The Express.
London, England, 1852-01-19 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, MONDAY' EVENtifil, JANTJARY 19, 1852.

TII E AMAZON.

the bottom of the ship. Shouted down," Why don't yea
get water, don't you see the fire ?" The persons to whom
bespoke had their backs turned to hint. Mr. Roberts, the
boiler maker, cane to him, and he shouted to them to get
the donkey engine in order. By the time they got it, saw
that the fore storeroomhad caught fire. As the Names in-
creased he shouted for more buckets. Went aft, and saw •
number of persons, crew and passengers, attempting to
force off the saloon doors. The boats on both sides u ere
fuller people. " Every one for himself." Captain Symms
was rushing_upand down giving order, but none heeded his
command. Witness got into • boat like the rest, but it turned
over, and he clambered up again on the deck, ho could not
tell how. (Here the witness was quite overcome by his re-
collection of the dreadful scene.) His opinion aa to the
probable cause of the fire was this:—The firemen need long
iron bars called pricker' to clear the furnaces' and these
prickers often became red-hot from being put into the fire.
It was the practice when not in use to place them on a
rack overhead, where one end would touch the covering of
the strain-chest. It was probable that the latter might be-
come ignited by the contact. Ile could account for it in no
other way.
Mr Mills entered into *erne explanations as to the posi-
tion of these pricker., givicg it as his opinion that there
was very little likelihood of these having caused the fire.
Chairmen (to witness)—What induces you to think the
fire originated in that way ? Have you ever seen the men
placing these pricker' in that position ?—I have seen the
men putting them against the bulkhead out of the way, but
it was generally understood that they were cool first.
Mr. ?dills insisted that they were never laid anywhere
but in the stoke hole.

ADJOURNED INQUIRY AT SOUTI
[FROM OCR OWN RUPORTZIO

On Saturday, at half-past 12 o'clock, the investi-
gation was resumed, and, as on the preceding day, Captain
Warburton attentively watched the proceedings, and occa-
sionally asked a question. Captain Dearly attended from
the Board of Trade, and appeared to take much noes in-
terest in the proceedings, ezamining all the witnesses, and
requesting that many of them should be detained at South-
ampton, in ease any governmeut investigation should ulti-
mately be thought necessary.
Nutburn, the water tender, was then re-called, and care-
fully CISIMIIed SS to the temperature of the bearings. Ile
reiterated his opinion that the fire could not possibly have
originated from that cause. lie denied having heard soil
whistling of the engines, as mentioned in Mrs. M.Lennan s
statement.

Captain &achy observed that there was a whi.tle in all
man•of--war steamers, in order to give notice when the
water was low.

A short discussion ensued as to the probability of the fire
basing arisen from this cause, a conjecture which was ulti-
mately rejected. Mr. Mills took occasion to mcution as a
fact, that lie hail on one occasion come round from Liver-
pool in the Forth, and that they had heated bearings all the
way and the water playing on them. Ile repeated his high
opinion and intimate knowledge of the late Mr Angus's
competency and good conduct.
Attwood, the fireman, who had given such important
evidence on the previous day as to the origin of the fire,
was then re•called, and adhered firmly to his original state
went, that the fire had originated in the store-room. Going
up the ladder his view commanded the store-room from top
to bottom, and certainly there was no fire iu the latter
place.
The next witness was John McCrea, fireman, boiler
maker. The object of examining this witness was to dis•
prove the leakage of the tanks. He said that he had cut
perintended the making of the tanks. They were in a
perfect state when they left the factory. They were of the
best iron, thoroughly rivetted, and were 3-16ths of an inch
in thickness. They were all proved with water before they
were put out board the ship, having stood in the warehouse
filled with water for several hours. Saw one of them on
board the ship filled with oil. Saw no leaks. They were
filled on hoard the vessel by "the manhole doors.' Be•
tiered the cocks were nut in the tanks when the vessel lett.
The oil would therefore be pumped in and out through the
manhole.

Challlll/11-11Ut the witness says they might hays been
there.

