The Express.
London, England, 1852-07-31 00:00:00

FIRES AND LOSS OF LIFE.

Yesterday morning, about a quarter-past 4 o'clock,
a fire, which was nearly attended with fatal consequences,
broke out in the premises of Mr. E. F. Praehe, No. 20, Sher-
rard-street, Golden-square. A female living in the house,
being subject to asthma, bad been recommended by her
medical attendant to smoke tobacco occasionally. Yesterday
morning she took a lighted pipe into bed, and whilst
smoking it she fell asleep, when the burning tobacco fell
upon the bedding, and set it on fire. The woman fortu-
nate', succeeded in escaphig. The engines of the parish
and London Edgede attended with all promptitude, and
the fire was extinguished, but not until considerable
damage bad bees done. The owner of the property was un-
insured.

Yesterday morning, about 1 o'clock, information reached
the brigade stations that a fire had broken out about five
hours previously, and was then burning, in the soap works
of Mr. Thomas Mitchell, No. 1, Coleman-street, Wapping-
wall. fhe engines and firemen were immediately despatched
to the spot, when it was ascertained that the heat from one
of the furnaces had set fire to some of the heavy bond tim-
bers behind the coppers on the first floor. The firemen in-
stantly set to work, and by cutting the brickwork away,
they were enabled to extinguish the fire, and thereby pre-
vent a tearful conflagration.
About two hours after tke above, a fire of a very dis-
tressing character occurred on the premises of Mr. Thomas
Searle, a stone merchant, situate at No. 74, Wapping-wall.
A young woman who was suffering from illness had been
recommended to be rubbed over with an embrocation con-
sisting of various ingredients, one of which wee spirit of
turpentine. To mix the various articles together, it was
necessary to boil the whole, which was being done by Miss
Latvia, a young woman aged 30, when the mixture boiled
over, when an immense shestof flame shotforthfrom the
grate, and rolling over the floor fired in succession sundry
articles of furniture, and before the unfurtunste creature
could leave the room she became encircled in fire. The
poor female having given two or three frantic screams, she
rushed out of the kitehen with the flames mounting over
bar head. Several persons living in the house ran to the
assistance of Miss Lavick, but notwithstanding that they
exerted themselves to the utmost, they were unable to get
the fire extinguished until nearly every particle of wearing
apparel was consumed on her person, and her body so seri-
easly burned that the bah peeled off when touched.
A medical gentleman was promptly in attendance,
and did everything that humanity or surgical
skill could devise, but :the unfortunate :creature
lingered only a few hours, when death terminated
her sufferings. A few minutes before the melancholy event
happened, the deceased had a very narrow escape, for the
spirit boiled over in an adjoining room, and she thinking
the fire was too fierce, adjourned to the next room, but
unfortunately the fire proved more disastrous in the lest
named place than in the former. Mr. Searle was insured
in the Sun Fire Office. _

Two other fires occurred about the same time: one et
120, high-erect, Whitechapel, in the occupancy of Mr.
Durman, hatter; and the other at No. 6, Lincoln-court.
Drury-lane, belonging to Mr. I fihepperd. Fortunately,
owing to the timely arrival of amiatanai, the damage done
at each was comparatively inessaiderable.