The Express.
London, England, 1855-02-19 00:00:00

ATROCIOUS ATTEMPT AT MURDER, BY
SHOOTING, AT WALWOHTH.-(THIS DAT.)

This morning, about 11 o'clock, the report of a
pistol was beerd in the house of Mr. T. H. Leab, anetioneer
and home agent, of Bereeford-street, Walworth, and in a
few minutes afterwards that teatimes himself ran out
tato the street, uttering load cries of "murder." Mr.
Leek was almost instantly followed by a respectable looking
man, with a pistol in each hand. On gaining the street he
took a deliberate aim at Mr. Leah (who sontinsed running)
and fired. At this momenta man in the employ of Mr.
Painter, greengrocer, of Bmsford-sheet, stopped the
woald•be assassin, and several gentlemen passing at the
time also seised him, and took peasseioa of the discharged
smarms.

The Gaspe of :Mr. Leah was of a wonderful ehareeter.
As he states, his aresilant knocked at the street door, sad
after being admitted by the servant, coolly walked tato the
parlour sad shot at him (Mr. Lab). Upon his rushing
out in the street be followed, and again fired at him with
another pistol. The ballet of the first pistol wee fraud _
flattened against the wall of the parlour. The perpetrator a.
of this outrage le a tradesman of the name ef Clari, and —1
the supposed muse is sane dispute in baldness matters. lie r
was oonveyed to the Walworth Pollee-station by constable
371 P, followed by a large crowd, bat he maintained the
utmost moolnees, evidently treating the matter very lightly.

GREAT FIRE NEAR
BRIDGE.

—•— so
-
On Saturday we published a general account of the as.
great firs then raging in Holland-street, Blackfrian.
lust ',song (Sunday) it was not totally eztuipiished. It st.
was the largest waterside fire that has occurred in the metro- so
polls for several years—the seems, viewed from the bridge at.
and the opposite side of the river, was ons of extraordinary at.
grandeur—the whole metropolis was vividly illuminated ;
for hours St. Paul's Cathedral, and every tower and steeple Lit
in London, were brought oat in brilliant relief, while the st
appearance of the Thames for from far below London- st,
bridge, to above Westminster, and the reflection of the M.
flames on the floating ice, which coveted the surface, added It
to the remarkable character of the sane. The fire originated, et.
t.
it is generally believe?, on the promises of Messrs. Rout-
ledge, timber merchants, whose and extended from se
Holland-street almost to the water aide, the grans/lee of tat
Messrs. Water and Steel, flour factors, almost shuttle' on lel
them, end forming the wharf. Ia addition to the large 6.1-
timber yard, which at the time contained many hundreds of
loads of timber, piled in stacks to a considerable height, tit'
there were spacious steam saw mills, engine end boiler house, BC
with workshops and other buildings. The steam mills are Si.
understood to have been at work on Friday, and the
workneople assert that when they left off work
latit o'clock at night the place was apparently safe. No us •,,,
Eto have had charge of the place after the doors were rt.
and the keys given over toe party in the neighbour- se
Nothing happened to excite alarm until about 20 so
minutes after 10 o'clock, when the wife of one of the la- w
buds, men in the employment of Messrs. Water and Steel 121.
saw a glimmering light in the timber yard, sum after which Z.
the flames burst forth. The man then took steps to save his st.
master's horses, some 10 or 12 in number, in the stables ad- to
joining the steam mills. He had just succeeded is lashing et
the last horse up, and was returning to wheel out a light 100
chaise of his master's, when on. of the blazing stacks of
• (the 'IMO one that killed Mr. Jackson) toppled over es
into the gateway and shut him in. By clambering through so
a window, however, he managed to escape. et.
The arrival of the brigade force and other engines was 16
most prompt. The engineers, however, were unable to get 50
their 6111116101 into play for a long time alter. The plugs of la
the water mains were frozen up, and even whoa thawed the s
supply of water was so scanty that not a third of the engines S
present could 100 put into modals. The large steam floating se.
engine of the brigade war brouglit up the river, and got 23
into immediate play, but, in the mass time, the flames had
overwhelmed the whole of the gespeety in the vicinity of aft.
the Albion Wharf, including the wagebeneas zed gnnariss so
of Messrs. Water and Steel, those of ikoher and Co., 10
lima nierchasts, and their dwelling bases, the warehouses et
of Messrs. Rickman and Co., beffillmssehists, of Messrs.
Hadley sad Co., and the mein ladMingof the extensive '6l
engineering works of Sir John &sale. For hours after it st,
raged tremendously. ills brigade, who were under the et,
personal direction of their chief officer, Mr. Braidwood, 10
exerted themselves zealously. It was the coldest night 2k-
that probably had been experienced for years r
(mach resembling that on which the Royal Ex to
-
chug, was destroyed). The frost was intense (upwards of yo
16 degrees below tho freezing point). Many of the firemen it
were coated in ins, with icicles hanging from their uniforms 92
and helmets. 90
The fate of poor Mr. Thomas Jackson, the step-son of to,
Mr. Braid qood, created a feeling of deep regret amongst to
those connected with insurance Aloes. His remains, wises so
got nut, prevented a shocking spectacle, and could only be to
id:entitled by the iron of his axe, a knife, and the metal work
of his helmet. All that remained of the unfortunate man was
a portion at the trash et kis body. He was a young man of
great q e, aril 11, omil held a lucrative office as sur-
veyor to the Firwollise. He had only been married st.
two ruses bat has left so family.
The amenzod statement of the property destroyed is ex- at
based less the official report made to the insurance I!
elks: :11
IIes.LAXD-STRIZT, BLACKMAN/J-110AD. The saw 01
,timber yard, workshops, to., the property of Messrs. at.'
• and Co , with stook, machinery, Ac., entirely St.
boom& The buildings coveted an area of ground 300 feet 6
kw by 60 broad. The firm insured in several offices. 10
" The granaries
.(waterside premises 160 feet lone, 80 so
broad, and five evens high) filled with some hundred tons st.
of Liar belonging to Messrs. Water and fluiel, flour lee- 3
tors ; also dwelliog-hotasse, stables, cart and coach houses, Si.
totally destroyed. et
" Albion Wharf and ware se MIMI. H. Rosber and et.
Co., lime merchants, substantial buildings, two dwelling at.
houses, counting houses, *e., burned down.
" Premises and dwelling-haw of Messrs. J. Rickman to
and CJ . bottle merchants, destroyed. Insured. It.
" Premises and warehouses of Messrs. Radley and Co., et
bottle merchants, pertly burnt. Insured.
" Premises and stores of Messrs. Scott and Co., linseed so
cake mercosnts, partly burnt. Insured.
" Sir John Remiss enoineering works—the main build- St
ing, five stories high, 200 feet by 90, containing machine It
pattern, fitting, and other shops, with machinery therein,
burned down ; remainder of works much damaged by firs, ri
and by the fall of the furnace-shaft through the roof of the Si.
long erecting shops. The firm had several marine engines et.
in a forward state of completion, for government vessels ; St;
some are destroyed. The firm are insured in the Sue, Al- N,
hence, Phalan and other insurance *offices." 12i
The total los of property is compiled at not far short of 1,
100,01614. 6
The ruins were visited yesterday, as on Saturday, by 121
many thousands of spectators. St.
161

