A large and destructive fire occurred in Dock-street, East Smith-
field, on Sunday ; the rice mills of Messrs. Yearsley were consumed. Although a great number of engines, some worked by hand and some by steam, were energetically handled against the flames, yet the place burned until Monday. Showers of burning rice, wafted by the wind, fell over the neighbourhood; the outside of the church opposite, blackened and scorched, looked as if it had been crumbled by rain and time. The floors of the mills fell in one after the other with a loud report, and the fire did not abate until nothing remained for it to devour.
A series of explosions have occurred at the Government powder- mills near Waltham. Suddenly, on Monday, four explosions fol- lowed each other with great rapidity, blowing off the iron roofs and sides, mortally injuring one man, and burning three others. The mills were under repair at the time, and more powder was in the place than was supposed. The accident happened in this wise : At the end of the buildings is the engine-house, where a shaft, running under the entire length of the mills, is worked. This shaft, in turn, causes the "runners," or wheels, to revolve over the powder for the purpose of crashing it. The " bed plates" upon which the powder, is placed for
grinding are, like the runners, made of iron. Those in the mills de- stroyed were formed of two slabs of iron, three inches thick, bolted together. The men had been at their work about an hour, when one of them, it is said, commenced the removal of the runner in the mill second from the engine-house, to enable him to sweep the powder from under it. Applying, it is alleged, a crowbar, or some implement of the same description, in order to force the roller out of position, he saw the powder flash, and remembered nothing further until he fin* himself being extricated from a stream of water, into which he had thrown himself headforemost to extinguish his burning clothes.
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