The Express.
London, England, 1856-03-20 00:00:00

THE FIRE AT COVENT-OARDEN TBEATRE

CLOSE OF THE CORONER'S INQUIRY.

Mr. Bedford, coroner for Westminster, and the
jury enipshelled t isquire Into the caw.' of the late d -
smote fire, by which the Royal It +lmo Optic Rouse wu
destroyed, re-us•mbled yesterday attirooon et the Pious
Hotel, Covent-gsrden, for the pup*e of proueding with
the ioustigeVoo.

Mr. Moseley Taylor, vestry clerk of Pt Paul's, Covent-
garden, attended oa baud, of the authorities of that perish
Mr. Aadersee, scuirepanied by his solicitor, woo
es oa the previous days of tha inquiry ; and Kr. Braidwood
was also in attendance.

The fury having answered to their saues,
Beejamin Dallium, juror, deposed to having lighted his
father, a carpenter ot the establishment, from ties property-
roma to the foot of the step-ladder leading up into the Car-
reto/a' shop. For this purpose winless used s crampons,
easdle pissed Is as ordinary chamber eandlestich, which
his father had °teethed Insa the property-coos in moue-
genes of the smell oil lamp sot beteg trimmed. Os ern"-
img at the foot of the step udder wither was desired by his
father to runes there with the earalle while he himself
rarest up lot, the carpenters' shop to deposit his tools std
obtain hi. "rather. They retuned together to the properly
roes, whom his father Mew out the cradle, end they then
left the theatre together. Witham was sot aware that the
use of audits was prohibited is the theatre.
Theephiles Cooper, readies at 11, Hampton-strut, Wa-
wa*, said shout Are weeks ego he was passim up Bow-
ers,* wiles he observed a van at the sad of Hart-attest,
Isles with (whore of vitriol, es he supposed. There was
tattle os the roof of the theatre, sad a kbad of bum pre-
judge with a pulley aad rope, by mime of whe saw
es* et the cerhoys takes up. Wither was meth rprired
at using se large a gummy of matter of this deserthdon
, roamed to the top et the theater, sad On at the time that
lis prebability a Ore wund emir at some Were perked.
Os kakis" at the name as the Tea, wan... °bemired the
words " Electric Light aid Colour Company."
Coroner (addressing Mr. dadesses)—Hevine bend what
the last wirers has said, have yoa soy eapluatioa you
would desire to offer to the Jury ?
Mr. Anderson—All the isformatiou I can glv. is, that at
the Lyceum Theatre I kid the electric, light ethibited over
tk• pottke of tbe town. It we. furnished by the 031111•
pra alluded to tied they applied to au for p raiser& to
exhibit it es thilpottico of Covent-garden Theatre. They
did so fa the fret two weeks of the pantomime, at the
espration of whisk time their segagesseat with me mu-
eluded; sad 'slitting in re I knew not. I sodomised the
last whams to say he sew oubeys brought t• the theatre
is a vas. I saver did, bet it is perfeetly tree that the
swims Light Comp ay did ere sulphuric sold for the
purpose of prodsdag their light. Ido sot his. hew
essay of them oath Is there may have bees. I gave
se order is the "elect. I do not even know how the
carboys were taken Imo the theatre. I wee so mask es-
pied with the buts's. of the theatre that I sum mode
say Inquiry. The trails thy were respossibie, and I sever
gave myself the slightest trouble about it. Wliss Imu at
tie Lyon's, whoa it was fret latroduced, I took a little
interest la It, bat at Coventsardea Theatre the light wee
ezelmedrely lett to the mammonist of the coupoaro tto.
&ow.
Mr. Mosby Tyler—Wu time soy cembs.ttbte mottos
Is your privet" room teeing Bowureet
Mr. Andersos—No. I had two rooms, me is the right-
bead ride of the step, sad the other as the lett. My pro-
perty Dreg he tirde-reosta, sad of • eater...miler to my-
self, I did sot want may is. to au it, sad *error. I bad
a pull** pissed is each der; het I rook oars to !sleigh
the lirepies with keys, and to Instruct them to musics
theme neer se well es every other part of the theatre oa
th!l.l rasadt.

