The National Register. — London, England, 1809-02-26 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER. thousand souls. The flames must have been visible to a censi derable extent, from the commanding situation of the Theatre, and of course attracted crowds in every direction. Russell street, Drury-lane, Catherine-street, Brvdges-street, Charles street, Bow-street. Tavistock.-areet, Long-acre, and Covent garden, were absolutely filled with spectators. Such was the force of the conflagration, that its heat was strongly felt at the church in Covent-garden. The Police Officers were unretnittlar in their vigilance and attention, and the avenues to the Theatre were guarded by strong detachments from the horse and foot guards, and several of the volunteer corps. Only one life, we believe, was lost. A fireman is stated to have been killed, and two other firemen wounded; and a lad, who was assisting the playing of the (ire cogines, broke his arm. The orieination of this catastrophe is not satisl'actorily ex plained. It is generally admitted, by those persons who fir::t gave th? usual alarm of lire, that the tire commenced in the upper part of the house ; and the present supposition is, (as plumbers were employed. during the earls hours of eireday, in repairing the lower part of the roof and reservoir) that sonic combustible materials, negligently left behind, communicated to the wood, and eventually spread their effect into the appart ments immediately over the coffee-room of the Theatre. An appearance of fire, at about a quarter after eleven o'clock, is said to have been perceived at a window, on the second story of this building, fronting Russel-street, without exciting any properdegree of apprehension, till, about twenty minutes after wards, the entire upper part of the theatre burst into one tremendous burning ! The cupola and Om Apollo, which fell in about It o'clock, and which, in every direction, formed such prominent objects of contemplation, were for some time clearly and sublimely distinguishable. The spectacle of real desolation which the structure afforded, when contemplated from Blackffiars-bridge at t‘vel ve o'clock, far surpassed in magnificence any of the mimic representations hich were ever viewed within its walls. The shell of the building was then entire, and the upper ramie of 'l4 inflows and the balustrade above, forming the whole length of the edifice. being raised above all the adjoiving buildings. and thrown into strong relief by the flame, resembled the ant tent a qnedacts which are still remaining in the Somth of Europe.- From the frame of the edifice arose a broad stwet of flame : no wind stirred to break the symmetry of its ascent, so that it terminated in'a " fiery pyramid." This vast splendid body threw an interesting light on the surrounding objects. The Thames and St. Paul's were rendered unusually beautiful. Thus the effect was rather that of an e laborate work of art than of a fatal casualty, to be lamented by all the Arts. Astonishing, indeed, was the electric rapidity with which this tire communicated itself throughout the w hole of the then tre. Words can convey no adequate conception of time awfully interesting . spectacle. Mute with surprise, silent in despair, and full of the recollection of another similar recent calamity, the th naming multitude seemed assembled for no purpose so much as inwardly t o m o ralise upon the scene - of destruction ! Scarcely a. satire teas at one time heard; Every one stood amazed, per plexed, tremulous. It is thus that, within the short space of little more than five months, the two great Theatres of our Metropolis have been suddenly and entirely consumed ; while the Palace of the Nation has also narrowly • escaped the ravages of the saute des:oaring element. Chance and carelessness, however, are still the only wises to which mankind appear disposed to attribute the most terrible of terrestrial disasters!!! A ODITION A L P RTTVIJI, 111 S. The fee begin in What was called the Chinese lobby, that is the lobby nodernelth the grand lobby which faced Brydges sueet. This Chinese lobby was the second entered goinz into the Theatre from / 131-v(l2;es-street ; it was usually but ill lighted, nod from it ascended two stair-cascs to the main passages smut lobbies level with the hack of the front boxes. According to the origin:it pl:in Of the Theatre this Chinese lobby was intended to he surrounded ttith shops, for the sale of various articles, s uch ac g 10%1' 4 , fruits, e‘c. during the performance. The shops had actually been made since the opening of the Theatre, but they remaioell shut up with shutter=, never having been finished or opened for actual use. This lobby from the beginning was a /.cnurite tos of Mr. Sheridan. who at the commencement of the Theatre, and often sluice has been heard to bohst what a pretty thing It 'I% (mid he when finished and opened in complete style. To accomplish this had only been determined this season, during the w hole of w hich the entrance to the