The Sun.
London, England, 1853-09-12 00:00:00

LATE ACCIDENT IN THE STRAND.

The following evidence was adduced before the coro-
ner's jury, after we closed up our report of the proceed.
ings in our first edition on Saturday :
William Shrimplin, carpenter, recalled. In answer
to the coroner and jury he deposed—l have been en-
gaged on these works for the last eight weeks as a car-
penter and joiner. lam in the employ of Mr. Lucas,
and was ordered to put up two shores by Mr. Abra-
hams, who is the surveyor to his Grace the Duke of
Norfolk. Mr. Abrahams said he would wish to have
everything safe. After that, Mr. Rowe came and I
took my orders from him. He told me that Mr. Abra-
hams had ordered some more shores to be put up,
and we put up three more double shores. The first
two were at the end of the house—the end nearest the
Strand. They were about 10 feet apart. The top shore
was 40 feet ,long, and the lower one about 30 feet.
There were altogether five double shores and three
single ones, and they were all about 10 or 12 feet
apart. The first were put up about six weeks ago,
and the last three about three weeks ago. The tim-
ber used, in my judgment, was sound, solid, good
timber, suited to the purpose. I have been a carpenter,
and joiner all my life, and have had considerable experience
in framing of different kinds, and the nature of the
shoring required for such purposes. lam quite satisfied
that the shores were sufficient. The wall was about 50
feet high. From the base of the wall to the foot of the
shore was 14 or 15 feet, so that the shores, which were
30 feet long would reach up the wall about 25 feet, and
those which were 40 feet long would reach up about 36
feet. Above the shores, therefore, there was about 16
or 20 feet of wall. I thought that the shoring was
quite sufficient for such a wall. I needle my shores,
not through the wall, but about six or seven inches into
fhe wall, having a cross plank to receive them of
9-inch deal, by three inches, by 14 feet. The wall was
very tender. It was an old wall, and the mortar didnot
appear to have mach strength. I think it would not
have been desirable, therefore,to needle the shores througl
' the wall. I apprehended no danger myself, not a bit,
or I should not have been at work under the wall. I
was at work under the wall, within two or three yards
of it, when I heard the crack and it fell, Mr. Rowe
was these also also. We both ran, but he stumbled and
fell. When I heard the crack I looked up and saw the
wall sinking. It fell out about 12 feet from the top, and
then it all came down together. We had dug down below
the footings of the house, about 13 inches in one
or two places. We thought the shores sufficient, and I
found that my shore stood to the last, until they cracked
by the weight of the falling house. We bad shores at
the back end of the house towards the short wall that
cracked, some part of which fell on Tuesday. About a
cartload of that wall fell on Tuesday, but it was not con-
nected with the house, and we made it all secure. I put
in solid wedges to prevent the shores from shifting.
A Juror—Do you think that those 18-inch holes that
you have mentioned had the effect of weakening the
wall ! _ _

Witness—l don't know that it weakened it much. I
should certainly say that it " wouldn't do it no good."
The Juror. At whose direction did you dig those
trenches?

Witness—At Mr. Rowe's. We did not dig under-
neath the foundations of Mr. Thompson's house. Ido
not know the district surveyor, and am not aware
whether he has seen the property lately. I have not, to
my knowledge, seen the district surveyor upon the pre-
mises at all.

By Mr. Bodkin—There had been some houses re-
moved and the materials taken away, and upon the site
of those premises the new ones were being built. Having
placed a hoarding round, we proceeded to do the
first thing essential in building, which is to dig
for the foundations. When we did that against the
party-wall of the house that has fallen, we found that in
some places the wall did not come down so low as we
had dug. That was the case in one or two places, but
in other parts the wall did come down, and stood beneath
our excavations. Where it did come down to that
extent we put in jack-shores to carry that part where
the foundation of the party-wall did not come down to
our excavations. I was up on the roof of the next
house, No. 184, three days before the accident, with
a plumb-line. I held the plumb bob and Mr. Rowe
stood below, and we found that the wall was not
above an inch or two out of the upright. Mr. Rowe
was quite satisfied, and said there was no danger. Mr.
Abrahams came constantly to see the progress of the
works, and I never heard him express any fear of their
safety. I never heard him say that the shoring was not
safe, and he made no complaints. Mr. Rowe was a
man of great experience, and was considered a clever
man in the trade. We had orders both from Mr. Lucas
and Mr. Rowe to send to the yard the moment any-
thing was wanted, no matter what the expense, and we
always got whatever we wanted immediately:
By Mr. Hawkins—There were no struts or shores of
any kind whatever placed inside the cellar, or inside the
party-wall, to resist the pressure from the wedging up
of the outside shores.

