The Sun.
London, England, 1862-07-14 00:00:00

THE ' SUN LONDON, MONDAY EVENING JULY 14, 1862.

SWF
TREMENDOUS CONFLAGRATION IN THE
WESTMINSTER BRIDGE-ROAD, LAMBETH.

ESTIMATED DAMAGE, £150,000.
The most extensive conflagration that has oc-
curred in the metropolis since the memorable one
in Tooley-street, in June last year, broke out about
half-past three o'clock yesterday morning, and was
not entirely extinguished at a late hour in the
afternoon. The property destroyed is very great,
and for several hours much excitement prevailed in
the neighbourhood, as it was erroneously stated
that several persons had perished in the flames.
While police-constable Simpson, No. 60, and
Sergeant Letty of the L division, were on duty in
the Westminster-road, they had their attention
directed to the back portion of the premises belong-
ing to Mr. Murray, known as the Sun Tavern,
situate in a narrow thoroughfare termed Mason-
street, running out of the Westminster-road, an d
adjoining the well-known floor-cloth manufactory
of Messrs. Goatley and Charley (late Buckley) and
the various shops forming Lambeth House, the pro-
perty of Mr. Harvey. A great many lofty houses
of business also adjoined the factory in the main
road, and several dozen other buildings flanked the
premises, which ran behind the houses in Mason-
street, the Upper-marsh, Frederick's-place, and one
or two other narrow turnings. The officers at once
sounded an alarm, and having aroused the inmates
of the tavern an inspection of the back part of the
building was made, when the police found that the
skittle-alley was burning with great fury. An at-
tempt was made, with the aid of buckets of water, to
keep the fire confined to that part of the premises,
when, to the no small astonishment of those present,
they discovered that the carpenters' workshops,
forming a portion of the floor-cloth factory were also
on fire. It then became quite clear that a conflagra-
tion of great extent would follow. Messengers were
thereforeßoydaisl Society'spatched
escapessundryand
directionsenginefs.or the aid
of the
Before one engine had time to arrive the flames
had taken possession of every portion of the factory,
which is easily accounted for from the inflammable
articles kept in the place. The buildings stood
upon two acres of ground—one portion being 240
feet long, with 40 feet in addition at the side. The
front and ground floor warehouse was 30 feet long
and 40 feet wide. There were 65 " frames" of
about 20 feet each, then stretched a number of
workshops, ranging in one direction 105 feet, and
in another 60 feet. In addition to the above were
the printing houses, the atmospheric drying build-
ings, the bin houses and tanks, as well as the gene-
ral stores. In one of the last named were £1,500
worth of white lead colour, and it was only the
previous day that an immense number of
carboys of turpentine had been purchased and
housed in the premises, as well as a similar quan-
tity of oils such as are used in the trade.
The moment the spirits of turpentine became
ignited explosions followed in rapid succession, and
the flames then seized simultaneously upon the pre-
mises of Mr. Midgley, licensed victualler, those of
Mr. Harvey and Co., forming six houses in the road,
also on those of Mr. Ward, hosier, No. 35 ; those of
Mr. Cox, staymaker, No. 37 ; Mr. Owen, a draper;
the wholesale tea warehouse of Messrs. Hawley, and
many other houses.

The Royal Society's escape from the Female Or-
phan Asylum was quickly in attendance, when Con-
ductor Sell raised his machine in front of one of the
blazing houses for the purpose of rescuing the in-
mates, and with the aid of Police•sergeant No. 8 L,
he managed to get the parties out, but whilst look-
ing to see if any had been left behind he became
hemmed in himself. Fortunately Tordoff, another
conductor, came up with the society's escape from the
Blackfriars-road station, and succeeded in rescuing
his comrade ; but the ladder was destroyed by the
fire.

