The Express.
London, England, 1861-06-24 00:00:00

!PSI aunDszr Iffill:E.

On Saturday evening a general meeting of the
mere** maw? moiety, was hod at Wilcocke • rooms,
Weekegnetarmred tie take into enidderetion a proposition
far enimilliag Mar peewit dispute to an arbitration, as
snegested hy Ir. Behan Ram. ef the Society of Architects.
A tent Ina ile. but a proposition agreeing to
ea ardkei was al earned, and a committee was
aggelaind te thaw up its Mama, the priuciple of the corn.
he he *kW" adhered to, and the hour system to
C to.":" a 4 *alai Tin eraeons' committee on Saturday
r*Pprtird the Mew* additional employers ea having as
espied the searproemise r—Meerni. Munk, of Paddington ;
=al halliaffk
dividend will he'struck this dry amongst the men.
The brieldayen are extending their strike. In the course
of hit week they withdrew their men from the firms of
Mom. Cabin and Freak*, and on Saturday evening last the
whole of their men left Mr. Myers' employ.
The carpeeters, by a ballot takes throughout their trade,
have decided by a large majority to abandon the demand for
the alas loan, and to unite with the mamma and brick-
layers Is their demand for the terms contrioed in the com-
psemiaw weld give them the Saturday half holiday ;
end at tlo delegate meeting of the trade, held on Friday, a
•Plallaile• VW eggented to take the neceseary steps for ob-
taining the seeepteese by the employers of the proposed
l=36let la the plasterers' lodges, as to whether they
&mid wept Year system under protest, and go in and
work dot bean per day, has also bees decided within
the last two days, by an overwhelming majority, against
accepting the hoar spleen under any conditions, and the
opinion of the trade alb new be taken by ballot as to whe-
they shell fr with the maces, bricklayers, and carpenters
um cymerides, for the sr Welk to the nine hours.
• sheieleg of all the nhourers employed in the
Me Is eil hr Tuesday next, to deride uto the
gimp dribble miler preeset circtunstanme.

GREAT PIKE IN THE BOROUGH.

DEATH OP MR. BRAIDWOOD.

