The Sun.
London, England, 1865-05-19 00:00:00

staircases 27 feet high), thereby severing the two main
arteries of traffic, and which, if so carried into effect, must
occasion great loss and injury to the trade and property of
Farringdon ward. The plan submitted by the ward pro-
vided for direct communication between the high and low
level, and was one which should be adopted, inasmuch as
it not only remedied all evils which the bridging over the
Holborn valley was intended to obviate, but in addition
greatly improved Farringdon-market, making it easily ac-
cessible for traffic, and also the various streets and
thoroughfares adjoining. The petitioners said they had
carefully examined the financial part of the question, and
that by the adoption of the ward plan a great saving would
be effected, inasmuch as two streets contemplated by the
corporation plan and which would cost £300,000, would be
entirely superseded ; and further, that in order to provide
for the necessity of an approach from the south, not con-
templated in the City plan, an increased cost of £lOO,OOO
at the very least would have to be incurred, but which the
adoption of the ward plan would render unnecessary.
They also adverted to the fact that by the adoption of the
ward plan the property in Farringdon-street and its neigh-
bourhood would largely increase in rateable value, irrespec-
tive of the annual value of the arches under the roadways,
which would realise at least £3,000 a year. They, there-
fore, prayed the Court to cause a reconsideration of the
whole subject.
The petitioners underwent examination from different
members of the Court as to the details of their plan, Mr.
Deputy Lott eliciting from them that their plan did not
include side streets, and if it had the attendant expense
would be greater than that of the corporation plan.
Mr. Deputy FRY, the chairman of the improvement
committee, to whom the work of raising the valley has
been entrusted, said the corporation plan was adopted after
anxious consultation with eminent engineers, and after-
wards received the sanction of Parliament in all its great
leading features. He never looked upon that plan as
complete. It had certain failings, which the committee
hope to have obviated. The plan of Mr. Abrahams,
which was so lightly recommended by the petitioners, had
been carefully considered by the committee, assisted by the
City architect, but they had rejected it, on the grounds
chiefly that it divided and narrowed two noble streets—
Farringdon-street and Farringdon-road, and concentrated
and crossed the traffic, which it had been a great object
with the corporation of late years to distribute on the very
centre of the proposed viaduct. The corporation plan on
the other hand would diffuse the traffic by four different
streets, and prevent any of that from the north or south
coming upon the viaduct at all. Another objection to the
plan of Abrahams was that it contemplated taking down
the whole of the western side of Faffingdon-street. Re-
plying to the statement by the petitioners that, according
to the corporation plan, there were no means of getting from
the low to the high level, he said the corporation proposed
that there should be a street from Farringdon-street to
Shoe-lane, leading from the low to the high level, and at
the same time improving the approaches to the market.
There would be similar facilities for ascending from Far-
ringdon-road to the higher level, while there would be a
main thoroughfare running east and west. The corporation
would also take permissive powers to widen Fleet-lane and
at the same time to afford additional facilities for reaching
the high level.
After some further discussion,
Alderman Sir J. DUKE moved that the petition be re-
ferred to the improvement committee with the view to their
hearing further evidence on the general subject before
deciding to adopt any plan.
The motion was lost on a division by a large majority,
and the court adjourned.

The Fatal Accident to Captain Newberys

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Yesterday afternoon Dr. Lankester held an in-
quiry at the Bank of England Tavern, Church-
street, Paddington, into the death of Capt. Henry
Charles Le Clame Newbery, of the 51st Madras
Native Infantry. The deceased was 33 years of
age, and a son of the late Col. Newbery, of Park-
lane, Hyde-park. He had been on furlough from
India, and while proceeding home by the road
leading from Praed-street to Bishop's-road, Pad-
dington, a boundary wall which was attached to a
coal depot connected with the Great Western Rail-
way fell and caused his death. Mr. A. Newbery, a
brother of the deceased, said he saw Capt. Newbery
in the hospital after the accident. At that time he
was sensible, but could give no account of the acci-
dent In answer to the coroner the witness said that
everybody of whom he had made inquiry knew that
sufficient care was not taken with regard to the wall.
Mr. S. Woodman, house surgeon at St. Mary's Hos-
pital, said that deceased was brought in about half-
past 6 o'clock on Monday evening. He was suffering
from severe wound on the left eye. The frontal bone
was fractured, and the back part of the head was
much injured. His death was not caused by any
operation. He had made a post-mortem examination
and should say the immediate cause of death was
exhaustion from the shock the deceased sustained,
coupled with the injuries. Police-constable Fisher,
D 293, deposed to seeing the wall fall down, about
half-past 6 o'clock on Monday evening. The wall
was near to the gates belonging to the Great West-
ern Company. On hearing a noise he went to the
spot, and found a man's hat in the road. The coals
inside the wall had fallen down, and some persons
began at once to clear them away. Witness, find-
ing that the gentleman whom he had seen passing
disappeared, concluded that he was buried under the
coals. The people removed two or three feet of coal
before they could get- to deceased, a circumstance
which induced the coroner to remark that it was a
marvellous thing how he could have survived at all.
A cab proprietor, named Hogben, was called, and
said that he was waiting for the express train, and
saw the wall fall. He tad often called the attention
of a person he supposed to be connected with
the railway to the dangerous condition of the wall,
but he had never kno vn it to fall before. - It
was a mere parting wall, one brick thick. The jury
expressed a wish to know what was the quantity of
coals placed against the wall ; and Mr. John Scott,
who described himself as an agent of the Lilleshall
Coal Company, was called, and promised that if the
inquiry were adjourned he would be prepared with
the fullest information. He thought about 40 tons
of coals had fallen, and he attributed the accident
to vibration caused by the railway trains. The
coroner, addressing the jury, said they had heard
enough to show what was the nature of the accident,
but a great deal of evidence must necessarily be
forthcoming, and an adjournment would be indis-
pensable. The inqury was then adjourned until 10
o'clock on Monday, the 29th inst.