Theatre from itrydgei. street has been shut up, that this lobby and the bhops in it might be finished and. opened. It was nearly ready, the varnishers More at work rather late I;.A night, and from negligence the fire FEB. 26 happened. lloa it happened is not exactly known; but it is known that the varnish caught fire, and that almost instantly the whole Theatre was in a blaze; the varnish being such combust'. ble matter, newly laid on the' walls. The metropolis was illuminated to the remotest parts of the town, and the intelligence of We stile of the calamity seemed to spread with equal rapidity, as people from all parts came Hock iag towards the melancholy scene of action, as to a central , point. The erotic] near the fatal spot was imincose, and all the streets leading to it were thronged with people, yet perhaps there is no instance on record in which there appeared less tur bulence and confusion. As far as it was possible to detach the mind of the spectators from the awful and tremendous calamity in view, the appearance of the metropolis was in the highest degree striking and magnificent. The tops of the hoftes r all directions were covered with people, and those who stood upon any house, from which a view of Westminster and I'luckf; iars Bridges could be seen, could see every passenger go over them, and distinctly mark the ballustrade,:. The Patent-shot . I\lanu. factory, and, inriced, every large edefice on the South of . the Thames, as well as those on the other side, were illumiealv:l with great splendour, and contributed to render the coup d the grandest spectacle of the kind that perhaps has ever ',rt.,' itnessed since that memorable calamity, emphatically denonii - nated the fire of London. The reservoir of water on the fop,which formed with the iroa curtain the topic of reliance for security in the Prologue with which the new Theatre was opened, was like a mere bucket full to the volume of tire on which it fell, and had no visible effect in damping it. Any attempt to go near the flames was totally impracticahle--and all that was ca ved from ruin was done by the presence of mind and activity of Mr. Kent, who was the first to discover the flames; .Mr. Powell, the prompter ; and Mr.lohnston, the mechanist ; with the two waf ehme”. They ascertained that the fire broke out in the hall under the lobby at Brydges-street entry, w :ere some plumbers had been at work. When the leaden cistern fell in, it produced a shock like vn earthquake, and the burning matter forced up into the air re sembled a shower of rockets and other artificial fireworks. The houses in Little Rtssel-street, facing the Theatre, are dread fully searei and whitened ; some of them had been on tire in the window-frames, and all the windows are broken by the heat. In Vinegar-Yard two or three small houses close to the box door, are burnt, gutted wills...she fire, but the walls are not down. Had not the wall in lAttle Itils,ell-street, fallen in wards on the Theatre. it must have crushed the oppo:ite hou,;e• That street is, notwithstanditm, filled up across to the opposite pavement with the ruin', chie fly r of the fraTments of the broken colonnade, the stone pillars being broken lino small pieces, am! with the' stone-works and half-burnt beams of timber. The fire burnt fully up to Drury-lane, to which a part of the build ing, made intol a scene-painting room, we believe, had been lately carried. The walls in Drury-lane' are standing ; but in all quarters the wood-work and inside of the Theatre arc completely down. The baker's shop dosely adjoining the, building of the Theatre, iii Drurv-lane, does not appear to have been in the least damaged, not even distneied !it open and a; business as if nothing had happened ! The next house down the lane, in which was the stage-door, and the next house to that which was tile Treasury, do not seem to have been injured by the fire, though they arc disordered, some of the windows out, &c. The building of this Theatre cost 200,0001. Of the im- MOM' property of all sorts, in scenery, machinery, dresses, decorations, music, instruments, plays, &c. of which nothing was saved, we can form co estimate. The following we have authority to say, k an exact statement or the amount of the sums insured on the Theatre, at the rcapec• tive Yire-Offices : The British Imperial llope Eagle 5.000 11,000 10,000 6,500 X. 14,400 Total The loss to the Performers is most serious. They have lost every thing;----and, in one day, several hundred persons nre thrown out of bread- There is no place in town to which they can have resort as a temporary theatre, unless they were to di vide themselves into several parties, and act at the Lyceum, the Ito vasty, ece. The loss of lives, compared with that which we had to de plore on a similar occasion, is inconsiderable. One person, we sindersrand, was overwhelmed by the falling of the wall into nussell-st met, and by the same occurrenceatiother was so bruised as to be carried a apoira Shona, - apparehtty in a dying state. 14! ~~1