It is our painful duty this morning, not to give
the frit intimation to our readers—for there must be few
perms residing within twenty miles of Loudon who have
act themselves been eye-warms, to the fact—but Weep-
ley the melancholy particulars of the greatest and most
I destrustive fire which has occurred in this vast metropolis
within the memory of any liviag person. Net oely has pro-
; Petty to so incalculable amount fallen • prey to its fury,
but at least ono life, and that • most lora-
, sable one, has Leen menaced while in the execution
of a duty, during the 14110413, intrepid, and intelligent dis-
charge of which for many years he has saved innumerable
live* and rescued from destruction property to an amount
which it is beyond the human mind to estimate—we refer
to Mr. Braidwood, the reprints:Went of the Fire Brigade.
We gather from the many sad voluminous accounts which
have ems to band the following details of this melancholy
catastmlis :—At four o'clock on Saturday afterooon some
of the kbenms employed at the extensive wharfs and
wewshame known as Cotton's Wharf and Depot, Tooley-
iamb Loadires-bridge, discovered a quantity of smoke
kielig ben • warehouse immediately over the eountiog-
beam ; they immediately obtained • ladder, and
hewing sessoded to the place, foetid • mass of
loneuldiorlag he. Some buckets of water were at me
sent for, but before their arrival the beet became so intense
that the men were compelled to domed the ladders to
weld seilseskee. la .a tow ainatios the inentiosse sod M•
esalmate were in flames. Upraises were seat off immedi-
ately for the Brigade minxes and the floating engines. The
Liter on their arrival were unable to get into play for want
et sufficient water, it being, unfortunately, almost low
water. By the time the brigade engines lied arrived no
fewer than eight of the large warehouses in the depot were
burning furiously. It being evident to the firemen that
nothing could save either that portion of the building
or Be contents, their efforts were at ones directed to
the remaining portions of the premises, on which
• emitinuous stream of water was poured. All,
however, was in vain; warehouse after warehouse ignited.
tad were, with their contcuta, totally destroyed. At this
period a fresh wind sprang up, and the flames speedily
caught hold of vast portions of the premises occupied by the
line of ficovell and Co., in which was stored • vast amount
of property of all descriptions, small portions of which
had been previously removed. About this time, nearly
seven o'clock in the evening. Mr. Braidwood
down one of the approaches to the river from Tooley.atreet,l
between the east cud west parts of the wharf, and stopped
nearly half way down to give some directions to a boilT of
firemen who were there, when a sudden and trionlsodoes
explosion took plus, shlking the already tottering walls
which at this spot were of groat height. A cry was raised
of "Bun, the wall is falling but less time than it took
to my the words the wall „ le
bulging out in the middle fell a
heap of rains into the roadway, burying beneath the Wiwi.
Mr. Braidwood, and several other persons who had sot
time to make their amps. One of the firemen made a
gasp as Mr. Brentwood as he was springing from the spot,
but the heavy meows of burning bricks tole him away, and
ie • mood be lay buried under at least 13 feet of burning
brickwork, and any attempt to rescue, or even to recover
the body, or whet might remain of it, we. quite impassible.
Mr. Scott, of Ilemellotreet, Bermondsey, is, it is said,
misamg, sad as he was seen talking to Mr. Breidwood,
it Is feared he has shared the same fate. It
is also stated that several other persons who were
about that spot are also minim ; but nothing positive can
be ascertained until the ruins're aufliciestly cooled and sate
to make the ry search. It was mem ascert•iued that
the cause of the explosion arose front • quantity of salt-
petre stowed away m one of the large vaults, over which
Mr. Breidwood wee standing at the time. It is stated that
at the time of the fire breaking out there were upwards of
2,000 tons in the vaults, and repeated exploannis took place
during the evening. The flames still kept on, defying ell
attempts to stay them, and at nine o'clock attacked Chaco-
berkin's Wharf and the large granaries of Mr. Irons, ad-
joining St. Olive's Church • these were speedil redwood to
ashes. Moored to the wharf were several so tilled
with barrels of oil, tar, lied tallow ; sod attempts were
mad* to float them into the middle of the stream by the aid
of steamtugs, but in vain ; the tide being still very low,
these io their turn caught fire, and io a short space of time
were beret down to the water's edge, their cargos. floating
out blazing into the river. The scene now almost battler
descriptiou blazing banels of tar floating hi a line
along the banks of the liver about a quarter of a mile in
length and see hundred yards across ; and it might thus be
literally rid the Thames was on fire, for the whole
of this extent cd epos was one blase, forming as it
one • eemphole fringe of dame twenty feet high
to the Maki wharfs and warehouses on the
shore behind it. Fortniately at this time the wind shifted,
or et. Olive's Church and Fanning's Wharf must inevitably
hen hem destroyed. The wind now carried the flatus iu
ea ustorly direction, and about 12 o'clock the wharfs of
Mime. Kay, Daisy, Boatel and Ellis, and Humphrey sue-
cessiest caught fire, and were
speedily enveloped in flames.
Many Week of tallow were in the warehouses of
these premises, the greatest portion of which were de-
stroyed, sad the inflammable nature of the contents of which
added to the ate city of the conflagration.
The tire now took a taro in the direction of Tooley-street ;
the branch Custom-boom soon fell, and the back portions
of the premier ef Memo. thing and Page, Stothard, Chaf-
fey, Hichaidosa, May, Vim and Co., were completel de-
stroyed. At eel** en Sunday morning at was evident
that no assent of labour or water could save
any af the premises then ca fire, and the
eagiass were set to work to play on those premises in the
limediste neighbourhood yet uninjured. At three o'clock
the firemen were able to pronounce that the further pia
stew of the fire was stayed, and that it would not, unless
ander unforeseen circumstances, extend beyond its then