Superintendent Beckerson and Walker, of the L
and N divisions of police, and Inspector Young, of
the L, and Acting Inspector Young, of the A divi-
sion, with a strong muster of constables and ser-
jeants, were early upon the ground, and succeeded
in rescuing several persons from the houses in the
surrounding narrow streets.

The engines of the London Brigade from the
Waterloo-road were in attendance in a very brief
period, closely followed by Lieutenant Beckerson
with two engines from Hodges' Distillery. The
parish engines came next, and then the more dis-
tant brigade engines came literally speaking flying
along from Southwark-bridge-road, Watling-
street, King-street, Golden-square, Chandos-street,
including two land steam engines, by Shand and
Mason. The last-named force was under the per-
sonal superintendence of Captain Shaw, his Grace
the Duke of Sutherland, Foreman Henderson, J.
Gerrard, Swanton, Mr. Charles White, of the
County Fire Office, and Mr. Hayes, of the Mercan-
tile Fire Office.
Fortunately, under the direction of Mr. Phipps,
the secretary of the Lambeth Company, fire-plugs
were drawn in all directions, and copious streams
of water were obtained sufficient to feed the engines,
both steam and manual.
For some time after the engines had been got to
work the flames appeared to assume a more formid-
able appearance than at the beginning of the con-
flagration, owing to the water falling amongst the
turpentine and oils, and scattering the same about,
and there being six vats of oil in the place, each
about six feet high.
A person named Benjamin Butt, who had charge
of the keys, upon seeing how the fire was progress-
ing, opened the gate, and succeeded in getting out
two of the horses from the stable, and some were
extricated from Messrs. Harvey's stables, but one
fine animal, worth 50 guineas, was burned to death.
The scene at one time, not only in the Westmin-
ster-bridge-road, but the bye-streets, was such as
can with difficulty be described. In Messrs. Har-
vey's premises were sleeping about 60 males and
females, and to get that large number out was a
work of -no little difficulty. The foreman of the
establishment having unlocked the various entranc3
doors, the shopmen and female attendants came
rushing down in terrible confusion, some of the
latter in their night-dresses only, and others but
partially dressed. The females, not knowing where
to go, took shelter under the archway leading to
the Great Necropolis, where tea and coffee were

provided for them. The whole of the back portion
of Messrs. Harvey's immense buildings were then
in a blaze, and so was the lofty tavern of Mr.
Midgley—and in the course of a short time the side
wall of Messrs. Hawley's tea warehouse, with the
roof, fell in, and exposed to view the property .
Chests of tea, loaves of sugar, and fruit of the best
description, having been totally destroyed by the
action of fire, and large sheets of cartridge paper
in a thorough state of ignition, were drifted about
the neighbourhood, some over St. George's Church,
in the Borough, a distance of nearly half a mile,
and some fell upon the sun-blind belonging to Mr.

Levy, a clothier in the Lower Marsh, setting it on

fire. Fortunately a few buckets of water pre-
vented the flames from rushing into the shop,
otherwise another fearful fire must have taken
place, at a time when many of the engines were
working at the other fire.
His Grace the Duke of Sutherland, if he had
been a regular fireman, could not have expressed a
greater desire or have shown more zeal in assisting
Capt. Shaw and the firemen by running out the
hose, and even helping with canvas buckets of
water to get the fire extinguished in the dwellings
of several poor families living in the adjoining
streets.

The two land steam engines did wonders, for
each had two lines of hose attached, one on either
side of the machines, and threw steady columns of
water from each, which fell through the entiro
length of the immense factory. In fact, so great was
the force of the water distributed by the steam
power, that some of the brick partition walls were
knocked down as if battering-rams had been used
(certainly,
some of the walls were only 41 inches
in thickness,
such an
just half a brick), which of course
could prove no
s
effectualfi.re;inbaardrdieirtiotno
it
thme
avyiobleenstcaeteod
as a Cause for the spreading so
extensive
so furiously that the
carpenters' workshops, whic • k were in such close
proximity with the skittle-alley, stood upon poles
or planks, and the flames, as
a natural consequence
from the quarter the wind Was in, would be blown
through the supports and ignite the
workshops.
In
'
thesercll were the men s working tools, some chests of

which were worth from £7O to £BO each ; all have
been destroyed, and as far as can be learned none of
the owners were ineured.

