The Sun.
London, England, 1859-01-12 00:00:00

PUBLIC GAS-LIGHTS.

Mr. BONE wished to know to whom the duty was
confided of inspecting the gas lamps throughout the
City during their burning at night?
Mr. Daly—The police.
Mr. BONE said that for a considerable time past
he had noticed that the amount of light in the
public lamps had been anything but what it ought
to be, and had not exceeded that of the old oil
lamp in many instances. Then the lanterns were
in such a filthy state that the little light they con-
tained was nearly obscured. This was a state of
things that ought not to exist, seeing that the last
year or two the commission had paid a much larger
amount than formerly for lighting the public
streets. (Hear, hear.)
CHAIRMAN—it is not my place to justify the
company in not fulfilling their contract, but for
some time past a combination amongst the men
has been going on which has threatened to deprive
London of gas-light. One company was obliged to
send the whole of their men away on one occasion
and to seek about the country for another class. It
is well they have been able to get over Christmas.
I kno w that the company that supplies us are
anxious to fulfil their contract.
Several members having stated that the gas sup-
plied to their private houses, as well as to the pub-
lic lamps, had lately been deficient in quantity and
inferior in quality, the clerk was ordered to call the
attention of the company to the matter by letter.

DIABOLICAL ATTEMPT. TO BLOW UP
A SHOP IN SIIEFFIELD.

Yesterday, another of those diabolical and un-
manly attempts to destroy life and property for
which the lower orders of the working cutlers of
Sheffield have unfortunately become somewhat
notorious of late years, was made at the shop of
Mr. Samuel Poole, butcher, in the Wicker, Shef-
field. Mr. Poole's brother-in-law, James Linley, a
saw grinder, and his wife and family, live with
him, and have done so for some months past. Up
to yesterday nothing extraordinary occurred,
though it was well known that Linley had aroused
the bitter hatred of a few men in consequence of his
determination to carry on his trade without becom-
ing a member of, or having any connection with,
the saw grinders' trades union. It may be well
here to state, in order that the proceedings which
we are about to describe may be the more readily
understood, that about 12 months ago, at an early
hour in the evening, when the fog was so thick as
to render objects at a short distance invisible, Lin-
ley war sitting on a bench near the window in the
house of a friend in Nursery-street, when he was
fired at from the street, and knocked off his seat.
The bullet penetrated two or three thick boats, but
before it reached his body its force was spent, and
no personal injury resulted. On Monday night
last Mr. Poole, Mr. Linley, and their families re-
tired to rest at the usual time, and about seven
o'clock yesterday morning Mr. Poole got out of
bed, and just as he was about to dress himself he,
and the remainder of the inmates of that house and
the other houses in the neighbourhood, were greatly
alarmed by hearing a very loud report, as of an
explosion of gas or gunpowder. The explosion was
so violent as to shake the premises from top to
bottom, and immediately after the report the noise
of falling glass and other things was heard, both
on the roof of the house and on the flags in
front of the shop, and the place was completely
filled with soot and dust. When Mr. Poole
and Mr. Linley had somewhat recovered from
the fright, they went down stairs in order
to ascertain the cause of the explosion. Believ-
ing that the report might have been caused by an
escape of gas in the cellar, and that if so the cellar
might still be full of gas, they were afraid to ven-
ture there, and at once sent to the gas office and to
the Town-hall for assistance. A gas man and In-
spector Linley went to the place, and on examin-
ing the cellar, found that an explosion of gun-
powder had taken place. In the cellar was found
the shattered remains of two tin cans; one appa-
rently a. sauce-pan, and the other a smaller can of
the same shape as those with which machinery is
oiled. A sort of fuze, which had been on fire, was
also found, and there was every appearance of a
violent explosion having taken place. The smaller
can appeared to be placed inside the other, but
whether both cans had been filled with combus-
tibles or not is known. The cellar grate in front
of the shop was unfortunately left unfastened on
Monday night, and the fellows who perpetrated the
cowardly offence, after taking the grate up, lowered
the explosives into the cellar by a tarred rope, and
it is presumed that the object of using a tarred rope
was to fire the premises. In this, however, they
were not successful. The force of the explosion
was so great that it burst off the iron bar which
secured the shutters, and forced the shutters on the
footpath. • A window looking into the shop, and
near the top of the cellar steps, was forced forward
about two inches, and a window on the top of the
house was forced completely out, and a part of it
was afterwards found in a dyke behind the pre-
mises. It is supposed that the force of the explo-
sion has been greatly lessened by the cellar and
shop doors being open, and thus leaving the cur-
rent caused by the explosion an unobstructed pas-
t , sage to the attic winclow at the top of the houie.