The Sun.
London, England, 1854-10-08 00:00:00

DREADFUL CATASTROPHE IN _NEW-
CASTLE AND GATESHEAD

From a Third Edition cf the Newcastle Chi% mide of
Friday, October 6.
About 20 minutes to one o'clock this mornb a fire
broke out in the worsted manufactory of Me sgrs. Wil-
son and Son, in Hillgate, Gateshead, which sp re ad with
inconceivable rapidity, and in less than half an hour
the'place was from top to bottom one immense sheet of

fire.
The manufactory, it will be remembered, e va.s burnt
down, just about three years ago, and has only- been re-
cently rebuilt in a most substantial manner, "sbut the
large quantity of oil which was upon the premisE is offered
such food to the flames that no part of the sto ci could
possibly be rescued.
The adjoining premises were of a most sub stantial
character, having been built for a bonding stoi es a few
years ago. The contents were chiefly sulphur, and the
intense heat soon caused that substance to alt. It
then escaped in a burning state from the windio w, and
had a most remarkable effect.
About two o'clock Messrs. Wilson's manufactex y was
a total wreck, and the flames had nearly spent them-
selves on its contents. The firemen, accordingly, turned
their attention to the stores ; but, in spite of ever exer-
tion, they were wholly unable to stay the progress of the
flames, which gradually spread over the whole pr smises.
The warehouses were fully 80 feet in length, by 20 in
width, and six stories high ; and about 3 o'clocli ~ when
the whole range was one body of fire, the sight • was one
of the most awfully magnificent which can well be ima-
gined.
But we regret to add that far the worst remais ts to be
told. It is unnecessary to say that such afi natu-
rally attracted the affrighted inhabitants of boil t towns
to the banks of the river, and about ten mini x :,es past
three a vast crowd was assembled. Suddenly a. tremen-
ous explosion—such an explosion as we nev ec r heard
before and never wish to hear again—proceeded :from the
burning mass ; and ignited materials, bricks, . atones,
metal, and every article near NV 9.3 thrown int o the air
with tremendous force, only to fall again upon I;la( dense
masses of people all around. A prodigious qi tensity
was thrown entirely across the river, and scores: .f spec-
tators upon the Quayside were thrown down. a ad in-
jured, many of them being rendered insensible. TI -e mass
of burning embers set fire to the ships, and cm nil ig, over
the Quay, entered into the houses opposite ; atnt a a mo-
ment the shops of Messrs. Spencer and Sons, :.‘lessrs.
Smith and Ormston, and Messrs. Smith and (.10. , were
in a blaze, while the uninjured standers by ruslase I off in
all directions in search of safety ; several ens lea voured
to assist their more unfortunate neighbours ; but as no
one was left to endeavour to stop the flames, of course
the new conflagration raged with frightful vi het uence,
and the shops above-mentioned, the offices ab‘sve them.
the public houses of Mr. Teesdale and Mr. Be to y, and
ninny private dwellings, were consumed in, eel npara-
tively speaking, a few minutes. rat the same ti me the
workshops of Arr. Edgar, at the head of the :".4- ~,r
r.
St sire, ignited by the same cause, were blast
fearful rapidity, and being situated in one of the r • ensest
pelts of the town, seemed to threaten wile.si ire; el de-
struction.
About four o'cllck, the fire, having wrought its way
amongst the closer,'-piled houses situated et, -t;le, b; (if
the Quayside, broke through into the Butcher B:zu K, at
Mr. Temple's paper warehouse. This wee s,er one
sheet of flame, and in little more then half ae-144.)t r the
house was an entire rein. By this time the flat•at 3 had
also broken into the Bank at a furniture warehou, me occu
pied by Mr. Piper, a little further up, and with o tench
violence that attempts to check it would have be it vain,
even if the means of doing so had been at hand. As it
was the explosion had put the fire-engines entir 51:7 hors
de combat at Gateshead, the stand-pipes and mar .y of the
men having been buried in the ruins.
Six o'clock a.m.—The frontage of the Quay side for
more then fifty yards from the Grinding Char a, is en-
tirely levelled, and a clear view presented of t' le rifled
and rained lanes and chares between the Qua' rmu d the
Butcher Bank. In these the fire is still in nor ne ..)laces
burpinf, with violence, and in others only smo old ering.
Parts-of the framework of houses are still eta uding
amongst the smoke, but as a whole the buil.iingi ; have
fallen into a shapeless mass of smoking debyit,.. The
house next to Mr. Snowden's bonded store is •in tirely
in the poker of the flames, and must soon An
interval of two houses then occurs, in which thi re is
little fire, and as their walls and interior harp been
well wet, it is barely possible that they may yet es cape.
The -fire has, however, got hold of the next, h once,
occupied by Mr. Morrison, sail-maker, and of
and indicates that behind it the ravage s of
the devouring element are is progress. As a last
resort to check its progress down the Qu sy an
attempt is being made to pull down a house a fee r doors
shove the Custom-house, in order to make a clea r space
which the lire may not be able to overleap. A. sea•ong
cable, passed round the upper part of a house, h as been
affixed to a steamer, which is endeavouring to pr ll it
down. At the upper end of the quay, the railway fire-
engine has been brought into operation, and may pro-
bably prevent the fire extending in that direction.
In the Butcher Bank the fire has been slightly got
under, and by maintaining the chief supporting pea of
Mr. Piper's shop, the framework of the house has I seen
prevented from falling. Many houses are, hoere ver,
completely gutted. The third house from the tot t of
Pilgrim-street has fallen down, entirely destroyed_ The
water from a hose-pipe has prevented the flames from
extending fuither on either sine of the street-frrin tare,
but the mass of buildings between the George-sta lrl s and
the Butcher Bank is still burning furiously. A. pipe,
apparently with a good supply of water, has le lei got
down the stairs, and may have some effect in as re Ming
or limiting the work of destruction.
GATESHEAD.
The explosion here, besides doing immense dar cage,
naturally helped to increase the extent of the fire., The
old houses in Hillgate were left one mass of ruins s; seve-
ral of them took fire together, and being already-:heated
by the flames, they fell a ready prey. In great u ses.sure,
however, the destruction has been confined to t he ware-
houses on the river side, and these to an extent of more
than one hundred yards are totally destroyed, me of
them continuing to burn fiercely up to eight o'clok.
LOSS OF LIFE AND PERSONAL INJURIES.
As yet it is impossible to learn the extent of the loss
of life caused by the explosion. Two soldiers veer e, we
believe, killed on the spot at Gateshead ; and on New-
castle-quay two spectators, who were thrown. down,
like many others, by the concussion, were also, choked
by the sulphurousevapour which was borne as cross the
river. This occurred, it is to be recollected, at a dis-
tance of at least one hundred and fifty yards from
the scene of the explosion ! In the police station at
Gateshead there were ten dead bodies lying, at eight
o'clock ; one of these was an infantry soldier. One
woman was known to be buried in the debria of the
houses on Church-walk, part of her body:being exposed,
but at the time it was impossible to reach her from the
accumulation of material upon her. One family in the
same place was completely overwhelmed, but were for-
tunately got out without any serious damage. The
amount of slight wounds and bruises it would be impos-
sible to compute, literally dozens of persons were going
about with bruised limbs or wounded heads. Among
the dead is Ensign Paynter, of the 26th Canaerorians.
He was buried amongst the ruins of a house in
and hie body was not recovered till some hours after
the occurrence.
At the Infirmary, between 40 and 50 wounded people
have been received, and others are being brought. Most
of them are very severely bruised, but others have only
required their injuries to be dressed, and were then
enabled to leave.
In the bond warehouse of Mr. C. Bertram was depo-
sited a quantity of nitrate of soda, naptlia, sulphur., and
other highly inflammable material, llut as far as 07. n be
ascertained there was lid gunpowder in the place.. The
articles enumerated, though of a highly coribuslible
nature, are not explosive, and it is supposed that some
combination of gases, generated by the fusion of the ma-
terials, had made the explosion which has been so dis-
astrous. The force of the shock was distinctly felt as
far as Dunston, and one gentleman was awoke Ily it in
that village. As an instance of the immense force of
the explosion, a piece of timber of about nine feet long
and twelve inches in thickness was thrown from Cates-
head to the roof of the Ridley Arms, in Pilgrim-street.
Into one place, at least 200 yards from Jl;eigale, a
stone, which would weigh about half a hundred weiebt,
was hurled by the force of the explosion, but happily it
fell in a yard without doing any harm. A, smaller stone,
however, fell a little beyond this and 'oroke in the roof
of a house, and a bar of red hot iron was blown into the
High-street. •
Scarcely a house in the middle and lower part of New-
castle has escaped from damage by the explosion. On
the Sandhill nine out of ten shop fronts and house win-
dows were completely blown out. In Dean-street, Mos-
ley-street, and their neighbourhoods, the same effects
are observable, and many of the old houses on the Quay
are left little better than wrecks. Even in Grey-street
windows and gas-lamps have been shattered. In all
parts Of the town the sleeping inmates of houses were
roused. In St. Thomas's Crescent—three-quarters of a
mile from the place of the explosion—the people awoke
under the conviction that a piece of ordnance had been
fired in close proximity to their windows, and some of
them lighted candles and searched their houses.

