The Express.
London, England, 1861-09-19 00:00:00

[TWOPE NCE

DISASTRuUS FIRES AND LOSS ul LIFE.

Yesterday morning a fire of a eulainitowt
nature broke out in frown-court, Gucoyne.place. Bethnal-
green. The house in which it occurred had only four room,,
but it was nevertheless tenanted by several families, and at
the time the alarm of lire was given there were no less
than 16 person., on the premises. It appears that the fire
was first discovered in the part of the dwelling occupied by
a Mr. Rowerth, a beaketmaker, who occupied the ground
flour. He seems to bare bee. smoking his pipe, and to
have gone to sleep, and only to have been amused when he
was surrounded by flames. As soon as it became known
that the fire had occurred in this locality, Elbeck, with
his fire-escape, proceeded to the spot ; but owing to
the court being narrow the machine could not get
to the house, and the ladders belonging to it were unshipped
and placed against the harming building. Barton, the en-
gineer of the Shoreditch parish station, entered the ground
floor, end found William Ito worth and Sarah, his wife,
tagether with Sarah, the daughter, very severely burned.
They were at once placed in cabs and taken to the London
Hospital, where they remelts in a hopeless conditiee.
On further investigation they discovered the remains of
Martha Howarth aged six years, and William Roworth,
aged twelvemonths, who were burned nearly to a cinder.
In the back room three persons lived ; they escaped by the
window to the yard. On the first floor in the front room
a man named Deacon and his son lived. Elbeck, hearing
there were other persons in the house, obtained buckets of
water and fearlessly fought his way to the door of the room,
which he at once broke open. The smoke, however, rendered
it impossible for him to enter, but in a few minutes he
got to the bed, where he found Deacon and his son dread-
fully burnt. Thay were removed in • cab to the London
Hospital. In the second floor bask, Mrs. Fox, a widow, and
her five children lived. She endeavoured at first to set them
out by way of the stair., but the smoke drove her back;
she next proceeded to the window, and cried piteously for
help for herself and her little ones ; nose arrivutg,.and a
fearful death threatening them all, she lowered them one
after the other into the back yard, and at last descended
herself in perfect safety. The engines having been sum-
moned, those from Watling-street first an-ived, under the
able =tenement of Captain Massey Shaw, the new super-
intendent, who supplies the late Mr. Braidwood's place.
Engines from Jeffrey'r-equare, Whiteeroaa-atreet, and Well-
close-square, and that of the parish, under the direction of
the district fireman, John Bridges, also were early oo the
spot, and by their united exertions the fire was at last sub-
dued.

FATAL ACCIDENT AND VERDICT OF MAN-

SLAUGHTER.
On Monday an inquest was held at Bristol on
the body of a man eared John Edwards, 60 years of age,
a boat builder, whose death took place under the circum-
stances detailed below. On Sunday evening, between eight
and nine o'clock, the deceased . called in ati the Castle and
Plough Inn, on his way home to the Marsh, where he re-
sided, and had one glass of beer ; he was at that time quite
sober. After that he was never again seen alive ; but on
Monday morning, about half-past eight o'clock. William
Martin, a little boy, eight years of eve, while taking his
father's breakfast to him, having occasion to was a culvert
on the banks cf the Avon, Dear St. Philip's Marsh, saw the
body of a man lying down at the bottom. He immediately
called his father, who went down and brought up the body,
and it proved to be that of the deceased. The culvert was
situated a little off the path by the side of the river which
the unfortunate man used when he was going home, and it.
became an important question whether sufficient can bad
baba taken to prevent an amideet being caused by some
one falling into it. A new culvert has just beets
made near the spot, and the old one, where the body
was found, was used by the contractor, Me. Abraham
Adams, who had opened it out, awl put a windlass over
it. Mr. Adams said he understood that the men em-
',toyed on the works placed some large and heavy stones
over the opening, when they were leaving it, but two
women who were examined stated that on Saturday night,
at twelve o'clock, and on Sunday evening, at seven o'clock,
the stoma were not so placed as to afford a security iiit
danger. A man named John Deepen, however, after
cautioned by the coroner, said that on Sunday evening, at
live o'clock, he saw the stones: all right, and so placed that
so one could fall into the culvert. He was employed by
Mr. Adams, as day watchman, and at six o'clock, his time
being up, lie wont away ;he did not know whether the night
watchman came on that night. The reason they looked at
the culvert, however' was not to see that it was all safe, but
to take care that the tidal water did not run into the works.

