The Express.
London, England, 1862-07-31 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, THURSDAY EVENING. JULY 31, 1862.

EXCITING SCENES AT TIRES.

GREAT LOSS OF PROPERTY.-(THIS DAY.)

This (Thursday) morning a destructive fire,
which was nearly attended with fatal reeults to several m-
eow, happened on the extensive premier of Mr. John
Morris Jones, court hosier, No. 17, Piccadilly. A police
constable of the C division seeing smoke pouring
forth from the front shop, at once gave an alarm, and after
much trouble succeeded in arousing the inmates, when Mr.
Jones, flatting it impossible to descend, made for the roof in
his shirt, and J. L Cotton, another of the residents, made
his appearance at the third floor. At the earn time the other
occupants could be seen rushing in a state bordering upon
frenzy over the house tops of the adjoining buildings. At
this juncture the Royal Society's fire escape luckily ar-
rival from the St. Jama's Church station, and the con-
duetor, Charles Arnold. having placed it in front of
the house sscended to the roof, took Mr. Cotton on his
back and carried him down the escape. The
conductor then returned and assisted Mr. Joos down the
ladder. He next went in search of the other inmates, who
Ind' fortunately escaped. During his praiseworthy efforts
he became completely prostrate with smoke and dropped
near the window, and no doubt would have been suffocated
but for the timely arrival of Conductor Robinson with the
Golden-square escape. Robinson pulled him out of the
room, sod he was obliged himself to slide down the escape.
The engines of the London brigade were soon in attendance,
as was also the powerful steam engine of Shand and Mason,
of Blackfriars, but before the fire was extinguished a serious
amount of mischief was done.

Another alarming fire took place this morning on the pre-
mises of Mr. H. Wiseman, carcass butcher, at No. 21, Crie-
d:est, Bromley. In a few minutes after it was dis-
covered, several persons appeared at the windows, sad cried
piteously for help. They were told toremain a few minutes
until the Royal Society's escape attended ; bat notwithstand-
ing this Mr. and Mrs. Wiseman, expecting to be burned to
death if they remained any longer in the house, jumped
out of window, the result being that they were both severely
if not fatally injured. The flames spread with an un-
usual rapidity, actually igniting the fronts of two houses on
the other side of the road. The premises were entirely con-
sumed. The origin of the fire is unknown. The sufferer is
supposed to be Insured in the Phoenix Fire Ofilee. The
premises of Mr. J. Sheffield, draper, No. 20, were also ex-
tensively damaged by fire and water. Insured in the Phoenix
Fire Office.

Another fire took place on the premises belonging to Mr.
J. Roes, dealer in marine stores, No. 11, Cornwall-road,
Lambeth. The shop and contents were severely damaged.
Insured in the Sue Fire•ofce.

THE GREAT EASTERN.

The annexed remarks relative to the Great
Eastern are from a well informed correspondent :

The Great Eastern, the arrival of which at New York
was announced a few days ago, entered that port by Long
Island Sound, instead of by Sandy Hook, as on the previous
voyage, when it will be remembered she was obliged to
refuse a considerable quantity of cargo, in consequence of
the depth of water over tree bar not permitting her to be
laden to more than one third of her enormous capacity.
This inconvenience will be remedied by the course now
taken, and notwithstanding the strike amongst the pain
labourers in New York against the use of what they
term " steam elevators," it in expected that she
will obtain a large and remunerative freight. The pas-
'eager' speak in the highest terms of the performances of
the ship on the voyage, which was made in under ten days
from Liverpool (including 12 hours' detention at Queens.
town), and notwithstanding the weather during a great
portion of the time was most unfavourable. The following
letter was presented to Captain Paton by the pa/sensors at
the termination of the voyage :—" We are now at the end
of our voyage, and the time has come when we must part
company ; but before bidding you farewell we would ex-
press our esteem for you personally, our admiration of your
seamanship, and of your calm energy under all circum-
stemma. While not forgetting to warmly thank you
for the courteous and genial manner in which you have pro-
moted our comfort and the various amusemeuts designed to
relieve the ennui of siTninsatlantic voyage, you have been
admirably assisted by active and intelligent officers, who
have vied with all others belonging to the ship in kind atten-
tion and obliging sets, arid we hog you will convey to them
our thanks. Necessarily we had faith in the Great Eastern
when we trusted our lives in her, but our confidence in that
noble vemel bas been greatly augmented since this boister-
ous and almost winter purge, accomplished within ten
days, and the more remarkable therefore for its
brevity and absence of sea-sickness, many of us having now
crossed the Atlantic without being thus affected. During
three days of a very rough sea, when the strength of the
ship arid her qualities must have been severely tested, there
was a complete absence of pitching, of creaking, of vibra-
tion of the hull, of bilgewater smell, or of any of those
annoyances No common to other steamers." The Great
Eastern was to leave for Liverpool on Saturday last ; she
may, therefore, be expected at that port early next week.
She sails for New York again about the middle of August,
when, io consequence of the great reduction in fares, it is
expected that she will lake a very large number of par
sengers.

WKATHZR KIPORT.-{THIS DAY.)

THOISDAT, JOLT 11, $ L.H.