The Sun.
London, England, 1839-11-02 00:00:00

MANSION-HOUSE-(THIS DAY.)

Richard John Rogers, a chimney sweep, was brought
before the LORD MAYOR, by John Forrester, charged
with having for a considerable time carried on an ex-
tensive system of swindling.
Mr. George Simon, of the firm of Lightley and
Simon, 128, Fenchurch-street, commercial agents, stated
that the prisoner had been employed to sweep the flues
of the packets belonging to the Antwerp Steam-packet
Company, and that he had obtained large sums of
money by presenting notes purporting to be signed by
the Engineer.

George Thomas, clerk to Messrs. Lightley and
Simons, proved the payment of two bills produced,
dated the 11 th and 18th October. The following is a
verbatim copy of the bill bearing the last date :-
18 October 1839
_

" This is to satisfy that R. Rogers as swept the flues
and scaled the funnel and repaired four bridges of the
Princess Vixtoria. £4 16s. Od.
" JOHN NICHOLSON."
_ .

John Nicholson, the engineer, stated that he believed
he had not signed the bills, although the signatures re-
sembled his.

The charge, it appeared, ought to have been about
six shillings.
The LORD MAYOR--I suspect the prisoner first be-
gan by adding a figure of 1 to the shillings, and finding
that succeed, he then proceeded to make pounds ; and
if he had not been detected, he would probably have
soon got to tens.
Forrester here handed to his Lordship an immensely
large card, the reading of which afforded considerable
amusement. He described himself as " nightman to
his late Majesty," which he explained by stating that
he served his time with the place sweep.
The LORD MAYOR—I see that you undertake "to
do foreign and Scotch vessels." What do you mean
by " doing" them ?—(Laughter.)
- Prisoner—Sweeping the flues.

. _
The LORD 111 Avon.—It looks very much like a
" do." You also state that you sweep flues and
funnels on reasonable terms." Putting 4/. Is. to 6s,
is anything but reasonable.
The prisoner was then committed for trial.

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.
(THIS DAY.)

Henry Hoffman and James Simmons, two persons of
fashionable exterior, were placed at the bar before
Mr. Long, the Sitting Magistrate, on the following
charge :
Police constable No. 156 of the C division stated that
about 12 o'clock last night he was proceeding on duty
along Rupert-street, Haymarket, when he saw the de-
fendants, who were walking arm in arm, and were evi-
dently very much intoxicated, assault two females, who
were passing quietly by them ; and on witness inter-
fering, the defendant Simmons struck him twice over
the head with a heavy knobbed stick—(it was pro-
duced, and was certainly a very formidable weapon)
—and knocked him down. On getting up he was
again knocked down by the defendant Hoffman. Others
of the force having come to his assistance, the de-
fendants were secured and taken to Vine-street station-
house, where Simmons commenced a furious attack on
Police Constable No. 153, and bruised him sorely about
the face.

The defendants both pleaded intoxication.
Mr. LONG said the assault was a very gross and un-
provoked one in either case, and he should therefore
fine each of the defendants 51.

The defendant, Simmons, begged hard for mitigation
of the penalties. The sum, he said, was a severe one
to be called upon to pay for a street brawl.
The defendants were removed from the bar.

DREADFUL EXPLOSION.

LOSS OF SEVEN LIVES.