Captain —When did you get the four gallons of
oil out of the store-room I—About a quarter to 12. I got
it myself. Mr. Roberto came for a pitcher full of oil. I
gave it to him. I bad a globe lamp (a specimen was ex-
Whited, the light being completely isolated in a glass globe). '
When I gave it to him I locked the door.
J. 11.berts, the boiler-maker, was nest examined, and
corroborated the statement of Monis, and said—At the
first alarm of fire he went to the hose, and found there was
no water in the pipe. He then went for water, but could
not get near the seat of the tire the smoke was so dense.
Got into the saloon, and saw 30 or 40 pasamgers getting out
of their beds. (The witness then repeated the melancholy
detail of the oversetting of the boats.) Saw the captain,
Mr. Roberts, and, he believed, the mail agent, the latter
with one side dreadfully burned. The witness then de-
scribed the events in the boat, which never had less than 6
to 8 inches of water in her. Saw Mr. W. Angus in the
boat with his head down. The latter told him he feared he
was badly hurt in leaping from the burning vessel. The
witness here bore testimon, to the active assistance given
by Mr. Kilkelly - and Lieut. Witness then pa-
thetically described the gleam of hope tho poor
people in the boat experienced on seeing the barque,
and their dreadful disappointment when she passed
away between them and the burning ship. She
passed over the scene of the disaster. Ihe sea
was one mass of oil, awl pieces of the wreck were (tooting
about. This was the last that was seen of the Amason.
Saw no bodies alive or dead.
_

Chairman—Do you thoroughly understand there matters ?
—1
have had great experience in making tanks for vessels.
Never had a single case of a tank leaking. I asked several
of the ship's company, cm the day of her sailing, whether the
tanks leaked, and they said " No."
Mr. Williern: Angus, second engineer, examined. This
mimesis walked with great difficulty, and seemed in pain.
His evidence was listened to with much interest. He said
—I
can give a description of what occurred from nine
o'clock at night. On the 3rd of the month, I was in fact on
duty from nine at night until six in the morning. I first
gut up to awl the bearings, and found them all comfortable
W.lll going shout the deck until 12 o'clock, and there was
then no sign or smell of fire. The Ir-arings were all
cool, flees all correct, and machinery in good working
unler. I tried then the density of water in the boiler. I
found the water "salting." The fore boilers were working
well, but the after ones indifferently. I blew them of and
as I was coming up the ladder I heard a cry of " Fire !" I
ran to the donkey engine, but s cloud of smoke met me. I
fell, and cut myself over the temple. When I recovered, I
saw that all the lamps had gone out front the density of the
smoke. Mr. Stone endeavoured to assist me. The chief
engineer ordered me to turn the engines, but we could
not get below. I went aft and found the people breaking
In the doors of the cabin to get at the quarter deck. The
doors were at last broken in, and we got on the spar deck,
enil commenced rolling off the hales of hay. We continued
to do so until driven away by the heat and flames. I then
threw down the oars, many of them on tire. I then went
&ilea on deck, and found that nobody bad touched them. I
then saw it was time to look after " nuntlier one." 1 went
to the side, saw that one lifeboat had been lowered beauti-
fully, and another swamped. I then went aft, and saw
some mss n lowering the dingy. I heard the captain order
the ship to be put before the wind. There was then no one
at the helm. I went to du so, and found the helm lashed
over the port side to the crank. The ship was coming head
on to the wind. When the lashing was cut she went be-
fore the wind. I stopped there for some time with the
second officer, Mr. Tiewecke, until the Captain called him
away. When he returned Capttin Symons cried out, "is
there no sailurrnan to take the helm ? that's right Angus.' 1
then saw a Spanish gentleman all in Hamm 1 caught him up,
and he would have ramped overboard with me but I got clear
of him, having Brat pulled off his burning clothes. I
then heard a female voice over the side. I looked over and
saw the stewardess clinging to the boat. She begged of
me to save her, and I said I would if I could. I went away,
and, on my return, I saw a boat lay lowered from the upon-
son, and I think if the officers have any mince it is in that
beat. The apemen boat en the !lament side was, I be-
have, the Bret in the water. The larboard boat was burn-
ing. Had it rut been for the crutches she might have been
launched and the people saved. They were obliged to hoist
the boat up on their shoulders. I went to the port aide,
crossing the deck I met Captain Symons. Ho asked me if
I could go down and stop the engine. I said it was im-
possible, but that they would stop in 10 minutes. The hat
order I heard Captain Symons give was to lower the star-
board boat. The people about it seemed collected, and, I
think, it would get into the water all right. I think if the
officers have any chance it is in that boat, which
may have been picked up by the barque. Mr. Tre-
weeks and a seaman were still standing by the wheel. The
port boat was char of the ship. I stood on the rail and
made a leap of about 25 feet and lauded amidships, and was
much hurt by the fall. We found 'the boat stove forward,
and we staunched her with stints. When leaving the ship
I saw a gentleman and lady, seemingly foreigner., standin g
at the stern. lie seemed trying to keep the heat from her.
We hard cries fur help on every side, hut could give no
assistance. We had no oars, but drifted helplessly along 11
the waves.

