The Express.
London, England, 1853-09-12 00:00:00

:be Court

BALMORAL, [lvry 9.
Her Majesty drove yesterday towards the Ballo&
thole, attended by ths Duchess of Wellington and the
Hon. Mary Bolus'.
Prises Albert went oat deitr-stalkim.
The (house party yesterday MOWN the Duchess of
Ent, Count Alexandir lltoodorg sod 81z George and
Lady Cooper.
Sere. 10.

.._. .. ....
Bar litejeety and Prinee Albert were present yesterday
at the Watering (or salmon in the Des.
la the evening the Duchess of Kent, Count Alenadsr
Mosidart Lady Augusta and Lady Frances Bruce, joined
the royal diner party.

Despatches were received hen the Oove►bor. of the West
Coast ef Africa, en &tastily, at the Colonial•ottice.

ADDRESS TO LORD J. RUSSELL.—The Town
Cesacil of Greenock have Teed, on the suggestion of the
PIOTC•t, to take advantage Lord John Rossi:ll's being in
the neighbourhood to present him with an address for his
emineat public services.
OrrICIAL ArrottrrwEsTs.—Mr. R. B. D. Mossier
is appointed an unpaid attact.6 to her Majesty's mission at
Vienna, in the room of Lord Boyle, wise has resigned. Mr.
Setward J.neph Dailey is appointed a member of the Legis-
lative Council of Ceylon.
Sir Or.oRGE OSBORN and family, Sir E. T. Drake,
and Admiral Kelly were among the passengers who
*mead at the St. Katharine Steam Wharf on Saturday
morning by the Gener.il Steam Navigation Company%
eteanrship Panther from Ostend.
QUEEN CHRISTI:I*ot Spain, and a party of sixteen,
visited Morn. Tusaaarl's establishment last week. Her
Majesty expressed her approbation of the skiU and teat*
displayed in the execution and disposition of the various
groups exhibited in this museum. Baron Brunnow, and
party, also visited this exhibition on Friday last.

DEPARTURE OF THE AFRICA.—On Saturday
afternoon the British and North American Royal Mail
Hteam-altip Africa, Captain William Harrison, sailed from
the Money for New York, with the usual mail, for the
Western continent, 110 passengen, and • very large cargo
of general merchandise on freight. Her mails were car-
ried out is charge of Lira:. Ward, R.N., Admiralty agent.

FALL OF A HOUSE IN TILE STRAND.
•
INQUEST ON THE KILLED.

We continue our report of the proceedings pub-
lished in the Express of Saturday.
W. Sbrimplan, the carpenter. was recalled. lln deposed
—I have been engaged on the work 4 K tu.g on n.-at to the
house that has fallen. I was employed by Mr. Lucas, the
builder, of the Belvidere-road. 1 went there about eight
weeks sm. I was then sent to remove the hoarding fur-
ther out into the street. That is the boarding r mail the
works on the rite where some houses had been pulled down
and new buildings were being erected. I don't know how
many houses there had been there. I was employed to put
up shore, to the house, No.lBl The directions were given
by Mr. Abraham, the head surveyor. I believe he is the
surveyor to the Duke of Norfolk. Ile directed me to put
up a couple of shore-, as he said he wanted tn have every
! thing We. After th.,t Mr. George Rowe, the deceased,
can.e as clerk of the work., and took the charge out of my
hands. Mr. Rowe said Mr. Abraham ordered him to have
more shores put up, and we put up three mire double
shores. The first two I put up were at the cm), of the house
' nearest the Strand. The distance between them was about
10 feet. Thq top shore was 40 feet long, and the lower
one about 30 feet. There were altogether tire of the
double shores and three 'Melo ones. The shores were all
about 10 or 12 feet apart, equidistant. It was about three
weeks after I put up the first two shores that I put up the
others. The first were put up shout FIX reeks ago. The
timber used was solid lucid sound timber, and in every way
suited for the pullers... I have been • carpenter and
joiner all my life, and have had considerable experience in
framing of eifferect kind.. and I am quite satisfied the
shoring in this case was sued •ient.
Ily Mr. Carr (the juror)—What was your foundation?
The ground was all in when I went. Whet was your
ight of wall ? A mut 50 feet. What was the distance
from the foot of the shore to the base of tho wall ? About
14 or 15 feet, so that the shore, which was 30 feet long,
would reach up the wall about 21 feet. How far above the
lower shore did you spring with the upper chore ? About
4 feet. That would reach up about 3.5 or 36 feet? Yes.
Did you think that high enough? Qui:e high enough.
I There would be about 16 or 20 feet of wall above the -bore ?
Yes. Did you needle the shores ? Yes, about seven inches
into the wall. Not through the wall ? No. The cruse
piece against which the shores were pinned was
of ordinary deal, 9 inches by 3, and ■bout 14 feet long.
and about 15 feet long. Was the wall sound ? The wall
garnered to be an old wall, and was very render, and it
would not have been desirable to needle through. The
mortar had not much strength. Were you under any ap-
prehension of danger yourself? Not • lilt, or I should not
have been at work under the wall as I was. I was at work
sneer the wall, within two or three yards of it, when I
heard the crack and it fell. Mr. Rowe was there too. We
both ran, but he stumbled and fell down. When I heard
the crack I looked up, and saw the wall sinking. It fell
out about 12 feet from the top, and then it alt came down
together. I was digging at about two or three yards
from the wall at the time—that is within the base of the
shores.