Mr.idtealey Taylor—Were these tkiap removed belie.
the Ire broke out
Mr. •aderson—A perte of them had bees. My ear-
vests commeased paeklag from the time Iliad WOW my
owe estertalameat
Mr. Ile•ley Tayler—l believe you hid wins ameesual-
inMtimr hnem the stens
dersen—Yeato various parrof the theatre ?
. A
Mr. Moseley Taper—Bed they bees reaped?
Me electemoo—Tsey
• Juror—For what perms did you are the protasis=
I be:
Mr. Andersen—For my pleas% batteries.
• Juror—The gm was removed, I worm, hots the
Bedkrd satrap:4hr the purpose of worldly them batteries ?
Mr. •adersoa—lt appears to have bees done by my
machinist, but without pep haowlodee.
• Juror—Hem. you ever heard say complaint about a
west of lumps la the theatre, sad that therefore Patna
were obliged to be seed ?
Mr "•aderecia—No, set say.
Mika Harries, in the employ of Mr. Andersen, re-
cellist—lie remembered the dithvery of wheys of welpiturie
mid Physe sit by the Bleetrie Light and Ooloor Company
at the theatre ea the day before Mriatmae-day. The car-
boy. were heisted cm to the ro2f, mid sot taken Laid. the
theatre at all. They restaised ea the rost for shoat three
weeks, sad wept the. talus sway by the cesapeay. It
would have bass dawns' to have takes them through the
hope, sad therefore the plea of esielag them ea to Use reef
wee adopted. Beth sulphuric sad Phis add were seed fa
eaall qaeatities la Mr •adereosee peessealna boa, bet bay
W sever more thin 141% On Ulb. of add la that bee at
see time.

--i
sie Castle% is. et the 11811111411 attached to the theatre,
heist mreelled, conehented the last whales as se ne re-
mora' of the wheys ben the roof.
Is ratty to a Jam this wines mid he bad bon sp-
rinted to hb leto eltutha by the steels of the proclaim,
whims say previews saperiemer, hat ho bad ping mean
dories the 93 nen he bad kW the ease or Mama 411101.
done by Ire wen rti eery bequest smarremos M a theatre.
Peter Tinian's, mrpeater, is OS employ et Mr. dada-
s.% said In had twos sagemsd la makkg a 'moveable stage
la the earpeatrme shop. Mfr. Amino= met him by eppbt-
seas at kat e'en& ea the day before the dn, sad that
was the lam time whams was la the shop. It was all sate at
Munn. Witmer had weskit is the theatre ever shies it
W Imes es open, as sever kaew salting el a embus-
' dile Ware kept to the ermine' shop.
Mr. Jamb Healy Den, imellwr, et Ho rt.skost here
preentsd labreol4 wed M • somewhet naked eraser, tts-
peered his spines that the aseemer sad Jury were all
wren M the fradeasy el thek mend imalry. He
'rudiment nth
iee Se the atteeeedlielp presort Oen after
the meow Wt at the dieleist lied bees rattagained.
Ni pesebiss bad hem mods kw this sutra prawn, sad so
3men the upper penile of the theatre bad hems ie lames
Is • kag period bean dkenery et the Am Be w-
pm* las I plain by si awasumeemeat that light•
flaky
mint had ben dying la the isms at NM for • leas
time helm the SUM at Ike was Mesa, a sissemest which
did wet appear is inns sub en gem es Ski put et the
r. Themes Grieve, of Palen-read, Lambeth, maned
—I us ea artist sad ewe painter, sad maul timi last three
years have hoes employed at Consat-gardem Theatre. I
we mapiend lbws kr awe them SO ran
Garowir—Fram year a:perinea panne you mild give
as is opals as to bow the lire whisk has destroyed the
theatre erne.
Mr. (Min—The little property shop I bare always sea-
Mend a very daseerem pins. I have freqseatly draws
the athletics et she Imam to the bet of reknit hong
Wowed to isemmalate then. I awe OM bask is the
theatre, etter ea eh ,nee ref three years, sad bind mash
eahibitad. Then wee a heap N rabb•lt by the
peides.feen deer, to whisk I drew the then lamas.
attemilem. Whoa ihey mond this rabbi& it begs to
simmider, emd yin esukt mat bear yew haat to teen*
This was the sweeping of the palatimensim. I sal of
=I that if there w a heap N nebbish la the nanny
was
bis mann, that might have stead the Ire. They
see way ingenue mantielm nab as well, sad ether
tams Odin Mad, la tbis shop, sad say asemednies el
rand* moth
_deagneas la oath a plate.,
Mr. Inns Mitted. et Wed*.
saporneenblat et Me landas lire earl
ban bees *hop yore nessed easembedoes Use the
erase et the eatioreekeefiria I lona Moment Ma puns
N Coven garde' Theatre, bet ban been made es pia
sayting isem Met inspesioe as to the semis red the ire.
Free tbewhen Mast of the nil' ease It emotes tome you
nay meal ouppees the Ire to have takes platen s ems tire
as three ways. Is the tea One, the boon bad
been UM epee. as the gas was 10 al, hen sae Voisin
Is the day till °Wolk Newt userang. That wee a ray
named ft*, sad, as nest if the 'Manses apse that the
gee healed Ms reef. the vest woald be men boded them
them it bed ban tnnieFlad., If thou, ene 'attest
dial to spar arm the risk maid be
It is ImpesiMe taw is es the apple Inas 'Molise.
grbutZer day 1 wee ewer on wern One we is immemee
aloud whet might to tidy have 'gaited mamr
asoarby,
genes
it it the imams timmetit tram 'aka
sad the rats heat shove, would pewesst it* ben. semi
▪ ei Mr. Mews% me dean, v an emesity said, the llamas
Ines M fist Mentos rose, although Me people whin the
baldiag baser =sang abmt it. It wean. Me, On at
least sae of the enema bad bees as is., for 40 bolus. 1
de an say tM rasa dnak. 1 do set suppose be 111. Bet
my am Ina has bees walla* tor 40 Men man be
sapped lawsuit et al. ark Viaref
pinem. she midis this
eel mateend. If the Ink pen
nibs Means—Ea esep Ilseeatese shey,foretthe 15 weeld
esmhise ant ibolleneseedoweibt wee u
the noddsa,ies hoed wad asst Ole when etMen &a smokep
not beesigShenoted wend het be *Weld below aattlit
bad oe asady, beam throsik the ibmilay. It
bee Ws by minion OM Ow no limn win dill