In answer to Captain Neilson, the witness said that at the
commencement of the tire he saw a light smoke coming up
between the boiler and the bulkhead, but no symptoms in
the store-room. At a quarter-past 12 o'clock, saw Mr.
Monis trimming a lamp in the storeroom. The lamp
was trimmed for him (Roberts). It was an open one.
This witness also expressed hi, opinion that the fire might
have been caused by placing the pricker' on the rack.
Carpenters had been working there immediately before the
vessel left, and chips might hare fallen down between the
boiler and the bulkhead, and the pricker* might have
touched them. _ .

A short discussion ensued as to the possibility of the
pricker' having been in the situation described, Mr. Mills
giving his opinion that they could nut have been so placed.
\V. Wall, • coal-trimmer, was neat examined. This
poor fellow was much burned, and walked with difficulty.
Ile said, that on coming on deck the find thing he saw was
Mr. Vincent and others lowering the dingy. Witness called on
them to save him, but they took no heed, but went right away.
Having described their sufferings in the boat, he mentioned
that in sight of the barque " their heats leaped into their
mouths," hut their disappointment was proportionate.
George Webb, A. 8., examined—This was the seaman
who had showed such courage and presence of mind in the
boat by staunching the leak with his clothes. He described
the flames as ascending to the lure-top sail ; when he came
on deck the captain said, Put the ship before the wind,
so as to send the same forward." Some one went to the
tiller, but it was hutted to the port side. Ile went to the
tiller, but when ho saw every one rushing to the boatament
t•ro Saw Capt. Symons with his hands up calling out to Mr.
Roberts to lower the port life-boat. Thought that the gig
and the port life-boat had been launched, and might yet be
heard of.

C. Dewdney, a coal trimmer, was next examined, but
nothing of importance was elicited.
Michael Fox, a fireman, described Mr. Roberto u having
handed a lady and child to him to place in the boat (Mrs.
M'Lennan and child.) Ile was strongly of opinion that the
prickers had caused the fire. l'roved that a piece of loose
canvas was hanging over the boiler.
A little boy named Itarris was next examined, but had
nothing important to communicate.
Mr. Mills then called P. Tapscott, the foreman joiner, to
disprove the existence of chips between the boiler and bulk-
head. This witness said that so anxious was he to see all
right, that he went out at the last moment in tho mail
boat and went over the engine room. Wu positive there
were no chips there, but admited that there was a piece of
loose canvass hanging over the boiler. It was not impos-
sible that the pricker* had caused the fire. Recollected a
tire once having taken place in the Little Western Irons
the presence of chips, and had been exceedingly cautious
ever since.

_
The examination of this witness terminated the inquiry
at about half-put 8 o'clock, the chairmen intimating that if
any further inquiry were deemed necessary, it would be
held in London.