By another of the jury—Wit had dug down below the
footings of the house about 18 inches in one or two places.
We thought the shores sußcient, end I found that my
shores stood to the last, until they cr.cked by the weight
of the falling house. There were shores at the back end
of the house looking over the Thames, to the short wall,
that cracked sad same part of which fell on Tuesday. That
wall was made secure. I can't say whether that wall was
an 18-inch or a li-loch wall. It was not connected with
the house as far u I recollect. It was the wall of the back
building. I put in solid wedges to prevent the shores frees
shifting. The foundation had been dug out below the
fon lisp of the house No. 184, in two or three places, for
distances of, perhaps, 18 inches or two feat, for the purpose
of levelling the foundation. The foundation was sand and
gravel.
By tha Foreman—l can't say whether there were two or
three of those holes dug.
By another Jurymau—The wall bulged out at the back.
Shores were put up. I cannot say that the holes we dug
did not weaken the well. I should certainly say it would
not do it any good. 1 was a little alarmed on tr.e Tuesday
when some earth from the back wall fell, but we soon
shored that up and got it all right. The whole of the
rubbish fell into the hole we were digging for the founda-
tion of the new house. It was by Mr. Bowes direction we dug
the holes below the foundation of the party wall. He know
that we had dug as much as 18 inches below the footings.
There wes no slip of earth on the Wednesday that I saw. I
must have seen it if there had been any. The only slip was
the one I have spoken of that marred on the Tuesday at
the back. That was but a little bit of earth fell—about a
eirt-load. lam not aware that Mr. Angell, the district
surveyor, has ever had hie attention called to the state of
the wall. I saw him on the premises at all to my
knowledge.
By Mr. Hawkins—l can't say exactly when the hole*
were made below the foundations. Tbry were dug about
two cr three days before the house fell. They were dug by
Brown.

By Mr. Bodkin—There bad been some house removed,
and the materials taken away from the site where the new
building was being erected. We dug for the foundation of
the new premises, and in doing so we frond that in some
places the party wall of the next house (No. 184) did not
c. me down so low as the level of the foundation
we were digging, but that in other parts it
did. We put in jack shores at the part where
the wall same down to the foundation to carry those parts
that did not. I was up with a plumb line on the roof of
the house (No. 184) three days before the accident. Mr.l
Rowe was below at the time testing the wall by the line.
We found that the wall was not more than an inch or two
out of the upright. I dropped the line at each end of the
wall, back and front. Mr. Rowe was quite satisfied, and
said there was no danger at all, Mr. Abraham was back-
ward and forward every day to see the progress of the
works. He expressed no fear about the wall in my hear-
ing. He made no complaint of the shoring. I believe Mr.
Rowe was a man of great experience. He was about 60
years old. Mr. Lucas, the gentleman who is carrying on
the building, war not there during the few days immediately
preceding the accident. I den% know that he was out of
town. I had orders from the yard to sand for anything we
wanted—and whatever we sent for we received immediately.
Those directions came from Mr. Stevens, the chief clerk of
Messrs, Lucas. Mr. Rowe also told me not to stand for
any expense to make the adjoining building secure. The
wall where the earth fell our from was not the party wall
of the house, and had nothing to do with it. It was merely
what is called a party fence wall at the back, enclosing
what had been the yard. That wall was fourteen feet high.
The yard was covered with a lead fiat.
-