The following a -----
re a few random
subsequent to 10 o'clock this
10 o'clock a.m.— particulars, collected
ins is forenoon :
flying missile, and had a.m.—lnspector
crteor Little was struck by a
IL ribs, his arm, and uncle
broken. Police-constables
or less injured. An unfortunate amnedmFb iedrd
oa
fs
twheer weremore
Gates-
bead force, named Scptt, was
sight at the Gateshead station is killed
on the spot. The
.ost horrifying. Ten
bodies were stretched on the floaorrin,eone in the attitude
waa; aanother with his
of shielding his face with his
Taiw.re calcined
hands at his heart. One body
ibnahrabteir.
mass, and the leg of another was burnt
named Hamilton was among the number. ThAe
tants of the vicinity are still running about in
fearful distraction. Every hour only adds to the state
general
consternation, consternation, as fresh discoveries of loss are
made. The sight presented by one poor woman wa,mg
truly heartnding. She had lost four children in the
v
debris at Hillgate. The surgery of Mr. S. W. Rayne
in Westgate-street was crowded by the injured members
of the, police force, to whom be is surgeon, and every
attention was paid to them.
On the Newcastle side the fire still rages. The pro-
perty in this locality is now nearly all in ruins. The
provision shop 4 Mrs. Shiel, with a row facing All
Saints' Church, including Mrs. M‘Kie's premises, are
totally destroyed. Within the sacred edifice the de-
struction is most complete. The beautiful stained glass
windows on each side of the pulpit representing the arms
of the Corporation and Trinity House, are irreparably
demolished ; the doors are torn from their fastenings,
Nnd the body of the church is strewed with the Splinters
--- ankt•Nlgment9 of glass. During the conflagration, Mr.
inson the police superintendent, had a narrow escape.
e,,was standing on a burning building, from which
-:-../