The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-05-03 00:00:00

GREAT FIRE IN LONDON
IMMENSE DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY.

For the third time within the space of some
eighteen months the well-known and vast premises of
Mrs W. Whiteley, the "Universal Provider," of
Westbourne - grove and Queen's-road, Bayswater,
London, have been the scene of a great and destruc-
tive fire. It may be remembered that the first was
in the month of November, 1882, when several of the
shops of the drapery department in Westbourne-
grove were destroyed. This was followed by another
outbreak on Boxing-day of the same year, when
considerable damage was done to the cabinet-
making shops in the rear of the Queen's-
road premises. The third, the present, which
is by far the greatest in magnitude, broke
out on Saturday morning in the bedding and carpet
department of No. 149, Queen's-road, forming part.of
the huge block of buildings extending from Queen's-
road 300 feet to the rear of the older houses of the
same concern. The fire, so far as is known, broke out
about three o'clock in the morning, and, consequently,
in the brief period of not more than two hours when
the metropolis might be said to dumber. A constable
on his beat at half-past three saw the reflection of a
strong light in one of the upper windows of the carpet
warehouse, and within a few moments the bursting ,
out of flames. When, in response to his alarm, a
crowd began to gather and the engines to arrive, the
fire, which had no doubt been burning for some time
before the discovery, was showing fiercely also to sards
the rear. The nearest Fire Brigade station is at Her-
mitage-street, Paddington, and from it arrived the
first engine, which was at work by four o'clock.
Already a large crowd had collected, police were
appearing in force, and the quick arrival of other
engines with thundering clatter along the silent streets
soon awakened the neighbourhood. An eye-witness
describes the fire, as he saw it soon after four o'clock,
as one of the most terrible sights he had ever seen,
and the occupants of the row of houses on the oppo-
site side of the way were kept in a fever of fright by
the strengthening heat from the burning premises.
Queen's-road block consists of seven warehouses, and
the mischief was first perceived in the bedding and
carpet warehouse adjoining the Paddington Baths and
Washhonse. This, plop was; from the outset beyond
the hope of saving, and the streams of water from the
hose had no effect whatever upon the overmastering
flames. At the rear of the block--which, as indi-
cated, is some 300 feet deep from front to rear, and
near the cabinet works, where the worst fire of 188?
broke out—are the stables, containing at the tune
more than 100 horses. With admirable forethought
one of the police suggested that they should be turned
loose, and although, as it transpired, the fire stopped
short of the bulk of the stables, the precaution was
wisely taken. The animals, upon being untied,
galloped out by the side street into the Queen's-road,
along which they tore madly, adding considerably to
the intense excitement prevailing. They did not
wander far, and by Sunday evening hid been re-
covered and stabled in different directions,
The firemen had, to begin with, to work bard to
prevent the destruction of the public baths and wash-
houses, and the demolition of the carpet warehouse
at about six o'clock enabled them to turn their
attention to other portions. The baths, however, had
a narrow escape, the walls at one time being exceed-
ingly heated. Captain Shaw and Mr. Simonds were
on the spot soon after four o'clock, and in an
incredibly short space of time twenty steam engines
and manuals arrived from different quarters. At six
o'clock the bedding and carpet warehouse was, as
already stated, destroyed, and a portion of its lofty front
wall fell into the street with a crash that reverber-
ated far and near. Several minutes of painful suspense
followed, for it was feared that some of the gallant
firemen might have been buried in the debris. The
clouds of dust, smoke, and steam lifted, however,
showing that the men were safe. The flagstaff tower,
enveloped in tongues of flame, also disappeared in the
fiery cauldron beneath. Above the hurricane roar
of the fire was soon heard the fallieg of other
portions of the building in the rear. The ruddy
flames were now leaping high over what appeared
to bo a frightful area of destruction; the shouts
of men, the whistle of the engines, the working
of the pumps, the hissing of water, added to
the terror of the people in the neighbourhood,
upon whose houses and pale faces a lurid glare
was cast. In less than two hours from the
discovery half the block from front to rear was a
raging mass of fire, and it seemed as if nothing could
stay its furious progress. First, after the carpet
warehouse, the furniture department was destroyed;
then the linen and blanket warehouse, and the china
and glass shop. In succeesion, five out of seven ware-
houses, separated from each other by brick walls,
were attacked, and it was fortunate that here the
destruction was stayed, by the almost superhuman
labour of the army of firemen, whose perilous
exertions, frequently on the roofs, as it seemed
to bystanders in the flames, had never for
a moment slackened. That human life was
not sacrigced is a matter for sincere con-
gratulation. Happily the shops were not used as
dwelling-places for the employes, and the only resi-
dent persons who were in actual danger were the
