The Sun. — 1849-01-30 (London, England)

DESTRUCTIVE EXPLOSION AND CONFLAGRATION.— About half-past three o'clock on Thursday afternoon, a most serious occurrence took place at the works of the Edinburgh Gas Company, which resulted in the almost entire destruction of the splendid new gasometer lately erected, adjoining the working prernises,of the company, in the North Back of Canongate. The gas-holder, which is 100 feet in diameter, and 40 in depth, is erected on a piece of ground entirely isolated from the adjoining buildings, and completely surrounded by a massive wall. About the hour mentioned the inhabitants of the district adjoining the locality in which the gas-bolder is situated were startled by experiencing a severe shock, as it from some violent convulsion of nature, though without an explosive noise at all corresponding to the intensity of the vibration. The houses were shaken to their very foundations, while the inmates were staggered or thrown down, and articles of furniture and household utensils dashed with violence from their places and broken or destroyed. The glass in the windows was for the most part completely demolished, the noise of which, coupled with the suddenness of the occurrence, caused great and general alarm. The cause of the disaster was soon ascertained, and the attention of the crowds, who now thronged to the spot, was drawn to a sheet of bright flame arising from the gas-holder, which told too truly that the immense quantity of gas which it contained had, by some un known means, caught fire. In another moment the whole was one sheet of flame. The fire continued to blaze with great fury until gradually, as the gas was consumed, the gas holder immerged in the tank amongst the water beneath, and the conflagration was ultimately extinguished by means of wet blankets and coarse sack ing being spread over the shattered remains of the gas• holder. The most mysterious part of the matter is, by what means the gas in the holder became ignited. The gasometer, as before stated, was completely isolated, surrounded by a wall, and, as we are informed, no fire or combustible substance allowed inside. The only conjecture which can be hazarded is, that the late high winds with which we have been visited:must have strained the pillars and framing of the structure, and thus caused a friction of the chains and guide rods, which occasioned the catastrophe. There were in the gas-holder at the time nearly 300,000 cubic feet of gas, the greater portion of which would of course be consumed; and we have heard the total damage estimated by a mechanical gentleman at about 2,0001. It is consolatory that no lives have been lost, nor any one injured by this lamentable occurrence.—Edinburgh Advertiser. DETERMINED SUICIDE BY PRUSSIC AClD.—Yesterday morning William Vaux, late an estate and house dead aiiwonhritsh, frombed, the at ths, Trafalgar-place, la)ce, w effects of a large dose of prussic acid, which he had swallowedlaugzitr; gaged lodgings, NO4. 52 years,r a during the night. It appears that the deceased had latterly been so reduced in his circumstances that he has been living upon his friends, and the circumstance, it is evident, had very much preyed upon his mind. On Sunday he dined out, and having returned home, retired to rest about half-past twelve o'clock. Finding that he did not come down to breakfast at his usual time, a little girl was sent up stairs to his bed-room to call him, and, after knocking several times at the door, she entered the chamber and found him in bed quite dead and cold. On his table was found a phial containing about two table spoons full of what was found to be prussic acid, though the label on the bottle itself had been carefully scraped off. In a memorandum, also found on the table, there were some lines, in the deceased's handwriting, to the effect that his friends should no longer be troubled with his support, as he should be found dead, and he cared not if they buried him in a hogst ye:  The weather is still boisterous and generally wet. Yesterday was one of the worst days we have had for some weeks ; for although the wind was not so strong as on that day week, the rain was battering and continuous during the day, and in the evening wo had some heavy gusts of wind, with rattling showers of hail, from the north-east, which, at a later hour, were followed by sleet and rain. At the time we went to press there seemed to be a lull.—Culedonian Mercury.