The Express.
London, England, 1855-02-17 00:00:00

Last night • fire, the reflection of which must have been
visible many a mile beyond the limits of the metropolis,
becks out shoat eleven o'c'sock in the premises of Merin.
Restledg• and Co., timber merchants, of Holland-street,
Hlackfriars-road. The wind, which was blowing
drove the flames through the highly inflammable Mat Mon% t
with • rapidity which outatripped all the efforts Of MM
firemen, who hastened trowell quarters with their engine.
At first the supply of water was very scanty, and when it
was obtained in better measure, and the large engine of
Mom Hodge had been brought to week, with these of the
eampaniee, the fire was too strong to be soon subdued. To
estimate the silent of the damage done is ont of the ques-
tion, as at the present hour (half-past three) the fire is still
Blackfriam bridge is crowded with spectators, and
dense clouds of smoke, rendered luminous by the rising
imam, are slowly rolling over the river. Whatever the
mime of the property destroyed, end it mast be immense,
no fire has for many years presented so grand &spectacle to
the inhabitants of Loodon. We deeply regret to have to tilLI
add to the preceding that, in the attempt to extinguish the at.
fire, Mr. Thomas Jaaksea, son-in-law of Mr. Berd4Wook
has lost his life. A pile of timber of mescal tons' weight In

fell upon him, under cireumstanose which even fora time ti
precluded the recovery of his lifeless body. His body was 1724
searoely noogniatble. Mr. Engineer Hambletoo, and other It.
firemen, had scarcely returned from their office of the above
fatal occurrent'', when they were again called upon to ton- le
vey their foreman, Mr. Henderson, of the D section, to an
adjoining public house, having, it is feared, broken his at
thigh in his endesvours to direct the exertions of the Ars-
men. The brigades of London sad Hodges' distillery, with
their engines, and the West of England, were bard at
work when this account left ; and no further fears were en. rt.'
tortnined that the adjoining houses would suffer, notwitb- et.
standing the wind was blowing exceedingly strong. to

FURTHER PAR'

-THIS DAY.

Up to two o'clock this day the fire had not been Ilk
extinguished, although its ravages were confined to one St.
spot. The flames in their progress have cleared away an LI;
immense ores, comprising the following premises, via., Sir N

John Beanie's well-known intensive rings of workshops 16,!
and manufactories, which ax tend a depth of about 14C(Titrits ;
%saving nothing but a portion of the external walla stand- It
. .

log, presenting an appearance similar to the armoury at the
Tower of London after the great Are ; the steam saw mills, St.
I belonging to Messrs. Routledge, are entirely destroyed, with so
the exception of the smoke-snaft and the front wall of the le
counting-hone.. The extensive buildings on the banks of 2.4
the river, connected with Mesers.Waters' flour warehouses, se
are entirely gutted, and the premises of Mums. Hickman,
bottle merchants, and Mr. W. J. Scott, linseed cake mer• st
ehant, have nearly shared the same fate. It weuld seem 15
that the fire originated on the premises of Meese, tk
Routledge, bat at present the cause remains a mystery. So
During the night the Sun floating engine woe brought la