observed soming through the roof, there wee no smoke.
This sight be true, because if flits had bean a sufficient
draught to consume the whole of the manias, then would
be Co stoke. I bars xo idea that this firs trigiaated
through an seep* of gee. Ihe gas would have all ass off
in explosion, and you .01114 nut have had a large Base, as
described.

Coroner—Could the flume described to have been rising
from tiAl ventilation shalt have been gas ?
Mr Braidwood—Certainly not. The shaft was 8 feet in
disaster, and bad all the gas pipes in the home bora tamed
into one, it would not have pradueed a flame of that Bile.
I thin. that the gas had nothing to do with the fire, 'empt-
ies to far teat the he .t of the gas crying up everyibleg
with which it came in contact, very 'materially assisted the
An. IWY over Diary-lane Theatre to-day. I WAS looking
at the gas battens cad it a; peon to me there might be an
accident from theen. One of the carpeetera, Delliston I
think it was, bee expressed an opinima that the lame fromn
one of the 1811 bettor might have run up the porpendicuiar
pillar to which they are attached, end I do not think he is
far wrong. If It wen so, the duns ascending from the
batten might have caught senuthing in the plan above or
token some of the tomboy 'tinging about. These are merely
my saggestitios.• I see .Mktg whatever in the evidemee to
lead ens to any definite conclusion as to the origin of the fire.
Is reply te the levy, Mr. Braidsoad said it was exceed-
ingly dangerous to have say wood in proaissity to a gas
bursar, eminrfassitt.dlas wood might he heed with plate
free, which, in paint of feet, win so F r-tsetion against host.
He bad known wood ignite from a gas banter at a distance
cf two feet and some inches.
_ _ .

Corosor—Pottiog the ra entirely oat of the question.
1024 do you euppoue t MT. bees the probable eau* of
the flre

—Mir; Mend wood—l should be very meth Wined to refer
it to wanness insides of some kind or ether. There are
manes of stuff that get shoat these plasm. In Drury-lose
theatre I found basket-work, tow' and other thiep of the
had lyiag about la every dimitiess. I suppose it was very
math the same this( at this theatre. My Impression above
al is, that the people about Wire all to thoroughly wonout
that they did an know what they were doing. We And,
when aeon ere very bard premed, that buildings us much
a rs liable to fires Man they are when those employed are
enraged dories the ordinary periods of labour.
Mr. Braidwood here withdrew ; and, after a short pause
The Conner charged the jury. He said—f3entlemelo
think we have no a exhausted all reamaable evidence. The
man object et the toiletry has failed; and I will make ao
'observations, bat simply eat yto to say whether cr no you
bare endows to show the origin of this fire ? Thmigh
it fails to ems to say eriefactory conclusion, I do
cot in the least regret the trouble of the Investigation.
11 said, when I opean the prose' dings, that the public were
decided to It, sad I ,pa that the public Imams, or dall
en evts heard Is
4or all that has transpired has been faithfully
reported—that the inquiry has b, en properly conducted.
We bare hem materially aniseed by the preside' mato•
titles, at whom isetisration, indeed, the invemigatim has
taksa place. The police have been at work, and nothing
mesas to me to have been left undoes. which ought to have
been dose. I think the public thanks are due to you for
the diligent attendee you have paid to the ease. vie vet-
diet will he easily framed. hand be a Negative verdict.
You will find (at least If you are of my ',pines) that the
theatre was boron dowa oa such end meth • day, red that
there into evidence to show the orlon of the Ire. Or, If
you mender you here evidence oaSeiseit to do se, you will
define the cause.
The jail haviag moulted for a few selects., retuned •
verdict to the effect, " That the theatre was destroyed by
fire ea the morning et the sth of Marsh, but how or by
what moans the Are erishiated, they had se evidence before
them to show."
The proosediap thou temensted.