ADDITIONAL MAIL NEWS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1029, 19 December 1883, Page 2

ADDITIONAL MAIL NEWS

Abot eight o’clock on the evening of October 30th a terrible explosion occurred near the Praed street underground Ration of the Metropolitan Railway, London. A cablegram describing the ocsurrence says:—On the first alarm, a itrong cordon of police were summoned .0 preserve order, to keep the way clear, md to convey the wounded people to tho EIo pital. Passengers on tho train at the icene of the explosion, say there was sudlenly a loud report like a cannon, and hen sadden darkness, the gas lights from he rear of the train being put out. Glass vas broken, and splinters of wood flew bout the cars, cutting and wounding nany passengers Above the djn were iearfi the shrieks of injured and panictricken people. All this occurred in a :ioment,aud for a while ponfusion r.eigne,4 upreme. The train, which was crowded, ontained principally country visitors re.arning from the Fisheries Exhibition,

After leaving the sta ion tha train travelled steadily a-head, although the concussion smashed nearly all the lamps in the Praed street station, and caused much damage to the permanent way. When the train reached the next station, at Edgeware road, the first effort was made to rescue the wounded. Some were dreadfully burnt, but more were prostrated by fright. All the doctors, surgeons, and dispensaries in the nighborhood were called into requisition. The first impression was that an explosion of gas had caused the disaster; but later inquiries tend to show malice. The two rear carriages weie damaged roost; they were mere skeletons. Another theory is that.the explosion was caused by foul gas accumulating in the tunnel. This, however, is untenable, beemse no premonitory symptoms were observable. The general opinion of the railway officials and experts is that the disaster was caused by some explosive material, which had been placed probably in the rearmost carriage. It is believed that about 40 persons were injured, some seriously. Almost simultaneously with the Praed street affair, a violent explosion occurred on the Undeiground Railway between the the Charing Cross and Westminster stations The windows of the signalling stations in the tunnel were shattered, and at Charing Cross the glass roof of the station par:ly collapsed. The report is described as being like that of artillery. The effects were similar to those at the Praed street explosion ; carriage lamps and windows were smashed, and alltraffio was suspended for a while. i Although both explosions are matters of i great mystery, they are generally thought : to be of Fenian origin. The shock of bulb • explosions is described by officials as very L similar to the shock of the explosion at . the Local Government Board offices in March last, in which Dr Gallagher, was ; implicated. It is stated that four machines - similar to rockets were found in the tunnel ; near the Praed street station. Six car- > riages were shattered by the explosion j near Freed street, and about forty : persons wore admitted to the hospitals i Many more were injured, but were sent I directly to their homes. The Timet . says : '• ince the disastrous events a( I the Local Government buildings in March . last, nothing has occurred so calculated tc i excite public alarm as the explosions ol t last night. It is evident that the occur- . rence was not accidental. The explosions t were of a most powerful nature. Suspicion r points in one direction only, and it is tc be hoped that the authors will be speedily . brought to justice. The excitement wa> f very intense. The explosion at Charinj I Cross occurred at a distance of 200 yards . west of the station. There wag no trail I there at the time. The walls of th< tunnel were battered, but the rails wer< not misplaced. At the Praed street sta . tion the force of the explosion was terrible, t The tunnel was not destroyed, but a hoh l was excavated in the roadway, bricks 5 were blown out, and gas pipes and tele I graph lines broken. The rofreshmen 3 store was wrecked, and the windows ir i another -room of the refreshment shec J were smashed. All the persons injurec - here were in the last two carriages, s Twenty-eight were wounded and wen i taken to St Mary’s Hospital. Both ex - plosions occurred at about 8.10 p. m. 1 By searching closely, the detectives o: 1 the Metropolitan Police Force found frag " ments of glass shells, about the size of i ' pigeon’s egg, that had been charged wit! nitro-glycerine. The police had warned 9 the railway officials three months ago tha--0 their advices from America threatened > such damager, and had advised precaution, f Irish circles in London think the outrage: ‘ were due to the deliberate planned tna t chinations of enemies of the National 1 party in Ireland, who intend to create ar 1 anti-Irish feeling in England. The explo ) siom occurred at about the moment when i Davitt was opening his address in SI > James’s Hall. A despatch from New • York, dated Oct.'3l, says the newspaper B accounts of the explosions were read with 9 gr.-at delight at the Fenian head quarters. 3 O’Donovan Rossa, in reply to a reporter, r said he did not lay claim to any persona! I knowledge of the events at the Charing r Gross and Praed street underground 1 stations, but he believed a good many 9 more like them were in store ths r British metropolis. Tha explosions las! r night, he said, are the third shot of thii i kind fired in the camp of the enemy 9 The explosions which wrecked the loaa 9 Government buildings was the first, auc f the exp’osion in Woolwich Arsenal wa: 1 the second. The credit of blowing up tht 3 Government buildings was claimed by i 3 revival {organisation, which has really 9 accomplished nothing in the cause of Ire f land. Since these explosions precautions havt t been taken at Glasgow, and the prisons an i closely watched. Private detectives hav« s also been placed inside all the Ottawa re y sidences of the Marquis of Lansdowne, Go V vernor-General of Canada, and a military 3 guard will also be stationed there. A correspondent in one of the leading f English journals, which unite in contri i buning these explosions to American t dynamiters, suggests that some Irish 3 leaders should be taken as hostages, and 1 executed after every explosion. The i general public, however, receive the news of these outrages with the strange i calm so characteristic of London in such cases. The forthcoming Calcutta Exhibition ia creating considerable interest, not only in Calcutta, but throughout the several Presidencies in India, all of which contribute ! something that will be worth seeing. > v hen the last mail left Indiaquite a little army of coolies were busy, w.th wooden ' rammer in hand, laying the flooring. The process was naturally a very slow one, as the force exercised by the rammer only equalled the weight cf the coolie 1 who droove it, plus that of the rammer which is very light. All, however, was expected to be ready by December 1. The exhibits are to be in the centre of the building, with a promenade laid down with Portland cement on each aide. This arrangement twill secure the largest amount of exposing space, as the pyramidal style— generally the most effectual —can bo carried to a height the nature of the goods will admit. Australia contributes a number of articles carefully selected with a view to establish the credit of the colonies in most departments of the trade. The arrival of the ferns for the Australian fernery is looked forward to with much delight, as ferns, palms, end ornamental shrubs are hold in such general estimation in the East that not only the residents ‘of Calcutta, but those of Bengal in general, will be glad to welc -me anything new in this line, be the variation ever so slight. To the credit of the Indian Government must be said Jiat it has done all in its power to make the Exhibition a success. The members of the services generally throughout Bengal and Upper India have reto the effect that it will be happy to hear of their having visited the and accommodation at a very reasonable rate has thoughtfully been provided for them on the Maiden, west of the cathedral. This bui ding will be in the stylo of a standing camp, being thatched and made of bamboos, and accommodation will be found in it for exhibitors and their assistants. The cost of this will be three rupees per room per day, and the usual hotel board will be provided to the occupants at a nniform rate of five rupees per head per day, wine and beer exclusive. This announcement will give gonpral satisfaction, as it vyill protect the small exhibitors and their , assistants from the exorbitant hotel and boarding-house rates which are expected 1 to prevail. As q.n instance of the estima r * tion in which the Exhibition is held it | in y bem mtioned tljat Mr Joubert, having j

