Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1874-10-23
TIE ~TPFIT FYPLOSION ~ LON-
DON.

the conveyance of gunpowder and the state OF
the bargcs. which often carry disease as well
as danger in other forms through great towns
have recently attracted discussion and the
discussion will be terribly emphasized by the
explosion of yesterday. At about 8 A. M.
train Of six light barges, of which the first
was a steamer, left the City wharf OF the
Grand Junction Canal Company, in the City
road. Next after the steamer, the Ready,
was the fly boat Jane, whose steerer or cap
tain was named Boswell. Next to her was
Dee the steerer Edwards; and next the Til
bury, whose steerer was Charles Baxton Of
Loughborough, in the country Of Leicester.
The Tilhury was followed by the Limehouse,
steerer Edward Hall, and by the Hawksbury,
steerer Blower. The Jane chad a little gun
pow der on board;" the Tilbury's lading is
thus described by the company: 1.-The cargo
consisted chiefly of sugar and other miscella-
neous articles, such as nuts, straw boards,
coffee and some two or three barrels of petro-
leum, and about five tons of gunpOwder." II
is stated to be a common practice to send
gunpowder aud petroleum in one and the
same barge. Most of the gunpowder was in
barrels, but there one box which was
probably filled either with powder in canister
or in TASKS. When the Tilbury with her in
fammabe freight was under the North-g gate
bridge which spans the Regents Canal, max
ing way from the Outer Circle in Regents
Park to the Regent's-Park road, she blew up.
A few minutes before five in the morning
most people in town heard between sleeping
and waking the sound of an explosion. 1t
was heard and felt at Chislehurst, Bermons-
II, Ill h.
trail districts. The conclusion was fel; on
the high ground beyond Primrose-hill, along
Hayer- stock hill and up at Hampstead. All
along the northeastern side of the high road
up Havers,ock- hill about one house in every
six or seven has lost pane of glass. A pane
was broken on Iiampstead-gre and one or
two others 10 the neghborhood of Fleetroad.
AT Enfield it was thought to be an explosion
of the rifle factory or at the Waltham Abbey
mills. At Woolwich, where they are used to
these occurrences, people supposed that a
magazine IN the marshes had exploded. The
shock was felt as far as Gravesend, and at
Aveley in Essex. In the northwest, for ra-
dius of two miles, it was accompanied with
the shivering of glass in the windows or on
the walls. The glass of the reireshment room
| at the St. Pancras station is destroyed. In
! the closer neighb orhood of the explosion beds
rocked to and fro, doors and shutters were
burst open, plaster fell from ceilings, furni-
ture was shaken, broken, and piled together
in the middle of the room, and at distance
of mile from the Regent's-park people
rushed as they were into the streets, lest what
they took to be an earthquake should make Of
their houses their graves.
In house quite near an aling lady and
her children ran for more than 200 yards to a
friends in their panic. 1t is no wonder, for
this house is completely Quilted as if by FIRE.
| In the garden of i. a great piece of torn and
| twisted iron from the bridge has been cast
the stable has been stripped of its roof, and
| the coachman sleeping in the upper story mar
rowly escaped with his life. The great curb
stones which fringe the towing path of the
canal were thrown up into the road. Pieces
of clay were hurled by the force of the con-
cussion out of the canal bed over the three
storicd house, against the ivy clad wall of the
outbulding behind, and into the room where
the coachman was sleeping. chimney on
tie roof is in a perlous position, and threat
| ems to add to the destruction by falling into
the house. This is one of tie worst cases,
but the Baptist College, close at hand, and
the houses for many hundreds of yards and
in many streets have suffered similarly. Far
! DOWN Albany street the houses were ptted
with broken windows; in streets like John
street, CLOSE oy' sashes anu All are oio"h OUT,
shop fronts destroyed WIN Inc shutters or IN
spite OF them. Doors ana furniture are turned
IDto torn anu shattered plahks. CLOCKS, Or
naments and looklng-glasses have OF course
suffered Heavy coach-house doors, firmly
| secured with large iron bolts and locks, have
been burst open. wall with IRON ratings
on 1t was blown down Tor about sixty yards:
| Trees on the canal bank were uprooted and
their branches blown to long distances. In
the Geological Gardens the glass Is broken IN
| the elephant-house, the monkey-houfe and
the girafe-house. Inc monkeys appear to
have successfully avoided the falling glass.
The giratfes were fou"d huddled together IN
terrible lear. The Glands and one little deer,
recently presented t. the Gardens, have sui
fered, as from their panic. AT the main en-
trance pane OF glass was blown into the
| room where the attendant stances, ana driven
into door with force winch would have Sc
verely injured the usual occupant OF the room
If The hour had been later. Fortunately the
plate glass before the reptiles was not in
1ured. But about score OF the society 5
birds escaped, their cages broken, and $500
is the glaciers bill which the society antici-
pates. The cages OF the beasts were fortu-
nately unimpaited in efficiency. Mr.. Bart
lett, superintendent of the gardens, lives on
, the spot, and lie heard the conclusion. lie