The Sun.
London, England, 1857-01-16 00:00:00

General Sir Harry D. J(nes, K C. 8., Gen!erill T.lltan-
sbartl, C. 8., General P. Yule, Royal Engineers, and
large number of officers.

Since Tuesday a careful inspection of the :large pier
EngineersdL stroyed
boant:l tbheaet day by the t
n nindobye Colonel Ipit.of the
Sandbam,
Royal
di.
thea il u Royalna b e
number
Engineers'fnt
neeb,re Engineerewnestablishmenthsi :
officers,
satisfactory, flaBc tfoereyt andn(ti ohbaleicntge,
shivered
etrheeiyi
n werepie pieces,
daenrd•
rbeacmt ra of
ascerteined the results of the experiment to be very
taken fully realised, the large mass of masonry compos-
ing the pier, which was 45 feet long, 21 feet in depth,
the huge blocks of stone loosened from their position,
and rendered cipeble of being easily removed. The pier
Was built on piles, which were driven into the bed of the
river, and so far as the state of the tide has permitted
an ex imination to be made it is evident that the force
of the gunpowder has bad as great an effect in loosen-
ing the foundations as it Late had upon the superetruo-
turn. The quantity of gunpowder use I on Tuesday after-
noon was 3001 b. weight, divided into six charges, and
some surprise was expressed by tho scientific persons
present that such a comparatively small quantity
only should have been used in the destruction of such a
large portion of the structure ; but the object of the en-
gineers was not so much the blowing up and scatter.
ing the materials of which the tier was composed as
it was to shake the fabric to its foundation, and
loosen the pier so that the materials might be readily
detached without filling up the bed of the river—a re-
sult which was most successfully accomplished.
The portion of the bridge destroyed by the troops this
afternoon was very large, and consisted of the pier and
abutment on which the large arch on the Strood side
rested, and was calculated to cantain several thousand
tons of masonry. The weight of powder used in. the
explosions was nearly 1,0001 b., and was divided into the
same number of charges as in the previous experiment!.
Since Nov. last the Sappers and Miners have been en-
gaged in sinking two shafts in this portion of the bridge,
which were excavated to the respective depths of 24 and
21 feet ; one shaft having been sunk in the pier, and this
other in the abutment, this portion of the undertaking
being conducted from the commencement by Capt. H.
Schaw, R.E. At the base of each shaft sprang two gal-
leriee, each 9 feet in length, and in these were deposited
the charges of powder used in the destruction of tbe works.
The powder was contained in tin waterproof cases, which
were enclosed in wooden boxes, 5001 b. weight being re-
quired for blo wing up the pier and arch, and 3001 b weight
in destroying the abutment. The Keystones of the arch
were removed by means of smaller blasts. The Royal En-
gineer troops were engaged last night and this morning,
under the comma, d of Captain Schaw, in making the
requisite preparations for the explosions, and at an early
hour this morning the four charges of gunpowder were
deposited in the galleries, when the operation of " tamp•
ing" was proceeded with, and the whole of the ap•
proaches to the galleries carefully stopped up. The
voltaic battery was worked as before by Captain E. C.
Cumberland, Royal Engineers.
In rder to prevent accidents Colonel Sandham issued
the following notice :
"On Thursday, the 15th inst., after the blasts in the
key-stones of the arch shall have been fired, the two
charges in the pier, each of 2501 b., will be exploded, and
then, after a short interval of time, the two in the abut-
ments' each of 1501 b. Capt. H. Schaw, Royal Engineers,
who has conducted the whole of the mining operations,
and Captain C E. Cumberland, who bas made the ar-
rangements for firing by the voltaic battery, will fire
each cot of mines at the sound of the bugle to fire,'
after the sound of the preparative' has been given as
a warning. The wires will be led from the charges to
the voltaic battery, which will he placed in the office of
Mr. Wright, the engineer of the bridge.
As Noun as the arrangements had been completed Col.
Sandham ordered the bugle to be sounded, as a warning
to those present to remove from the places of danger,
and immediately afterwards the bugler sounded "to fire."
The charges in the arch were first exploded, followed
by those in the pier. The effect w s very striking,
the grouse for some distance reverberating as if from
the effects of an earthquake, while the pier crumbled in
pieces and disappeared. The charges in the galleries on
the pier abutment were afterwards fired, and that por-
tion of the bridge destroyed. The large arch of the
bridge was blown into the river, and the abutment on
the Strood side entirely removed, the sight of the massive
stonework of the arcs being blown high into the air
being very grand. Nearly one-half of the bridge has
new been destroyed, and the remaining portion will be
demolished as speedily as possible.
The whole undertaking was considered perfectly satis-
factory by Colonel Sandham and the general and other
officers present, and reflected much credit on Captain e
Schaw and Cumberland, under whose arrangements the
explosions took place.
Notwithstanding a very heavy rain an immense num.
ber of persons were present to witness the operations,
and the troops of the Royal Engineers and the provi-
sional battalion were drawn up on the bank of the river
and on the new iron bridge.
The whole of the operations of this day and Tuesday
passed off without the slightest accident.

MR. COBDEN, M.P., AND THE HOURS
OF LABOUR.

Mr. Cobden, M.P., has received an invitation to be
present at the fortkcoming soir4e of the Bradford Early
Closing Association. The hon. gentleman, in reply, after
expressing his regret that, owing to other engagements,
it will not be in his power fo pay Bradford a visit on the
occasion of the approaching demonstration in favour of
the early closes of business, wrote as follows :
" My sympathies are all in favour of moderate hours of
labour, because I am anxious to see those engaged in busi-
ness enjoying leisure sufficient to the due cultivation of
the higher and nobler purposes of existence. In all my
public efforts, whether for cheapening the means of exist-
ence, or lightening the burden of taxation by a reduction
of Government expenditure, I have always pursued a po-
licy which was calculated to place in the hands of the toil-
ing millions the power of lessening the hours of labour
without a corresponding curtailment of the necessaries and
comforts of life. lam afraid, however, that the policy of
our Government for the last three years—a policy which
has not been without some share of popularity with the
masses—has not been favourable to the object you have
in view. The greater amount exp‘qided by Government in
war, or preparation for war, the heavier must be the toil
of the people, for it is from their labour alone that our
rulers can draw the means for supporting fleets and armies.
I wish that cause and effect were more logically kept
in view in the discussion of these matters. If I had been
present at your meeting I should not have abstained from
an allusion to some of those vainglorious theories of which
we have heard so much of late, asserting it to be the duty
of this country to set the whole world right whenever and
wherever it may be out of joint ;' and I would have en-
deavoured to show the incompatibility of such a doctrine
(if seriously carried out) with any other result than the
brutish degradation of our population from overwork, and
the themselvesw os
nhr their
ty on ut
offspring.
do
if
slleteuiissssu
ari ens fusobrl
subject,
red. uc
Let
ttin
however,
ome
o whicthereforeh
I will
all possible success in your movement."