The firemen, although exposed to imminent dan-
ger by' the falling of walls and timbers, scorched by
the intense heat, and severely injured by the heated
flying ashes, never relaxed in their exertions. At
one period it was feared that the flames would get
as far as the railway bridge which crosses the road,
and as a protection a number of men were sent
upon the line with pails of water to cool it, and if
unable, to forward the necessary news to have the
approaching trains stopped before they reached the
spot .
back Fortunately,
givenportion y
owing to the admirable direc-
tions Capt. Shaw, the fire was cut off at
the of Messrs. Harvey's premises, but
b
still the main body of flame continued to rage for
several hours afterwards, and even as late as six
o'clock last evening there still remained a great
mass of smouldering embers beneath the debris.
As to the cause of the misfortune nothing posi-
tive is known, but from the statement made by the
waiter at the Sun Tavern, it appears that three gen-
tlemen were on the previous night playing in the
subscription alley at skittles until half-past eleven
o'clock. To follow out their play they were accom-
modated with three candles, and the question natu-
rally arises whether or not some of the sparks had
fallen from one of the candles amongst the stuffing
of the butt of the skittle board, and smouldered
until it broke out into a flame. The landlord states
that he closed the house at 12 o'clock, when he ex-
perienced not the least smell of fire, and that he
knew nothing of the outbreak until aroused by the
police, when upon rushing down stairs he found the
long room of his premises and the small yard so full
of black smoke that be was unable to tell which
was first on fire.

No drying stoves were used in the factory ; the
only means of drying and seasoning the floorcloth
was by the atmosphere. There was but one chan-
delier in the premises, and that was in the counting-
house, which had not been lighted since last winter,
and there had been no fire in any grate during the
same period. It therefore appears impossible that
the outbreak began at Messrs. Godley and Char-
ley's. The loss to this firm alone will be very
serious, for they had a more than average stock,
having taken advantage of the present state of the
market, which was expected to alter very materially
in price, to lay in surplus goods. The firm was in-
sured in ten of the principal fire•offices, each for
£2,000, making the whole of the insurances on that
.property only £20,000.
Messrs. Harvey's loss must be enormous, as the
water has gone from the top to the bottom of the
extensive buildings, independent of which the fire
has entered most, if not all, of the rooms at the
back, and burned out the windows, melted the lead
flats of the great showroom, burned portions of the
roof, and so great was the heat that valuable look-
ing glasses and costly articles of vertu have been
rendered worthless, whilst the injury done by water
to their stock of silks, satins, and other light goods,
must be of a serious character, but still the salvage
will realise some thousand pounds. Not so with
Messrs. Ward, the hosiers, for they have lost the
whole of their stock in trade, furniture, and other
effects ; and Messrs. Hawley, the wholesale tea
merchants, &c., have every portion of their front
warehouse and the valuable contents consumed;
and Mr. Midgley, the publican, has the whole of
his tavern from the first floor burned out, and the
roof off.

Many thousand persons lined the road during the
progress of the fire until late in the evening, but
the arrangements made by the police to keep the
populace out of danger were perfect. Ropes were
passed across the wide thoroughfare guarded by
constables, and no one was allowed to pass the bar-
rier unless belonging to some of the buildings.
The following is a copy of Captain Shaw's
OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE DAMAGES.

