The Express.
London, England, 1861-06-25 00:00:00

(Stamped, ld. Additions].)

THE GREAT LIRE.

A force of over 200 policemen, under Mr.
Superintendent Bradford, is on duty day and night all
round the wide area of half-smothered fire, and these
officers are moat properly inflexible in allowing none to
pass who are not actual owners of property in the
warehouse's, or who have not duties to perform upon the
scene. If this rule were relaxed to ever so trifling an
extent it most probably would result in a series of fatal
accidents seen more numerous than those which it is now
known attended the great fire itself. As far as the
mere gratification of cariosity is concerned, we can same
the numbers who are now so excluded that there is very
little to see. In a few places where the fire has
burnt out, or been half-smothered under falling walls. or
where the direction of the wind allows the fireman to con-
centrate their hose and flood the spot from the mains, one
stay almost venture upon the very scone. But even this is
not to be attempted save by those willing to incur the dan-
ger of paring beneath lofty sheets of walls burnt white as
lime, cracked in jagged fissures from twee to summit, and
bulged by explosions or warped by the intense beat till they
lean about in every ►ogle as if shaken by an earthquake.
It seems a marvel how some of these ponderous slabs of
brickwork still stand, though it is evident they =Dot last
for long. Every breath of wind sweeps the charcoal in
clouds of black dust from the burnt beam, smith° mortar
conies rattling duwu, while stray bricks fill Wig and there'
as the whole mass salisides more and still more out of the
prpendicula►

