to the 30th June in London, stated that the direc-
tors propose a dividend, payable on Wednesday the
Bth of August next, on the ordinary stock of the
company, £300,000, at the rate of 10 per cent. per
annum, less income-tax, which will require £15,000,
and leave (after setting aside the above-mentioned
£1000) £126 4s. 9d. to be carried to the credit of
the reserve Fund, which will then amount to
5-8,834 12s. 11d.
The Earl and Countess of Sandwich are enter-
taining a select party at liinchingbrook, Hunts, during the
Huntingdon race meeting.