The Sun.
London, England, 1850-01-28 00:00:00

TERRIFIC EXPLOSION OF GUN-

POWDER.
On Friday afternoon last, between fur and five
o'clock, a mar named Charles, in the employ of the
Ebbw Vale Company, was in charge of two of the
large iron carriages of th it establiAntent, containing
about twenty tons of iron. He wi•hcd to remove
those carriages from a particular spot, at the Victoria
works, and desired one of the Ebbw Vale engineers
to move them forward a little with his locomotive, in
order to place them upon the line for the upper works.
This was done; but the break which Charles placed
in the wheel to stay the motion thus given being sud-
denly snapped off, the two heavily-laden carriages
started off, and were speedily careering at such a
velocity as to be beyond all human control. Thus
left, the velocity attained by this vast weight on the
incline became most frightful ; and very great
apprehensions were naturally caused of the
destruction which would result to anything
which might chance to be on the line. At
this time a man named Williams, of Tydee, owner
of a small one-horse covered tram, in which his wife
usually rode with him on his journoys, was quietly
jogging along with sixty barrels of gunpowder piled
beneath his coverlid. He had reached Llanhilleth,
when suddenly in the distance he perceived the two
iron-laden carriages wildly thundering down. In a
second, apprehending the fearful state of the case,
and thanking Providence that the constant partner of
his journeys was not with him, he instantly slipped
out the pin that fastened the shafts to his tram, and
dashed down the declivity with his frightened horse,
just in time to avoid the destructive crash ; for quick
as lightning the twenty tons of rail iron ran into his
car, and among his powder barrels, which, of course,
were smashed ; whilst the crazy tram was crushed and
comminuted beyimd all carpentry skill. The collision
caused some sparks of fire, and the matting around the
shattered powder casks speedily took fire, and then an
explosion, awfully grand, something perhaps like the
magazine display at Moultan, ensued : fifty-one bar-
rels having been blown into the air, shaking the
neighbouring houses, and frightening their tenants,
as if an earthquake had taken place ; while the nar-
rowly-escaped Williams, who wished himself safely
back once more with his good wife at Tydee, stood
with his old horse looking on in terrible amazement,
until his hat being blown off his head by a shock, or
knocked off by a piece of his tram wheels, he consi-
dered it high time to decamp. Very fortunately, in-
deed, no life was lost, nor greater damage done than
the destruction of the powder and the haulier's tram,
We understand that the Monmouthshire Railway and
Canal Company have just received from the manufac-
turers an air-tight powder carriage, which comes op-
portunely to replace the old vehicle of Williams,
which had hitherto been used for the purpose.
[We have heard that for the loss which poor
Williams has suffered he will be fully compensated
by the Ebbw Vale Company.]—Monmouthshire
Merlin.

RAILWAY SHARE MARKETS
LIVERPOOL, JAN. 26.

STOCK EXGRANGE.—The market was rather dull to-day,
and prices rather lower. The transactions were as follow :
East Lancashire, 103 A—Lancashire and Yorkshire, Consol.
Fifths, 71/2 dis. London and North-Western, 1161/2—
Ditto, New Quarters, 1741 p. Midland, 45 c. Ditto,
Halves, 23/4 dis.—Newcastle and Carlisle, 85—North Union
(A.), 232—Shrewsb.'-y and Chester (N. W. M.), 121/2—
Ditto (Oswestry and Chester), 1014 ais.—York, Newcastle,
and Berwick (G. N. E. Purchase), 6 per cent, till 1850,
5 dis.—Dutch and Rhenish, 5% dis.
BIRMINGHAM, JAN. `.e6.
STOCK EXCHANGE.—The share market was very dull to-
day; the prices of the principal lines, however, remain firm
at advanced rates, but in sone descriptions of local stock
the tendency has been downwards. South Staffcrdshires
were quoted at 3/. 13s. 9d. dis., and Shrewsbury and Birming-
ham (A), at 71. Ils 3d. dis. North Staffordshires were
done at 91. 18s. 9d. dis.

YORK, JAN. 25.
STOCK EXCHANGE.—The transactions to-day were as
follow :—Great Northern, 7—Ditto, Halves (B.), guaranteed
6 per cent. 4%—York, Newcastle, and Berwick (G. N. E.
Purchase), 3—York and North Midland, Preference, 6.

GLASGOW, Jwx. 25.
Srocx Excrutffilt.—The transactions to-day were as
follow .—Glasgow, Kilmarnock, and Ayr, Halves (No. 1),
12i. 17s. 6d.--Ditto (No. 2), 5/. 145.-!—East Indian, 4/. ls.—
Edinburgh, Perth, and Dundee, 6% Glasgow and Garnkirk,
381. ss.—North British, Preference, 51. Ss. 6d.—Midland, 45.

THE COUNTIJ
LIVERPOOL, JAN. 26.
change.

s. d. s. d.