The Sun.
London, England, 1839-09-10 00:00:00

DREADFUL CATASTROPHE

On Saturday evening about six o'clock the inhabi-
;ants of the Edgeware-road were thrown into a state of
great alarm, occasioned by the fall of a house, No. 89, on
the eastern side of the Edgeware-road, a few floors from
the New-road, St. Marylebone, belonging to Mr. Blake,
hosier, who also occupies the two adjoining houses.
From information obtained on the spot, it appears that
a few weeks since the adjoining house being old and un-
tenable, was pulled down for the purpose of being re-
built. On Saturday last some workmen were employed
in digging a new foundation, in doing which they were
compelled to undermine some portion of the foundation of
Mr. Blake's house, but which they had neglected to shore
up. A few minutes before six o'clock on the above
evening, the workmen were preparing to leave off work,
when they heard a loud noise, and before some of them
could make their escape the premises of Mr. Blake came
down with an awful crash, which sounded like a distant
peal of artillery, burying its inmates in the ruins. As
soon as the dust occasioned by the catastrophe bad in..
some degree cleared off, the neighbours and others brought
to the spot set about clearing away the- rubbish to get at
the unfortunate sufferers, and in a short time they suc-
ceeded in extricating the body of a young woman about
eighteen years of age, which proved to be Mary Lansbury
the servant-maid, who, at the moment of the catastrophe
was in an upper room, user as a kitchen, washing up the
tea-things. She was found between two rafters, and
presented a most shocking spectacle. Her head was
smashed to atoms, and the upper part of her body other-
wise shockingly mutilated. She was immediately con-
veyed on a shutter to the Western Pencral-Di.p....ary
in-the -New-road, 'where- she was seen by Mr. Lomax,
the surgeon, who pronounced life quite extinct. Shortly
aftersrvards the assistant of Mr. Blake and a workman
were got out, but we are very happy in being 'able_ to I
state that they were more frightened than hurt. The
assistant, at the time of the catastrophe, was returning
along the shop from serving two customers who had pnly
departed a few moments, and crept beneath the counter
where he was found, and which had sustained the whole
weight of the premises. Mr. Blake and his family were
at the time of the catastrophe in the adjoining house
1

RISII SUPERSTITION.—A SWELLING BOY.
—A boy once clambered to the top of this holy cell (of
Gollerus), and stole the bell. stone, which he carried away
with him, for some good or bad reason now forgotten. But
he had scarcely reached the village with it, when, to his
horror, he found himself beginning gradually to swell all
over like an inflating balloon ; for which strange and awful
phenomenon no explanation could be given, except that
the guardian spirit of the place had punished him in this
terrific manner for his depredation upon the property of
the Church. What to do to appease the anger of the
supernatural protector of the bell-stone, or to propitiate it,
puzzled the poor boy and the terrified villagers. He soon
became too large to get out through the door of his cabin,
and still went on increasing, swelling bigger and bigger, un-
til at last it appeared probable that he would have grown as
big as the little chapel itself; and then, most probably,
have died of repletion. Happily this sad fate was pre-
vented by a plan to which his mother had recourse,after her
unfortunate son had, by gradual swelling, nearly come to
that extraordinary size that he must have either pushed
out the walls of his cabin, or have squeezed all its inmates
to death against them, or have burst asunder himself. But
before he had quite arrived at these dimensions, his dis-
tracted mother suddenly thought that, by restoring the
charmed stone to its original position, her son might pos-
sibly appease the offended being by whom he was punished
in this dreadful manner. The stone was accordingly con-
veyed back to the church, and in one moment the boy
found himself restored to his natural dimensions—thus
escaping, by the happy thought of his mother, the awful
fate which threatened him. Where this stone now is no
one knows ; it has either been taken away by the presiding
spirit, or otherwise disposed of. But certain it is, that
all the people of the district believe the story, as I heard
it, to be quite true, and would sooner pick a hole in their
own cabins than take one stone from his holy cell, which
is under such powerful and mysterious guardianship,
Cm/me Otway.
A COACII MADE COMFOItTABLE.--It will be
seen by advertisement in another column that the Regulator,
from the Lion Hotel, has been put upon a superior footing
of accommodation, so as to breakfast and lunch in Bath
and dine in London.—Bath Chronicle.

liahnneman, the father of homeopathy, who is
now 85 years of age, has so many patients that he is corn•
palled to turn a portion of them over to his wife, a lady
asho, having been cured, or having fancied that she was
cured by homoeopathy, married her Doctor under the im-
pulse of admiration and gratitude, and now assists him in
his labours.—Letter from Paris.