-tated at a meeting of the British India Asaociition, to which lie was invited, that his greatest -nffioulty was to find sufficient apace for the many applicants who wished to exhibit, a gentleman present, anxious that there should be room for all comers, told Mr Joubert that if it was only a quaati m of money ha would put a lac of rupees -T his disposal to extend it. This moat liberal < ff;r. as may well be supposed, quite astmiahed Mr Jouberfc, who could not accept it because it would disturb and delay the arrangements already made. Th? British Cabinet has issued explicit instruciions to all departments that, in the event of war, the British fleet in Chinese waters will be leinforoad, and it is said any attempt by France to blockade the ports where British interests exist, will bo resisted. A despatch from Paris of Nov. 6 says the day after the meeting of the Chamber of Deputies, it is said orders were sent to Admiral Courbet to push operations in Tonquiu in order to make the Chinese Government show the course it intends to pursue, so that France can take definite ' action. A despatch from London to the New York press of Nov. 19 says :—The news from Francs and China is becoming alarming. Heretofore it has been considered that the Tonquin dispute was- a game of bluff on b th sides, and few entertained a..y fear that a general war between France and China would eve’ - occur. It is now believed war is certain. Recruiting stations are being opened throughout all the northern districts of the empire, where the war fever is high. Many politicians affect to discredit these despatches fiom China, and discus- them as “ Tomtoms.” They a-_o tha; the despatches indicate that China seems to ho gathering an army large enough to oveirun Europe, which they pronounce ridiculous. Many journals in England discuss the situation as one of the utmost gravity, and are accusing the Government of having, by a process of starvation, so weakened the British Navy, that if war between France and China breaks out, England will be actually unable to find either ships or marines necessary to properly reinforce the British squadron in the Chinese waters. A despatch from Hong-kong, received in London on November 24, says:— 3,000 Chiueseattacked Haidzuong on November 17, and the engagement lasted till four in the afternoon, when the Chinese retreated. The French ware supported by a gunboat, the hull of which was pierced in several placas and eight of tha crew wounded. Chinese reinforcements continue to arrive at Cauton, and war with France is considered inevitable.