The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-01-22 00:00:00

FIRES AND LOSS OF LIFE,

The Prince of Wales's Theatre, Coventry-street,
Haymarket, was the scene of an outbreak of fire on
Sunday, which was fortunately quickly checked. The
cause is reported to be "scene coming in contact with
gaslight" in the scene-painting room over the stage.
Some of the workmen attached to the theatre soon got
a private hydrant to work with success. Captain
Shaw's report says: "A scene damaged by fire in
Taint-room over stage, and property-room and dress-
ing-rooom under and contents by water." The
Church of St. John the Baptist, Highgate-road,
London, attracted the presence of the brigade on Satur-
day evening. A defective flue caused part of the roof
of the nave to become alight, but the absolute damage
was only slight. The house numbered 19, Hampstead-
road, used as a cafe and restaurant, and occupied
by Mrs. E. A. Wallbrook, was the scene of a calami.
tons fire in the early hours of Saturday morning,
The only inmates in the building at the time appears
to have been the waiters, one of whom, it is said,
although no one can speak with cenainty, proceeded
downstairs while the rest were in bed, and struck a
light close to a quantity of waste paper. A spark is
supposed to have fallen, and the smouldering paper
ultimately became in a blaze. No sooner had the
man who struck the light returned to his bed than he
was alarmed at a suffocating smell, and he appears
to have made an attempt to arouse the other persons
in the place. At any rate, the fire, which evidently
originated in the lower part of the house, quickly
spread to the upper portion, and there were no means
of descending. In the meantime a cabman who hap-
pened to be passing saw the fire raging in the shop,
and he at once conveyed the alarm to the escape-station
at Trinity Church, only a short distance away. This
was at 2.23 a.m., and a minute later the call was received
at the brigade-station in Portland-road. At 2.26 the men
in charge of the street station in Tottenham-court-road
were apprised of the occurrence, and at 2.29 the first
jet of water was applied, the place being then well
alight. The scene 'vas a most exciting one. Three
of the poor fellows who had not escaped the effects
of the fire made their way to the roof and scrambled
over the house roofs of neighbours, and by that means
they gained admittance. Temporary relief was at
once afforded them. One of them, however, Joseph
Gelistina, was burned in a shocking manner, and was
removed to the University Hospital. There were
several engines in attendance, but a hydrant and
standpipe sufficed for the extinguishing purposes.
When the firemen succeeded in their work two of the
waiters were reported to be uiaccounted for, and a
search in the building resulted in the discovery of
one them lying just inside the door of the back room
on the top floor and the other partially under the bed.
Both were dead, apparently from suffocation.
WARLIKE PREPARATIONS.

A day or two since (says the Daily News), the
Admiralty sent to the Commanders in-Chief at all
the naval ports asking for information as to how
many men could be accommodated on board the hulks
and other vessels at those ports in case it should be
deemed necessary to add to the number of seamen
and marines in the fleet. Admiral Augustus Philli-
more, Commander-in-Chief at Devonport, has replied
that the Indus steam reserve ship at lieyham and the
Impregnable, Canopus, and Vengeance could, if
necessary, accommodate about 3000 men. The im-
pression in naval circles is that the Admiralty desire
to be in possession of this information so that in case
of complication sin Europe, naval reserve men if called
up can be at once berthed pending their transfer to
seagoing ships. We learn that the officers and men of the
brigade of Guards who are on the roster for foreign
service have just been medically examined as to their
fitness for the service. This precaution is only taken,
we believe, in cases of emergency,