The Statesman.
London, England, 1818-10-01 00:00:00

',NI

SWEdiIiING TUE SUERIFFS.

Yesterday the Sheriffs Elect went to Westefinater
to he sewn before the Cursitor of the Exchequer.-
-
hey went with the Lord MaYet, Recorder, Alder-
men, sad late Shefiffli, 1111 the City. new State B4rge.
'the Companies to which the new Sheriffs belong
pent in the old State Barge. The display en the
/water *as, as equal, highly attrlcliVe. The City
Bags and emblems were proudly distended over the
magnificent little •essels, to convey an idea of
the splendour of the greatest city in the woild.—
Bands playing appropriate strains Wormed the gates
of the scene. On their arrival at Palace-yard, the
Civic Train walked up to the Court of Exchequer,'
where Ilse venerable Curium Baron, in his scarlet
and lamb-skin, waited to receive them. The Sheriffs,
Me'srs. 'Guinn and Roberts; *ere presented by the
Recorder in the usual form. They then took the;
t•titliv_ required on the part of the Crowe, and the
late Sheriffs were sworn to a true tetern of their ac-
cossists. After Alderman Goodbehere, as senior Al.
Berman, had performed the cetemoeY of cutting the
sticks, and counting the nails in a horse's shoes, the
business concluded. The Citizens returned to Blacks
friars in their barges. 411dettnau Waitbtate appear-
ed la a DOM carriage. •

S KOWEING AGM E 1411:
...a.h,.....r,
I• ,- - . - .
It is with great paler that we consmonitifo -fibie teia
lowing particulars of a distlessieg easuelty' ieidels
occurred at Nottingham on ,M 40114 !Wt.". • '
" Nottingham, Tuesday aropieg, tiro. 99, 3818.
" A most dreadful calamity Oteurred here yestera
• day at tha Canal Company's Wharf, by -thretplo—
sloe of s quantity of gunpowder on board aloott--
• The vessel was tying in the basin tiVer the orieli of
: the Company's warehouse, ..... p JIM its tithe
iik em-
.." 140.
pieyed in landing the cargw, , en ,et an
explosion took place which dive
_. idle ash Iti town
into.conster nation, and spread the most extensive de.,
vastation throughout the neighbourhood. The re•
port was so tremeudous as to be heard at a distance
of many miles, and etery house in the town was
"Shaken at if ts 3, an earthquake. The Company's
warehouse, Kitt~ All its contents, was completely
blown into the sit, andnot a vestige of the building'
remains. The fragments were scattered over the
meadows to a considerable distance, and the boat
was in part shivered to pieces, slid the rest sunk.—
Several roofs were carried off from the adjoining
buildings, lead and tiles torn off, window frames
.. blown out, sod hundreds of windows demolished.. But
the most dreadful part of thecalamity is the extensive
destruction of human life, no leis than eleven per-
sons, already ascertained, having been precipitated
fete eternity, besides two taken to the hospital who
ars not expected to survive. The mangled remains
of eight men and a boy had been collected lest eight,
Mid two more were known to he buried among the
ruins. The bodies presented a shocking spectacle ;-
two men were found lying on the edge of the boat,
with their heads completely taken off; two others
lay near the gateway of the yard, with their skulls
dashed to pieces and otherwise disfigured; two other
• bodies were found in the meadows, having been
blown across the canal, one to a distance of about
100 y,,r,:a, the other more than 300 bards, and the
limes arid flesh scattered about in different directions;
another was taken out of the ruins a complete trunk,
. with both legs and arms blown off; and the remaining
two mangled,in a manner Prosily shocking. Most of
them wore marrird men and had families. The acci•
•dent (as relited by e boatman belonging to another ves-
sel lying near, and alto happily escaped with a few
slight bruises) originated by youth of the name of
Cross, the son of a beet-owner, imprudently fetch-
. ing'a hot cinder from sanitise boat, sod applying it
to some loose powder, which lay scattered about,
with the view of having a " flash," as be termed it.
The consequence was, that the fire communicated in-
stantly by a sort of train to the eask.from whence it
had dropped out, which ignited, and setting fire to
• five other barrels, the whole exploded with a most
tremendous noise. The damage is estimated at many
thousand pounds.7-some calculations go as high as
30,0001. but certainly it iy very great. Mr. Wilkes,
thi Agent of the Company, was fortunately from
home on a journey ; and Mr. Few bert, the book-
keeper, had only left the premises about some busi-
ness not more than ten minutes before the accident
happened. The explosion looks place about three
o'clock in the afternoon. Amongst the property
, destroyed wad a large quantity of corn in the ware.
house in sacks and loose. The papers and books
were fortunately deposited in a countinghouse at
some distance from the warehouse, which escaped de.
infection. A waggon belonging to Mr. Heaton was
standing in the yard, and the waggoner, who was
sear the shaft horse at the time, lost his life; the
waggon was utterly destroyed, and two of the horses
in the team killed on the spot. The bey that was
killed was a son of Mr. Howell's ; be was going on
• board with the intent of gathering some of the loose
powder, when the explosion took place; his two
companions (boys) who were waking for him at a
short distance, happily escaped without other injury
than being slightly struck in the face. The other
sufferers were principally boatmen and labourers
about the wharf. Mr. Wilkes'e house, which stands
• near the gateway, sustained comparatively little in-
jury ; the windows and the furniture in the house
were for the most part demolished; Mr. Wilkes
. was thrown with great violence from a table to the
other side of the Isoese, but escaped without other
, injury that what arose from the saddenoess of the,
. shock and the fright. One person crawled out of the.
ruins unhurt, owing to several beams falling cross
. ways over him, Which fortunately preserved hit life.
The bodies of site sufferers now lie at the Navigation;
Inn for the Coroner's Inquest. Their saws ere was,

owe I.

' '

yet ascertained.".
•
' As M.S. 11,01er. Mester of the Lodge of. Free.i
mesons (No.o*-121), herd et tholite Wheel, ia-
- Ilishopogett.sireet, way rtituroine home from thence,A
hetweetrittOtoortrof and 12 o'clock on %wider
Ale wee otterkytt is lioansditch by the.
• own, !mocked day a, severely biota , •a d• 'Jibbed of
• *Why inonef; masonic insignia, and• jewels soft
the Lodge) with whisk Ike • villeins 02E06 their.
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