The Coroner, in summing up the evidence, alluded to the
rimer ways in which the deceased might have met with his
death, observing that he did not think they could bring in a
verdict Of manslaughter under such circumstances, although,
if it could be proved that the culvert was left open
through negligence, and that the death of the deceased was
caused thereby, then a verdict of manslaughter would lie.
However, in this case, be thought the jury had better bring
in a verdict of "Found dead in a culvert," and then if
stronger evidence was afterwards obtained further proceed-
ings could be taken.
The jury consulted together for • long time, and re-
examined two of the witneases ; but they finally returned a
verdict of "Manslaughter" against Adams.— Western Dail,
Pre a.

THE ACCIDENT ON THE ROUTH DURHAM
RAILWAY.

The adjourned inquest on the body of Robert
Aaron, the engine.driver of the excursion train from Dar-
lington to Wiorlermere on the 29th of August, which ran
off the line, was bold at Sheldon, before Mr. Trotter,
coroner, ou Tuesday.
Captain Tyler, the government inspector, stated in his
evidence that the causes of the socideut had been : 1. The
original construction of the line (at this particular point)
was not so good as it ought to be; 2. the platelayers,
through mistake, having packed up the sleepers at
the ends of the biidge so as to raise the
longitudinal beam on the south girder to the
extent of perhaps an inch ; 3. the employment
of an engine whose construction increased the liability
of accident. The reason why in little Injury had been
sustained by the passengers, and the carriages were so little
damaged, considenng the serious nature of the accident, and
the very sudden way in which the traiu was brought to a
stand, was partly because the airrges were of considerable
length, strongly built, and stitfemd with timber placed ver-
tically at the ends, according to a mode which has always
obtained with the Stockton and Ludington Railway Com-
pany (by whom the South Durham line is worked). But the
principal reason was bemuse very powerful tweaks were am-
ployed at the tail of the train.
The Jury found that the deceased came to his death by
the engine going off the railroad, but they could not say
what caused the engine to go off.
The Coroner expressed his surprise.
A Juryman observed that there had been several causes
stated. -

The Coroner—Then you don't agree in any of the came!
The Jury—No.
The Coroner—l must have a record of the verdict. if
say that death was caused by the engine riming off the
hue, I must also say what camel the engine to run off.
The Foreman —Br accident.
The Coroner—Do you mean to say that there is no evi-
deuce to lead you to fix on any cause
A Jurymau -Not particularly, but there was a dtfect is
the rail.. . . . .

The Coroner—Then you arrive at the conelusiou that it
WWI aeeideutal, hut you don't know how it wad accidental'
The Forentan—Thst is so.

The Coroner observed that Captain Tyler hail very
clearly, no far an he had been able to judge, stated the causes
which led to the accident. . .

A durymin- -The cause is owing to the rails being defec-
tive, but there's no neglect on the part of the emptily.
Another juryman wished to exonerate the company.
The Coroner told them they did not seem to agree, for
whereas ono thought there was a defect, another said he did
not know the cause.

A Juryman—Rut if we said it was owing to a defect,
would not that implicate some one ?
The Coroner—A jury have no right to look to the con.
nivaege ces
ree in wthheaitr rdi
form tt
,Jezitcto.hbeicia back for
otirvde,eminutes,
Tho jury went back, and shortly agreed upon a similar
verdict. still contending that there was not aufflcaeut evidence
to satidy them of the cause of the accident.

Giros Nuttier or A Nostra. Yentertlays
Mr. Langbam bold ao lognest at King's College Hospital,
on the body of Henry Featherstone, sired three years. From
the evidence adduced, it appeared that the mother of the
ii‘u'eeeslaieednd, Th lived
kiledo
iin Pitts-place, Clement'.-lane,
Drury-lane.
e'lbei, ngZydsin parted frog.
Theher
deceased wee In the care of the mother up to Saturday last,
when she sent him to the father. It was then seen that
the poor child was in a most wretched state, being covered
with dirt and vermin, and apparently suffering from the
effects of moms neglect. He was conveyed to the hospital,
where life was found to be extinct. It further appeared that
the mother had been known to give the unfortunate child
glasses of ardent spirits, and also to neglect it in a shameful
manner. The medial testimony showed that the 000dition
of the deceased was very bad, proving the neglect. that had
beea used towards it. There were a number of wounds
upon the heed, but these were not sufficient to Cathie death.
There was a great deal of inflammatkm in the lower part of
the intestines, which were likewise much awolleo. Tho
death was the result of natural causes. The jury, having
deliberated, returned a verdict in acconlsoce with the
medical evidence, but considered that the mother of the
deceased had Leen guilty of gross neglect towards the
child. The coroner perfectly agreed with the remarks the
jury, mid addressing Vie mother, said she might consider
herself fortunate a verdict of manslaughter bad out been
returned against her.