Precipitated into eternity

Nottingham. - A dreadful accident occurred yesterday at the Canal Company's wharf, by the explosion of gunpowder in a boat. The vessel was lying in the basin under the arch of the Company's warehouse, and some men were employed in landing the cargo, when in an instant an explosion took place which threw the whole town into consternation, and spread the most extensive devastation throughout the neighbourhood. The report was so tremendous as to be heard at a distance of many miles, and every house in the town was shaken as if by an earthquake.

The Company's warehouse, with all its contents, was completely blown into the air, and not a vestige of the building remains. The fragments were scattered over the meadows to a considerable distance, and the boat was in part shivered to pieces, and the rest sunk. Several roofs were carried off from the adjoining buildings, lead and tiles torn off, window-frames blown out, and hundreds of windows demolished.

But the most dreadful part of the calamity is the extensive destruction of human life, no less than eleven persons, already ascertained, having been precipitated into eternity, besides two taken to the hospital, who are not expected to survive.

The mangled remains of eight men and a boy had been collected last night, and two more were known to be buried amongst the ruins. The bodies presented a shocking spectacle; two men were found lying on the edge of the boat, with their heads completely taken off; two others lay near the gateway of the yard, with their skulls dashed to pieces, and otherwise disfigured; two other bodies were found in the meadows, having been blown across the canal, one to a distance of about one hundred yards, and the other more than three hundred yards, and the limbs and flesh scattered about in different directions; another was taken out of the ruins a complete trunk, with both legs and arms blown off; and the remaining two mangled in a manner equally shocking. Most of them were married-men, and had families.

The accident (as related by a boatman belonging to another vessel lying near, and 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 exploded 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 fortunately deposited in a counting-house at some distance from the warehouse, which escaped destruction. 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 sufferers 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 fortunately preserved his life.

The ground-floor of the warehouse was of stone, and such was the power of the explosion, that a large portion of the pavement was driven six or seven feet into the solid earth.

The bodies of the sufferers now lie at the Navigation inn for the Coroner's inquest.