The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1810-07-30 00:00:00

DREADRiL FIRE!

•,trrday morning a. innattoemendoui fire broke
in the warehouse and printing-office of Mr.
It, S•lliSbUry•MlU:Sre• At twenty minutes after
„;clock, Mr. Gillett was awoke by a violent
„101 l at the street shun, by a little boy who
obAerred the smoke ist.iiing from the warehouse.
• opened the two-pair window, not wait-
s° dress himself ; nu his being informed of the
he riil44l out tire !" and alarmed his fa-
Aineh consisic .1 of lira. Gillett, his two tons,
I reams. Ter y. S'l.l apilt tired at the street-
, „only nodre-sed ; about twelve persons were
hit our colt- cted in the square. Toe flames
rat out from the warehouse with proiligmus re-
i,y; at twenty nininte. before live, two eniciuta
larrived ; the firemen having perceived the
as they %Pre returaleig from a fire at Spital-
whare tau inoti-ea were horned. One of them
statioutd in Crown-court, and the other in
,er-1 me; they passed a hose throUgh a house in
!er-hoe, hist 'nine time elapsed before any
laity of slater could be procured : other engines
a came pouring in from nil quarters. At five
twit the roof fen in with a tremendous crash.
the A .mes communicated to two houses in
.snewourt ; to Mr. Swan's, printer, in Salisbury-
rt; Mid at th•l hack of Mr.Gillett'at toMr.Gale's,
the lite Gosport Bank, in Salisbury-squaee.—
ht Dow bee true truly ir.vful, sheets of born-
::;yer were fiyin4 in the air in all directions,
;:e varto books in a blare ascended to a great
41 took a course withthe wind towards
Paul's; some of them were picked up us Fins-
eyeluure. At half-pii,t Mr. Gillett's ware-
Se and printing-office were nearly consumed;

floor, had Glit.nt iii; the noise was immense
113 the falloig of the type and printing materials.
lie engines were now tolerably well supplied with
- . . .

ter: toe furniture of the three adjoining houses
ra
Salisbury-vitt ire were thrown out of the win- '
~ and ht.. eil is a pile in the middle of the
mere. At sic o'clock the flames burst forth from
it roif of the hire bank ; it being envered with
le, a. t .• hest op•rated on theta, the I itch cracked.
ill mall 7 pi ees were dr.veni two and three huii-
Nd yar.is : the heal. became intense. At half-
Ket six the roof felt in, but was stepped on she
t:le floro ; this gave the engines an onoortunity
r playing with grea:er etiect. The roofs of Mr.
lillett's and Mr. Gate's houses were now in flames,
nd by seven they fell in. The engines seemed to
as got the command of the tire, there being ten
ilayin‘ on the three houses at once. Fleet-street
xiiihited a most distre:sing scene ; the inhabitants

Sdlshury and Crown courts being ehn fly roam.
Two, Mr, had brought their little furniture into
r Ptrert, where they were piled tit setvirate
rue liitras of the women and their eillrett is

Inland description—the off ighted infanta clinging
their mothers for that proteCtion they were 10
lauch themselves in need of: one poor family con-
nted cf a widow and two children. their whole
furniture did sat appear
.to he worth SI. and on it
lay a cofia containing the corpse of a fetnale iafant
Mich was to have been interred yesterday : we
ire happy however toatate that their little der Olings
escaped the cooliagrailori. By eight o'clock tlie
fife mat nearly got under : at one time the whole of

be pile of buildings from the Stiusre to Fleet-
Tett in imminent denrr. us the wiurl Wee in
Lim direction.

Ton much credit cannot be g'.von to the Firemen
1 the respective Offiote fee their exertions ; they dir
layed the greatest intrepidity; one of them bad
et been more than half a adulate 4 ef ore the roof of
r. Gilllrtt's house fell in, at the attic window,
giving directions to those eonducties the engines.
Mr. Gillett and his sees wow actively employed in
trying to preserve the property and furniture. Mr.
G. del sot I •ave his house until the roof had fallen
in. It ea, with the greatest d iTn-ulty he could be
then prevailed nn to retire, and assisted from his
own thice to that, of Mr. Pearkr, his opposite
nvighlrour: he appeared quite overcome with troth.
bte led iloigue; the only coveriug he had on was
his great coat and night-cap. His warehouse and
printing-office Ire entirely consumed. It is not
vewe than three years since they were built, and we
itederstand they cost him 9,000 guineas. The
whole of the printing utensils his extetwive stock in
trade, and the number of valuable books, finished
mid utifiiiished, belonging to the bokaellers by
whom he was employed, have also fallen victims to
the destrnetive element. It is Suppose I his warr
hose coutained property tee an immense amount.
His dwelling.house hits received contidetable in-'
very, the roof and attics ere buret, and the house
is otherwise much Injured. The two adjoining
homes have suffered equally. The furniture of the
tluee oust have heed greatly deteriorated by the
haste they were obliged to be removed with. We
understatid the buil.lings and furniture are in-
utreol. M:. Swan's dwelling-house, in Salisbury.
(wort, is bison' to the ground ; he was not insured*
although about toe years age he was completely
hunted out. Hie lees was made up by a sebecrip-
tie% which enalded him to build • new printing-
(l6,:e, which has fortunately escaped. The upper
Islet of two houses in Crown-court •re consumed.
e'ul several others mush injnred. Sonic of the
efflett and most experienced firemen have declared
they cover kuerr so rapid a era; the pongee to do

place where it is supposed to have originated are
very confined, and Oils nit), account for its not
having been got limier tamer.

There were a great concourse of people from an
early hour in the morning until late in the evening
y. sterday and wr rejoice in stating, that no aces=
dent took place, no: dill we hear of any theft hay.
ing been committed. The following engines from
imeeral Insurance Offices were iu attendance :
the Imperial. Sun, Phoenix, Royal Ear:bongo,
British, Westminster, Albion, gagle„ Rope, Elm Al-
in.Hiusd, Union. Atl is, London Corporation, and
the Globe. It is the general opinion that the fire
originated in the lower part of the warehouae.
which contained publications to a large amount
belongin4 to Sir Rirliard Pnillips. They are in-
siirrd, but nothing neer their value. We under.
stand that there hail not been either a fire or a
csurfic in the building since the printers left off
working by candle-light, in March last; and that
Mr. Gillet, accompanied by his sons, saw that every
thing was secure before they retired to bed on
Saturday night. It was customary to leave one of
the windows in the lower wareroom open during
the night. for the purpose of drying the sheets,
which has hail to the dupposition, that some- in-
cendiary had intioduced through the own window
some coinimAible matter, which communicated to'
the paper.
Sir Richard riillips's monthly numbers of. The
Bible and Geography, which were to be delivered
oil the tit of August, and were jest finished. are
amongst his losses. Sir Richard appeared
entidoy-il ii, the iiet4lilmileiond of the lire, picking
up the parts of the books which were only in part
consumed.

This calamity most fall heavily on Mr. Gillett,
whir 'net with a similar misfortune only four years
autece.l mt. Ilis banks and accompts are buried
in the ruin., and inWier articles in trade or house-
hold firnittire were riisti:ed. The ruins remained
harning cad the engines playing at a late hour last
night.