families of four or five carmen who lived over the
stables. These were aroused in good time and found
refuge in the public baths. Fireman Spencer was
injured on the arm by the somewhat sudden fall of.
the carpet warehouse walls, but no other casualty
was reported. The fire in its most virulent form was
subdued by seven o'clock, at which hour, great
was the consternation of Whiteley's workpeople,
arriving to enter upon the labours of the day, to
find the shops in ruins, and themselves kept back
by the barrier of police, which, stretched across the
end of the street at the Bishop's-road outlet, pre-
vented the further advance of thousands of spectators.
Most of the engines returned to quarters during the
forenoon, leaving a couple to the lengthy business of
putting out the smouldering remnants, which at inter-
vals shot up into temporary flame.
The nature of the goods destroyed may be
gathered from the character of the warehouses,
which were devoted to bedding and carpets, furniture,
linen, hardware, and china and glass. The carpeting
and bedding were amongst the least inflammable of
the goods, and this fact increases the difficulty in ac-
counting for the first appearance of the fire in that
particular department. The probability, however,
is that it originated in some quarters at present un-
known. The furniture shop burnt with great
rapidity, and as the large stock included the most
costly as well as the most homely of fur-
niture, here will be found a serious item of loss.
Had the fire got to the painting, plumbing,
and provision departments, or to the stables and
cabinet-making shops to the rear, the destruction
would have been appalling. The principal stock
destroyed is, therefore, carpets, bedding, linen,
turnery, pianos, portmanteaus, hardware, china and
glass, oilcloths, rugs, reps, damask, and camp
furniture. The goods in the pantechnicon, where
customers store furniture and private effects, the
value of which is unknown, are also destroyecT.
During the earlier part of the fire the fancy birds
and animals that were the source of so much amuse-
ment to the young patrons of Whiteley's were
removed out of harm's way to the mews in the rear,
where their screams and howls for a while added to
the already horrible din.
Of the damage sustained Mr. Whiteley himself
gave an estimate to interviewers on Saturday. In
the three shops that are completely destroyed, he
states that the stock could not have been worth less
than £150,000; the buildings which were erected
about eight years ago, solidly of brick and iron, are
put down at £lOO,OOO. Mr. Whiteley, who was
fetched soon after the fire broke out, from his
residence in Kildare-terrace, is as much at a loss as
any one to account for the fire, and expresses the
opinion that the room pointed out as its origin was one
of the most unlikely in the establishment for such an
accident. It was used for the planning and cutting
out of carpeting and cocoa-nut matting—smouldering
material both—and the watchman reported that it
was safe, as usual, after the departure of the work-
people at half-past seven on Friday evening. "I
have no theory whatever," Mr. Whiteley said; "it
dazes me." He further remarked that the destroyed
buildings were of his own planning and devising, made
of the best materials, and without consideration
of cost. He could not say how much of the damage
would be covered by insurance, but knew that
his loss must be very heavy. The fire, he added,
could not have happened at a worse time, he
having just received large supplies for the
season, which had not been included in his
stock, and were not therefore covered by insurance.
lie holds policies in nearly every London office. Al-
ready on Saturday he had seen his builder, solicitor,
and insurance agents and was projecting a rebuilding
of the premises within three or four months. Although
some hundreds of workpeople will be temporarily dis-
possessed from their ordinary workshops, Mr. White-
ley says that they will not be thrown out of employ-
ment; and meanwhile in the provision and other
departments that have escaped business will go on
without interruption. It need scarcely be added that
the Westbourne-grove premises are comparatively far
removed from the scene of the fire.
Captain Shaw, C. 8., drew up his report on Saturday
afternoon, and the official details record the fire in
the following manner: "Called at 3.45 a.m. to 147,
149, 151, 153, 155, 157, and 159, Queen's-road, Bays-
water, to the premises owned and occupied by W.
Whiteley, universal provider. Cause of fire unknown.
Contents of building insured in the Royal and others.
Damage, a building of four floors, 300 by 50 feet, and
three other buildings of five floors each (used as show
rooms, shops, and warehouses), and the contents
burnt out and the roof off; three other buildings of
five floors each, covered yards, and stabling of two
floors, and contents severely damaged by fire, beat,
and water; all adjoining and communicating. Nos.
143 and 145 ditto, the public baths (H. Taylor, super-
intendent of the Commissioners of Public Baths, roof
damaged by fire and breakage."

AN UNLUCKY LOT.—A man picked up a purse in the
street one day, and advertised the fact. In ten days
he was visited by sixty-one men, women, boys and
girls, all claiming to have lost money. The sum found
was but eleven and six; but of each visitor who
the finder asked, "So you lost two pound ten, did
you ?" "Nine-tenths of the applicants promptly re
plied, " Ves eir, " ' said he, "vours was anoae.