FATAL RAILWAY ACCIDENTS. it.
St.
On Wednesday evening a fatal collision occurred St.
Lo.
on the Barton branch of the Manchester, Sheffield, and I.
Lincolnshire Railway, and on the following day soother 19,
fatal accident occurred about three miles trout the same estl
spot, by which a naval coast guardsman, in her Majesty's lo
service, received injuries which he survived only a few at.
minutes. Both these accidents are to a considerable extent Si
connected with the heavy fall of snow, which was deseend-
ing when each of them occurred. In the first case, a train .I°.
had been despatched from New Holland to Barton, and 15j
Mr. Lewis, the station clerk, told the driver to take another 20
engine at the points near the New Holland station in eons& so
gospels of estra power being required, as it was snowing is
heavily. For some reason or other the driver went on with s ,
only one engine. He had to return from Barton at 5.30,
bet not having arrived in New Holland at the usual time,
I Mr. Ralph Peacock, the foreman of locomotives at New
Holland, proposed to Mr. Lewis to send another engine so
to her assistance. M.. Lesris said to him that this Barton
branch was a single line, that the experiment was • dan- at.
gerous one, and he (Mr. Lewis) would have nothing to do
with it. Mr. Peacock at once volunteered the responsi. 114-
bility, sad ordered the usual driver to proceed in search of o,
the missing train. The driver positively refused. Ulti-
stately, however, an engine was sent under the guidance of es
the second foreman of locomotive., and at about one mile
from Barton it came into collision with the advancing train. 5
The snow was thickly falling at this time, and the driver, 23,
stoker, and guard—orbo, it seems, were all on the look-out 31
I —were not aware of the approach of the pilot until it was
I perfectly impossible to prevent • collision ; having taken is
such precautions as the moment allowed, these three per- Bt.
sons lisped from the engine and train, and alighted in
the deep snow, as did also the driver and stoker "1
t•
of the pilot engine ; the collision instantly ensued,
and in ea instant the tender of the passenger train was
exampled up, and one of the trains smashed and
throws across the line. A bilge pMM of wood, which had so
Issued a Most. Stack Mr. Mises Judd, a alert in the
Addirrassr dim, skis of the ask, jest below
tho was lakulds isasnsesatly. Tbs sober pmseagen
essayed will braises. In ike sessad tailiess. the Sc
assess& was Woryarriag os the Ibis, sad lass kasekod sa
down by as segles, the driver of whist add ad see him,
sad odd
tiebays palled so Ms oaths if he lied if
tbs &saw of dossed, who, bleed, to avid •
Min MS be was meeting ea sae Use it rails, sse !Psis
sasdars, sad was instantly tusked down sad isold•1117
singled by en engine behind him. width be Al ant rm.
sad which, it is believed, the dell sale it Ile slisseyhero •
ceased by the snow prevented his else ins lawfwg. His 2
sane is William Bark, aged 47, and bs bass a wife and
sat eldhl.—Bail Posket.