Year: 1876

About four months ago the public
were startled by story that packet OF
dynamite had been lost by one of the
passengers in Bayswater omnibus.
Supposing the statement to have been
true, it was a providential circumstance
that the stray packet occasioned no dis
aster. Still there is no saying where the
perilous parcel may be lying, nor how
soon it may manifest its presence by a
calamitous explosion. At the time when
the story was first promulgated we
pointed out for the satisfaction of the
public that dynamite was capable OF
being "quietly" burned, and even when
displaying its explosive force was not
possessed of all the extraordinary power
which had been ascribed to it. But sup
posing the narrative to be correct, there
was the singular and uncomfortable fact
to be contemplated that certain people
were sufficiently reckless to travel by
omnibus with parcels of dynamite in
their possession. That this is really the
case appears by recent and undeubted
event. At the first sitting of the Metro
politan Board of Works a report was
brought up "on emergency" by the
Works Committee, stating that on We'd
nesday afternoon lady had travelled in
an omnibus from the city to Stockville
conveying with her as much rs twenty
pounds of lithofracteur. Of the reality
OF the peril which beset the public on
this occasion there could be no doubt,
for a portion of the lithofracteur being
deposited in the garden of the lady's
house at Stockwell it speedily exploded.
The interval between the completion of
the journey and the apparently sponta-
neous explosion of the litbofracteur was
evidently very short. Whether the
Stockwell omnibus was full of pas eDgers
during the transit of this lady and her
deadly baggage we are not informed ;
but when we remember the internal
condition of an omnibus which happens
to be "full inside" we can scarcely i'm
agine more awkward and dangerous
place in which to set up an explosion OF
| iithofracteur. Had the whole twenty
pounds exploded the effect could scarcely
have been other than fatal to as many
persons as happened to be in or on the
omnibus, and the mischief would most
likely have extended further. In fact
there would have been a Bremerhaven
explosion on a reduced scale, much tC
the alarm and distress of the public.


1t appears that in this instance the
lithofracteur was in two parcels, of ter
pounds each. When the journey wal
over, one packet was placed in passage
at the side of the house, and the Other
in the garden, at the rear of the dwell
ing. The latter packet exploded almost
Immediately, happily infiicting no great
amount of personal injury, but there
was great smashing of glass in the
neigbborhood, and, naturally, much
alarm was excited. It further appear
that each ten pound parcel consisted o
two five pound boxes, and 1t illustrates
the singular character of the compound
that of the two boxes placed together In
the garden one exploded and the othel
was simply knocked to pieces. Such Q
circumstance seemed almost incredible


nevertheless it is stated that the contents
OF the companion box were "broken uI
and dispersed" and were subsequently
collected by the police. If this be so
the explosion with all its violence wa
due TO only one-fourth the total quantity
of lithofracteur brought down in th'
omnibus.