" Messrs. Goatley and Charley (late Buckley), No. 39,
Westminster-road, Lambeth, floor• cloth manufacturers.—
Premises burnt down, and contents destroyed. Insured in
the Phoenix, Globe, Royal, Sun, Mercantile, and other
offices.
" Messrs. Harvey and Co., Nos. 41 to 47, Westminster-
road, drapers and silk mercers.—Back front of premises
very severely damaged by fire ; windows burnt out, and
stock and furniture seriously injured by heat, water, and
smoke. Contents insured in the Leeds, the Sun, the Union,
the Imperial, the Manchester, the Alliance, and the Royal
Fire-offices.
" Mr. A. Ward, hosier and outfitter, No. 35, Westmins-
ter-road.—Back house burnt out and front warehouse very
severely damaged by fire. The •contents insured in the
Westm!nster Fire-office.

"Messrs. Hawley, wholesale tea dealers and grocers, Na

38, Westminster-road.—Front warehouse burnt down and
back warehouse very seriously damaged by fire, water, &c.

Insurances unknown.

" J. Midgley, licensed victualler, sigill The Sun; land-
lords, Messrs. Goding and Co., the brewers.—Contents in-
sured in the County Fire Office, the building unknown,

Timber building, used as skittle ground, 30 feet by 10 feet,
burned down, and contents damaged by removal. The fire
originated in this building.
Mr. Kay, slater, No. 6, Upper Iklarsh ; landlords,
Messrs. Harvey and Co.—Back front severely damaged by
fire, and contents by water and removal. Insured in the
West of England Fire-office.
" Messrs. Harvey and Co., stables in Upper Marsh.—
Back windows burned out and roof severely damaged. In-
surance unknown.
" Mr. William Bull, baker, No. 8, Upper Marsh.—Back
windows burned out, and timber building at the back of
dwelling destroyed. Contents not insured, and building
unknown at present.
"Mr. J. White, basketmaker, No. 9, Upper Marsh—Back
front of premises burned out, and shed buildings severely
damaged by fire, &c. Contents insured in the Phoenix
Fire-office, the building unknown.
"Mr. Powell, hairdresser, No. 10, -Upper Marsh.—
Back front of premises severely burnt. Contents insured
in the Phoenix Fire-office.
" Mr. Shead, shell-fishmonger, No. 11, Upper Marsh.—
Back windows burned out, and furnitnro damaged by
breakage and water. Contents insured in the Phoenix Fire
office ; building unknown at present.
" No. 12 in Upper Marsh, let out in tenements.—Back
windows burnt out, and furniture damaged by breakage
and water. Uninsured.
" Messrs. Harvey and Knight, floor-cloth makers, No.
13, Ditto.—Factory about 90 feet long and 180 wide burnt
down, and sheds adjoining destroyed; dwelling ;severely
damaged by fire. Insurances unknown.
"No. 14, Ditto, let out in tenements.-13ack front burnt,
and furniture damaged by hasty removal and water. Not
insured,
" No. 15, Ditto, let out in tenements to poor families.—
Roof burnt off and back front severely damaged by fire.
The contents were uninsured ; the building unknown
whether or not insured.
"E. Calloway, newsvendor, No. 16, Upper Marsh.—
Back front damaged by fire, and contents damaged by
water and removal. Insured in the Phoenix.
" No. 18, Ditto, let out in tenements.--Similar damage.
Uninsured,
" Ditto, W. Haddick, private.—Furiliture greatly da-
maged. Insured in the Sun. - . .

