The Press.
London, England, 1856-09-06 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

by were quickly on the spot, and with prodigious
efforts soon dug all out of the debris, but Palmer and
three of his children. In about two hours their
bodies were discovered, warm but dead. Mrs. Pal
mer, who was providentially saved, gives the follow-
ing account of the accident. She said :
We occupied the back room on the first floor of the
house, for which I paid Mr. Crane 2a. a week rent. There
were my husband and myself, the baby in my arms, my
boy, who was out in a situation, and my other children—
Elizabeth, James, and Thomas Pullen—by a former mar-
riage. We lived in the one room. My husband is a dock
labourer, and I am is the habit of going out washing and
earning a trifle. I was out washing on Tuesday, and
received Is. fid., and was very tired. My poor boy was kept
later at work at his situation than usual, and so his life
was saved. About nine o'clock I was preparing my hus-
band's supper, when I heard a noise as if the walls were
cracking, and saw dust falling from the ceiling. I said to
my husband. " Oh, I am sure the house is falling." He
replied that I was always thinking so, and that it was the
man in the next room sharpening his knife. 1 said that
would not cause the walls to crack or the dust to fall, and
I was sure the house must be falling. Nothing further
was said, however ; we had our supper, and shortly after
ten o'clock we went to bed. lam weaning the boy in my
arms, and, in consequence of his crying, I got op about
five minutes to twelve o'clock and gave him some milk.
He fell asleep in my arms, ',Fen I felt the boards of the
floor shaking under me. This was a few minutes after
twelve o'cl, ck. I felt the shaking of the floor more and
more, and called out to my poor husband, " Oh, good God !
the house is falling ; save my poor children " He got up,
put on his trousers, and was going to the corner of the
room where my three children lay on the floor, to save
them, no doubt. That is the last I saw of them. I ran to
the stairs, screaming for Mrs. King to escape with her
family. As I got towards the bottom of the stairs they gave
way under me, and as the house fell I was thrown out,
with my boy in my arms. on to the pavement in the court.
I can recollect little more than that I and my baby were
saved, and that we were nearly suffocated by the clouds of
dust. My child was hurt by the fall. I have lately had
strong doubts about the security of the house, and had
talked to my husband about leaving. Last Saturday
night week Mr. Crane called upon me for 25., the week's
rent. I told him he had better have something done to
the fireplace, for it was not safe, and the children would
fall into the cellar some of these days. There was a large
crack by the side of the fireplace. He said he would call
in a few days and look to it. He went away, but nothing
has been done to the place or the house. I paid my rent
last Sunday, and I am now in the most destitute circum-
stances. I earned ls. 641. by going out washing on the
Tuesday, which I put under my bed, and 1 am in hopes I
shall find it

The other persons saved give a similar account of
the accident. The house would seem to have fallen
in from the sheer rotteness of the tatters. A house
immediately adjoining the fallen one, and which it
had left in a dangerous state, wag pulled down on
Wednesday, with a view to prevent any further
casualty of a similar kind.
THE NEW HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT, according to
the propo-al of Lord Lyndhurst as to the employ-
ment of the solution for stopping incipient decay of
the stone, to the efficiency of which Sir C. Barry had
certified, are to be once washed externally with the
solution, in tinier to stop all future decay.
THE PARISHIONERS OF ST. hxzs'n, CLEREENWELL,
are in a position of considerable difficulty in refe
rence to the appointment of an incumbent in the
room of the late Bev. W. E. L. Faulkner, who died
a few weeks since. The living, which has always
been in the gift of the parishioners, was to be con-
tended for in the usual manner, when it was sug-
gested that by Sir Benjamin Hall's new act the
election was taken out of the hands of the parish.
ioners as a body, and confided to the recently-elected
vestry. There are two candidates, namely, Mr. Ho-
race Roberts, M.A., of Magdalene College, Cam-
bridge, who has been three or four months curate of
the parish, and Mr. Robert Maguire, of Islington,
who is well known as a lecturer against Romanism.
The circumstances have been submitted to Sir Fitz-
roy Kelly, who has been requested to state whether
the election is vested in the ratepayers or in the
Local Management Board. The living is worth
about 300/. a year.

THE Boni. Bairns BANK stopped payment on
Wednesday morning. This is the first joint stock
bank which has failed. Its stoppage has caused an
immense sensation among the smt.ller tradesmen of
London and the suburbs, who sere the principal de-
positors. It is anticipated that its affairs will have
to be wound up.
A Sanctus Accrnsirr happened at the Wellington
Barracks last Wednesday. A new wing to the bar
racks is being erected. The beerman shout ten a.m.
ascended the ladder to the roof to serve the men.
Just as he reached the top, several men ru.hed at
him to be served first. The stone coping gave way
and siz cf the men fell to the ground. One was
killed on the spot, and the rest suffered frightful
fractures, but it is hoped that their lives will be
saved

THE NEW SHERIFFS OF LONDON AND MIDDLESEX,
Mr. J. J. Mechi and Mr. F. Keats, will enter upon
their duties on Monday, the 29th init., on which day
also the election of Lord Mayor will take place.

849

THE PUBLIC LIBRARIES ACT for St. George's,
lisnover-square, was put to the vote at a meeting of
ratepaer, on Thursday, and the adoption rejected
with scarcely one dissentient.
THE ROYAL NATIONAL LIFEBOAT INSTITUTION held
a meeting on Thursday, to distribute medals for the
preservati,n of life from shipwreck and drowning.
It was reported that the forthcoming number of
the Lifeboat Journal would contain a detailed
description, with several illustrations, of the life-
boat now adopted with so much success by the in-
stitution.

THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON held its
monthly general meeting on thur,lay in Hanover-
square. The report of the council containe a long
list of donations to the library as well a-, to the me-
nagerie. Among the latter gifts are a collection of
animals presented by the Chief Justice of Honduras,
who has r, cently arrived in this country. The re-
port also recorded the most important and beautiful
accession which has been made for a long time, in
three adult Honduras turkeys, which, having been
offered to her Majesty the Queen by Mrs. Stevenson,
wife of the British superintendent at Belize, have
been graciously presented by her Majesty to the
Zoological Society. The number of visitors to the
gardens up to the present time had amounted to
286,492, being an increase of nearly 20,000 over the
preceding year.
THE REGISTRAR GESIF.RA.L'S returns for the last
week show an improvement in the public health.
Deaths have decreased some 50 in the last week.
1,081 deaths and 1,778 births were registered. Among
the deaths were three women of 90, 96, and 98 years
of age.