The Sun.
London, England, 1854-01-02 00:00:00

GREAT FIRE IN THE CITY.

On Saturday night the most extensive fire that has
occurred ic the City for some years broke out, and at
five o'clock last evening it was far from being extin-
guished, although a great number of engines had been
actively engaged during the whole time. The scene of
the disaster is a large space of ground in the busiest
part of the City, comprising Bread-street, Friday-street
Watling-street, and Cheapside, and it was covered by
some of the largest warehouses to be found in the me-
tropolis. From the fact of each building being filled
with goods of many thousands of pounds in value, it
will be seen that an enormous amount of property has
been destroyed,

The first discovery was made at half-past ten, by one
of the City police, who in patrolling his beat perceived
an unusual glare in the first flour of the premises be.longing to Messrs. William and Frederick Townsend,
hat manufacturers, and .111-essrs. Hutchinson and Spitler,
carpet warehousemen, No.. 5, Bread-street. These
premises were of considetable extent, being five
floors high, and stretching backwards nearly 100
feet to the rear of the large warehouses in Fri-
day-street. The officer, without a moment's delay, sprang
his rattle, and sent off for the engines at the Watling,-
street station, and from thence for a body of police. Al-
though the distance from the fire to the engine-house
was only a few yards, the work of devastation had been
so great in the interval, that on the firemen turning into
the street they found that the flames had already pierced
the various floors of the building, Without loss of time
the engines then present were set to work, but the fire
had now assumed such a formidable appearance as to defy
all their exertions, and it was deemed advisable to send
to the whole of the east, west, and south stations for
additional aid. The distance between the water side and
the burning property was too great for the powerful
steam float to be called into operation.

In less than half an hour after the alarm had first
been given, the brigade engines from Jeffrey-square,
Farringdon-street, Chandos-street, the West of Eng-
land, Southwark-bridge-road, Holborn, and various
other depots, had arrived ; and by this time the appear-
ance of the fire had become grand in the extreme, for
the flames rushing out of all the windows, and curling
over the carriage-road, were attacking the premises of
Messrs. Foster and Co., linen warehousemen, and those
of Messrs. Groucock and Co., warehousemen, numbered
respectively 60 and 61, on the opposite side of the street.
These last named premises extended backwards as far as
Bow Churchyard, so that if the fire had not been arrested
in its progress in that direction, the church would un-
questionably have been placed in great danger. The
brigade firemen, under the direction of the superinten-
dent, Mr.Braidwood, and of Mr.Fogo, the foreman, at once
turned their engines on those buildings, and by a copious
discharge of water, succeeded in beating out the flames,
but not until nearly all the front windows had been
burned out, and a great deal of damage done to the costly
contents, especially by water. Meantime the flames
continued to run along the back warehouses, firing in
succession the premises of Messrs. Liddiard and Co.,
warehousemen, 61, Friday-street ; those of Messrs. E.
Willett and Co., 63, in the same street ; and those of
Messrs. Mair and Son, No. 60, both warehousemen. At
the same time they attacked the warehouses of Messrs.
M'Kerrow and Sons, manufacturers, No. si, Bread-
street, and those of Messrs. Douglas and Co., likewise
manufacturers, No. 6, in the same street. The firemen
of the brigade and West of England office (the latter
being under the direction of Mr. Connorton), now made
a vigorous attempt to confine the fire within its present
limits, but without the least success, and it invaded the
extensive warehouses of Mr. Wm. May, jun., silk and
mohair manufacturer, No. 4, Bread-street ; Mr. Thos.
Greenless, warehouseman ; and Messrs. Broughton, Son,
and Co., hardware and button warehousemen.
At this period every one present expected it would
take a clean sweep through Friday-street and Cheapside,
for the back portion of the premises belonging to Messrs.
Fowne Brothers, patent sewn kid glove makers, 41, in
Cheapside, was already alight, and the flames from the
other houses were rising to a considerable distance, and
bringing out in hold relief the spire of Bow Church and
the dome of St. Paul's. The firemen, nothing daunted,
however, kept at their posts ; but all that could be done
for hours was to cut off the flames when they made any
attempt to extend to the contiguous houses.
In the premises of Messrs. Townsend were, besides
their great stock of manufactured goods, seven bags of
gum shellac, which blazed furiously the moment they
were ignited, and caused the whole of the extensi
glass roof of the show-rooms to fall in. The fi
mounted through the apertures thus made, and quickly
communicated to the adjoining property. The night
was exceedingly cold, and the water, though almost
hoilin,-; when it ran off the buildings, soon became frozen,
and greatly impeded the firemen in their labours. Icicles,
two or three inches long, were to be seen hinging from
the backs of their helmets ; and although the heat was
so great in Messrs. Townsend's premises, icicles nearly a
yard long hung from the front windows and from the
ceiling of the shop. The stairs of the other houses
through which the leather pipes had been taken were
also covered with ice, which made it exceedingly danger-
ous for the firemen to either ascend or descend by theta.

