The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-08-11 00:00:00

CRADLEY.

StriciDE.—On Thursday last, William Henry
Mole (44,) ulacksmin, of Two Gates, Colley Gate,
committed suicide by hanging himself in his black-
smith's shop. It is reported. that deceased has
been drinking heavily of late. An inquest was held
at the Talbot Inn, Cradley, yesterday, before Mr.
I. Docker, corone:, and the jury returned a verdict
to the effect that deceased cunynitted suioide whilst
in a state a tsuiporiuy malady,

ALARMING FIRE AT DUDLEY.

EXCITING RESCUE OF CHILDREN.

Soon after eleven o'clock on Tuesday night a fire,
which might have been attended with very s,rious
consequences, broke out on the premises of Mr.
John Fletcher, herbalist, King Street, Dudley. Mr.
Fletcher is temporarily absent from home, and the
house was tenanted by his daughter, Mrs. Edwards.
her husband, James Edwards, their five children,
and a domestic servant. Mr, Edwards was like-
wise away from home on Tuesday, and the only
occupants of the house at the time were Mrs.
Edwards, her children, the servant, and a sister of
the last named, who was staying there as a visitor. -
Mrs. Edwards, the servant, her-eldest child, and a
very young baby were in the kitchen, when suddenly
there was an escape of gaci from the gas bracket.
The gas catching fire from the light at the burner,
it is supposed the room was soon filled with flame.
Mrs. Edwards, carrying her baby, and followed by
her eldest child, rushed out up the entry:and into the
street, whither she was followed by the servant and
her sister. The alarm was raised that the house
was on fire, and a crowd soon collected. The flames
spread with alarming rapidity to the other rooms on
the ground floor, and the staircase catching fire the
the upstairs rooms were filled with volumes of
Smoke. The hcuse is three-storey high, and in the top
storey Mrs. Edvvards's three other children—a lit tle
girl aged four years, a little boy three years old,
and a baby fifteen months old—were all asleep
in bed. This fact was communicated to the spee—
tators in the street, and immediately the cry was
raised for a ladder to be brought. One was procured
but it only reached to the window of the second
storey. With much bravery,however, and amid the
ringing cheers of those in the street, Edward
Woodall, a carpenter, residing at No. 3, Bond Street,
ran up the ladder, entered the house at the second
storey window, and then made his way upstairs to
the top storey. There he found the sleeping child-
ren, and carried them to the window. The smoke
at this time was very dense, Woodall's appearance
at the window with the children was greeted with
cheering, and loud cries were sent up to him of
"Throw them down and we'll catch them." No
, time was to be lost, and Woodall threw the children
as requested, one after the other. One was caught
in the arms of Mr. Thomas Arnold, a tailor, of New
Hall Street ; another by Mr. Edward Mills, a
marble mason, of Flood Street ; and the baby it
was stated; was caught in the apron of a young
woman named Cooper, residing in Flood Street. Of
courre there were plenty of others in the crowd who
willingly didall. they could to break the children's
fall from so consclerable a height. Two of the
children were, it is satisfactory to state, safely
landed, but the boy aged three years was less lucky,
and although his fall was well broken, some portion
of his body struck the ground, and caused him
some amount of injury. The whole of the i cidents
narrated above occurred within the space of a few
minutes. Meanwhile the members of the Police
Fire Brigade arrived, under tile command of Chief •
superintendent Burton, bringing with them the reel-
hose, the fire—escape, and the jumping-sheet.
There was then, however, no need for the two last-
named, the children having been rescued, and the
brigade at once ran out the hose so as to play upon
the fire. Some delay in this respect was experienced
owing to a defect or breakage in one of the stand-
pipes. Eventually the water was turned on. and
the flames extinguished, after being played upon
for some time. tnThe pi incipal damage cline appears
to be confined to the downstair rooms in the back
part of the house, and to the staircase. The furni-
ture was destroyed, and the clothing of the children
and tire other inmates of the house consumed by the
flames. Mrs. Edwards was so affected by the fire
and the perilous position in which her children
were p'aced that she had to receive the attention of
a medical man.