The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1886-05-08 00:00:00

THE TERRIBLE FIRE IN LONDO

• VA
On Saturday, at the St. James's, Westinno
Workhouse, Poland-street, Oxford-street, an inqui:o
was opened upon the bodies of the three men
lost their lives by the fire which occurred in 13°
street, Soho, on Wednesday morning. 0
The fire, it will be remembered, occurred 5
public house called the Three Compasses, kept
man named Purser, and the men who lost their ll'
were two German lodgers and the potman.
Mr. Braxton-Hicks, the deputy coroner for the
trict, presided over the inquiry, which was atten'
by Captain von Roeder, on behalf of the Gerrolo
Einbassy,by Mr. Fry, on behalf of the Metropolit
Board of Works, and by Captain Shaw, on behalf se,
the Metropolitan Fire Brigade. The deceased Ice:„-,;
George 11111, the potman, who was killed by thron7,
himself from the window in the absence of
escape, Leonard Oertel, a tailor, and Wilhelm Dee
man, also a tailor. '
Evidence as to the identity of the bodies hacl
bcen given,
Mr. George C. Jackson, a medical man in prectiis
at 17, Poland-street, gave evidence to the effect OA
the bodies of the two German lodgers were very rnt!e(l
charred, but that the deaths had evidently been Caucig
by suffocation by smoke, the charring occurrio
after death. The witness stated, in ans xer to
.4ter
coroner, that in nearly all cases of this clutra''
death was caused by the smoke very quickly. acl
William Purser, the landlord of the house, deP%a
that he was a licensed victualler, and formerly carrii),
on business under a full license at the Three
passes. The basement consisted of cellars, in W"tild
spirits and malt liquors were stored. On the gron4
floor was the bar, with a bar parlour. On the 01;1
floor was a club-room and a back room. On to
second floor were two bedrooms, one for the wittl,cil.
and his wife, and the other for the nurse and eu'ej
dren. On the-third floor there were three rooms, 0,0
by the potman and the lodgers. Two of the tlif_`J'
rooms were in front, and only one of these
tenanted, Beckmann living in it. Oertel and 3'4
slept in the back room. The kitchen proper
the second floor, but that was turned into a nureerl,i
and the cooking was done in the bar-parlour, 0
cellar being used as a scullery. The witness We
insured for £3OO for everything he had in the hon°o;
furniture, spirits, and fittings. He had 010.
bad a fire on any premises before. He owed 50r0.4
thing, not much, to his brewers and to the
but his house was not mortgaged. The fire occerreo
on Wednesday morning. The house was shut
12.30, and Oertel went to bed at once The wit,lifteu,
was the last to go to bed, ad this he did at 1 o'el°:',lo
Hill went to bed when he had closed the outelii'a
door. The witness put out some of the gag, but col)!
not remember who put out the other lights, but I'd,
the gas lights were put out before he went to beut,
The gas was not turned off at the meter at nif"„il
There was no gas on the second or third floor, anujo
going up to those rooms used candles. There
gas laid on in three cellars, and one burner was aligo
all day. The potrnan Hill generally put that out, d
he worked there. The witness could not say whetbro
the gas in the cellar was put out before he we°! to
bed. He smelt no escape of gas before he wenvho
bed. There had been fires in the evening in the
parlour and in the club rooms, and he thought tb:t
those in the club rooms were in when the family s e
to bed. Besides the grate in the bar parlour tb
was a gas cooking stove, but it was not in the gratie.lll
Dr. Henry Osborne Grenville, resident It °lois
officer at Charing-cross Hospital, stated that 00 "01
28th ult. the man Hill was brought to the 1301,10
just before three o'clock in the morning. Be
dead when brought in. There were some slight bO
on the shins and on the forearms. The spine 14'4
fractured and the skull badly injured. The bret)
bone and several ribs were broken. Death was canse
by violence from a fall.
Captain Shaw, chief officer of the Metropolits,
Fire Brigade, stated that the fireman who had chile
of the escape in the district on the morning of the,ug
was Frederick Samuel Reece. His station was 11135 i
street, Golden-square. His place on the morning it
the fire was with the fire escape in Golden-square- '0
had been officially reported to the witness that tbt:e
man left his post on the morning in question, and, a
was suspended. He appeared at the fire about '0
hour after it broke out, and was informed that he lift
suspended. Since then he had absconded. Fin u'ed
the station about eight o'clock that morning, and
not been seen or heard of since. He was a
man of good education, and had friends at Cartlidy
where he was born. The brigade authorities 130,10
right to detain him and had no power to search
out. They would give all proofs as to his belongill°
so as to trace him.
The coroner ordered that Frederick Samuel Bee t,
should be called within the precincts of the coal;
and this was accordingly done, without, howelheot
eliciting any response. The coroner then said
now the jury had heard that a fireman was nbs—r,
from his duty at an important time it would be nec-fi.
sary to adjourn the inquiry in order to obtain '3
dence on this subject and in regard to other paintt.s; e
well. No doubt Captain Shaw and Metropolitan •I-L,
Brigade, as well as the Metropolitan Board of Werr,,¢
would give all the assistance in their power to
this man before the court.
,er
Captain Shaw and Mr. Fry stated that thel woe
taiuly would give all the assistance they could in
matter.
The .journi ,;ry

e coron
Saturday.

Led till

Le inqui