The Sun.
London, England, 1854-10-09 00:00:00

THE NEWCASTLE CATASTROPHE.

NEWCASTLE, SATURDAY.—The conflagration in the two
adjoining towns of Newcastle and Gateshead, some details
of which we published on Saturday, appears to be the
most disastrous aid extensive that any town in England
has sustained since the great fire of London.
The most praiseworthy exertions have been made for the
relief of the hundreds who.have been rendered houseless by
this calamity. The town councils of the towns met, and
entered into persoral subscriptions for their relief, and the
boards of guardians have also held meetings, and taken
such steps as the urgency of the case demanded. These
steps are only preliminary to a general subscription on the
part of the inhabitants, which it is expected will take
place in the beginning of next week. The managers of
the Theatre Royal, and the performers, aro about to give
the use of the house and their services gratis, for a
benefit to the unfortunate sufferers, on Tuesday evening
next. It is understood that a great portion of the shops
and worehouses destroyed were insured, and it is estimated
that the loss will fall heavily on the local insurance offices.
The amount of property destroyed is estimated, in the
lowest possible warner, at from 50,000/. to 1,000,0001.
SUNDAY NIGHT.—Six bodies found in the ruins; all
shockingly mangled. Three died in infirmary. The fire is
still smouldering in the ruins, the workmen being driven
away by sulphuric fumes.
No further deaths had occurred at the Infirmary during
the night. The number of the sufferers there is 53.
In the dead.-house on the Quayside lies the body of
Robert Laidler, engineer, Gateshead, who was found in
the hold of the brig Famellen, lying at Newcastle Quay,
having been blown entirely across the river by the explo-
sion. He was found in the hold in the morning, a mass of
mutilation. Three hats and two mechanics' caps were
found in the same vessel—one of them marked " Joseph
Richardson."

Of the soldiers about 40 men in all received injury, prin-
cipally by the rubbish falling upon them. Fifteen of them
were dismissed from,thediospital next day ; the remainder
have received severe lacerated wounds. Two of the officers,
Captain Hussey and Captain Whinfield, were dragged out
of the rubbish by the heels, otherwise they would have
perished. The officers say that but for the men sticking to
each other in the way they did, a much greater destruction
of life would have taken place.
The following is a list of offices and other buildings re-
duced to ruin by the fins on the Quayside :—Messrs. Orna-
ston and Smith, stationers; Mr. James J. Scott, broker ;
Mr. A. Clark, broker; Mr. Murdock, sailmaker ; Messrs.
Alexander and Wood ; Mr. Robson, fruiterer ; Mr. Harbot-
tie, draper ; the Office of the Pelaw Main Colliery ; the
Office of the Birtley Iron Company; Mr. Teasdale, Dun
Cow Inn ; Mr. Batey's public house ; Mr. Fisher, fruiterer ;
Messrs. Smith and. Co., drapers ; Mr. FairbrOther, clock
and watchmaker; Messrs. L:ticieman and Co., brokers;
Mr. Snowdon, grocer; Messrs. Cowan and Lee's offices;
W. J. Van Han-xergen and Co.'s offices, Mr. J. Ormston's
offices, Messrs. J. Carr and Co.'i offices, Messrs. C. Lotinga
and Co.'s offices, Mr. C. W. Mowbray's premises, Mr. Wil-
son's offices, Mr. Mark Thompson's premises, Messrs. A.
Parker and Co.'s offices, Mr. Buckhain's sail lofts, Mr. D.
Don's offices, Mr. John Lawrence's ofLices, Mr. Schmalz and
Co.'s offices, Mr. Charles Bertram's office s; Mr. Davison's, the
Rising Sun Inn; Mr. Morrison's sail loft, Mr. W. Berkeley's
malting, Messrs. Ayton's corn loft, Mr. ll'uy's biscuit factory,
the Norfolk Hero public-house, Mr. Cha ries West's offices,
Mr. George Wraith's offices, the Barrington Colliery office,
the Netherton Colliery office, Mr. Birk enshaw's offices,
Messrs. Carr and Barras's offices, Mr. Hunt's offices, the
Burnhope Colliery offices, Mr. Hutton, b:ock and mast
maker ; Messrs. S. and M. Lotinga and Co., Ilfr. Pearson,
Grey Horse Inn ; Mr. George Gray's offices, Mr. Scheele's
offices, Mr. H. P. Mork's offices, Mr. M. Plums, Joseph
Cowen, jun., Blaydon Burn Colliery; Messrs. John
Rogerson and Co., Mr. Heslop, china deaer.

INQUEST ON THE SUFFERERS.
On Saturday forenoon Mr. Favell, coroner for North
Durham, opened an inquest on tha bodies of the sufferers,
in the Town Hall, Gateshead. The jury having returned
from viewing such of the bodies as had not bean removed
from the police station by permission of the coroner,
The Coroner read over the list of the dead :
Robert Pattinson, aged 38, tanner, and town councillor.
Charles Hamilton, aged 53, hairdresser.
Cranmer Hastings Paynter, aged 19, ensign in her
Majesty's 26th Regiment.
John Stephenson, lance corporal ditto.
Anthony Willis, aged 60, of Gateshead, skinner.
Charles Duke, aged 12, bricklayer's apprentice.
Charles Duke, aged 45, father of the above.
Francis Conway, aged 6, son of D. Conway, blacksmith,
(killed in his own house by the roof falling). •
The above wore mostly got out of the rubbish, and were
apparently killed by the explosion. There are others
missing, namely, Mr. Charles Bertram, a magistrate ; Mr.
Wm. Davison, jun., miller ; Mr. Henry Harrison, cooper,
of Newcastle, besides a female and two firemen.
Mr. Robert Sloan, sergeant in her Majesty's 26th Regi-
ment, and Mr. Robert Harrison Wilson, surgeon to the
police force and to the board of guardians, having given
evidence agreeing with our account of Saturday, the
Coroner said he would adjourn the inquiry until Wednes-
day, and in the interval ho would call in the assistance of
an eminent chemist to assist the jury in coming to a con-
clusion with regard to the character of the material in the
warehouse at the time of the explosion. The inquest was
then adjourned.
Mr. H. G. Liddell, M.P., and other magistrates, with
the town clerk of Gateshead, were present during the pro-
ceedings at the inquest.

THE NEWCASTLE CATASTROPHE.---In consequence of a
communication from the Mayor luid Corporation of
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, on behalf of tire inhabitants, re-
questing the aid of a Government officer in an inquiry
into the late fatal disaster in that town, the Secretary
of State has directed Captain Ducane, of the Ordnance,
to be present, and to assist in the proposed investiga-
tion. The storing of any large amount of gunpowder
in an inhabited town is clearly against the law, and ex-
poses the transgressors to heavy penalties. Nowever,
in this case it may turn out that the distressing casualty
might have been caused by explosive materials not in a
perfectly manufactured state. In the face of such an
appalling calamity, however, the strictest investigation
is considered necessary.—Observer.