The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1821-04-02 00:00:00

tim to the devouring elemeut, _wet; the mansion of
Mr. Best, an opulent brewers 101, in a slight degree,
the lire rommuniceted to-his brew-house, imme-
diately 'adjoining. Upon those premieres was -very
extensive reservoir, which was not only fun, but
actually overflowing with water. Next to that
wets a strong brick built house, inhabited by a
Mr. Whitehouse, and a strong brick wall trepanned
Mr. Beet's, store-house from the dwelling-house of
• the last-mentioned gentleman, whielt was almost fire
proof. Beyond Mr. Whitehouse's preitti.ts were
situated the two houses of the Muir-161T, whirl, were
composed of lath, irlaster, and timher. Nest to them
was a strong-huilt brick houses and immediately
beyond way a very extrnsiee distillery, in which
was a large store of spirituous liquors—to guard
against the dernolitton of which, it seemed, the tees-
pass now complained of was ro he justified. The
denature bets ern the Plaintitr's houses and the spot
where the fire on Best's premise: -topped M 54 3(3 feet,
atalno gaitempi had hero ninth. to demolishany 'sodd-
ing in that sinter previously to the destruction of those
houses. (littler pretence that this measure was neves-
vary for the nrevervation of the town, a horsily of sip.
pens and mime's attached to the Royal Artillery
corps was immediately employed to effect the work
of demolition. and the houses were actually pull-
ed down, although at such a distance from the
tire. Was such it proceeding its cessary ? It would
he proved that it clearly was not. •The wind was iit
that time blueing front the th, and cerrying the
Homes southward, the Plaititilrehonses being situ:s-
led to the eastward is a direction from the &mere
There was. therefore. 1111 immediate, or Stets re-
mote necessity for so sluiced a procedure. By this
114.:t of violence the Plaintiff completely lost the
houses, which, by the coveintota of his lease, lie
was Isound to repair ; and he also lost the tent,
payable by the yearly ten:tete to whom lie had 1111-•
&del, /115(1 for which he was snows-Fable to the su-
perior landlord. His claim to damages, therefo e.
'mist have reference to these losses. It was true
that the Plaietilf had inserted, in the Eagle Fire-
office, in the amount of 4501. Ile had applied to
that office for compensation before he thought of
making the Defendant answerable. The office,
however, Ilion ;ht proper to stand on their legal
rights, and refused to pay, on the groom! that it
was not a lots within the terms of the
Solomon Lucas, one of the Plaintiff's tenants of
the houses in question, at 201. a year, remembered
the fire of the 3d March last year. It broke out
a few minutes after two o'clock in the morning.,
and burnt several hetises towards the river, un toe
north side of the high-street. The I°,o number
of houses burnt and destroyed was forty. 'lite
fire reached Mr. Don'ts premises about four in the
morning. Witness was then watching the progress
of the flames, when the Defendant, Mr. Baker,
came up to him, and raid, " You must move
out immediately. as these two houses must come
down." IVittirss said, "Ton ktiow lasi." 1)e-
-fendant asked if the premises were insured, and
witness answered that he believed they were. Copt.
Smith, of the Royal Engineers, then came up, and
Defendant said to hint, " These are the two I sea
you are to pull down," pointing to Plaintiff's
houses. Capt. Smith then came to wittiess, and ask-
ed him for an indemnity. Witness said the houses
did not belong to hen, and this', therefore, lie could
do nothing i.f the kind. lie 'lien svrid into his
house, and packed up the must valuable and port.- i
Ile things belonging to him, and iii live minutes tlre
bugle suuudrd for the tappets and miners to cons-
nienee operations, which they did forthwith, cam-
'voicing at the tap of the houses, and in a short time
they aerie levelled to tier ground floor, wl.ich was
permitted to remain. WitlieS4 called out to tin
men iii the course of their work end desired them
to cease, us the progness of the fire was 'topped.
Next day the witness heard the Defertielant say in
etonverwatiun with another person. "These are the
two houses I ordered to be pulled dorm." The
Defentlatit is a director of the Kent Fire Offal-.
lo witness's judgment there was no occasion to pull
'down the houses, its he had no idea, from the state
of the swim!, awl the other intervening premises,
that the fire could have reached his dwelling. 'Flue
fire stopped between four and five o'clock. Wit-
hess is brother-in-law to the Plaiutiff:

Mr. Jew,s alley, who ovenpied a house ad-
j g those of the Plaintiff, heard the Defendant
distinctly order Captain Smith, of the Engineer.,
to pull the houses down, and told him, that if he
could get one hundred Intik on them, the sooner
they were levelled the better. Ile afterwards heard
the Defendant ailnii., at • meeting of the Kent
Fire-office Directors, that he bad ordered the
houses to lie pulled down. 11'iteirss was clearly of
opiiiiun that there was tin occa to pull them
down, considering the. state of the wind, the pro-
gress of the flame., and the locality of the houses.
Mr. Newman, • surgeon of Rochester, deposed,
that in his judgment there was no necessity for
pulling the hooves down, the wind being to the
. northward at. the time the order was given, and the
Louses being situated to the eastward.
Meade, • fireman of the Dope Fire linter..
once, has bee.. a fireman for 21 years in the service"
of different offices, and was well acquainted with
the mode of extinguishing flames. 1-le did net
arrive at Chatham until the evening of the 3d of
March, at six o'clock, when the flames were com-
pletely extinguished. Ile saw the rains of the
Plaintiff's houses, ■nd, in his judgmen►, it was
not necessary to have pulled them down, and, had
lie been on the spot when the order was giver.,
- they ►hould not have come down. It was not the
practice of London firemen to pull houses down.
'Mere was water sufficient tor W. Best's premises
to have saved his house, had it been used, and no
engine was necessary for the purpose—and mote
than enough to have delaged the flames, even with
a common hove attached to the revervoir. No ad-

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tantege could have been gained by pulling down
the Plaintiff's houses, because, if the adjacent
buildings had caught tire, being much taller, the
distillery would have been equally in danger.
John Ware, a fireman of the Eagle office, was
decidedly of opinion that it was not prudent to
pull the houses down.
Mr. Edward Smith, a hatter, of Chatham, said,
that the wind had veered round at the time the
order was given for pulling down the houses, and
carried the filmes in quite a •outrary direction
from them. There was not the least occasion fur
pulling the houses down.
M. Stevens, a solicitor of Chatham, was pre-