The Portland daily press., 1885-01-26
THE WHITE TOWER.
Thrilling Scenes After the Explosion in
and Around the House.

LONDON, Jan. 24-4.30 p. m.-Saturday be-
ing free day at the Tower, is largely utilized
by the working people, who take advantage of
the half holiday and the free admission. The
better classes of people, or those who can bet
ter spare time and money, choose the days
when fee of sixpence is charged, and are es-
c0rted around to the various localities. The
main point of interest, except to those OF an
antiquarian turn of mind, who desire closely
to investigate the various objects outside OF the
great donjon, or White Tower, is the armory,
where are stored specimens of armor and mu-
nitions of war Of all ages of Eoglish history
Latterly, however, more liberal arrangement
allowed the visitor to stroll in any direction to
which his previous knowledge of the interest
ing historical incidents with which every foot
OF the tower is associated, led him. On Satur-
day, as has been stated the number OF visit
ors, largely of the working classes, is greatly
augmented, and the great points of attraction
to those are the armories, especially the horse
armory, where the specimens of medi8Yal
arms and armor are preserved, the objects be-
ing mounted on figures of horse and foot SOL
diers, according to the various periods OF En-
glish history which they represent Surpass-
ing even this in interest is the regalia room,
where are displayed, behind massive iron b9rs
and jsslously guarded, the crown, scsptre aud
other regalia of the British throne. These al
ways attract curious crowd, and it was ia
these two rooms that the attention OF the visit
ors was centered yesterday afternoon, when
the explosion occurred.
The White Tower, in which the explosion
occurred, is the centre of the iortress-for such
it shoaid be understood, is the Tower OF Lon
don. A q1adrilateral Of buildings, surrounded
by moat, which can be flooded if necessary,
is the outer portion of the fortress Inside this
is an inner wall, hanked by towers in all direc.
tons, while in the centre rises the massive
tower or donjon, built by William, the Con-
queror, There is one reason, and very cred
ltable one to the feudal builders OF this tower
zphV tha dpparlitn failad IN affank etr
t1re seriously. The walls are sixteen feet
thick, and no hasty application of sven such a
powerful agent as dynamite--at least as much
as person could unsdspicously could
wreck its m assive proportions. The first re-
ports somewhat exaggerated the effect of the
explosion in saying IEat IL was shattered be-
yond recognition"
l. was while the crowd of visitors-men,
women aud children-were engaged in the
pleasant associations of sightseeing in the
horse armory that 8 terrific explosion oc-
Cured. 1t shattered the srmory already de-
scri5sd, wrecked the chamber above, which
was US oil as grand han or council chamber
by the carly British kings, aad s now stored
with modern intaatrY TIil waiting the Tower
mark Of efficiency or conde muatiou. With
awful sUddennesS the detoDation came upon
The afffightsd people. The fi9ufes in armor
fell shattered to the floor. From the accum-
ulations on tho ancient Instruments, utensils
and arms which lay around rose immense
clouds of dust and vapor, and to add to the
terroTs of the scene, fire broke out, and the
shreks of the men aud women, and the pitiiul
cries of the tender children buried under the
debris made the scene an appalling one. For
once the authorities actsd with promptitude
II the police had been slow, tae military au-
thorities were not. Lord Chelmsford, the Off
Ger who commanded the British forces at the
Cape when the terrible disaster at Isanihwana
occurred, January, 1S79 is constable of the
Tower.
At once the guards rallied under the notes
of the bugle, the gates of the Tower were hur-
riedly closed and cannon planted in the
square, while at every point of escape sem
tries. with fixed bayonets and loaded rifles.
were placed. Every visitor in the tower was
forced to remain, and will so remain while in
auiry is made into their antecedents. In the
meantime the beef-eaters, abandoning their
halberds and assisted by the numerous en-
ployes, sought to rescue the injured people. A
pitiful sight was presented, ssl the men
and women, cut and bleeding freely
were assisted out into the open spaces
bht as the sturdy form of an attendant appear.
ed bearing in his arms little child bleeding
and with its little face disfgured and dscolor-
ed, or lying pale and whits, or shrieking in
agony Of broken limbs, the rage of those as
sembled knew no bounds, and cries of "Roast
the villainsl" "Lygch them," etc., were heard
and this quickly communicated TO the outside,
where thousands, attracted by the noise of the
explosion, had gathered. The intense feeling
| thus created was spread to all quarters of the
East Eud of London, especially along the
waterside, where each story was eagerly caught
| up by hundreds of tongues, and intensified
| and exaggerated. Double patrols of police
were at once assigned to this district, and it is
| feared that at any moment the hate thus ex-
| cited will be the cause of an open collision be-
tween the English people and their Irish
| neighbors.
The number of casualties SO far reported az
resulting from the EXP losion in the White
! Tower is twenty Six of these are classified as
severely, and two are thought to have been
| fatally injured
The possibilities OF the danger at the Tower
l are the subjects of much discussion. Laroq
1 quantities Of ammunition are stored there Al
all times, and had the fire spread to the mag.
azines, the danger would have been indefinits.