RECRUITS von ma ARMY. —A Horse-Guards
memorandum says:—ln consequence of the rejection of re-
cruits at the head-quarters of recruiting districts on Alight
and insufficient grounds, the Commander-in-Chief has, on
the recommendation of the superintendent of the medical
department, and at the suggestion of the Secretary at War,
directed that henceforth, and until further orders, the in-
spection of recruits by the district staff surgeons, under ad-
tinsel instructions to be furnished to them from the Army
Medical Department, shall be considered final; and that
only in cases of obvious oversight, or of causes of disability
arising, or first showing themselves, during the period in-
tervening between the date of the district inspection and
that of recruits joining their regiments (which should in all
cases be especially reported), shall recruits examined and
passed by the staff surgeons of recruiting districts he liable
to rejection by the medical officers of regiments. With re-
ference to the Limited Service Act of 1647, it is also directed
that second enlistments of men, in all other respectseligible,
may take place hereafter in infantry up to the age of 36, and
in cavalry up to the age of 38.
THE Our TatoL—The Board of Ordnance have
sent down to Birmingham for tenders for the setting up of
23,000 rifle muskets. The tender-papers arrived about ten
days ago, and Thursday was fixed for returning them, but
the pattern, it appears, was not ready ; at all events it was
not sent down until Wednesday morning, and an extension
of time has taken place to the 22nd instant, when all the
proposals must be in. The tenders have been sent to
nearly all the extensive makers, and, in all probability, the
lowest will have it, and, if so, there may be no small
amount of uncertainty about the execution of the order.
The workmen have met to fix a price at which they will
perform their part of the labour ; and any contracts not
given in subject to their terms may be attended with delay
and uncertain execution. The guns are to be the same as
those lately sent to Sir Harry Smith, and which are said
to have astonished the natives.—Sass. _

Capt. Warburton.—You say that the port life-boat was
not on fire 2—l think it must have been very hot, as It drove
Lieut. Drills away. There were four bwits besides ours got
away. We saw one boat &Boat full of people, but it soon
disappeared. We hailed it fur oars, and they answered,
and we saw it no more.
Capt. Corry.—Did you see Lieut. Brady ?—1 saw • tall
gentleman, whom I took for him, on deck standing near
the captain. He was burned on the right side. Ilia side
was blown out like • bladder; and the air causing the
blisters to buret, the skin ass flying away in ribbons. (It
is impossible to describe the horror produced by this state-
meet.) There was one boy burned black. The man was
• tall slim gentleman. I believe him to have been Capt.
Brady.
Capt. Warburton.—Was Capt. Symons collected / No;
he was melting about the deck like • madman. I saw him
go sad a bucket of water and throw it down at his
He sailed for men, but there were no men to be bad.
lebert• wee very busy doing all he could, and not
thhaldm hisnaelf. Mr. Treweeke was still at the wheel.
Capt.-Warburton—Do you think that the officers had
• chance of being its the last boat 1-4 think that all the
Akers ere together, and if alive are in that boat. I could
have steeped the atshies if I hell orders before I leg the
aleiMONlllll. het I wadi aft widest whin, as it is against
the mks of the service. _

apt.ViarbsrtoW:—lf they had been stopped, might not
more have been saved P—No, I think more would have been
lost. . . . .

Chairman—linen you any opinion am to the origin of the
Are ?—I only know it cams up between the boilers and the
store-room. I think it originated in combustion (i.e., spon-
taneous combustion).
Capt. Warburton—Did you see any passengers throwing
settees overboard /—1 saw one, and assisted him over
with it.
. . .

Capt. Neilson—Yon say it was caused by combustion;
what are your grounds (or thinking so? Why, in the first
place, painters had been working there and might have left
dabs of paint and rosin about, which this heat of the engines
would cause to ignite. I am quite sure it did not take place
in the store-room. The coal bags caught the fire, and were
soon in a flame. I am of opinion that the flames originated
between the boiler and the bulkhead. The storeroom was
not on fire when I saw the fire first. It appeared to me
that the fire was coming up from the bottom of the ship.
The store keeper was the first man who gave the alarm of
fire. There was no turpentine on board.
Chairman—What was your opinion of the engines? As
splendid a pair of engines as ever a man handled. The
bearings were only hot, as is usual with new engines. The
engines were working splendidly all day. All the arrange-
ments appeared to me to be perfect and good.
Captain Deachy—That whistling of the engines, what
was it ? Merely some of the cranks were too good a fit. I
think that the flames did not originate in the store-room.
If they had, it would have run up, taken the deck, and run
right along. I noticed no peculiar smell. I china there is
a chance of two boats yet. Three men in starboard life-
boat got away with oars and everything right.
Captain Mangles—Then there is a chance of three boats?
I think so. When we got into the boat, Lieutenant Orilla
took the command. I cannot speak too highly of the Dutch
captain. He is now at Plymouth. The men gave up their
beds cheerfully. Our crew behaved admirably, as also the
passenger Mr. Kilkelly, who sainted in baling and rowing.:
Richard Joyce and Casey, two engineers, from Mr.
Seaward's factory, who had eome round from Condon with
the engines, were examined and bore testimony to their
efficiency.
The proceedings were then adjourned for an hoar, In
expectation that the last boat's crew which had been saved
would strive from Plymouth. On their arrival at live
o'clock the business was resumed with the examination of