Nos. 11 and 12, Heathfield-place, gason-street, let out
in tenements.—Contents not insured ; building unknown.
Front windows burned out, and contents damaged by water
and removal.
" Nos. 13, 14, 16, and 17, let out in tenements.—Roofs
partially burned off and fronts severely damaged by fire and
water. The whole of these sufferers were uninsured.
"No. 15, Ditto, let out in tenements.—Back windows
burned out and roof off. Uninsured.
" No. 2e, Garden-court,
H. Mason, private.—Not in-
sured, Roof of building burned off.
"No. 3, Ditto, B. Butt—House burned down. Unin-
sured.
" No. 4, Ditto, D. Stonham.—Not insured. Roof off, and
rest of house and contents severely damaged by fire, water,
and removal.
No. 8, Ditto, Messrs.Goatley and Co., private.—House
of six rooms very severely damaged by fire, tFee. Contents
and building insured in the Sun Fire-office.
"No. 65, Bridge-road.--J. Merry, private, contents and
building insured in the Unity Fire-office. Front of build-
ing scotched, and contents damaged by water, &c.
"No. 66, Ditto.—J. Fetcher, harness-Maker; contents
and building insured in the Phoenix Fire-office. Similar
damage.
"No. 67, Ditto.—W. H. Cates, zinc-Worker ; front of
premises damaged by fire, &c. Insured in the General
Fire-office.
" Mr. T. Byworth, beer-shop-keeper, No. 28, Upper
Marsh.—Front scorched. Uninsured."

During the afternoon several other fires occurred from
the embers falling down the chimneys some distance off,
but they were in ea3h case extinguished before much da-
mage was done.
At nine o'clock at night the firemen were still actively
engaged in throwing water upon the ruins, for as the dusk
of the evening set in large heaps of fire could be seen
raging in different parts of the immense rains.

Colonel Mackenzie, who has returned home from
Canada, has been offered an appointment abroad. which he
has not accepted. It has been stated, indeed, that Corfu
was suggested to him, but it would not be very becoming to
bury an officer of such experience and value in the lonian.
Islands. He would do very well nearer home,--,Aran?/ and
Aravy Gazette.

LATV INTELLIGENCE.-July 12.

COURT OF QUEENS' BENCH.
,Before Mr. Justice Wightman and a Common Jury.)

SEWELL V. TQPHAM.-SEDUCTION.

This was an action for seduction. The defendant
pleaded not guilty.
Mr. Serjeant Parry and Mr. Lumley Smith were
counsel for the plaintiff. Mr. G. Denman, Q.C..
was counsel for the defendant.

The plaintiff is the widow of an army accoutre-
ment-maker, and the defendant is a medical man,
practising at Derby ; and the action was for com-
pensation for the loss of her daughter's service, a
young girl of nineteen years of age, through her
seduction by the defendant. The defendant had
known the plaintiff's son, and first became ac-
quainted with her daughter at his house. Before
that he apparently was paying his addresses to
Juliana, the plaintiff's eldest daughter, but nothing
came of it. He paid the daughter Marian, the
girl seduced, marked attention at her brother's
house, and afterwards seduced her at the Surrey
Gardens.