By one o'clock on Sunday morning the conflagration
was at its height. and such a body of flame has not been
seen within the boundaries of the City since the great
fire in Mark-lane, some years since. A crowd of many
thousands was attracted to the spot, but, owing to the
admirable arrangements of the City police, a way was
kept clear for the firemen, and no accidents occurred.
Nothing is at present known as to the cause of this,
the fourth great fire in the City, within the last fort-
night. The premises of Messrs. Townsend were closed
at 20 minutes past ten, and the last person who left had
barely left Old Change, when he heard the cry of "Fire"
given. He turned back, and found the house he had
just locked up in flames. It i 3, however, questionable
whether the fire broke out in those premises or in the
adjoining. Previous to locking up the warehouse for
the night the place was carefully inspected, the gas was
turned off at the main, and all the fires in the establish-
ment were supposed to have been properly extinguished.
The whole range of premises of the Messrs. Townsend
have been levelled with the ground, with the exception
of the bare front wall, and that is in a ♦ery dangerous
condition. The stock in trade was twice as heavy
as it was at the same time last year, but the whole has
been consumed. The books and vouchers belonging to
the firm were saved, having been deposited in one of
Mares fireproof safes. Fortunately, the sufferers were
insured both in the Sun and in the Legal Commercial
fire-offices.

The premises of Messrs. Broughton arid Son, No. 4,
Bread-street, are also destroyed, and the contents con-
sumed—insurance unknown at present.

The whole of the valuable stock in trade of Mr. Rt.
Greenless is also destroyed—insurance likewise un-

known.

The valuable stock of silks and mohair goods belong.
ing to Mr. Wm. May, jun., No. 4, Bread-street, have
been totally lost—insuranen likewise unknown.
The property of Messrs. Hutchinson and Spiller, ware-
housemen, is destroyed ; it is not known whether it was
insured or not.

Mr. Peter Marr, the proprietor of the Bull's Head
tavern, Bread-street, has also received a deal of damage
to his premises and stock by fire and water.
No. 54, Bread-street, in the occupation of Messrs.
111`Kerrow and Son, manufacturers, is burned down,
and the contents consumed—insurance unknown.

The premises of Messrs. Douglas and Co., 6, Bread-
street, are greatly burnt at the top, and the lower part
of the building is seriously damaged by water—insur-
ance unknown.

Messrs. Fosters, linen warehousemen, 61, on the
opposite side of the street, have the front windows
burned out, and serious damage done to the contents by
water—insured, but in what offices unknown.
No. 60, in the same street, Messrs. Groucock and Co.,
warehousemen, have had their premises similarly da-
maged—insurance not known.
The premises of Messrs. Thomas Stenhouse, and those
of Mr. P. M. Shannon, 6i, Bread-street, are likewise
partially destroyed.
A great deal of damage has been done to the premises
of Messrs. Bosch and Coath, Manchester 'warehousemen,
7 and 8, Bread-street, by fire and water. The firm was
insured, however, in several of the London fire-offices.
The pi incipal proprietor of the houses in this street
was Mr. Upton, of the Stock Exchange, and it is un
derstood that he invariably insured the whole of his
property.
In Friday-street, three or four of the large warehouses
are very much damaged by fire and water. The prin-
cipal loss is that of Me srs. Liddeard and Co., ware-
housemen, No. 61, who have bad one of their bre's.
warehouses entirely burnt to the ground. This firm
was insured in the Union, the London, the Liverpool,
and the Royal Exchange the-offices. The premises of
Messrs. Routlege and Co., No. 64, in the same street,
are greatly damaged by water; but no injury has been
done by the fire. Slight damage by fire has also been
received by the Messrs. Willett and Co., warehousemen
No. 63, in the same street ; insurance unknown at pre-
sent. No. 60, in the occupation of Messrs. Mair and
Co.' warehousemen, has also received damage by fire
and water, but fortunately not to a serious extent ; they
were insured in several offices.
The total 10,,s will, of course, amount to a vast sum!;
and but for the extraordinary exertions of the firemen,
property valued at, at least, half a million sterling,
in the immediate neighbourhood would have been re-
duced to ashe.7,