The Sun.
London, England, 1862-05-13 00:00:00

FIRES IN THE METROPOLIS.

Yesterday the report from the select committee
of the House of Commons, appointed to inquire into
the existing arrangements for the protection of life
an d property a gainst fires in London, was issued
from the Parliamentary printing-office. The first
15 paragraphs are occupied with a description of
the area covered by the inquiry, and a brief review
of the various steps in the development of the ap-
pliances for extinguishing fires in London. Every
witness, including the managers of the brigade, has
admitted that the present state of the staff, engines,
and stations is totally inadequate for the protection
of London from fire. The committee express an
opinion that the existing staff of the London Fire
Brigade ought to be made available in connection
with any new system. After alluding to the bri-
gades of the dock companies and of some of the
parishes, the latter being charged on parochial rates,
and eulogising the Society for the Protection of Life
from Fire, they proceed to notice the arrangements
in operation at Liverpool, Manchester, and Glas-
gow. Their recommendations, after reviewing the
various points brought under consideration by the
evidence, are as follows :—" That a fire brigade be
formed under the superintendence of the Commis-
sioners of Police, on a scheme to be approved by the
Secretary of State for the Home Department, to
form part of the general establishment of the metro-
politan police, and that the sets requiring parishes
to maintain engines be repealed. 2. That an account
of the expenditure of the new police fire brigade be
annually laid before Parliament, together with the
general police accounts; in such a manner that the
special cost of the brigade may be ascertained.
3. That the area of the new fire brigade arrange.
ments be confined within the limits of the jurisdic-
tion of the Metropolitan Board of Works, with the
option to other parishes to be included, if within
the area of the metropolitan police."

The committee further state that "in their opi-
nion no security can be given by legislation on this
important question which would supersede the ne-
cessity for individual care by the occupiers of houses
against the risk of fire ; no precaution can prevent
the occurrence of fires, nor can any public measures
be enacted which could or should prevent indivi-
duals from suffering losses from those acts of care-
lessness from which fires generally arise ; public
measures can only be of real service in arresting the
progress of fires when they occur, and in preventing
the enormous losses which arise from allowing a fire
to attain to any considerable dimensions. Nor can
any legislative enactments be made which would
probably prevent the necessity of fire brigades being
still maintained at the cost of owners of large pro-
perties, such as the docks; it may even be reason-
ably questioned whether the owners of large pro-
perties, where goods are peculiarly exposed to risk
of fire, ought not to make some special protection
for their own property; for if a system of rating
were observed on the same plan as at present exists
for county police rates, the property in warehouses
would hardly be charged a sufficient rate to entitle
them to demand more protection than is afforded
generally to other property throughout London ; if
a larger degree of expenses was incurred by the
new fire brigade especially for their protection, it
would be only fair towards other ratepayers that
they paid a larger portion of rates so increased for
their special protection."

THE ACCIDENT ON THE LONDON,
CHATHAM, AND DOVER RAIL WAY.

FAVERSHAM, MONDAY EVENING.
Another death has been added to the list of those
whose lives have been sacrificed by the accident at
Ospringe, on the London, Chatham, and Dover
Railway, on Friday last. Mr. Wm. Crockford, of
Rochester, whose critical position we noticed yes-
terday, lingered until half-past 11 o'clock this morn-
ing, when he expired in the presence of those mem-
bers of his family who had been summoned. The
deceased was perfectly conscious of his approaching
end, and spoke to his medical attendant, Dr. Martin,
of Rochester (who arrived this morning only a few
minutes before he breathed his last). In addition
to representing a large number of his fellow-citizens
in the Town Council of Rochester and the Med-
way Board of Guardians, the deceased was
an active member of the Chatham Local
Board of Health, and one of the honorary
accountants of the Rochester Savings Bank. He
had just passed his sixty-third year. With respect
to the accident the deceased remembered nothing
from the moment the carriages were precipitated
down the embankment until some time after his
removal to the Anchor Inn, where he died. Al-
though his foot was completely torn from the ancle
and was suspended by a piece-of skin, and his arm
broken in two places, he did not appear to suffer
very acute pain, nor did he complain of any during
the time that he iay in a comparatively dying state.
The family express themselves in the most grateful
terms for the kind attention and sympathy shown
the deceased by the officials of the company and
the medical gentlemen in attendance, and all classes
of the inhabitants of the village, all denominations
of Christians promptly offered their consolation and
advice, and readily rendered every assistance in
their power to the bereaved friends of the deceased.

This afternoon, about four o'clock, the county
coroner, Mr. Thorpe Delasaux, came over from
Canterbury, and made a few inquiries, but did not
deem it necessary to hold an inquest on the body of
the deceased, as the investigation into the deaths of
the two other sufferers would answer the ends of
justice. Having examined Mr. Crockford, of Lon-
don (a nephew of the deceased), as to the identity
of the body, and Mr. Hills, as to his being one of
the persons injured at the accident, the coroner
issued his warrant for the burial.

There are a number of labourers still on the line,
not far from where the accident happened, appa-
rently putting tbe permanent way in order.

With regard to the two other sufferers, up to this
evening Mr, H. Thompson, the barrister of Dublin,
who sustained several serious injuries to his face and
head, has been pronounced by Dr. Giraud, of Fa-
versham, to be progressing favourably. The other
principal sufferer, Mr. D. Mapleton, the chief
audit clerk of the London, Chatham, and
Dover Company, is now considered to be out of
danger, and will in all probability be able to be re-
moved in a short time.

Colonel Yolland, the inspector from
the railway department of the Board of Trade, has
made a minute examination of the line at the scene
of the accident in the presence of Mr. Joseph Cubitt,
the engineer, Mr. Mills, the resident engineer, and
Mr. Wortley, the locomotive superintendent of the
company. The whole of that portion of the line
was carefully gone over, and the Government in-
spector made the broken chairs and trenails the
chief points of hie, observation. It has been pub-
licly stated that the rottenness of the wooden trenails
which secure the chairs to the sleepers was the
cause of the accident, by allowing the rails at the
spot to shift onthe beds, and that to prevent the
broken trenails being examined they were pocketed
by the officials of the company ; but the fact is that
those officials who picked up
any of the broken
trenails were servants of the company who did so at
the request of Colonel Yolland, in order that they
might be preserved for his inspection. It has also
been ;teed that the line where the accident occurred
is on the level, whereas it has a curve of a mile
radius. With respect to the injured metals, chairs,
sleepers, &c., the whole of them have been pre-
served under instructions from Colonel Yolland, and
the fragments of the carriages have been taken into
a siding at the Faversham station. It will be re—
membered that the train was composed of four
carriages and a break-van, and that the first car-
riage (a second claes) only left Vie. metals, but did
not go down the embankment. Of the next car-