The Express.
London, England, 1851-05-19 00:00:00

GREAT FIRE AND LOSS OF LIFE IN THE

CITY.

Early yesterday (Sunday) morning a most cala-
mitous tire occurred in Love lane, Lower Thames-street,
which, we regret to announce, involved the lou of four
lives and serious injury to a fifth. The Rose and Crown pub-
lic-house, on the west side of Lore-lane, where the catas-
trophe occurred, is scarcely more than two hundred yards
from the scene of the frightful accident which took place in
Gracechurch-street. Lore-lane is a narrow, confined
thoroughfare running out of Lower Thames-street on the
north side, nearly opposite to Billingsgate-market, into
Easteheap. The house was of some extent—three stories
in height, and a proportionate depth and frontage.
About half-past 2 o'clock Trindcr, No. 586 City police,
was passing up the lane, when he observed smoke
issuing from between the shutters and other apertures
on the basement floor of the house. Ile presumed that
the place was on fire, and before he had time to
alarm the inhabitants, loud screams and piercing cries for
help were heard proceeding from the upper part of the
house, and, on looking up, a man was seen at the third floor
window struggling to effect his escape. He is supposed to
have been a young man who was known to have taken a
bed at the house for the night. The police ran in all direc-
tions to procure ladders to preserve him, while the inha-
bitant+ of the adjoining premises got upon their roofs, but
there being no parapet leading to the window the poor
fellow could not be gut at; indeed, the flames speedily
penetrated through the roof, and so put a stop to all exer-
tions made in that direction to save him. The fire escapes
from the Royal Exchange and Aldgate stations were expe-
ditiously conveyed to the scene, but, in consequence of the
narrowness of the lane, it was impossible to work them.
The unfortunate creature clung to the window fur nearly
ten minutes, his cries becoming fainter, and at length be
disappeared amidst the dense body of smoke that poured
from the chamber. Within a quarter of an hour the entire
building was in one general blaze, the heavy stock of
spirits and liquors adding vigour to the flame. '1 he engines
of the Custom-house first arrived at the spot and got into
effective operation.
Previous to this a shocking scene was witnessed at the
rear of the house, which abutted on another tavern, known
as the Whito Hart, in Botolph-lane, kept by Mr. ltaymont.
It appears that the residents of the White Hart were
aroused by cries of " Fire—help," and ere they had time
scarcely to leave their beds, the flames which were emitted
from the rear windows of the Rose and Crown burst
through those of their apartments, and they were com-
pelled to make a hasty retreat. Calls for assistance still
being heard, king, the potman of the White Hart, went
into the taproom, in order to look round at the back of the
flaming premises, when he observed a young girl in a state
of nudity, almost drenched in blood, with fire play
ieg round her, on a kind of outhouse. Her cloth:
lag was all consumed, and she appeared in a
Srsedful state of suffering. King courageously broke
away the sash of the window and the poor girl
rushed into his arms, and was so preserved. She
proved to be Elizabeth Chambers, about 17 years of age,
servant to Mr. Harvey. She escaped by jumping from the
window of her bedroom on the second floor, and unhappily
in her descent fell through a skylight on to the outhouse.
She was most frightfully lacerated, and no time was lost in
conveying her to the surgery of Mr. Blowfleld, in the
neighbourhood, from whence she wu removed to Guy's
Hospital.
During this trying period, the fire continued to rage with
much fierceness. A strong body of the brigade force, under
the direction of Mr. Braidwood, the superintendent of the
corps, as also that attached to the West of England office,
attacked the conflagration at every point. For some time
the adjacent premises were placed in considerable peril of
being destroyed. However, the exertions of the firemen
succeeded in preserving the adjoining property from any
great damage, save the White Hart, which has suffered
considerably. By five o'clock the destructive element was
effectually suppressed, but of the Rose and Crown nothing
would% but the blackened walls and the charred timbers of
the floors

Inquiries were then instituted as to the fate of the inmates,
as none of them, with the exception of the poor servant
girl, had been seen to escape. lan. Harvey, the wife of
the landlord, was known not to be in the house, as she was
on a visit to some friends at Barking, but it was certain
that there were in addition to the servant, inmates—Mr.
Harvey, Mrs. Elisabeth Grey, Mrs. Harvey's mother, the
potman, known by the name of George, and the lodger,
Abraham Clark. Fears being entertained that they had
perished, Mr. Braidwood, the superintendent of the brigade,
as soon as the ruin had been sufficiently cooled, directed
some of his men to proceed by their sailing
.ladders up to
the windows of the upper doors, with a view of seeing
whether any of the remains of the missing creatures were
there. Accordingly Bradley and Storks, two expert firemen,
ascended, and beneath the window of the second floor they
discovered the charred remains of a human being, sup
to be Mn. Grey. Search was then continued to the third
floor, and there were found the bodies of the three remain-
ing miming inmates, viz. Mr. Harvey, the landlord ; George,
the potrnan ; and Clark, the lodger. They were all much
burnt. With as much privacy as possible the firemen low-
ered the bodies down into the street and shells being pro-
cured, they were removed to a neighbouring dead house, to
await the coroner's inquiry'.
In the course of the day the peer girl Chambers suffi-
ciently recovered as to afford the aedierities what informa-
tics she could in respect to the deplorable occurrence. She
swag that she mina to ems denta quarter past 12, as
bee motor sad the reel eras Data. She was awak-
ened by die ems sullboadoi =eke that filled her room.
EMI op s& her bid osou low with a view of making her
alsaPe thmra %%To, but smoke and heat drove
bra may and that the Slaw Were fast approach-
=aware* resolved upon jumping from the
as Ss auk vs taus of sasaping,which she did with
the inehrelislynnsepasness Mated. Ithe neither heard nor
raw on, of the bow.% with the novena of Mrs.
who wan anal& " Rie6.rd Harvey, Richard Harvey," the
brullord, sad beg -law. She, however, did not see
ler. The sespent leeaim of the poor girl were fa-