The Sun.
London, England, 1865-09-13 00:00:00

The Fire and Loss of Life in London-road.

ADJOURNED CORONER'S INQUEST.—THIS DAY.
This forenoon. Mr. W. J. Payne, deputy-coroner for
Southwark and London, resumed in the board room of
St. George's Workhouse, Mint-street, Southwark, the
adjourned inquiry respecting the death of Jane Nathan,
aged six years, the daughter of a furniture dealer and pic-
ture gallery proprietor of the London-road, who perished
in the dreadful fire that occurred in her parents' premises,
forming two large houses in the London-road.
It will be remembered that the inquest was opened this
day week, but owing to the absence of several important
witnesses the inquiry was adjourned until this day, in or-
der to complete the evidence, the coroner remarking on
the former occasion that the whole of the witnesses who
had been in attendance could give no evidence respecting
the fire, whereas those who knew all about the case were
not present. As on the former occasion, the inquiry
created great interest, and Mr. Inspector Baddeley and
Mr. Inspector Havard, of the Royal Society for the Pro-
tection of Life from Fire, attended to watch the case on
behalf of that society. Mr. Inspector Young also was pre-
sent on behalf of the police authorities.
After some little delay the jury reassembled and
answered to their names. The learned Deputy Coroner
addressed them, and remarked it would have been unwise
on his part to have received any verdict from them at their
last sitting, for, in point of fact, the evidence amounted to
nothing. lie was in hopes that the full complement of
witnesses would be in attendance this morning, so that the
time they would have to lose would be very short.
The following witnesses were then called, and, after
being sworn, deposed as under :
Samuel Nathan said that he recollected the night of the
fire, between 8 o'clock and half-past. His father was out
at the time, and his mother went out after him with his
aunt, two sisters, and his grandmother, leaving witness, a
little brother and sister playing about, and three or four
children in bed up stairs. The last persons who left the
house were his mother and aunt. When the fire broke out
he was at the door, which was open. He discovered,
whilst he stood there, smoke coming from the back part of
the premises, apparently from the picture-room. lie at
once ran for the fire-escape, The family had been sitting
in the picture-gallery that night. Gas was burned there.
The burners were about five feet from the ceiling,
in the centre of the gallery. One of those Burners was
lighted that night. His mother sent his little sister up to
get her bonnet from her room at the top of the house be-
fore she went out. There was only a little fire in the
grate in the kitchen on that night. He did not know what
time the sisters went to bed. He believed that the fire
commenced in the Picture Gallery, which was also stored
with furniture, but there was neither paint, oil, or turpen-
tine in the place, and nothing that was likely to cause a
fire to break out spontaneously.
Mr. Lewis, who attended on behalf of Mr. Nathan, to
watch the case, cross-examined the witness, and elicited
from him that the pictures in the gallery were worth
£1,400 or £1,500, and they were not insured.
Sarah Nathan said that she was 14 years of age, and on
the Sunday that the fire took place she was down stairs.
Her aunt had her bonnet on before she went out, but not
her mother, and at her request she went upstairs and
fetched her bonnet. The gas was alight in that room at
the time, and she had to pass the picture gallery in getting
to her mother's room. Her father had gone out at that
time. She did not touch the gas-pipe or burner. She did
not know what part of the house was burning, but there
was some black fire on the staircase.
By a Juror—She smelt no escepe of gas on the Sunday
night. Her mother lighted the gas up stairs, and her
father lit the one in the picture gallery.
Some further evidence having been given,
The jury decided upon finishing the case, and they re-
turned a verdict that the deceased was accidentally burned
to death by the fire, but how the said fire occurred there
was no evidence to prove.