Saturday night Sluaighai was" startled by low in the direct All sorts of wil circulation caused amon, owd enjoying the moonlight and music in the Garden. Ina mumber of buildings in the Settlement the the explosion was felt, some Viwees being described as fairly shahin and many people said that the sown resembled that of the discharge of a big Then there came a rumour that the Kiangnan Arsenal had been blown up, and in many quarters there was a feeling that w: hing but comfortable, ing a re-prater from this journal visited the nan Arsenal and found that the explosion had taken plice in the powder works, little to the North of the Pagoda The nuarerial that "went off" consisted of several hundred shells for small-calibre quick-firing guns. The cause is said to have been the over-heating of a furnace.
small buildings were destroyed, but lives are reported to have been lost. There was an excellent supply of water in the exeek close by and the pumps, which sre very efficient, were manned the soldiers and coolies, who had the ruins extinguished in about The big chimneys in the works are intact, which certainly would not have been the case had the explosion Jen a very serious one. The admissi of peans to the works is strictly prohibited and the attitude of the Chinese soldiers was anything but civil. A. small gift of tobacco, however, propitiated one veteran, in a blue jacket trimmed with Ilsck velvet, sufficiently to allow him to confirm the' scanty information gleaned in other parts of the establishment.
We translate below the following official statement of the Chinese authorities issued ith regard to the explosion at Arsenal on Saturday aight.
ement was accompanied by a card the names of Yi Taotai of this ty P*an, Chief Commissioner, and Hsii Chang, Assistant Commissioners of the nan Arsenal.
At 10,80 o'clock last night as the men working at the smokeless powder factory, Lunghua Pagoda, were heating and 1 smokeless powder (called "white powder here) the heat of the weather added to the excessive heat of the furnaces ed a conflagration which spreading to 2 five-roomed plank house containing small army' cartridges caused those in four rooms to explode while a quantity of black powder was also destroyed. The machine shops of the factory itself are divided off from this portion of the works by brick walls, hence they escaped damage, nor were any persons hurt. The usual work is still being continued to-day (Sunday) as the powder factory does not stop work on Sandays. As the under-mentioned are afraid that contrary rumours may arise we oom it incumbent upon us to issue this notification giving the real facts of the Matter, in order to allay suspicions.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.