About half-past seven o'clock last evening, the neigh-
bourhood of Buckingham Palace, Pimlico, and West-
minster, was alarmed by a loud rumbling noise, which
shook the buildings to their foundations ; the terrified
inhabitants rushing from their dwellings into the streets,
believing it to be the shock of an earthquake. Scarcely,
however, had a minute elapsed before myriads of sparks
were observed rising into the air, in the direction of
William-street, and hundreds of persons hastened to the
spot, when the house of Mr. Harding, firework-maker,
No. 10i in that street, was found to be one body of
fire from top to bottom. For some minutes it was
most dangerous to approach the building, on account of
the numerous rockets and other fireworks which con-
tinually discharged themselves from the parlour win-
dows. Several persons, however, got to windward,
and, with a window-shutter which they tore down, bat-
tered in the front door. The whole interior, however,
was one body of fire, which prevented their entrance,
and the flames soon shot through the roof, and
illuminated the atmosphere for miles round.
Within five minutes after the fire was discovered,
the large engine from the brewery of Messrs. Elliott
and Co. was brought to the spot by a large body of
the men belonging to that firm, followed almost imme-
diately by one belonging to the brigade from the Horse-
ferry-road. There being a plentiful supply of water
they were instantly got into operation. but so powerful
were the flames, and the sparks occasioned by the salt-
petre, &c., on the premises, that the men holding the
branches were compelled to keep some distance from the
building. Some persons who had approached the rear
of the premises from Castle-lane heard a low moaning
noise proceeding from the yard, and on entering it
they found Mrs. Harding lying in a most deplorable
condition, burnt nearly from head to foot. She was im-
mediately placed on a shutter, and carried to the West-
minster Hospital, where she lies with scarcely any hopes
of her recovery. The flames by that time had extended
themselves over the house No. 10, and it was feared
the whole of the adjoining houses would be burnt. The
engine of the brigade from the Chandos-street station,
closely followed by that belonging to the Grosvenor-
place district, the West of Engiand, the County, and
five or six other engines of the brigade, however, ar-
rived, and poured a vast body of water on the flames
which, about nine o'clock, were so far subdued as to
allay all apprehension of their extending further.

As soon as the confusion had in a slight degree sub-
sided, inquiries began to be made as to the fate of the
inmates, both houses, which are the property of a lady
named Hardy, being let out in tenements, and it was
found that the house, No. 10i, in which the explosion
took place, was inhabited by five families—viz., Mr.
and Mrs. Harding on the basement , Mr. and Mrs.
Hanson and two sons on the first floor ; a soldier, whose
wife died on the previous afternoon, and whose corpse
now lies in the ruins on the second floor ; a woman
named Hitchins, and in the attics another named Jen-
kins. How many of the different families were at home
at the moment of the awful occurrence, had not, when
our informant left, been correctly ascertained.
Mrs. Hanson, however, stated that she had not left
the apartments of Mr. and Mrs. Harding five minutes
before the explosion took place. At that time she left
in the parlours Mr. Harding, who had only that after-
noon'being liberated from Tothill-fields prison, having
been committed by the Magistrates of Queen-square in
default of paying a penalty of 40s. for illegally selling
fireworks, Mrs. Harding, Mrs. Jenkins, Mrs. Hitchins,
a son of Mr. Hanson, aged fifteen years, and three
other lads whose names could not be ascertained, the
whole engaged in making fireworks. Mrs. Hanson can-
not tell how she escaped, but she believes that she
rushed down stairs and out at the back door, at the
instant on hearing the explosion, her son George, who
was up stairs with her jumping out of the window. The
distress of Mrs. Hanson as to the fate of her other son
was most poignant, she having been to the Westminster
Hospital and ascertained that the only sufferer brought
in there had been Mrs. Harding,
(FURTHER PARTICULARS, Tills DAY.)
Workmen were actively engaged during the greater
part of the morning in digging among the ruins. They
explosion
' which was lying a corpse in the
e
have succeeded in finding seven bodies, among them
mhtng of
atthe
btoh
bodies
etl
isdmi soldier's
are those
the ttiro tool: place. The re-
maining sof one woman, two men, and
three boys. One of the bodies is supposed to be that
of Harding himself ; but they are all so dreadfully
burned that it is impossible to recognize them. The
head, in almost every instance, is totally consumed, and
in all the features are completely destroyed ; the hands,
also, in most cases, are consumed. From the position it
appears as though the unfortunate persons at the mo-
ment of the explosion must have raised their hands to
their heads, and have been death struck in that position.
The lower part of the bodies do not appear to have suf-
fered so severely, probably from being less exposed to the
effects of the explosion. Mrs. Harding, who was last
evening removed to the Westminster Hospital, is, we
understand, since dead. An inquest will be held at
seven o'clock this evening on the bodies, which are at
present lying at a house next to the one destroyed. The
men of the fire brigade have their bodies in charge ;
and several policemen are in attendance to preserve or-
' der. The house, we understand, is insured. The
street was crowded during the whole day with persons
anxious to inspect the ruins, and get a sight of the bo-
dies, but none were admitted to view the latter, except
gentlemen connected with tha press ; and we take this