-
By Mr. Can—There were no struts OT supports placed
inside the cellar of No. 184, nor any support or shores of
any kind whatever inside the party wall to resist the pres-
sure from the wedging up of the outside shores.
A Juryman—lf they bad put struts instils the wall to
support it at the base, it would never have bulged out.
John Bush, of 3, Mill-street, Lambeth, master carpenter
sad builder—l was called in by Kr. Thompson to examine
the party wall about twelve months sine. That was to
amertala whether it would be reqaisite to pail down the
party wall when the new houses Were bent. I afterwards
accompanied Mr. Thompson to Mr. Abraham's °See, and
made • verbal report to Mr. Abraham's clerk as to the
state of the wall. Tho wall was • one and a half brick up
to the top. I stated to the clerk that u the new one was to
be an extra first rate, it might be built without pulling
down the party wall, is Mr. Thompson had a great
objective to that on account of the injury it would do to his
trade. Mr. Abraham wished for Mr. Thompson's leave to
pull it down, which I gave them in writing. They stated
they would all pull It down if they could get the sanction
the diarist sineeere to use it, but they would underpin it,
endwise it to the hip of the new hones. At that time it
we. listemini to ben shimmy§ in the party. I have ex-
amined theism's Wheels or 20 times since at Mr. Thoutp-
seals sensemt. The bet thee ea Tuesday lest. There was
reeding to Whets any settlement up to that day at two
&sink, Width was the time I examined it. But
2=Mid me that there wee a very slight crack in the
se alike. Kr. Thompson called me into the but
prelleer. eel Awed me the wall at the side, which be
reel Mr. Rowe bad told him was to he taken down and ro-
bed,. There was a bole in the wall which was covered
with canvass. At that time the ground was excavated 4
or 5 feet below the brickwork under the foundation of the I
wall of the perkier, but not under the wail of the main
house. Mr. Rowe told me he was going to build a2l
brick wall up to the first floor joists. The reason they were
going to pull down the parlour wall was that it was out of
the line of the wall of the house to some extent. The wall
of the house appeared sound, and I mw no Indication of its
giving way.
By a Juryman—My attention was never directed by Kr.
Henderson to the stove being forced out of the An-place
in the first door, and there being a neck in the wall. I
am not aware that Mr. Thompson called in any other per-
son. Ido not know if any of my men had their attention
called to this projection of the fin-place, or the crack in
the well.

Tim Juryman—l hava it on good authority that either
you ee some one of your men were informed of the circum-
stances I have stated by Mr. Henderson.
Witness—l had no men but paperhangers there, and he
would hardly have spoken to them upon that subject. I
never heard of the circumstance myself.
Examination continued—The party wall was about 32
feet deep. There was a double stack of flues in it.
By the Coroner—l wss not aware that the wall had been
plumbed. I con,ider the wall was safe. I have been ten
years a builder cm my own account.
By the J —Mr. Thompson was not fearful that
the wall fall. His apprehension wss that it would be
pulled down, and his business interfered with. Mr. Bowe'
said on Saturday that he wondered Mr. Thompson would
not have the wall pulled down, as it would give him a foot
more of room. I told him what Mr. Rowe said, and he
replied, "What is the use of a foot of room to met I will
sell them a foot of my shop now if they wish ; I have more
than I want." If the party wall bad been pulled down
and rebuilt, the expense would have fallen on Mr. Smith.
I saw the shoring. It was sufficient until they dug below
the foundation. Thea certainly there ought to have been
thorn inside.
The Coroner—Then it is your opinion chat the shoring
was not Jufficient, and that there ought to have been shores
inside 2—Certainly.
By a Juryman—l was to have gone to the premises by
direction of Mr. Thompson again yesterday or to-day.
By the Coroner—l wu satisfied that the back parlour
wall was insecure, and a part of it was down when I went
there last, but that would not affect the main wall in any
way. I think the cum of the accident was the givirg
way of the floors, and the lower part of the wall failing and
bulging out, which it would do on account of the shores
resting only spinet the upper part. Hid there been shores

