The Westminster Explosion.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IX, Issue 47, 28 January 1885, Page 2

The Westminster Explosion.

further patiticulars. a lldy sees the 'dynamite deposited. extent of the damage. Mr gladstone's. and the speaker's seats injured. thirty-five eersons wounded at the tower. ' ' -WHS— ; ; f A VICTIM OF THE EXPLOSION. • THE SPLENDID ROOF OF WESTMINSTER HALL DAMAGED. ALL ENGLAND INDIGNANT.^ [special to united press association.] London, Jaw. 24. In connection with the dynamite \ outrages, it has transpired that a' lady infonnod a constable who was on duty at Westminster Hall that she had observed some men place a parcel m the Crypt,' and while the policeman was iv the act of removing it an explosion ensued. Several monuments m the hall were considerably injured. About 100 visitors l)ad quitted the House of Commons just before the explosion occurred. The Peers'. Gallery and the Liberal Lobby - were completely wrecked. The Opposition Lobby, the Strangers Gallery, and many benches m the House, together Mr Gladstone's and the Speaker's seat, Wereiujured. •■ ; ■'■''■•■[ i jßy the explosion at the Tower the Armoury roof was blown open by dynamite, which was placed on, the staircase., , Five persous .were seriously injured, and 30, including children, slightly injured,' Agreat many stand of arms were des- I .' trdyed by the explosion. '•'■ January 25. The policeman who attempted to remove the parcel of dynamite which exploded at Westminster Hall is dying ■from the injuries he sustained. : , ! Over a. hundred apertures were made m the roof of the Hall, near where the e'xplosiou occurred. . . ; The contents of the Banquettinp Hall, Council .: Chambers, i an«j^ Tuwer, were much damaged by water during the extinguishing of the fire caused by the explosion. r -. .. : A Canadian sailor, who was suspected •<Jf coinplicity'in the outrage and 'jirrts-^ .tjed, has since, been released, and an Irish-American has!, since ,been arrested pu suspicion. "> ■ The whole : country' is'iutensely indignant at the outrage. ' '■' ' •■■■■* 1 (Post.) 1 The old Houses ""of Parliament which adjoinbd AVestmi'nstt-r Hally nnd'like it lay between tliu abbey and the Thames, wore burned to the ground. iv 1834. It, Was theni •deleri'uinod . to erect a, new building on the same site, but qu a much grander. scale. The designs of Sir Char les Barry for. 'the New Palace of West-, miuster' Were selected as the best, andthe'work was begun m 1840; The building 1 is the .-most -magnificent 'erected m England for many centuries. It.may be roughly. said tp,; form a parallelogram, 900; feet ijpxig by,300 feeji, m width., Tho principal rooms are tne-Honse of Lords knd the House of Commons, which obcu-' py the centre of the building, and run on the linbb&ita greatest leh^Uj^. They are separated by an ' Octagon Hall,' with a diameter , of 70 feet between the walls. From this Imil, oue corridor runs north to the House, of Commons,, aii'd another ■ south-to I "the.* House of Lord's' beyond ■ which are the royal apartments lit 'tho' extreme south bf thd buildingi- : The eti- ; trance to the '.Octagon Hall 1 is by a pas-u sage known as St. Stephenfs Hall, whiph,; Communicates by .flights of steps with an entrance iv - the front, and also \vith Westminster Hall;' which, included m the new building,, forms its northern, jvestibule. .The state entrance .of the jQueeu is at' the south-easteru extremity, and is, of course, m direct communication with the royal apartments. The building is surmounted by lofty spires iand towers.-;ln the -centrej-above the iOctagon Hall, rises -the-central tower, ;300 feet high. At each corner there are towers ; r at_the. south-west th.p Victoria tower, 336 fedt high ;at the north-west ■the clock tower, surmounted by a, belfry spire 32i0 feet high. . ; The. clock has four .faces, each 30 'feel; in' diameter ; nnd it : strikes the hour on a bell weighing nine 'tons, and/known asßig B^n. .Thecpnjtiguity of the House of Commons and ■ Westmiuster Hall is explanatory of the, 'fact' that an explosion which Teajly took pla'Co?in 'the latter stiucture should hare inflicted So much damage on the former. |Tho roof of Westminster Hall, which ihauibefiu extensively damaged, is. said •to be the^fiuest apecinreri of the purely i English art of forming a Gothic roof of wood,, and, .witly the <€xc«ption of the j Hall' of Jiistlc'e ' !^dua', it is Uie largest joof m Europe; ni uhsupported \>y pillars.- "'•■■ , ■ -' ; ' :"V, r;-:'- ; ': . V■' '■"■; The White Tower, which is the por- . tion of the Tower of London upon whiclu the dastardly attempt of the dyiiainiI tiirds has been made, is the most important part of the. whole structure, being, donjon, keep; or citadel, besides being , at once the most ancient and most interesting iv point of historical [assOciatiqns 1 . It is plain square build^dg of massive masonry, Having wallß m some places ' 16ft thick. It was desigued and, com- ; nienced by Gundolph, Bisiiop of RodlK-s- --: ter, m the time of William the Couquurer .and ( finished iby William Rqfus,beiug originally used as a royal palace. It ■ then constituted the whole of tliu Tower| being ißimply 1 ' Buri ; 6uuded by v 6ntiT ; walls and a ditch. It ia questionable ' whether much 6i' the firsi^edificf now ' remains, at the White Tower .was almost , rebuilt by Charles i. m 163^8, and'Avas | subjected to Jmany alterations and repairs al the hands of Charles 11. It, was the Courtof the Plantageuet^ings. . In a little room built m the thicktiess of : the immense trails, Sir Walter Raleigh : wfl'siinprisoriHd'for l teh yeaify ah'd>\here wrote his ■. ce.lebvated "jHistpw, of the' World.*'" The tower of London has* been alternately used as a palace, fort- 1 ress and prison, but of late years it has been utilised as a Government storehouse and armoury, and tho post of G-ov- ; ernor of the J?o\ver, which m old times; was ono of considerable importance, is now littlo more than a military sinecure