limits. An immense body of fire was still raging over the
rains, and explosions of combustibles were continually
rides pro* The length of the tire on the river banks was
nearly a garter of a mile., extending from St. Olave's
Chunk down to Lie-lane, or Battle Bridge-stairs, where
Bears Wharf is *Wed, and being divided by a dock
or meek from Humphrey's new wharf, the last
one destroyed, form the eastern boundary of the fire.
The depth of grimed cowered with the ruins of this destruc-
tive orsifingration. from the houses in Tooley-street to the
river fruitage of the late wharfs, is about 300 yarda, the
whole of this large space, both in length and depth, being
ono hags masa of burning ruins.
The engines of the smith Eastern and Brighton Com-
panies were occupied the whole evening in playing upon that
portion of the terminus facing 'fooley-street, which at times
was in great &agar. Owing to the approaches to the tr-
inities being blocked up by the people, it was with great dif-
ficulty the passengers for the various trains made their way
to the booking-office ; indeed for two or three hours the
traffic was almost wholly s and the last train did
sot leave the station un after 2 o'clock on Sunday
neormug.
On visiting the scene of destruction last evening at 8
o'clock, the smoke was nsiog up in thick columns from the
smuuklenng ruins, and from the vaults large bodies
of flame were continually bunting forth, reudtr
Mg it necessary for the firemen to keep a
portion of the engines continually at work. It appears
that under one portion of the ruins of what was on Satur-
day morning Cotton's wharf, is a vault containing 70u tons
of sulphur end saltpetre, covered over with an asphaltel
flooring. The firemen last night momentarily expected an
explosion from this source, as they had ascertained the fire
was penetrating through the as Nearly the whole
of the fire brigade had been on duty from the commence-
ment of the fire on Saturday afternoon, and last evening
were anxiously looking for relief, being almost worn out
with the OXelleliVO fatigue they had undergone.
The news of this great fire spread with the utmost,
rapidity over the metropolis. Indeed the fire was plainly
visible at Hampstead, and even greater distances, while it
was yet daylight, and when it grew dusk one of the most
extraordinary scenes that London ever produced was wit-
Deemed. From all quarters of the metropolis the people
came pouring, on foot, in omnibus. cab, pleasure van,
chaise, town carts, waggons, dre , all converging towards
Londoe.brill e. At 9 o'clock, and from that hour until long
after midn' t, London-bridge rid the approaches thereto
marled theappearatiosof the Epeom roadon • Derby day.
Car were plying backwards and forwards on the bridge,
canying an uuliznited number of passengers on the roof, at
6d. per head Omnibuses, licensed to carry 14 outside,
were conveying double that number at 2d. and 3d. each,
and the hest view of the full extent of the great calamity
being obtained from this source, vast numbers of persons
occupied the whole of their time in thus passing to and fro.
The purge over the bridge, owing to the pathway being
entirely blocked by spectator, and the roadway nearly so,
occupied about 20 minutes, thus affording the occupants of I
these elevated positions an excellent opportunity of viewing
the scene. The railway terminus and its approaches, from i
which a good viewof what msy be termed the back portion of
the fire, although equal in its intensity and grandeur, could be
obtained, was filled with a dame trues of people, rendering
it almost impossible for the persevere to obtain egress to or
from the trains, which, accordingly, were running at all
aorta of times except those specified on the bills. No blame
an, however, be attached to the railway officials, as they
did everything in their power to obviate the inconvenience.
On the Middlesex side of the Thames, the Custom.house.
sway, 'Margate Market, the various private quays, the
7/l arner. the roof of the Coal Exchange, and every availa-
ble place from which a sight could be had,: was filled with
and the stroog reflection from the burning meal on
people,
opposite side of the river on their eager and upturned
faces, presented a most singular appearance to the
r?Ktator at a distance. For miles round every building