, 1874-10-19
EXPLOSION In AOtSISuN,
The Gnnp0tvtlor Dtsnstcr In tic Ec-
GENTS CnMnl-Losm " Lifc-I nlln cnse

gcnt's CnMnl-qosm " l.ifc-1 cnse
destruction "f Property.
London toes. y Correspondence " tas Ets fort
Herald.
Yesterday morning, at tlyn minutes to5 o'coc1k,
was Aw1kanod by T. Tremendous ronr md !
hhuok Which not nioroly shook mo in my bod.
but made Tho woo house aSver noiE yory
an explosion ponowhcre, mud rosumod my nap.
had littlo idea that what Was II, itao1f d most
Berlous calamity, and what might hnvo boon the
destruction OF London. haa Just occurred. It
was not until wont down to breakfast, some
thrco hours aftotward, that learned that barge,
cuntaintng4 tom Of blasting powder, Ind OK
ploded on tho ltegontss Canal, Immediately under
tho Nortl, Bridge Of tho Hogont'e ra,k, causing
loss OF lifo and enormous damage Ut property.
apootily mado my way to tho alut-aoout milo
distant from my house. DHt before dcActibo
What I saw l will Eive you some idea Of the
locatty.
The Rsgcnts Canal atarls from tho Grand
Junction Canal at Taddington and empt!ea itHolf
into tho River Thames ut 1tnohonsc. It IL
noarly mlloa long, mud iH mitch racl for the
convoyance Of coal, brlcls. etc., though Its ini-
rorsauce has bean much diminished by tho
formation Of tho network Of metropolitan rail-
wAyy. Betwoen st. Johns Wood u,ll Camden
Town It ekrts tho 1cgont'n Park, flowing III
doep hollow botwoon two high banks tiliokly
clad with treos On tho top OF ono Of tl,eao
ars the Geological Gardens, while tho other ii
fringca with torracou Of charming suburban
ho,lyvB.
Tho Regents Park Ia MI irnmonse opcn space
Of groonswstds s aud ine Old treos pretty pl.ntn-
uanlod aitor tho prlnco Nogcnt, WHO
originally Intended to havo houso built for
ll,m within 1t, but abandoned tho idea. There
aro. howaser, tso or throe lovely villas within
them, St. Johns Lodge, ia The seat Of baron
Goldsnlid, overlooking q beautiful Shoot Of wa
Ter, close to which aro tho grounds Of tho Toy
ophilite Society, Naar by IL St. Dunstan's villa,
built for the late Marquis III Herttorl. In tho
gardens OF this villa aro plscnd tho identical
clock and autoaatou figures, strkota Of the
hour, which ollco adorned ut. Dunstnn'8 Church
in Fleet street. What ii called the ''onter cir
clo IL formed By broad. "cll-kapt roats, fringed
high rentsd. named alter Bome Of tho titios Of
tho principal moulbora OF tho Royal faa,iy-SuB-
eox, York, Clarence. Cornwall, Ient, Ulster,
Cheator, &c.
comparatively slight. They are at nome little
distance from tho scoue Of tho explosion, and
their strong pate-glasB' windows, though
in some inssancos b.orn in. wore toleraby
vol able to- rcs,st ths shoek. 1t is In tho
pretty suburban houses which hayo ulready
mentioned us fringing tho touthern bank Of The
canal that Tho havoc has been terrific. tho
houaes in Portland. Bentinck, nnd Tiohtiela teg-
racea presented, when ylsited them yestaraay,
d most ghast!y and forlorn appearance. Thor. is
not q wholo pailo Of glass 1T ono Of them, aud
the majority llavo had their windows and doors
blown bodily in, al interior ornaments thrown
from ihe shosves aud hmaehel upon the i9oor,
tho Fonotian blinds torn on and twisted into
Fantastic forrnH, tho clloico little consorvator.eg
1nore MASSES Of broken glGgB aud hanging leatlon
framework. Tbs sceno waa ell extraordinary
one, aud the aspect moro resemblel that Of i
bombar1ed city than of a peaccnblo suburb III
its nornlAn ests.ate. The windows and doora, do
nudcd Of thcr Usual pl otcction, had been rough
ly boarded up, not mertly TO keen out the ruln
Nh.ch during the morning poured l., torrents,
and the Tlll, but tho crowd OF ro1.lls,
which aii day lonR waa loaGng round tho spo,.
