The Express.
London, England, 1868-02-18 00:00:00

GREAT FIRE

AT THE
CIIARING-CROSS RAILWAY
STATION.-(THIS DAY.)

This afternoon at 2 o'clock a fire broke out at
the Custom-hones Department of the Charing-cross
Railway Station, which, at the moment of writing this
account, threatened the destruction of the greater portion
of the station. The dames were first noticed in the
reall office at the end of the waiting-room of the
riming-house, which is a large building, some 300
het long and 50 bread, at the twat side of
station. The fire developed itself with astonishing
rigidity. The flames ran along the floor of the
',rasing room and adjoining rooms, setting the goods front
the continent, which were awaiting sten:analog,
in a blase. The roof was soon ignited, and the
whole of the inside of the station, which is con-
tiguous to the clearing house, became filled
with dense smoke and excessively hot. The oompany's
engine wee got into play in the 00111.110 of a few minutes,
but it hada) effectwhatever in stopping theprogresa of the
tee. The engines of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade,
including some of the principal land steamers,were brought
up from the various City and Wert End Stations at
the gallop. As they dialled along the streets the excite-
ment in the Strand and about Charing-cross became very
Large crowds ran to the station, and there being
hardly any force of police on the spot they got in to the
station, though at considerable risk. Police subsequently
arrived in bodies, and restored order. The flames shot up
into the air within a very minutes of the outbreak of the
bre, and could be seen by the crowds which gathered on
the various bridges.
The cause of the fire is at present unknown.
Nearly all the goods in the clearing-house were of a
very dry and inflammable nature. It is feared that the
great iron roof of the station will be destroyed by the
expansion and contraction of the iron girders under the
influence of the excessive heat.
FURTHER PARTICULARS.
Mr. Cockburn, the superintendent of the station,
aid Mr. Richardson , the station-master, wereboth promptly
on the spot, and exerted themselves energetically, in unison
with the firemen, for the purpose of extinguishing the
tro•les. The former of these gentlemen dates that the fire
broke out in the ladies' waiting-room, whence it rapidly
voire.ii to the Customs' searehing-room and the roof of
the station, the baggage warehouse, the lamp-

room, and the store-room. Great damage has
been done. At half•past 2 o'clock the flames assumed
fearful aspect, and crowds were stationed on the
ot reml bridges witnessing the work of destruction.
The rapidity of the fire was astonishing consi-
dering the great number of land steam-engines at work.
The wind drifted the flames in the direction of the plat.
force of the railway station, and having caught the
fl,unework of the roof the glass began to fall, inflicting
severe injuries on several of the company's servants and
others. In many inotencea the wounds were found to be
of a serious nature, and cabs were procured to convey the
sufferers to Charing-cross Hospital.
The vast glass roof of the station was completely riddled.
The station was still on fire in one corner at 3 o'clock.
The truffle of the railway was, of courts, entirely sus-
pended, and the booking-offices were closed.

LATEST PARTICULARS.
SERIOUS ACCIDENTS.

At 4 o'clock the fire, which raged from 2 o'clock, was
viitually extinguished by the combined force of the land
and water steam-engines. The extent of damage done was
considerable, but fortunately was much less than was at
one moment anticipated. The clearing-house, which was
partly built on the iron bridge, and was above the river,
has been completely destroyed. This was the prin-
cipal scene of the fire. The vast roof of the station
ban been damaged, great quantities of the glass have
been destroyed, and the zinc of the sides of the roof hes
been in places melted, but, as a whole, the station itself is
intact. The fire never approached the hotel.
Two firemen, John Shepherd, of Chandoeortreet station,
and James George Sergeant, of George-yard fire-station,
were struck by pieces of glass of considerable size, and had
to he taken to the Charing-crass Hospital. When one of
these firemen wee disabled, Stephen Martin, a railway
porter, ran forward and seized the hose to direct it on the
toe, which at that moment was spreading. More glass
fell from the roof, and his head was cut. He, too, had to
be carried to the hospital.
At a .tuarter past 3 o'clock the fire began to make en
in,idions progress along the south-west pert of the station
icf, but in the course of a few minutes the large hose
flew the steam float was brought on share, and such a
voltam,• of water was thrown on the menaced part of the
roc!, tig.3 the fire was declared to be at an end.

ts.o..ic Shaw directed the operation; of the firemen in
pir MAL