The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-07-26 00:00:00

GREAT FIRE IN LONDON.

In London, on Saturday afternoon, a very serious
fire, which is stated to have caused damage to the
amount of nearly £lOO,OOO, broke ont at Wapping on
a riverside wharf. The fire was first seen at a
quarter to three o'clock on Saturday afternoon in the
New Crane Wharf, Shadwell, in a large warehouse
occupied by Mrs. E. H. Cousens and Co. The build-
ing, which was seven floors in height, was filled with
coffee, cocoa, shellac, pepper, sugar, and a large
quantity of Australian wool. The fire blazed up at
once, and warning was sent by telephone from
Glamis-road, Shadwell, to the head-quarters of the
Fire Brigade in the Borough. Land steamers and
floats were quickly on the scene of the fire,
under the personal superintendence of Captain
Shaw, assistel by several of his principal officers.
The fire was seen to be one of a very ex-
tensive character, and additional men and
steameis were at once ordered out as well as all
the Brigade appliances for dealing with a very heavy
waterside lire. Upwards of 100 officers and men
were engaged atonce in endeavouring to subdue the
flames. Unfortunately the tide was low at the tine,
and the men had to work energetically for several
hours laying out great lengths of hose. The flames
could not be subdued, and set on fire two barges,
which burnt in front of the wharf, and when the tide
rose were sunk by the fall of the riverside walls. An
adjoining warehouse on St. Hilda's Wharf, occupied
by Messrs. Patteson and Hibbert, bottled beer mer-
chants, a building of four floors, caught fire; but this
was soon extinguished, not, however, before much
damage had been done by breakage. Subsequently
the falling of Messrs. Cousens's wall on that side
burst down the back portion of this wharf and of a
public-house adjoining, called the Hope and Anchor,
the inmates of which had been warned of the danger
by the firemen and had removed. The firemen were
placed in great danger by the falling of the wall.
The Brigade, headed by Captain Shaw, worked all
Saturday night, all day on Sunday, and were engaged
with little intermission all the following night. Chere
were employed on the work five floats, seventeen
steamers, and one manual. The smoke from the
burning pepper was so pungent that the men worked
with great difficulty and pain. The fire was thought
to have been overcome very late on Saturday night,
but it. gained fresh strength, and attacked a portion
of the buildings which up to that time there had been
hope of saving. The warehouse of Messrs. Cousens
was literally choked with stores, and even some of the
doorways and gangways were filled with bales of
wool. Two firemen named Cobden and Gibbs, of the
Clerkenwell Division, was badly cut by falling walls,
which were pressed out by the swollen wool, and the
former had his helmet smashed. The fall of one
wall is described as terrific. The cause of the fire is
unknown.

"A—PErtstAx TAusmAN.—Talismans, spells, and
charms of all sorts are much relied upon in Persia in
all cases of illness. "During the cholera in Shiraz,"
writes the author of the "Land of the Lion and the
Sun, `• I was attending the daughter of the high
priest, who was sitting surrounded by a crowd. of
friends, petitioners, and parasites. Ile was writing
charms against the cholera. I, out of curiosity, asked
him for one. It was simply a strip of paper on which
was written a mere scribble, which meant nothing at
all. I took it and put it carefully away. He told me
that, when attacked by cholera, I had but to swallow
it, and it would prove an effectual. remedy. I thanked
Mtn very seriously and went my way. That day he
called and presented me with two sheep and a huge
cake of sugar candy weighing thirty pounds. I did
not quite see why he gave, me the present; but ha
laughingly told me that my serious reception of his
talisman had convinced the many bystanders of its
great value, and a charm desired by an unbelieving
European doctor must, be potent indeed.. 'You see,
you might have laughed at my beard; you did not.
lam grateful. But if I could only say that yctu had
eaten my charm, all, then!' Well,' I replied, say
so if you like,' and our interview ended,"