The Express.
London, England, 1861-08-31 00:00:00

ANOTHER GAZA! !IRE AND DESTRUCTION

OP PROPERTY.

At 5 o'clock last evening an extensive fire broke
out on the premises of Messrs. Harrison and Wilson, sugar
bakers and refiners, situate in Upper Dock street, East
Smithfield, and within a few yards of the St. Katharine
Dock. The premises consisted of an immense block of '
brick buildings, covering more than a quarter of an acre of
ground, about AO feet in height nod 50 in width, containing
nine stories. The workmen, 50 in number, were on the
point of leaving off work when the alarm was given that
fire had broken out in the basement of the building. This
portion of the premises contained several cisterns filled with
the boiling sugar, and materials used in the refining process,
which exploding one after another tore up the flooring of
the upper rooms, through the apertures of which the flames
rapidly ascended, and in less than a quarter of an hour from
the fire being disccvered the whole building was in flamer,
from the cellars to the top story. The workmen were
chiefly engaged in the upper part of the building, and their
retreat downward. being entirely cut off by the volumes of
smoke and flame rising in all direction., their position was a
most critical one, and the greatest apprehension was enter-
tained that several of them would fall a prey to the flames,
rapidly closing roundd them. The scene presented at this
time was one of the most exciting description : the cries
of the men for help, the shrieks of the females
amongst the dense crowds that had assembled, the aheut-
log of the firemen, who , just at this time arrived
with their engines, and the hissing and crackling
of the flames, presented a scene not often witnessed. The
building standing detachel, there were no means of escape by
getting on to the roofs of other houses. Several of the men
now jumped out of the windows at the back of the building
on to the roof of the boiling-houses and sheds, and were
severely injured in their descent. They were immediately
conveyed in cabs to the London Hospital By this time the
fire escapes arrived, but being too short to be effective, owing
to the great height of the building, ladders were procured
and attached to them, and the remainder of the men were
rescued from their perilous position. The engines of the
brigade and the steam•engine of Messrs. Shand had in the
meantime been brought to bear upon the MOM of fire, but
with little apparent effect, and it soon became evident that
no efforts could save the building and its contents from
total destruction. Large flakes of fire were being
thrown high up in the air, which descending upon
the roof of the opposite premises, occupied by Messrs.
Golding and Sun, carmen, set fire to them, and it was
only by dint of great exertion on the part of the firemen
that Means. Golding's premises were saved from destruc-
tiou. About eight o'clock the fire was got under, nothing
reruaitiiug standrug but the bare walls of the sugar bakery,
the whole plant sod stock being entirely consumed. It was
feared that in the confusion some of the workmen had lost
their lives, but until the firemen are enabled to make an
examination of the premises the fact cannot be ascertained.
The loss of property is estimated at 30,00 W. Messrs.
Han Ilion and Wilson aro insured, but whether to the full
amount of their loss is not known. The countlug•bouse
and alias cf the firm, standing next to tbe bakery, but de-
tached from it, fortunately escaped injury, except from
water. In addition to the brigade engines, the engine from
Hodge's distillery attended, under the direction of the
proprietor.

Tag Merlons IN WirriMlMl. —Yesterday morn-
ing John Stocker, • young strongly-built man, about 27
years of age, was brought before a full bench of rossivirates
at Ern-Leigh, charged with the wilful murder of Ann Hill,
wife of the bead gamekeeper to Mr. Monk (chancellor of
the dines' of Gloucester and Bristol). at Everleigh, which
ii a small secluded village far removed from any railway
station. The crime, the particulars of which we have placed
fully before our readers, having created much negation
throughout the diatrict, the proceedings were regarded
with much interest, and the attendance of people was very
coosidemble. The prisoner was taken over from Marlbo-
rough yesterday morning by Mr. Superintendent Stratton,
who has We one in heed. Mr. Footner, solicitor, of An-
dover, uppeered on behalf of the prisoner, who listened
with marked attention to the whole of the evidence brought
forward. Several witnesses were called, and deposed at
length to the facts tending tocriminate the prisoner, which
appeared in one impression of last Monday, and he was
committed to take his trial at the next sashes, on the
charge of wilful murder.
ANoTHER AccloENT TO AN EXCURSION TRAIN.—
On Thursday morning an excursion train. consisting of
seven carriages, well tilled, and two vans, left Dsrlington
for Windermere rid the newly-opened South Durham and
Lancashire Union Railway to Tony. and thence by the Lan-
caster and Carlisle line. All went right on the upward
journey, and the tad° left Windermere at half lest 5 on its
retort; homewards. When it Lad reached the summit level
no Stainmore, and was desceieling the incline about three
miles from flown, the engine suddenly left the rails at •
curve, it is believed, and went down an embankment 12 ft.
high, the whole of the carriages following. The accident
happened about 11 o'clock, and the increasing darkness of the
night added greatly to the consternation of the passengers,
many of whom were women. The engine-driver and one
of the stokers were found to be handy fixed liene.ith the
engine, the second stoker having been pitched into a
field, and escaped. The passengers were extricated es soon
as possible, when it was happily found that there had been
no sacrifice of life, though several persons were very severely
injured. Seven or eight hours elapsed before the en-
gineiturn and stoker could be released from their
position, hut they were got out alive, and, though both
have suffered severely, there are 'lopes of their re-
covery. Them was a medical ;entleman in the train—Dr.
Torbuek, of Darliugton, we believe—and he rendered great
assistance in attending to the injured persons. Other me-
dical men arrived from Barnardeastle, and • strong staff of
officials and workmen of the Stockton and Darlington
Railway Company (who work the new line) came from Dar-
lington, and were active in their endeavours to render every
assistance. Among those most injured are Mr. Foggett,
grocer, Darlington, collar-bone broken ; Mr. Ridley, white-
smith, Darlington, ditto ; Mr. Michael Watson, builder,
Darlington, wounds on the head ; Mrs. Edmoodson, Dar-
Huston ; Mr. Radton, Darlington ; Mr. Spence, gardener,
Darlington. all more or less injured, besides many others.
The train did on reach Darlington until nearly 2 o'clock on
Friday morning.
THE HEMMED= BIRD.—CArs or GOOD HOP;
Jets 16.--The master of the Bessie %aright, arrived on
the 4th inst. from Mauritius, shot a pigeon at sea just
before arriving in port, which had a phial tied to it. neck
containing • piece of paper with the following :—"The
ship Lord Raglan, from Bombay. towards Liverpool, out
37 days ; lat. SI S., long. 34 E. All well."
Tan WRECKED STEAMSE BALTIc.--Caplaill 0.
Russell, who was despatched to the wreck of the Balt%
screw steamer (of and from Hall for Rip, which got on
Mora near Ingo), by Lloyd's Salvage Association, to protect
the interest of the tmderwriaars, reports that, up to the 13th
inst., 3110 bales of sound cotton had been saved from the
wreak, likewise the threshing machines, portable engines,
iron, and indeed, most of the cargo.
HLYJTCH RAILWAY ANALOANATION.—A working
agreement or virtual amalgamation between the Caledonian,
Edinburgh and Glasgow, sod Soettish Central Railways,
regarding which rumours have bees flying shout for some
days, sad which is understood to be Meted at in the report
to be reed on Tuesday next at the meeting of the Edin-
burgh and Glasgow Company, is said to have been defi-
nitely arranged. No particulan of the agreement have yet
transpired, but it is believed to be of a similar character
to that provided for by the late Amalgamation
Scanlon.