will adopt some plan for strengthening the guard irons,
so as to render them capable of removing heavy as well
as light substances, and likewise for fixing guard irons
to the tender."

A frightful Boiler Explosion occurred on the 7th, at
Mr. Braine's colliery, at Kingswood, near Bristol. The
Starveall pit, together with several others, is worked by
means of a steam engine. The old boiler having fully
done its work, a new one was to have been erected, and
while a number of men were in the act of removing the
masonry in which the old boiler was fixed, without
waiting for the steam to blow off, suddenly the boiler
burst with a terrific explosion, by which it was
completely blown out of its bed, and huge fragments of it,
together with the surrounding stone and brickwork,
hurled to a great height in the air. The boiling water
and red-hot cinders were scattered around in all directions,
falling on the persons of several of the men, and
scalding them in the most fearful manner. Mr. Braine
himself was thrown down by the violence of the explosion,
and his hat knocked off by a portion of theflying debris,
but fortunately he escaped without serious injury.
Medical assistance having shortly arrived some of the
poor fellows were laid on beds, and carried on carts to
the Bristol Royal Infirmary, but in many instances the
injuries were too desperate to warrant the removal of
the sufferers. During the day four men died, and the
deaths of four others were afterwards reported. At the
inquest, it appeared from the evidence that the accident
was produced by a want of sufficient water, and from
there having been a considerable quantity of steam
evaporated while the engine was standing. The Jury
returned as their verdict—"That the deceased parties
came by their deaths through the explosion of a steam-
boiler, which explosion was caused by the carelessness
and inattention of the engineer, John Burchall."—
Burchall was one of the men who had lost their lives.

A serious Balloon Accident occurred on the evening
of the 16th. Mr. and Mrs. Graham ascended from
Batty's Hippodrome, near Kensington. The balloon
rose slowly, but had not ascended above fifty or sixty
feet when it again sank, and in doing so the silken
envelope came in contact with a pole or flag-staff,
sustaining a considerable rent, by which the gas began
to escape. The balloon again ascended, and by a succession
of alternate risings and sinkings at length got clear
of the inclosure, and floated away in the direction of the
Crystal Palace. When over the building the aeronauts
discharged their ballast, which they had been compelled
to carry, greatly to their own disadvantage, while moving
over the heads of the crowd. After clearing the building
with some difficulty, and damaging a flag-staff, the
balloon drifted towards the Green park, and skimmed
the surface of the reservoir, whence it again suddenly
rose to the altitude of the houses in Piccadilly. A breeze
at this time carried the balloon towards the roof of
Col. North's house in Arlington street, which looks into
the park. In its passage over that dwelling the car
became fixed between the sloping roof and a stack of
chimneys rising from it. A gust of wind now gave a
new impetus to the machine, which dragged heavily,
and carried away the chimney stack. Its buoyant force
seemed to have been exhausted by this effort, and as the
gas was fast escaping, it offered no resistance to the
wind sufficient to permit any further progress before the
arrival of aid. As all the windows in the upper story
of Col. North's house were barred, no assistance could
be rendered from the interior; but the inmates of the
house adjoining found a way to the roof, and conveyed
the voyagers, much injured, by the skylight into a place
of safety. They were immediately attended by a surgeon
of the neighbourhood. Mr. Graham had a severe scalp
wound, his chest bone broken, his collar bone fractured,
and several other injuries very serious to a man of sixty-
six years of age. Mrs. Graham had a very severe scalp
wound, and also a few incised wounds on the face. She
has written a letter to say that the accident was entirely
owing to the violence of the wind, and that no part of
the Crystal Palace was touched by the balloon.

The Neptune steamer, which was specially selected to
bring the first portion of the Russian contribution to
the Great Exhibition of Industry, has been Wrecked on
her return voyage, in the Sound of Elsinore. She had
about forty passengers and a very valuable return cargo
of goods on board, and made the Elsinore light at about
half-past ten at night. When about ten miles beyond
Elsinore, she bounced suddenly into a dangerous reef of
rocks on that part of the coast called Swine Bottoms, off
Loganas, and in about an hour was full of water to her
main decks. At her signals boats came off both from
the Sweden and Jutland coasts, and all her passengers
were safely rescued: some portion of the cargo was also
saved.

On the 20th, a Fire broke out in the warehouses
belonging to Alderman Humphery, on the Surrey side
of London Bridge; an immense pile of buildings six
stories high, and 300 feet in length. The fire was
discovered about three in the afternoon, when Alderman
Humphery was at the House of Commons engaged on a
committee; he heard the rumbling of engines in the
street, and enquiring the cause, learned that his own
property was on fire. Notwithstanding every exertion,
the warehouses were almost wholly destroyed; and the
loss of property is supposed to amount to £150,000; but
happily there has been no loss of life. The fire is
ascribed to spontaneous combustion.

Two serious Railway Accidents have happened on
the North Western line. The first was on the evening
of the 20th, near the Dutton Viaduct, between Crewe
and Warrington. From some cause not yet ascertained
the engine was drawn off the line, drawing with it ten
or twelve carriages with such force that their progress
was stopped by the wheels becoming imbedded up to the
axles. Providentially the train had passed a precipitous
embankment, and no great injury was done.—The
second occurred on the following day near Wolverton,
when the train was going northwards. From some
unexplained cause the luggage on the top of one the
carriages caught fire, and the flames spread with great
rapidity. In one of the compartments of the next
carriage behind it were seated Mr. Paxton, Mr. Bass,
M.P., and Mr. Cochrane, the superintendent in the
building of the Crystal Palace, and Mr. Crampton, the
engineer of the Sub-marine Telegraph Company from
Dover to Calais, who were on their way to share in the
dinner given to Mr. Fox at Derby. They were suddenly
startled by hearing shrieks and seeing flakes of fire
drifted across the windows of their compartment.
Mr. Crampton opened the door, and leaping from
carriage to carriage by aid of the footbridge, made his
way past that which was in flames, and was approaching
the engine, when he was observed by the guard and
driver, who, as soon as possible, stopped the train. In
the mean time his companions had a narrow escape,
for the flames found their way into the compartment
which he had left open, and set their clothes on fire in
several places. They had the greatest difficulty in
extinguishing the sparks and flakes of fire that had
found their way in, but beyond some singes and a
blister or two no personal injury was suffered. Had it
not been for Mr. Crampton's presence of mind,
however, very melancholy consequences might have resulted.
As it was all the passengers were greatly frightened,
and the luggage of several was destroyed.

Another Railway Accident of a more melancholy
kind happened on the same day. Several hundreds
of the scholars, teachers, and friends, connected with
the Elton Church Sunday School, had a trip by railway
to Blackpool, and 2000 of the members and friends of
the Bury Youths' Temperance Association took a trip
to Fleetwood. In consequence of the demand for tickets
being so great, the railway company could not provide
a sufficient supply of passenger carriages, and a number
of cattle waggons, &c., were fitted up with seats for the
occasion. A young man, named James Entwistle, a
mechanic, feeling himself crowded, said to his
companions that he would get a little fresh air. He accordingly
mounted upon the carriage until his head came in
contact with a bridge, and he was forcibly driven into
the succeeding carriage; he never spoke more, and died
almost immediately. In two hours a coffin was provided,
and the body was conveyed to Bury the same day: the
accident occurred near Preston.

A Dreadful Accident happened on the 20th, at the
North Side colliery, near Bristol. A portion of the
shaft gave way, and from forty to fifty men were buried