The Sun.
London, England, 1864-02-22 00:00:00

Fires and Loss of Life,

On Saturday and yesterday several fires occurred
in London. One broke out on premises in the
tenure of Mr. M. Barnes, a lodginghouse-keeper at
4a, Mint-street, Southwark. The house, although
containing only seven rooms, supplied sleeping
accommodation to 17 persons. It appears that po-
lice-constable No. 100 of the NI division, in going
his rounds, noticed smoke. issuing from the house.
Feeling satisfied that it was on fire, he sprang his
rattle, which brought to his assistance police-con-
stable 106 of the NI division. Before the arrival of
the fire-escapes, which took place in two or three
minutes, the flames rushed out of the lower floor
windows, and extended completely across the cart
way, burning the front shutters of another lodging-
house. At this time a Mr. Butcher, who occupied
a house adjoining, noticed several persons at the
windows crying for help, and he called to them to
jump out. Several did so at the back, and they
were enabled to pass in safety through the next
house. When the Royal Society's fire-escape was
placed in front of the house, Conductor Wheatley
ascended his machine and forced in the window.
He scrambled into the reom on the second floor and
fell over the bed near the window. At that time
he fancied that some one was in the room, as he
could hear a slight moaning, but the heat was so
great that he was obliged to make a precipitate re-
treat into the street and to remove his escape for fear
of its being burnt. The firemen were soon at work,
but they did not succeed in getting the mastery over
the flames until the premises and their contents
were nearly burnt out. They then entered the house
to ascertain the extent of the loss, when, to their
astonishment, they discovered the dead bodies of
three men, with their clothes on and not much burnt,
who had evidently died from suffocation. They were
removed to the deadhouse of St. George the Martyr,
where they will remain until the inquest. The
names of the men were—Thomas Neate, aged 65,
a crossing sweeper, who had lodged in that and the
adjoining house for six or seven years ; William
Purpeil, age unknown, a dock labourer ; and Charles
Avery, aged 40, also a dock labourer. The last two,
it appears bad quarrelled with their wives, and
came to lodge at Mr. Barnes's house a few days ar,o.
From the fact of each man being found with his
clothes on it is believed that they had stopped be-
hind to dress, and that while so doing they had been
overtaken by the smoke and flames and were Buff,.
cated. Mr. Barnes was insured for his furniture,
&c., in the Liverpool and London Fire-office. An-
other fire happened in the premises belonging to
Mrs. M. Morris, 27, Mary-street, High-street,
Poplar. This fire was caused by
a spark
a bed from a lighted candle. In the course
flying into
a afew
minutes the room in which the bed stood was filled
with flames. The engines of the parish and the
London Brigade, with a land steamer, quickly
attended, but the fire could not be extinguished
until the building and its contents were partially
destroyed. Mrs. Morris was so seriously burnt that
she had to be removed to the hospital, where she
remains without the least hope of recovery. The
sufferer was uninsured.