seeking what it might dovour i'll the general
melee. I'hoss fellows sccs1cd to Look uo tbs
sight as ono which had becu specially ro.is,d
for their delight; and thor remarks upon tho
poor scrvan:-giile. many Of whom wers in tho
ttlo trout gardons awecping cut tho b4oion
glass aud general debris. we're of tho cosreest
Find. To look after these gentry force Of 100
policemen Ind been dlssr!butod over tho spot,
aud this body "ill 10 greatly incrcaaco luAlng
ment has moro tino at It's command The
greA' ent intorast ccntercd in the broken bridge.
This had BEEN buck odtco 50 feet long, sur-
mounted OIL each s!fle Of tho roadway With iron
palisadlncs andaurported By two aots OF cast-iron
pillars II was blown bodily into Tho air and foil
cra1at1ins ma.B into Tie be, OF tho cnual. The
park-leoEei's lcdgo which etanda within few
Yards OF tho bridge facing tho canal. waR blown
TO pieces tho walls tlemoahcd, and tho flooring
torn up and yet the park-keeper and bis family,
consisting OF his wife. tAreo sons, daughter, aud
d servant, actually managed to crawl out OF tho
falling rlllnB unhlrt With the exception Of few
bruises. Closo by, less than 20D yards off,
North House, Q ranarkably handsome house in
German gentleman rho hes settled in England,
was n complete wreck. Not merely are all the
windows smashed, but eyory ceiling has fallen
IN, every looking glass and ornament is brokon,
tho furniture il ruined, and there were two or
three narrow escapes Of death from contact with
falling NJ ticics.
The northwestern district Of London, III which
thH terrible calamity occurred. III quarter much
favored BY authors aud nrtislH and sons OF
than, regret to tay, have been sad sufferers.
So far as property ia concerned, tloro is no one,
probably, who will DO greater loser than Mr..
Alma Tadomia, whose nsnls probably Mill bo fa-
iniliar to you as that Of D french artist Of the
first rank, who has dolnoAtlcnte1 himself With ua
by tho wealthy, who purchase his picturcn, but
by nous dutes. brc!ilron OF the poncll and tho
zen, WHO haro found Ia him ,noat charming
confirrc. You osnuot fancy anything more per-
foct than lis houge which ia situated on the 4tcl,
ago, ho looked upon rs i'utslsd. Tho hall was
Tompeian, with tho word "Salyo" painted
on the door-post Each room WAS deco
rnted in special .stylo, the wallpaper
ths II Early raraasc," wAoao protension iB doc
oratiyo art and tho other decorations BY b1r.
radenla himself. The ceilings we,o painted tho
staircascs woro iuoa with photographic, drawings,
snd pictures. man OF tile soyeyest taste, 1t bud
takon him yeara to cot liB lit.!o htou residence
into tho perfect tasto III which it mas, aud
nolhing gave hin 30 mich pleasure ~ to hear it
praised by hin connoaseur friends. Now tho
whole front Of tho house las bceu blown in, the
pictures aud photographs nre mass of ragged
paper md brohon glass; tho paintnd catIinga
bulge outward, threatening immediate deseons,
and the uholo piaco ia d wreck.
Mr.. Barrett, . portrait-paintor, RHO livos In
the Avenue road, lad the plato-glaHs window in
his bedroom blown in, fragment Of tho glass
penetrating through the bedciothes, wous,ding
hr Durrott in the eg, aud cutting it to lie bono.
Hin near noighbor, Mrs. Howard Paul,
was aroupod by tue explosion. mud, in,agiu-.
ing tt to be tho result OF gus, loft her.
bod To 200 TINT all tho burners vero
right. When sho Thought It safe to strike u light
bic found that the windows had boen blown in
aud that g!aHs in largo and small pieoos WAS
strswn oyor tho place where sic lad been lying.
Tbs houses Of A1r. Hepworth Dixon {who is
probably iust about landing in Now York ut this
n,ot,,anft 1f ,Irna,,h T[ntfon rhio}, In