The Sun.
London, England, 1853-12-05 00:00:00

GREAT FIRE IN THE CITY.

'A- fire of a very alarming nature, and attended with
the destruction of many
.thOtisand pounds worth 'of pro-
perty, broke out at midnight on Saturday, and up to five
o'clock last eveninOvas not entirely extinguished. The
scene of this. terrible disaster was an extensive pile of
warehouses in Upper Thames-street, in the occupation of
Messrs Selby and Co., Birmingham Brass and Iron Tubing
Company; Messrs Gomel! and Co., hair-brush manufac-
turers and perfumers ; and Messrs. Saunders, paper box
and bag mannfacturers, and several other merchants. roe
building, which was between eighty and ninety feet high,
contained seven spacious floors used as manufactories or
warehouses. A narrow cartway, called Anchor-alley,
separated Vintners' Hall from the burning premises on
the east side, and 'a similar court, termed Worcester-
place, ran on the western side between the building and
the extensive property belonging to Messrs. R. W.
Kennard and Co., stove and general iron merchants, so
that as soon as the fire began to gain a head it was
feared that many of the contiguous and opposite ware-
houses would have
.been destroyed. 'At that time the
fire appeared at the
,east end of the third floor, and it
was the opinion of the firemen that by great exertion
they would be enabled to confine it to that portion of
the biiilding. Unfortunately, for some time only a li-
mited supply of water could be obtained—barely suffi-
cient to allow the ••firethen to enter the building with
anything like safety. The men, however, in their
anxiety to, preserve the premises, entered the floor on
fire at one. end, aqd whilst 'directing the branch against
the flames, they shot to the other end of the warehouse,
and fired the whole_ of that part of the premisefi, so that
the principal clerk, the engineer, and two firemen, very
nearly perished. The fire was discovered by the police-
man on day, and the engines were very quickly on the
spot, together with a strong detachment of firemen and
police. • In'spite of every exertion, the flames continued
to 'spread ti the 'floors belonging to Messrs. Gosnell and
Co., enveloping the whole of the stock in trade belonging
to' that firm, valued at some thousand pounds sterling.
From that Tart of the premises the tire rushed into the
floors :13elonging ,to Messrs. Saunders,
paper box and bag makers, situated on the fifth and
sixth floors. The contents of those last-named floors
were of a most combustible nature.

Mr. Braidwood, on seeing that the fire was progressing
so rapidly, at once gave orders for one of the men to
call the powerful steam-float, lately built for the London
Brigade. The call was given from Southwark-bridge,
but so denSe was the fog at the time that the parties in
charge of the float knevi not for some time to which
side of the water to take the ponderous machine. Not-
withstanding, however, the many tons of water momen-
tarily scattered over the conflagration, the work of de-
vastation 'continued, and floor after floor kept falling
until five had been destroyed.
. . . . _ _

As to.the origin of the fire no satisfactory information
could be obtained. The whole of the workpeople left
at eight o'clock, when the premises appeared perfectly
safe.

The following is the official report of the damage
done :---

" Saturday, Dec. 3, 1853.—Called at twelve o'clock
p.m. by strangers and police to a fire on the premises,
numbered 68, Upper Thames-street, City, which did the
following damage :

" MeSsrs. Pi:ice and Gosnell, brushmakers and per-
fumers, occupying the second, third, and fourth floors
—Burned out, and the contents consumed. Insurance
unknown at present. The building belongs to the Mer-
chant Tailors Company, and was supposed to be in-
sured in the Royal Exchange Fire-office.

" Messrs. Selby and Johns, Birmingham Iron and
Brass Tubing Company, on the ground and first floors
—Damaged by fire and water. Insurance unknown at
present: _

" Messrs. J. and E. Saunders, paper-boxmakers
The fifth and sixth floors burned out, the contents de-
stroyed, and the roof burned out. Contents insured in
the Atlas Fire-office.

" No: 67, in the same street (Messrs. R. and W.
Kennard and iron manufacturers)—Side windows
hurned out-and Co.,ock damaged by water. Insurance
not known at present.