Mr. John Bush, builder,' of 3, Mill-street, Lambeth,
next presented himself. He deposed to the general fact
that he had been employed by Mr. Thompson to examine
the wall and to see that no permanent injury was done.
He consequently saw Mr. Abrahams several times upon
the subject, and was satisfied with the mode in which
the works were being conducted. Mr. Thompson himself
was anxious that the party-wall should not be pulled
down, on account of the inconvenience it would occa-
sion to him in his business. He was not aware that
either Mr. or Mrs. Thompson was apprehensive of dan-
ger. A portion of the parlour wall was down on Tues-
day afternoon when he was there last with Mr. Thomp-
son, and he was satisfied that that was insecure but that
would not affect the main wall in any way, and before
taking that wall down they certainly ought to have
shored it, both from the inside and the outside.
He thought the cause of the accident had been the giv-
ing way of the floors and the lower part of the wall
failing and bulging out, which it would do on account
of the shores resting only against the upper part. Had
there been shores under the timber joists below, he did
not think the accident would have happened. As it
was, for want of support the wall bulged out below the
point where the raking shores supported it, and came
down, and of course the upper part followed it.
Mr. James Henderson was next called and examined.
He said :—I am a photographic artist, and did reside
at No. 184, Strand, until quarter-day last. I now
reside at No. 204, Regent•street. I was last in the
house in the Strand on Tuesday evening about
7 o'clock. I occupied the first floor and top floor,
front and back. I have noticed a crack in the front wall
of the house exactly at the angle where the front
and party wall unite. It has been getting worse ever
since the digging at the end of the house commenced.
On Tuesday ast I put my flat hand up to the
knuckles into it. i I complained of it to Mr. Thompson,
and he said there was no fear whatever. The last time
that I complained was, I should think, about a month
ago. I was always complaining. I first entertained
fears when the work began in October, and in fact I took
away my property and carried on my business elsewhere
for three months. I have not slept there since last
quarter-day. There was a crack right along the top of
the room on the first floor also, and another in the
room above, through which the rain used to beat in.
I drew the attention of Mr. Thompson and of Mr. Phil-
lips, who is Mr. Abraham's principal clerk, to the cir-
cumstance, and Mr. Thompson always replied that it
was quite safe. I have nothing further to say, except
that I think the house might have stood for many years
if they had not commenced digging so near to it. Upon
Tuesday I thought that it seemed worse, and some per-
sons who came in to have their portraits taken spoke of
the strange vibration in the house. I take it that the
vibration was occasioned by the weight of the traffic and
the unsoundness of the foundations. . _

The coroner here intimated that the case must be ad-
iourned, and in the meantime, before they re-assembled,
he should like to have the ground cleared and a plan of
the property prepared.
Mr. Hawkins said it would be very desirable if two
or three independent surveyors would also examine the
premises.
The Coroner said that he had no power under the
act either to make such an examination, or to pay the
gentlemen who made it. He could only pay them for
their attendance according to the usual scale for wit-
nesses, and the expenses of these investigations were
very jealously watched by the magistrates at quarter
sessions.

Mr. Bodkin, on the part of the Messrs. Lucas, said
they were most anxious to further the inquiry in any
way they could, their only object being to elucidate the
truth.

Mr. Ford, on behalf of the Messrs. Smith, volunteered
to bear the expense of employing either one or two or
three surveyors, to be named by the coroner, so desirous
were they for a thorough investigation.
Mr. Abrahams then observed that he should be quite
ready to present himself for examination upon any
future occasion.
After some conversation as to the most convenient
day for resuming the investigation, it was ultimately
I adjourned until the 19th inst.

A MONUMENT TO NAPIER.—Of course there will be a
monument for Napier ; it is his due by the custom of
the country. It is not due only to him, but to the
country itself ; for it is the only use to which we can
now put him to make him a standard for those that
follow. Where to put the monument ? We know of no
place better than on the very head and front of the dis-
trict which constituted his last command—on the shores
of England, where he would have stood so well to defend
us if we had been attacked, and where his very name
may be a word to remind the foe what sort of a man an
Englishman may be. Nay, it appears to us that we
owe him yet another tribute—it is to give him a worthy
successor. We do not mean in the colonelcy of his regi-
ment—a post of command, alas ! which has become half
honorary, half commercial in its character—but we mean
in that district which was for all its historical and politi-
cal associations so well allotted to a man like Napier—
the Kent militia district. If titles do not stray to men
like Napier, let not the patronage of that district stray
amongst mere titled commanders, but let some truly able
man who seeks to emulate Napier's powers as a soldier,
with his devotion as a patriot, be posted on that fore-
most part of England amongst the English people. Let
such a man be appointed, if such can be found.—The
Leader.
TREATY WITH THE REPUBLIC/ OF THE EQUATOR.--.he
Treasury
Lords Commissioners of her Majesty's have
caused to be transmitted to the Commissioners of Cn
s-
toms, for their information and guidance, and the eofficers
under their control, a
copy of a treaty of commerce
and navigation between ber Majesty P and the Re übli•
of the Equator, and the Commissioners have caused
copies
copies of the same to be transmitted to their officers
at the several ports throughout the United Kingdom
for their future government in the matter.