The Express.
London, England, 1860-08-18 00:00:00

THE ORRAT 7131 AT THE yrEar LENT WHARF.

The amounts in the morning papers convey 1
faint idea of the extent of the fire at the West Kent Wharf,
London Bridge. The warehouses on the wharf extended in
one direction 160 feet, they were SO feet wide. This ep.
plies only to a new none of bl:ildings erected, or rather
nearly completed during the duet fifteen months, for the
Dublin Steam Shipping Company. Stretching to the
water. edge was also another row of warehouses about
100 feet long, termed the " Old Wharf.' In both premium
were deposited goods of the most inflammable character ; for
inatanoe, one department was filled with firkins of batter ;
another was stored with tuns' lard ; a third was filled with
ham. and bacon. Another floor contained no less than
15,003 quartets of corn and 1,9C3 quarters of cats, end the
quantity ~f seed of various descriptions that has been con
mimed the value is incalculable, to my nothing of the des-
truction of hops in bond, oil, tallow, and oil cakes. The
premier contained seven floors in one potties, but the new
portion of the works con Mused two additional floors—
being filled with feathers (dreased), jute, wool, hides, Ste.
It is very seldom that the origin of a fire can be traced,
bet the cause of the present one can hi satisfactorily ex-
pla'ned. A man named Davis, a collecting clerk, hosing
neglected to ship off a quantity of tallow sod raga, and being
anxious to complete the order that night, went into the
jute room, and therein lighted the gas, when the flame
from the burner caught a number of bales of jute, and
set them in a regular blaze. He at once cried out to the
keeper of the warehouses, " Charley, the place is on fire,
get song water." The man, who is an old
experienced fireman, formerly connected with the
West of England olSee and chief firemen at the Houses
of Parliament, at once procured a number of buckets of
water,whicb he threw upon and around the burning bales of
jute, but in spite of this expedient the lire continued its
ravages until floor after floor to the number of seven were
completely enveloped in fire. The light then became in.
tense and the grain fell like showers of golden fire into St.
Mary Overy, 'a dock and communicated with sundry vessels
lying there, as well as two or three in the river Thames.
Nothing short of the complete destruction of
the Hibernia wharf and Saint Saviour's church
could then Le expected, for immense sheets of flame and
huge showers of sparks kept continually lapping round the
warehouses and the church.

The powerful steam float, with Shand and Masins's lead
steam engine, were, =slur the direction of Mr. Superior•
tendent Braidwood, at once set to work, as well as
several land engines of the brigade, worked by
manual labour, from Tuoley-street, Southwark•bridge-
rod, Watling-street, Waterloo-road, Jeffreyequare
Chaudos•street, Farringdon-■treet, and more distant sti.
Lions. The land engines were copiously furnished by
water from the mains of the Southwark Company's Works,
but in spite of this the devastation continued, and hour
after hour continued to peas away without the least im-
pression being made. It WU nearly 11 o'clock this (Satyr-
day) forenoon, Just 12 hours after the outbreak, before the
flames beano to succumb.
The damage at the lowest estimate will amount to
200,0001., and it is feared that Dot one quarter of the pro-
perty destroyed was insured. A large number of racks
were kindly lent by Messrs. Tang and Shad, of Pickle
Herring•stairs, which were filled with grain as it was washed
out of the burning buildings, and safely deposited in St.
Saviour's churchyard.

Two barges laden with tea and other light goode, yalud
at 30,0001., have been sunk in the adjoining dock. •
monkey boat, containing a woman and five children, is also
greatly damaged, and it was with the greatest difficulty
that the Marks meld he got oat. A number of City
°Moen and pain Nsiumed past assistance to the firemen.

FoneluN-ovnen, Avotir 16 -n• Queen has
been pleased to approve cie Kr. C. BrOCIIMIN IS consul at Hong
4 for hie Royal Steen the Orr ell Duke of Olden-
-Orr&
CAVIL 81/VIC'S RI/LS BRIOADS—The Civil Ser-
vke Rifle Brigade sill proceed this afternoon (Saturday) to
Foxwarren. war oobbain, Surrey, for skirmishiny practice
and held 1128.11COURIII. having Ravpted an invitation from
Mr. C. Errs, M.P., who has kindly tired his pounds at
the serriee of the corps on the °aeries.

- -
A NOrILTY tx Seam Ovreancriox.—Yeeter-
abors. shoat 8 o'clock, as Hisrrell's indica engine,
m Nahu, which was exhibited on the previews day before
the Duke of Cambridge, at Kensington, was wocerding
through Reewers.street, rkimer's. town, towards the King's.
crone station of the Great Northern Railway, its mores@
was wrested by the mistake limakage of a piece ofniachuiery
in ens of the wheels, called • "V." Rix trucks, each
weighing 21 tons, were a.tached to Ups imodereee engine,
itself weighing 15 took The whale train remained there
until 7 o'clock last eveniug, when the defect having been
',paired, the 0414.01 win again got up, end the strange and
micorninos train pawed lumbering and biasing through the
streets to the railway station. It was copri-ned to Doe,y,
Reajamin, and Co. at Rio Janeiro. The street was
crowded with spectators the whole day, their attention
' heirs( greatly attracted by rovdell's endless railway which
was attached to the wheels of the await." engine.
Trit. W•tw trees Mt:einem tn. —About nine o'clock
on Thursday night this convict was removed from New gate
to Ilorsemongerlarie. The mob, upon seeing the cab, ran to
it to get • (limps of the culprit, and commenced hiring
and bootie.; him, and followed the cab, hooting all the
while, till it got to Illackfriambridge, when it drove very
fed red WA 61 of the crowd. The prisoner, we under-
steal, did not speak during the whole of his journey, hut
dire,tlv after the judge poNsed sentence of death on
lam. and lie was taken into Now ate, he asked the officers
for his usual supper. Upon arriving at Horeemonger-lane
be was given is charge to Ifr. Keane, the governor of that
pris.m. and was afterwards conveyed to the cell usually
allotted to prisoners ander sentence of death, where he
will he guarded by the wanders till the day of exemitioe,
which, it is sopposed, will le heat Mouday fortnight, as
by law the sentence cannot le carried into effect till four-
teen dear Jaya hies expired after conviction.
CRYSTAL PALAcR. —ONE SHILLING Day.
I'Bl E.) %V, AUGUST 17. -- Admissions on payment, 3,227 ;
ditto by season ;tracts OW; total visitors, 3419.