Marion Sewell deposed—Previous to June, 1860,
I was living with my mother, who is a widow in
Albany-road, Old Kent•road. My father died two
years azo last January. He was an army accoutre-
ment-maker. I first made the defendant's acquaint-
ance in July, 1860. I was nineteen last November.
I was leaving my brother's house in Brunswick-
street, when he took me for my sister Juliana. The
latter end of November, 1860, I met him at my
brother's house. My mother, a younger sister, two
brothers, and two gentlemen were there. He sat
by me and talked to me a great deal that evening,
and he expressed sorrow at my eldest sister's
absence. They used to walk out together frequently.
I left my brother's house about twelve o'clock to go
home. He wanted to kiss me for my sister, and
asked would I return it for her. He kissed me in
the passage and also when we got to the doorstep.
On Monday evening, the 6th of May, 1861, I
went to the Surrey Gardens with Mrs. Simpson,
a lady friend lodging in my mother's house, and
there met my younger sister, who had gone earlier.
I met the defendant there about half-past seven in
the ball-room. I had a short conversation with him,
and he said he would meet me again when the danc-
ing commenced. At 9 o'clock he came to the dancing
platform in company with a friend, Mr. Walker, who
had been with him at my brother's house. At the
defendant's request I walked with them about the
gardens for about three-quarters of an hour. We
then sat down, and Walker left. Defendant told him
he did not want him, and told him to go back with
his friends. After he had been gone some time he
came back again, and the defendant offered him
brandy and water to leave. He went away, and I
continued sitting on one of the seats with defendant
in a secluded part nt the garden. After Walker had
left defendant commenced taking liberties with me,
and afterwards had intercourse with me. He said
I should not leave the gardens until I had yielded
to him. He said nothing particular, but I knew
what he meant. He said, "If I got into trouble he
would get me out of it, and if I was a good girl he
would make me his wife." It was about a quarter
to twelve o'clock when I returned to Mrs. Simpson
in the ball-room. The defendant would not allow
me to leave bim earlier. Mrs. Simpson was very
angry at my having left her. On the 3d February,
1862, I was confined of a child. I wrote to the de-
fendant three times and informed him of my condi-
tion. (In the first letter she requested him not to
say anything to her sister " Jully," and that she had
something to communicate to him when she saw him.
The second letter stated that she must see him, and
to that she received an answer appointing to meet
her in the evening at seven o'clock at the top of
Brunswick-street. Before receiving that letter she
wrote stating that she was in the family way. He
did not keep his appointment.) This was the first
time I ever had been to the Surrey or any other
gardens. I only had one intercourse with him.
Cross-examined—My sister Fanny saw him
kiss me, and told my mother of it. I told him to
be quiet, but he kissed me a second time. I did not
tell my mother of it. I did not call out when he
kissed me (laughter). I have not been to a theatre
for four years. Ido not visit dancing places. We
sat on the grass on a slope underneath a tree, and
afterwards we went under a tent for shelter, and it
was there the connection took place. The gardens
were very crowded.
Other witnesses were called in support of the
plaintiff's case.
Mr. Denman said that the defence was that the
defendant never had connection with the plaintiff's
daughter. it was more case of affiliation than
seduction, but there was wanting the necessary
corroborative evidence required in both cases. There
was no pretence for saying that the defendant ever
paid his addresses to the sister, and all the acquaint-
ance he bad with Juliana was of the same free-and-
easy character with regard to kissing that appeared
to exist between him and the plaintiff's daughter
Marian. The meeting between them at the gardens
was accidental, and although the defendant went
to the gardens for an immoral purpose he did not
carry it out with the plaintiff's daughter. The
defendant at that time was ab0ut...21 years of age.

The Defendant was called.—He said—l am a
medical student at Guy's Hospital. My first acquaint-
ance with Marian arose in this way. I was walking
with a friend down Brunswick-street, in the Bo-
rough, when a man opened the door of one of the
houses and invited us in. We went in and found
several females there, and there was singing and
music and conviviality going on. Plaintiff and her
daughter were there. I saw her in the passage when
leaving. and I kissed her there and on the door-step.
Mr. Denman—Did she resist at all ?
Defendant—Oh, dear, no. (Laughter.)
Mr. Denman—Not more than was convenient to
you ?
Defendant—She made no resistance at all. I never
spoke to her again till I met her by accident in the
gardens. Spoke to me first in the gardens, and she
or her lady friend first touched me on the shoulder.
I did not take liberties with her that night. I
kissed her once or twice. (Laughter.)
Mr. Denman—Don't you call that a liberty ?
Defendant—The gardens were very crowded, and
there was no opportunity of my having intercourse
with her. I intended to have done so. I did not
make the promise stated by the plaintiff's daughter.
I did not ask her in direct terms to submit, but I
said something to that effect. I have not the least
idea what part of the gardens it was. It was my
intention if I had had an opportunity, but the gar-
dens were too much crowded.
Cross-examined—l never spoke to the brother be-
fore or since he invited us into his house in Bruns-
wick-street. I have seen " Juliana" frequently in
Brunswick-street and Trinity-square, Southwark.
I never took her to the Surrey-gardens.
The learned counsel having addressed the jury
for their respective clients,
The learned judge summed up, and
The jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff—
Damages, £2O.