- Architects and surveyors can only say positively thee
the walls will certainly fall, though whether they may hold
k or come down the next minute none can tell.
WhereFawee
Mr. Braidwood and Mr. Scott lost their hem a
whole warehouse seems mimed at ita foundation and beetles
over the spot at a fearful angle, and the entire mar may
come headlong over at any instant. The imminence of this
danger is increased by the fact that the cellars under this
toppling pile, all filled with ail, are on fire from end to end.
This cellar is more then 100 feet long by 50 broad, and from
the outlet of this the flames were pouring yesterday even.
lag in great red billows as fiercely es ever. Here the fire
must burn for days to come as furiously as before. None
dare approach the building, and the hose of two engines is
fixed up &smog the ruins of brickwork so as to pour a Seed
of emir in at one door of the cellar, which of course
drives the flames from the burning oil out at the other end.
The greater the amount of water poured in the greater
seems the flame, bat by thus urging it to the utmost the
chances of its becoming exhausted are increased. The ex.
Fplosion in which Mr. Breidwood and Mr. Scott lost their
ees took place at the opposite side of the roadway, be.
tweet two large warehouses, and right in front of the still
burning cellars. A mass of well about 50 feet high and 25
broad appears to have been blows out in large Bagmen*
and sow quite fills op the road with its debris. No kr
than seven people were standing almost immediately
under this, and how any of them escaped the great
avalanche of brickwork seems almost • miracle.
The body of Mr. Scott bee not been recovered, though
the spot where it is supposed to be is now pretty accurately
ascertained. unfortunately, however, the place is just
beneath not only • tottering warehouse, but almost under
the calcined remnant. of another wall on the opposite side,
which is expected to fall each minute. It would be little
short of manslaughter, therefore, to allow any men to work
in an almost useless errand among the ruins at this spot.
Whet increases the chance of the warehouse falling
is the necessity of pumping on the burning cellar be.
math A. Several times during the course of yester-
day the water finding its way to great yet confined centres of
heat generated explosions of steam that shook the tottering
supentroeltare above it, and made the mortar rattle from its
walls in the most ominous maser, so that all theme in the
vicinity an back. Two such explosions occurred in the
space of half an hour yesterday, the last of which still fur-
ther increased the gap in the side walls and left its great
front sloping forward like another leaning tower. The
place where this warehouse stands is about the centre
of the fire. Most of the walls of the warehouses above
it on the aide next ,Loudon-bridge have already fallen.
Those on the other aide, towards Horselydown, are
still standing, but in • most dangerous condi-
tion. Passing down from Tooleyetreet all the roads
and footways are ankle deep in melted tallow,
which gives off a most offensive smell, and upon which
it is scarcely possible to keep one's footing. All
along the various thoroughfares round the scene of the fire
the grease has been scraped tilt into huge piles, but the
amount thus saved Is a mere unit in comparison with the
enormous quantities lost during the fire. As far down as
Minivan it has been collected in boatloads by the waters.%
many of whom have realised considerable sums by ha sale
at 2d. and 2jd. • pound. It is now known beyond a doubt
that on the night of the fire, when great quantities of the
grease were floating, very many lives were lost in the efforts
made to collect it. It is not probable that the number of
these unfortunate persons who thus fell victims to their
rashness or cupidity will ever be ascertained, though
there is now but too much reason to fear that many
thus perished. One of the police inspectors alone wit.
untied flee such fatal accident& The lust was to a man
alone in a boat, who, reaching out to scoop up the floating
grease, overbalanced and fell into the water and was
drowned. Another shocking ease was distinctly seen from
the landing stage on the other side of Humphitry's dock in
front of the eastern and still uninjured parts of Hay's wharfs&
Four young men were in a boat, which they bad collected
almost full of grease ; suddenly a great flood of the boiling
fat, all on fire rushed from one of the burning wherein out
upon the Thaines. The boat in whsh the men were was
immediately surrounded by the blazing masa, and the pease
it contained ignited. The four men were Been to plunge into
the river, but none of them were recovered. la fact, from
the state of the flames on the water no aid could by any
=t
backwards have been extended to them. After passing
into Tooley-street the flames appear to have
swept away the greater part of Hay's superb range of
fire-proof warehouses like so much wickerwork. The
destruction along here has been so complete that it is im-
possible to distinguish among the huge piles of charcoal that
fill the scorched walls what the warehouse even contained.
Here and there are masses of half-melted iron columns,
charred beams, with fragment. of raw hides, burnt sugar,
coffee grains, bundles of charred cane, exploded barrels,
mixed up with bricks, crumbled slates, iron doors, sad
floods of melted tallow over all. The pile of warehouses
thus deetroyed, take them as a whole, were probably the
finest and best built edifices of their kiwi in the kingdom.
Everything was of the most solid and enduring description,
and all the most approved appliances for rendering them
fire-proof were everywhere adopted. To mere flames, of
course, they would have been for days invulnerable, but no
building substance known could withstand such tremendous
heat. The preservation of the moat eastern range of Hay's
wharves on the other side of the creek in which the vessels
which were recovered lay, and called H uruphery's dock, seems
astonishing. Of the huge mass of buildings which adjoined
them nothing but the walls now remains. The collate
beneath the parts that are bunt are stored entirely with
barrels of linseed, sperm, and olive ode, to the num.
her of some thousands. Had but one of these ignited
the rest of Hay's wharves must have gone, and with
them an immense warehouse close at hand, which is en-
tirely fined with barrels of spirits of turpentine. That it
did not extend to the east wing of Hay's wharves is stated
to have been entirely due to the intrepidity and personal
exertions of Mr. Hodges, of the Lambeth Distillery, who,
in spite of the risk he was exposed to from flame and
falling ruin, got the hose of an engine to the place where
the fire was just beginning in the east wing, and extinguished
it before it had pined any hold. So imminent appeared
the danger of the flames crossing the dock and igniting the
east wings that the firemen in their haste to remove their
engine from the dock-bridge unfortunately moved it too near
the edge, and it fell over into the water and sunk instantly.
There appears to be not the least doubt that the fire was
caused by spontaneous combustion among the hem
is of course a matter of vital importance that all chance
of ignition should be prevented by the ruins above
the vaults being cooled as quickly as possible. Far
this purpose there are three engines now stationed on
one side of the building, yet, notwithstanding the urgent
need for their services, we were present during at least
one full hour yesterday when they wore obliged to desist
from their efforts for want of water, and we are told
that that was not the first time during the day that
they had been thus compelled to remain idle. The
loss and destruction of property it is now cal-
culated will amount to tho stupendous sum of 2,000,0001.
sterling. To rebuild the landieg wharves and ware-
houses alone will cost, it is stated, at least 503,0001., and of
course the value of the warehouses bears but a small rela-
tive proportion to that of their contents. It is generally
said that insurance companies find their account in fires
from the increase of business brought to them. It will.how-
ever, require an immense increase of business to cover the
loss many of the offices have sustained by this fire. Per-
hap the smart of this totliction may lead them to investi-
gate as to who, if anybody, was to blame for there being no
water.