runder the timber joists below, I do not think the accident
.01(1 have bajspeued. As it war, for want of support the
wall bulged out helm the point whets the raking shorn
supported it, and came down, and of cons, the upper part
followed it. The witness surgeated that the rubbish should
he cleared away, in order that the depth to 'which the
eound..tion hats been dug below the footirgeoi the rutty
won might be asc( ruined.
Mr.*. Mendenon recalled. The last time I was in the I
hone was en Tuesday evening at about 7IA lock. I occu-
pied the first An.or front and buck, and the top flour front
and back. I had lived there ever since April, 18.51. I had
for some time notice,: a crack in the front wall of the
house, exactly at the angle where the front wall and
the party unite. That crack had been getting worse
ever xneo the digging fur the funadation of
the next bona commented. On To( sdav last it
W4l so deep that I put my band into it up to my
knuckles. 1 complained tohlr. Thompson frequently, and
he said there was no danger. The last time I complained
was about a month ag i. I tint entertained tears when the
work began at the next premises in October last, and I
took lodgings in Albert-street, where I twit my property,
and carried on my business for three months. On being
assured that the house was safe, I returned. I have noticed
the crack in the wall ever since they began taking away
the rubbish, and there was a crack right along the top of the
' room on the first &see ales, and another in the room shove,
which the rain used to beat throintli. I was alarmed, and
mentioned my fears to Mr. Thompson, and also toe gentle-
man whom I believe to be Mr. Abraham. (This gentleman,
Mr. Abraham, who was present, explained was his principal
clerk). I was always assured ,that all was safe. Mr.
rsoruppon paid the Purveyor had examined the premises,
and reported that there was no danger whatever. I think
the house might have stood fur many years had they not
commenced digging so near to it. On Tuesday last I
thought it seemed worse, and some persons who came in to
have their portraits taken spoke of the strange vibration in
the house. There is of course always a vibration in the
houses in the Strand, more or lees, arisicg frum the heavy
teethe, but the vibration at our house increased very much
of late. I became very much alarmed, and was about more
than once to remove all my property.
The Coroner intimated that it Will necessary to adjourn
the inquiry, and he thought it would be better to do eo at
once, and in the meantime be should like to have the
ground cleared out and a plan of the property prepared.
Mr. Hawkins thought it would be desirable to appoint
one or two independent surveyors to examine the place,
and to report as to what M their opinion was the cause of
the accid( at.

The Coroner had no power under the act either to order
such an examination to bo made or t• pay the gentlemen
who made i Ho could allow expenses according to the
scale fixed for the psymeot of witnesses, and those expenses
were jealously watcoed by the m4tstrottes at quarter mis-
sions. _

Mr. Bodkin, on the part of Merin. Lucas, observed that
thou gentlemen were most anxious to further the inquiry
In any way they could. Their sole object was to elicit the
truth.

Mr. Ford, on the part of the Messrs. Smith. was quits
ready to bear the expense of employing one, two, or three
surveyors, to be named by the coroner, so desirous were
they for a full invoitigatien.
Mr. Abraham Litinsated that he should be quite ready to
give evidence upon any occasion on which he might be
called upon for the purpose.
After some consultation as to the meet convenient day for
resuming the inquiry, it was decided that it should he
adjourned to Monday week next, and it was ordered that
in meantime the ground should be cleared, a plan of the
premises should be prepared, and that two or more sur-
veyors should examine and report upon the cause of the
accident.