Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-11-04
THE LONDON DISASTER.


breadth Escapes.
The London Daily Telegraph of the
Sd inst contains a long and graphic
narrative Of the terrible explosion which
occurred in the northwestern district of
that city the day previous, brief tele-
graphic account Of which was published
at the time. 1t appears that three
barges, respectively named the Tllbury,
Mary and Jane, one or more of which
were laden with gunpowder, were being
towed by tug along Regents Canal
toward Paddington, when, upon reach
ing that part Of the cutting which runs
parallel with Regents Park road, and
IS almost exactly opposite Lancaster
terrace, the powder on board the Til
bury suddenly exploded with fearful
violence, dashing the vessel and what is
known as North Bridge, peculiarly
massive structure, into atoms, killing
several persons, and doing damage
more Or less serious to about
thousand houses in the vicin-
ity of Regents Park, Cam
den Town, and indeed all over that sec
ton of London which lies within d
radius OF mile and half of the scene
of the catastrophe. Residents Of the
neighborhood narrate how, upon hear
ing tremendous report, and finding
their windows and doors driven in, their
houses shaken and the earth quaking,
they rushed into the streets, only to
find hundreds Of other persons doing
the same thing, and, like themselves,
stricken with terror. All along Park
Road, Regents Park, Avenue Road,
r .o,,o,oto, TNo,,ro poaj
James, Titchfeld, Bentinck and Port
land Terraces, Frederick street, Tuck
er's Place and Charles street, the win
dows had been battered into pieces-in
many cases the frames shattered to
pieces as well; the doors were demol-
ished, and the tiles on the roofs blown
off in large numbers. Across Primrose
Hill the houses in King Henry's Road,
and the side streets, suffered in the
same manner, though in less ruinous
degree. But it was down at the canal
itself where the effects of the terrible
occurrence were most to be seen.
North Bridge was solid structure, of
no ordinary strength. Ten minutes after
the explosion occurred a visitor who
arrived On the spot found the bridge
a mass Of ruins fallen across the
water, completely blocking it up, North
Lodge wrecked, the residence of the
park keeper blown down, numbers Of
trees cut short off, the fragments of the
Tilbury covering the scene of desola-
ton, another Of the barges slowly set
ting down into the water, and the third
considerably damaged. How the fam
lily of Mr.. Edwards escaped so little
injury must remain mystery. With
their walls demolished and the flooring
Of the rooms torn up, they yet contrived
to crawl out of the debris without hurt
save in the case of the head of the
house, who was somewhat severely cut
and bruised-although even the rem
nants Of the house they inhabited we're
SO shattered that slight effort only was
required to level them to the ground.
Nor was it scarcely less singular that
the residents Of North Lodge should
have escaped as they did. The house
was complete wreck; but the people
who tenanted it were untouched-a sin
gular instance of the cratic nature Of
aerial conclusions. The excitement
attending the explosion, was, of
course, very great. At first the
impression was created that
some Fenian outbreak had oc-
CURED, or outrage been perpetrated.
The troops were ordered out, and ap-
peared with loaded carbines on the
banks OF the canal. Here the blaze of
the explosion had communicated with a
ruptured gas pipe, and huge fame
lighted up the dismal scene. Firemen
and constables, men with drag lines,
graphing irons and stretchers, soldiers
and people all combined to I'LL up tout
ensemble OF the most singular and mel
ancholy description. Quickly the gas
was turned of, and the work of dragging
for dead bodies began. While this
state Of affairs existed the exciteuent
was increased to much greater extent
by report that the dens in the Zoolog-
ical Gardens had been blown down.
This report, however, proved to be
false. In the Geological Gardens much
damage was done, though none of
the tigers or elephants were set
free. The doors and windows in
places we're shattered and broken, but
none of the animals in the gardens were
killed, though they suffered much from
fright. The keepers state that had there
been more than one report several of the
larger animals would have died of ter
ror. Many incidents of peculiar inter-
est are related in connection with the
explosion. A man named Charles Davis
received cuts on the head and arms
while standing 200 yards from the scene
of the disaster. A number of people a
considerable distance off were either cut
or bruised by the explosion. A large
number of fowls confined in a coop
hard by were blown into the air, and
their feathers plentifully bestrewed the
canal and it's banks. One gentleman,
sleeping mile or more from the scene
Of the explosion, says his bed was con-
siderably shaken.
Tender Appeal Of an Old Travelling
Trunk.
The tender appeal of travelling trunk
which passed through the railroad
n L. II wy