The Express.
London, England, 1861-03-26 00:00:00

FEARFUL SCENE.

NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE, MANCH 24.
A fearful scene occurred in the very heart of the
business part of our town last night, by which two persons
have lost their lives, and two or three mom are somewhat
badly hurt. Between 6 and 10 o'clock on a Saturday even-
ing all lb. main thoroughfares in Newcastle are
very much crowded ; more especially in the neighbour-
hood of the large butchers' and vegetable markets.
Those markets are under one roof. They are sur-
rounded by business streets, and ou the south side is Nun-
street. rpou the premise. No. 6 of that street Mr.
Joseph (;person carries on business as a gutta-percha and
boot and shoe warehouseman and manufacturer, employing
above twenty hands. About luilf.past six his place of bust.
ores, with other shops in the street, was crowded with cus-
tomers, when an alarm of fire was given. A quantity of
nra u.percha was being reduced with naphtha on a fire in a
tack room in Mr. Grierson 's premises, and a young man
named Young, a shoprnam having had occasion to go into
this room, discovered that the composition was in a blase.
He informed another shopinan, named Brown, who ran up-
stairs and brought down Mr. Gringo', ; and Grierson,
though cautioned not to do so, attempted to take the flaming
pea off the fire. In doing so he unfortunately ignited his
c and in hie excitement the pan was tilted over
oritheete door, just at the cellar door, and the solution
was immediately converted into a sheet of dame.
Three young men, workmen, had gone into the cellar
to procure some wet clothes to damp the fire out,
and in returning were met by the flames. Two
of them, Robert and John Petrie, radial through
the fire, and Wallis on emerging was in a sheet
of flame. He was hurried through the sale-room into
Nun-street, was thrown down, a bucket of water was
tilted over him, but it produced little effect, end the
whole of his clothes had to he torn off him. He was dread-
fully burnt, and was immediately removal to the infirmary,
where he has diet this evening. Immediately following
the upsetting of the pan some one in running for water had
opened a bark Inor, and th.• result was that • column of flame
darted up the staircase into the premises above, and peas-
ing the rooms on the first two landings, set fire to the roof
of the attic, and burst from the highest windows into Neu-
mann& The Luger 'lndy of Mr. Grierson's woekpeople had
WI at 4 Admit mod a 0 of them who remained made to the
' inesed stay windows, and leapt into Numstoret. All
escaped except on. man. James Scott, who appears to have
attempted to get dews to the street by the stain, but was met
by theism.. and burnt to death, his charred remains having
hem picked op aft .r the fire was extinguished. Fortunately,
ea Saturday sight the sth, Gth, i the Nth, 10th, and 11th
sompanies of the let Newmatle.oo-Tyne Rifle Volunteers
were oat as drill, and also the Ist Newoutlems-Tyne
Aztalksy. sad they immediately marched at double quick
time te the moss of the coofiagration, and kept the immense
weed heck. This *cabled the firemen to bring their en.
OMB ekes Wilke blaring premises, and by 9 o'clock the Are
was quite extinguished. A very small amount indeed of Mr.
Griersoe's stock is laved, and, betides being burnt, his loss
will amonet to 6001. over his insurance. Three or four
other workroople were burnt while attempting to extin-
guish the burning coommind in the pan. or escape from the
magma, but non of them wen egricoaly injured. except
poor Wallis sad Scott. It seems that the naphtha and
gutta-percha were ordinarily in the charge of a workman,
who melted the getta-percha as joiners do glue. He had
left et 4 o'clock. liking* doing so, he had removed the pan
from the fire, hut a hey bad replaced it.

A41'70E11191 RII.ATINO TO TWZ METROPoLITAN
Pot:M-11W morning were lama the amounts showing
the sums ranched awl expended Icw the purpoem of the
metrewittee police saperannuatios fund, public eirriages,
wad peaks courts in the year ending 31st Dec. lest. The
told nos received from the parishes during the year was
317,31191. 17s. iAI. ; the amount received from the Treasury
was 133,1112 V. The total sum paid for the police within the
year yea 491,43fd. 17s. Id. The basses remising on the
31st of December amounted in all to 41,601 f. IU. Id, which
is his by 947/. than the balaoce oa the Ist of January. 1860.
llos Meal eamh.,T of parsecs belonging to the force os the
lit of January last was composed as follows :—?2 miparin-
Imanda, 1,6 inspectors, 701 sergeants, and 5,70 t( coo.
stades.

An important mute was decided in Cork on
Saturday night in an action finning! the Cork and Paeans
Railway, when Miss Emma dolmens. obtained damages for
injuries sustained on the line, to the amount of 1.2.50 f., and
met& Mr. Whiteside was engaged specially n. her counsel,
awl bed another ovation at the conclusion of the trial.

roar prisoners made their eneSpeir(nTLynn
beigegb gad, yesterday, after binding their turnkey hand
art foot. The country round was scoured by the pollee,
sad is as hour the men were all captured.

Bourn Kg.vezitorom Mossux.—During the week
sad* March 23 the visitors have bees as follows :—On
Monday, Tuesday, and Saturday, free days, 5,510 ; on Mon-
day and Theelay, fen mutiny, 4,358 ; es the three stu-
dents' days (admires to the public 6d.). 1.476; one
students' evening (Wednesday), 157 ; total, 11,541. Prinn
the opening of the museum, 1,M51,770.
Ror •1. FRIA HOSPITAL, GRAY'S-INN-10AD.—
The Dumber of patients relieved at this hospital during the
week ending Marsh 23 was 2,560 ; of which 686 ware new
mien