134 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1818. [Sept. 



who happily escaped with a few 

 light bruises) originated by a 

 youth of the name of Cross, the 

 son of a boat- owner, imprudently 

 fetching a hot cinder from another 

 boat, and applying it to some 

 loose powder which lay scattered 

 about, with a view of having a 

 " flash,'' as he termed it. The' 

 consequence was, that the fire 

 communicated instantly by a 

 sort of train to the cask from 

 whence it had dropped out, 

 which ignited, and setting fire to 

 five other barrels, the whole ex- 

 ploded with a most tremendous 

 noise. The damage is estimated 

 at many thousand pounds — some 

 calculations go as high as 30,000/., 

 but certainly it is very great. 

 Mr. Wilkes, the Agent of the 

 Company, was fortunately from 

 home on a journey, and the 

 bookkeeper had only left the 

 premises about some business 

 not more than ten minutes before 

 the accident happened. The 

 explosion took place about 3 

 o'clock in the afternoon. 

 Amongst the property destroyed 

 was a large quantity of corn in 

 the warehouse in sacks and loose. 

 The papers and books were for- 

 tunately deposited in a counting- 

 house at some distance from the 

 warehouse, which escaped des- 

 truction. A waggon belonging 

 to Mr. Hooton was standing in 

 the yard, and the waggoner, who 

 was near the shaft horse at the 

 time lost his life ; the waggon 

 was utterly destroyed, and two 

 of the horses in the team killed 

 on the spot. The boy that was 

 killed was a son of Mr Howell ; 

 he was going on board with the 

 intent of gathering some of the 

 loose powder when the explosion 



took place; his two companions 

 (boys), who were waiting for 

 him at a short distance, happily 

 escaped without other injury 

 than being slightly struck in the 

 face. The other sufterers were 

 principally boatmen and labourers 

 about the wharf. Mr. Wilkes's 

 house, which stands near the 

 gateway, sustained comparatively 

 little injury; the windows and the 

 furniture in the house were for 

 the most part demolished : Mrs. 

 Wilkes was thrown with great 

 violence from a table to the other 

 side of the house, but escaped 

 without other injury than what 

 arose from the suddenness of the 

 shock and the fright. One person 

 crawled out of the ruins unhurt, 

 owing to several beams falling 

 crossways over him, which for- 

 tunately preserved his life. The 

 bodies of the sufferers now lie at 

 the Navigation inn for the Coro- 

 ner's inquest. 



Erplosion at Nottingham. — 

 (Further particulars.) — This 

 melancholy affair happened 

 through a man named Musson, 

 who was employed in one of the 

 boats, observing a portion of 

 gunpowder to have leaked from 

 a cask, 21 of which were just 

 delivering, he said he would have 

 a flash, and went to get a hot 

 cinder from a boat which lay 

 near, which, as soon as it was 

 placed upon the train, caused the 

 whole to explode, and by which 

 he vA'as thrown the distance of 

 126 yards in the most dreadful 

 condition, the building and seve- 

 ral vessels being also destroyed. 

 Mr. Howell's house, on the wharf, 

 was much shattered, and every 

 pane of glass broken. In Mr. 

 Wilkes's house, every pane of 



glass 