Baron Rothschild is said to have 25,0001. worth of Rnseian
tallow either destroyed or partially so.
The warehouses near Chamberlain's Wharf contained a
stock-in.tnole of nearly half a million in value, consisting
of glue, jute, varnish, colours, white end pig lead, oils,
%lbws, guns, and other articles of drysaltery. There
were likewise in the premises soft soap, in &witch casks,
main, guru; tees, coffee, sixd an immense cargo of black
and white pepper. The latter wee said to be worth 5,0014
Mews. Scorch's wharf alone—at least those portions 46-
oonsisted of seventeen tremendous=""i; construction and site to the London war:lmill=
contained a similar description of goods, the mast explosive
and dangerous being saltpetre, sulphur, and oils. In some
of the other warehouses were hemp, jute, rice, and spices
I (such as mace—a very inflammable article), pimento (of

[TWOPEN

which there were over 20 tons), innumerable barrels of
eager, over 1,000 tom of rice, and a vast amount of
estate sod other oolours ; but to tell the exact amount of
Russian tallow and oils in the various buildings is at pre-
sent impossible. One immense warehouse, four doors high,
was stocked in every pout with colonial produce, worth
nearly 100,00 W. The seeds of various kinds M another
warehouse adjoining are stated to be worth 150,0001.
About 8 o'clock last night a fresh outbreak took place,
when an immense quantity of fat and other articles became
ignited ; this was p by a tremendous explosion.
The flames then rose high into the air, in all sorts of
colours—first, there was a brilliant vermilion hue. which
seemed to tip the pinnacles of the Tower of London, and
the waterside of the Custom louse. After throwing up a
glare of this kind, the tire changed to a bright blue, and at
the gams time immense volumes of white and black smoke
rolled over the housetops, which had a most picturesque
effect. The water from the different engines wee taken
into sundry warehouses, and copious streams were thrown
into and around the buildings, but not the least impression
could be made upon the violence of the names ; In fact, the
water scattered over them appeared, instead of diminishing
them, to cause them to spread in all directions.
A correspondent of the Tines narrates the following
incident : _

---"-Tinriver on Saturday night was covered to a con-
siderable breadth with a sheet of flame, arising from floating
tallow and other matter, from Hay's-wharfto St. Olams
Church, and, as is usual in each aims, there were many men
In boats engaged, as near as the heat would permit, In gather-
up the fat as the tide carried it past, and an over anxiety
to secure Chia booty caved, I fear, tile loss of several lives.
I wee maim as near as wee pendent to the edge of the
burning mess whoa I observed two boats apparently charred
moving slowly in the midst of a clear bnght flame, and I
was horrified by main • head appear above the gunwale of
one of them. MN was a terrible scene • it seemed that no
human aid sand reach him ; with one hand be clutched at
• burning pile, and with the other waved for help. My man
rowed as near as possible to him, but we could render
no assistance. Hundreds of voices from the boats behinsl
us shouted to him to jump overboard, and many that
be should lie down. The first would have been certain
death ; and had he done the wood, those who were screw-
ing up their courage for • dash after him would probably
have given it up as too late. At this time Thames polio,
boat cane up, and I pointed out the nap, but the cox-
swain shook his bead, and said he ' could do nothing.'
We had no rope in our boat, but I saw coiled in the bottom
of theirs • long light line with a grapnel on it—just the
thing, it seemed to me—and I told him so, but he I
OD quickly. Just then two men in a boat, full of Use .
rubbish they had been collecting, pulled post us and picked
their way among the burning stuff (I should say for my own
and others' justification that the fire had then slightly
abated)and at lest made a rash for the poor fellow, dragged
him into their beet, sad lett his in the Hamm Theirs was
too deeply laden to move very fast, so we took him into
ours, sad gut him as quickly as possible to St. Thomas's
Hospital ; be was ea black as a oral, but I hope principally
from smoke, as he was able to walk, with assistance. lam
sure that all who witnessed this feat will agree with me
that men never more deserved praise for cower, than these
wsteemen. Their names are Larkin sad Martell
(both from Rotherbithe). I regret I did not learn their
Christian names. I believe an of them work, for • Mr.
Falwell. of Thames-street, Rotherhlthe."