Tug QUEEN, we are tol , has been pleased to
grant permission is Mr. Owen, the Professor of Compara-
tive Anatomy at the College of Surgeons, to reside in one
of the houses on Kew-green, which belonged to the late
King of Hanover. The gift was accompanied by a very
flattering letter front Prince Albert to the professor. Ano-
ther of the houses on the same green has, we understand,
in a like kindly spirit been presented for a residence during
life to Dr. Joseph !looker.—eldierwesurt.
Is CONJUNCTION WITH Ma. CARDWELL, LORD
Dimwit is to aria; in the publication of the Peel Papers. It
is stated in the current number of the United Service Ga-
zette, by the writer of A Visit to Apsley House." that the
Duke of Wellington his consigned the publication of his
papers to the care also of Lord Mahon. If this be true, be-
tween the daises of his " History of England," and the
several memoirs of Wellington and of I'eel, the noble lord
is likely to hive literary work before him for a good portion
of his life.—AtAencum.
MODEL COTTAGES.—The style of cottage so well
known from the specimen exhibited by l'rince Albert in
Hyde perk during the Exhibition has already come into
actual use. A row of twelve, built exactly after the
model." has been erected on II plot of ground near the
Shadwell Station of tho Blackwell Railway—which every
one acquainted with London knows to be an extremely poor
and wretched district. Some of the lowest hovels in the
metropolis were removed to make way for the new abodes.
If the experiment succeeds—that is, if the poor should be
found to prefer these new cottages to their old dwellings—
several more of the same kind are to be erected in tho
same street.

Tut: BANBURY MURDER.---On Saturday the
inquiry into the circumstances of this dreadful affair was
resumed by the magistrates at Banbury-gaol. An In-
terpreter was in attendance by whom the depositions
were translated to the prisoner, Belzberg°. The following
is the most important evidence as yet adduced.—William
Thompson, superintendent of the Banbury police, said when
told by Dr. Sandy of the murder, he proposed that they
should go tothespst. Met Kslabergo's cart, attendot by
the witness Jane Saul. Saw the body. Should say that
the wound causing death could not have been
inflicted by the deceased himself. There were no
marks of violetic upon the cart. Went upstairs on
Saturday night, whilst the prisoner was in bed, and ex-
amine° his clothes. In his waistouat pocket witness found
some loose powder and an exploded cap, and some trilling
articles. Oa Monday night sestaell the premises, in com-
pany of Win. Walker, goveru,.r of the gaol, and having
pulled down •01111. Wink in the stable, a built t mould fell
into the hands of Mr. Walker. On Tuesday witness and
Walker again searched the stable; iu the roof found •
pistol big containing awns bullets of a white metal and one
of lead, also a quantity of gunpowder tied up in different
papers. The prisoner was remanded till Monday, when it
is supposed the proceedings will be brought to a ter-
mination.

A Mclnnis, the storekeeper, who bore evident marks of
the dreadful sufferings ha had lately undergone, and walked
with a stick. The answers given by this person chewed an
evident anxiety to shift the responsibility from himself, by
endeavouring to thew that the fire had not originated
in the storeroom. Ile said he had been nine
months in the company's service, and that his duty
was to attend the store-room, from morning until
night. That on the night of the fire ho was on
duty until 12 o'clock, and was more busy than usual in con-
sego. nee of the increased quantity of oil required for lu-
bricating the heated bearings. He hail given out plenty of
tallow in the morning, hut had to give out four galloon of
oil. The fore store-mom wasdevoted to oil and tallow, but
contained no turpentine or spirits, He took the oil to the
engine room. Ile went to the engine room because he felt
cold in the store-room. He was at the font stoke-hole
when he looked down and saw between the starboard fore
boiler ar.d the bulkhead a glare of light coming up from