The Sun.
London, England, 1852-01-05 00:00:00

DESTRUCTIVE FIRES

Last night two extensive conflagrations happened
within two hours of each other, on the Surrey side of
the water, both of which were attended with con-
siderable loss of property.
The first fire commenced at a few minutes before
six o'clock on the premises belonging to Mr. T. Tip-
per, timber merchant, carrying on business at 28,
Gravel-lane, Southwark. It was discovered by one
of the workmen living in the private house adjoining
the yard, as the flames shot up from a pile of slight
wood stacked near the counting-house. The man
immediately gave an alarm, and having called for as-
sistance several persons arrived, and the utmost
efforts were made to extinguish the fire, but without
success. It kept rapidly extending until piles and
layers of timber covering about 100 square feet were
in flames. The engines of the Brigade, West of
England, Messrs. Hodges, the distillers, and some
others, reached the spot with as little delay as por-
sible. The flames were then rising several yards into
the air, while volumes of sparks and immense flakes
of burping material were falling along the carriage
roads, and :also upon the housetops for a
long distance, threatening every building near with
destruction. At the same time the inhabitants
of Gravel-lane and Bear-lane were throwing
their furniture out of window, to the danger of the
passers-by. The engines were set to work under the
command of Messrs. Henderson, Connorton, and
Hambleton, but, in spite of the vast torrents of water
thrown upon the fire, it continued to extend itself.
Two persons named Swale and Nott rushed into a
store filled with veneers, which they removed, and by
that means saved much property ; for, had the veneers
not been taken away, the flames would have been fed
to such an extent that, in all probabilty, every house
in Bear-lane would have been gutted. The firemen,
although exposed to great danger, kept to their work,
and, by following the fire as it was travelling round
the adjoining premises, they were at length enabled
to encompass it at every point, and prevent further
danger. The main body of fire, however, continued
for some time to roar with a noise like several fur-
naces in full work. Many tons of water were kept
pouring upon it, and by seven o'clock it was declared
by the firemen to be completely within their control.
The property destroyed will reach a very large
amount, for, although Mr. Tipper's property is far
from being entirely destroyed, an enormous area has
been laid waste and costly piles of timber consumed.
A great deal of damage has likewise been done to the
property of Mr. Rutt, also a timber merchant ad-
joining, and five houses in Gravel-lane are much in-
jured by tearing out the windows and breakage. The
furniture of the occupants is likewise very seriously
damaged from the same cause.
The firemen had barely got the command over this
fire when a policeman of the B division arrived with
intelligence of another having occurred in the West-
minster. bridge-road. As many engines as could be
soared were taken away, and the firemen, on reaching
Westminster- road, found that the outbreak had oo-
curred in the premises of Mr. Haaeldine, a tobacco-
nist, and Mr. Collins, a betting-office keeper, situate
at No. 4 in the before-named road, and nearly facing
the Red Lion Tavern.
The fire was discovered by police-constable No.
133 L, who saw smoke issuing from the upper win-
dows. The officer knocked violently at the door for
a considerable time, but the residents were all out.
He kept the door closed, hoping to prevent the flames
from extending, and there is little doubt he would
have succeeded, had it not been for the fact of the
neighbouring engines being at the other fire. As
it was, the fire continued to descend until the
building, from the base to the roof, was one sheet of
flame.

The instant the firemen arrived they set to work,
under the command of Mr. Staples, the chief officer
of the C section of Brigade, and Mr. Connortea, of
the West of England office. A copious body of water
was thrown from the mains of the Lambeth Com-
pany, but the fire could not be extinguished until
the premises were completely gutted, and some
damage done to the Leopard Coffee-house next door.
Fortunately some flour mills at the back of the burn-
ing property escaped, although exposed to so much
danger.