The Sun.
London, England, 1853-08-16 00:00:00

TEE CONFLAGRATION AT DOVER.

The fire which broke out on Sunday evening, briefly
noticed in this journal of yesterday, was far from being
entirely extinguished at seven o'clock yesterday evening.
The property destroyed by this calamitous event, we re-
gret to state, has proved far more extensive than was
ex'ected. The loss that Messrs. Walker will sustain, it
is "understood, will approximate to, if not exceed 40,0001.
or 50,0001. The premises in whieh the disaster com-
menced were from forty to fifty feet in height, and each
department was filled with seeds or oils roughly valued
at nearly 60,0001., and it is very questionable whether
the salvage will amount to 8,0001. The machinery used
in the premises, consist;ng of two engines of from
twenty-five to thirty horse power each, has also been
reduced to a misshapen mass by the fury of the fire.
From the inquiries made yesterday by the brigade au-
thorities it was understood that near the factory stood a
school, and that during the afternoon of Sunday several
of the children had their attention directed to a strong
glare of light in the mills, which favours the supposition
that the fire had been burning for hours before it broke
out in flames. If such was the case, no doubt can be
entertained that it was occasioned from a quantity of
linseed overheating spontaneously.
One very fortunate circumstance is, that when the fire
was first seen, the authorities of the town, finding that
the tide was fast ebbing, at once closed the gates of the
basin, and kept plenty of water therein to supply the
engines. Had it not been for this precaution, the loss
of property would have been far more extensive than it
really has been, for a stock of oil and other goods, stored
in vaults dug out of the cliff, have thereby been saved.
The engines belonging the barracks, the Royal Ar-
tillery, the Commissioners of Pavements, the South-
Eastern Railway Company (from Dover and Folkestone),
as well as the company's firemen from Ashford, the sol;
diers of the 67th Regiment, the Rifle Brigade, and two
companies of the Royal Artillery, were all remarkably
soon on soon on the spot, and nothing could exceed the
admirable manner in which the men worked at the
engines, under the command of their officers. The
soldiers were regularly relieved every two hours ; twenty-
five were kept at each engine, and a similar number in
reserve, ready to supply their places as they became ex-
hausted from pumping.
Whilst the firemen were actively employed, a most
fearful accident took place, which there is strong ground
for supposing has been attended with the loss of several
Mr. Birkbeck, a gentleman connected with the South-
Eastern Railway Company, was busily engaged directing
the men in charge of the railway engines, when suddenly
a cry was raised that the cliff was falling. Mr. Birk-
beck and Mr. Burch, the chief clerk at the head station
brigade, 'had barely sufficient time to run away when a
portion of the cliff fell with a noise resembling the dis-
charge of a park of artillery, burying under it the hose
of one of the engines, and, it is feared, several persons
who were standing near. The mass of chalf that fell
from the cliff is nearly 50 feet high, and is estimated at
1,500 tons weight. - Some considerable time must there-
fore elapse before it can be clearly ascertained whether
any lives have been lost, and if so, how many. The
accident was owing to the intense heat of the fire causing
the chalk to swell.
The soldiers, in their anxiety to prevent the fire from
spreading, tore down several small buildings, which was
exceedingly fortunate, for had not such been done, the
flames would have travelled much further. Even with
this precaution the materials of the buildings thus razed
became ignited.
The town of Dover will suffer materially by the diaster,
as the mill destroyed was employed to furnish one por-
tion of the inhabitans with their weekly supply of water
for household purposes.
Mr. Superintendent Braidwood reports the mills of
Mr. Walker to be burned down, and the contents con-
sumed. Two engines and ten men are left to extinguish
the remainder of the fire. The insurance offices interested
in the loss are the Atlas. the Alliance, the Norwich
Union, the Globe, and the West of England.
The whole of the men employed at the mills must of
necessity be thrown out of employment for a considerable
time, as it will take several months to rebuild the exten-
sive range of premises.