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

GREAT FIRE IN LIVERPOOL;

Early on Friday morning the business establish-
ment of Messrs. Lewis and Co., adjoining the Central
Railway Station in Liverpool, was found to be on fire,
and in about two hours the building, containing a
miscellaneous stock valued at about £200,000, was
completely destroyed. The outbreak was first dis-
covered in one of the upper floors of the clock tower,
which is nearly 200 ft. high. The flames spread with
alarming rapidity. and by the time the first engine
arrived the tower was well ablaze. In less than 10 or
13 minutes the escapes were brought up, and the fire-
men began to play upon the burning mass. The
[lam is by this time, only a few minutes from the first
notice, spread downwards as well as upwards, and the
tower was all alight from top to bottom. By two
o'clo;ik the fire began to extend to the side of the
buili.ing along Lawton-street, and in a very
few minutes all the front was burning.
The premises here are storeys high, all
with very large win lows, through which the fire was
seen to be raging in the interior as in a furnace.
Lawton-street is only about 10 feet wide, and the heat
was so great that it was found necessary to play upon
Spters and Pond's refreshment-rooms and the Central
Station opposite. At about a quarter to three a por-
tion of the top of Lewis's wall fell into Lawton-street,
and a few seconds afterwards the whole wall at the
s:de between the great tower and the smaller one at
the back fell out. It was expected every moment
that the clock tower would fall. At the main front of
the building in Rsnelagh-street the square tower,
nearly 100 feet in height, had caught fire, and about
half-past two the flames began to mit down the roof-
ing. At about a quarter-past 12 the scene presented
was one of the most remarkable ever witnessed
in Liverpool. From the turret the flames
shot up skyward, while flames burst from the
windows. The fire seemed to have possession of
the whole building from basement to roof. Im-
mediately behind Lewis's premises are a number of
houses, somewhat densely populated, and the inhabi-
tants began to throw their furniture into the street.
The turret on the clock tower fell about three o'clock,
and the flanies raged for fully two hours afterwards.
Nothing in the entire block was saved. For some
weeks past Messrs. Lewis have had in the basement of
their premises a large collection of wild animals, and
much anxiety was felt as to the fate of the menagerie.
Several lions, tigers, and nears were soon got out from
their perilous position and carted away; but, owing
to the fury of the flames, it was deemed imprudent to
approach the corner of the building where a Polar
bear and two brown bears were caged. The sparks flew
in all directions, and the heat was intense. Shortly
after five o'clock about a dozen volunteers, at
mat personal risk, tied some ropes around
the two brown bears, who were walking
uneasily about in their dens, and endeavoured to
set them at liberty, but in the attempt a large
piece of timber from the roof of the build'ng fell and
struck two of the men to the ground—one on the
chest and the other on the arm—necessitating their
removal to the Royal Infirmftry, whence, after being
carefully treated, they were taken home. The Polar
bear was especially valued by Mr. Cross, the owner of
the animals, and accordingly it was determined to do
all that could be done to save it. A fireman was
stationed as near as possible to that part of the estab-
lishment in which the cage was placed, and was in-
structed to play his hose on the bear. This was done
during the whole time the conflagration was raging,
and the bear, at seven o'clock in the morning, was
left amid the smoking ruins the only living thing in
its neighhourhood. The two brown bears close to it
were absolutely roasted to death. Their struggles were
terrible to behold. On the fire reaching them they
rose on their hind legs, and, as the firemen say_.
"fought like to men till the heat overpowered
them."

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