The Sun.
London, England, 1845-03-24 00:00:00

DREADFUL EXPLOSION AT

LIMEHOUSE.—TWO LIVES LOST.
On Saturday afternoon, shortly after three o'clock, an
explosion of a very terrific character, and which has in-
volved the loss of two lives under circumstances of a
most distressing character, happened at the Patent Marine
Signal Light Manufactory, the property of Messrs. Rob-
son and Iligham, the patentees, situate on the north side
of the Commercial-road, Limehouse, immediately adja-
cent to the Regent's canal.
The factory in question formed a portion of the right
wing of some large works that were built several years
since, but which have been apportioned off for the manu-
facture of various articles. Its walls were brick, with an
iron roof, covered with slates, and was not more than 36
feet in length, and about 29 in breadth, and one story in
height. The interior was divided into five compart-
ments, viz., the store, case, machine, boiler, and stuffing
rooms, the divisions being composed of wood and iron,
all of which contained a good stock of the articles re-
quired in the formation of the lights and signal rockets,
the more dangerous part of the combustibles being kept
in a small adjacent outhouse.
Employed in the several portions of the factory were
Jas. Terry, John Chesterman, Henry Harris, Henry
Jones, and a boy, and a little girl, known by the name
of Charlotte, about thirteen years of age. The latter is
said to have been engaged in the store-room, in which
was a stove alight fur the drying of the cases, &c., la-
belling the lights, and, as she was about to remove a
quantity of them off a shelf, she accidentally pulled the
shelf down, and one of the lights falling against the
stove its instant ignition was the result. Quick as light-
ning were the stock of them, including a small portion of
rockets, which were stowed on some shelves round the
south and east end of the building fired, producing the
most fearful explosions. The massive iron roofing was
at the onset torn asunder, and, by the following shocks
all that remained was scattered in various directions.
Of the interior everything that had been erected in the
shape of machines, divisions, &c., were blown, compara-
tively speaking, to pieces, and how it was that the prin-
cipal portion of the human beingS employed therein
were saved appears to be almost a miracle. Terry,
Chesterman, and Harris saved their lives, but how or i❑
what way they could not state.
When the fire was got under, Smith, the engineer of
the Schcol-house-lane engine station, immediately com-
menced searching for the remains of the unhappy crea-
tures, and on going about the centre of the factory, he
found the body of the lad, not so much burned as might
be anticipated, although the clothes were, to a great ex-
tent, consumed. Having removed it to a neighbouring
carpenter's workshop, an active search was then insti-
tuted for that of the little girl, and, after much trouble
in turning over the blackened rubbish, heavy irons, and
other ponderous materials, what was loft of the body
was dragged forth, a shocking spectacle, from that part
of the manufactory used as the boiler rooms. All the
flesh was literally burned off, and the young creature had
evidently been blown with much force to the spot where
she was found—the extreme end of the building—her
death, no doubt, taking place almost instantaneously.

DEATH OF MR. W. BARRYMORE.—The above-
aamed gentleman, well known as the celebrated panto-
mime author and stage-manager, died at Boston, in
America, on the 16th of February.

DREADFUL ACCIDENT.-011 Saturday considera-
ble alarm was created in Tooley-street, Southwark, in
consequence of the issue of a dense smoke from the
house No. 12, in Fox-court. An instant cry of fire was
raised, when a female, about 26 years of age, who occu-
pied the second floor, on seeing the smoke ascending the
staircase, and thinking that all escape was cut off, pre-
cipitated herself from the second-floor back window, and
fell with fearful violence on the stone pavement beneath.
Several persons hastened to her assistance, when they
found that the poor creature was unable to walk. They
immediately took her to Guy's Hospital, when it was
ascertained she had received such severe injuries that
very little hopes are entertained of her recovery. The
cause of so much alarm arose from the fact of a quantity
of straw in a cupboard on the first-floor landing taking
fire. The damage done to the building was fortunately
inconsiderable.

FIFTY RUNNING ULCERS CURED IN SIN. WEEKS BY
HOLLOWAY'S PILLS AND OrsTmityr.—Extract of a letter,
dated Tobago ( West Indies), 4th February, 1845 :—" To Pro-
fessor Holloway—Sir, I have the pleasure to inform you that
your astonishing medicines have cured a gentleman In this
island, who had, I believe, about fifty running ulcers about his
legs, arms, and body, who had tried all other medicines before
th arrival of yours, but all of which did him no good, but
you'rs cured him in about 514 weeki, and ho is quite restored to
'. signed—John Martin.— Chronicle office,
Tobago," Sold at Professor Holloway's establhhment, 244
Strand (where advice may be had gratis), and by almost all
respectable vendors of medicines throughoilt the civilised
world.