The Sun.
London, England, 1862-03-10 00:00:00

GREAT FIRE AT ROTHERIIIIILE.

A very destructive fire broke out about 2 o'clock
yesterday morning, on the premises of Messrs. H.
T. Burt and Co., steam saw mill proprietors end
timber merchants, known as Durrant's wharf,
Trinity-street, Rotherhitbe. The buildings covered
several acres of ground. It consisted of boiler•
houses, steam sawing mills, storehouses, and work.
shops, and the wharf was covered with piles of
timber, and several thousand railway sleepers. The
discovery was made by a police constable of the
M division, who in passing along his beat noticed
black smoke rising from stacks of railway sleepers
standing on the land side of the wharf. The officer
at once gave the alarm, and aroused the residents of
the surrounding houses. Before, however, he had
time to send for the engines, immense sheets of
flame rose high into the air, and were attacking;
the premises belonging to Messrs. Courage and Co.,
but sub-let to several poor families, none of whom
were insured. They rushed out ieto the open stree_t
without waiting to dress, bringing with them tlicir
children, and anything of a portable character they"
could lay hold of. The flames next seized upon two
skittle-grounds belonging to Mr. Rooke, the pro-
prietor of the India Arms Tavern, No. 44, in Trinity-
street. TLe flames were then on the point of err-
circling the rope factory belonging to Mr. Bennett,
whose premises extend over a quarter of a mile
in length., To stop the ravages of the fire in
this direction, however, strong means ware at
once adopted, and by cutting away 240 feet of the
covered rope walks and spinning houses the fire was
'happily stopped. The main body of fire, however,
continued its ravages, and in a very brief period
after the discovery about 5,000 of the railway
sleepers presented such a blaze as is seldom wit-
nessed, the light being so great that St. Paul's
Cathedral, the Crystal Palace, at Sydenham, and
other lofty buildings were brilliantly lighted up.
This caused a general turn out of the engines. Some
of the City and West-end engines were taken along
the Middlesex side of the Thames, and having pro-
ceeded as far as the Thames Tunnel, the firemen
were mortified by finding that the fire was on the
opposite side of the water, and they had to turn
back again in order to get over London-bridge.
This of course consumed considerable time, but it
is questionable if the land engines had reached the
place sooner, owing to the time lost before water
could be obtained from the mains, whether they
would have been able to do much good. Captain
Shaw, the superintendent of the fire engine estab-
lishment, Mr. Henderson, the chief officer of the B
district, and a powerful body of engineers and fire-
men were, considering the distance from town,very
soon in attendance with numerous engines, includ-
ing one belonging to the Commercial Dock Com-
pany, the two large steam river floats, the land
steam engine by Shand and Mason, and numerous
land engines. Immense lengths of hose were
stretched out from the two floats and conveyed into
the burning wharf, and some thousand tons of
water were thrown on the flames. As soon as water
could be got from the plugs in the neighbourhood
the land steamer and other engines were called into
operation. The first 'thing sought to be accom-
plished was, if possible, to cut off the flames in the
direction of the Trinity school house, the Dyers'
Arms Tavern, and the other buildings. Fortunately,
as far as this went, the labours of the firemen were
to some extent crowned with success, but not the
least impression could for some hours be made upon
the flames rising from the timber on the wharf.
( It was not till a late hour in the day that the fire
was extinguished. The damage done is thus
officially returned by Captain Shaw to the
various insurance companies interested in the loss
Sunday, March 9th, 1862, 2 o'clock a.m.—A
fire broke out in the premises of Mr. H. P. Burt and
Co., called Durrant's wharf, Trinity-street, Rother-
hithe. The premises were used as steam saw mills
and timber merchants' stores and yards. The cause
of fire unknown. The fire was extinguished by
firemen with four engines of D, two of B, one of C,
three of A, the two river floats, and the land steamer
of the brigade, and one from the Commercial Docks.
About 5,000 railway sleepers are destroyed. The
buildings and their contents were insured in the
Atlas, the Phoenix, the Leeds and Yorkshire, and
otherfireeeffiees. - The fire was on the land side of
the wharf. No. 43, ditto, belonging to Messrs.
Courage and Co., but let out in tenements. Pre-
mises and contents very considerably damaged by
fire and breakage. Contents not insured. Building
unknown at present whether it was insured. No.
44, ditto, Mr. G. Rooke, licensed victualler, the
India Arms, two timber buildings used as skittle
grounds burned down, and some windows broken ;
insured in the Phoenix Fire-office for contents,
building unknown. No. 45, ditto, Schoolhouse
damaged by breakage and windows broken; con-
tents not insured, building in the Phoenix. No. 1,
Silver-street, J. D. Bennett, rope-maker, about 240
feet of rope walks damaged by cutting away ; in-
sured in the Sun."