Vintners' Hall, in the same street--Roof of hall
damaged by breakage, water, &c. Building and con-
tents insured in the Royal Exchange Fire-office.
" The cause of fire unknown. The fire was extin-
guished by firemen with 5 A, 4 B, and D engines, and
the steam float of the London Establishment, one parish
engine, and that of the West of England-office. Water
from the Thames and New River; the latter scanty at
first." _

ALLEGED MURDER IN NEWGATE-
' MARKET.-SINGULAR CASE.

An inquest, which excited considerable interest, was
held by Mr. W. Payne, the coroner of London, on
Saturday last, at the Red Cross Tavern, Newgate-mar-
ket, on the body of John Charles, aged 28, a master
milkman and cow-keeper, who, it was alleged, had been
poisoned by some one in order to get possession of his
property. •
The inquiry was instituted in consequence of a -letter
having been sent to the coroner requesting him to be
kind enough to inquire into the cause of the deceased's
death, as it was strongly suspected that poison had been
administered to him in some gruel, and as his cows had
been diminishing in number, and his body after death
was found to be much swollen, the' writer thought it
it a fit case for an inquest. The coroner therefore gave
orders to the ward beadle to get what evidence he could,
and, at-the-same time, gave orders for a post mortem
examination of the body to be made.
The usual preliminaries of opening the court and
swearing in the jury having been gone through, the fol-
lowing evidence was taken by the coroner :
Arthur Wynn, of 2, Crown-court, Newgate, said
that he had known the deceased for some years.
He used to lodge at Mrs. Hookey's, the Blue Cross
coffee-house. He was a master milkman, and car-
ried on business at Mrs. Sharmen's the Oxford
Arms yard. On Thursday week, at half-past three
o'clock in the morning, on witness going to the
cow-house to milk the• cows, he found the deceased
lying on some hay in the loft. He asked him what he
wanted there ? When he replied that he had been out
late the over night, and could not get into his lodgings.
At the same time he said ho was very thirsty. A medi-
cal gentleman was sent for, who attended and pre-
scribed for him, but he died on Saturday week.
By the Coroner—l have no suspicion that anything
wrong has been given him. I have heard it rumoured
that he had been poisoned; but I do not believe it.
Charles Higgs, of 66, Union-street, Hoxton, said he
had known the deceased for eight months, during which
time he had suffered from a cough. He saw him on
Saturday week, when he told witness that he was going
to die. He also said that he had been drinking rather
freely. He did not complain of any wrong having been
done to him, and witness had no suspicion that anything
improper had been given to him.
Mr. Evan Riches, of 10, Dorrington-street, Brookes-
market, Holborn, said, that the deceased was his nephew.
He had not seen much of him lately, and was not present
at his death. He did not believe harm had been done
to him by any one.
The Coroner—Have ,you not administered to his pro-
perty ?
Witness—Yes,' I have, as being his nearest relative.
The Coroner—But is his father not alive ?
Witness-1 cannot tell.

A female present said that his father was alive.
John Jones, a, friend of deceased, said, that Six or
eight weeks ago he saw him beaten by a butcher, when
he complained of pains in his side. Another person
named Williams was also beaten at the same time.

Mr. Benjamin Williams, of 25, Addle-hill, dairyman,
said he had known the deceased for seven years. About
six-or seven weeks ago two men named Dowding and
Leo were drinking in a public house together, and the
deceased and witness were in another part of the room.
Witness made use of an expression which displeased
Dowding, when he thrust him in the throat so as to
nearly strangle him. The deceased remonstrated, when
Dowding seized him by the hair, and dashed his head
against the wall. He afterwards complained of his head
being sore.
Police-constable No. 294 of the City force said, that
on the day of the quarrel mentioned by the last witness
he was on duty, and in passing the house heard a scuffle,
which induced him to stand in front of the door. De-
cased and Williams said that Dowding had been ill-
using them.; but as he did not see him do so, and saw
no marks of violence on either, he advised-them to take
out a summons. •
Mrs. Elizabeth Wynn said that she attended on the
deceased during his illness, on and off, until he died.
She made him some gruel, which he took. On the
day that he died he sent for her husband and asked
him to_ take care of his property, and do the best he
could with' it, LIQ also fled some pencil§ to

whom he owed money, and requested that he would pay
them.

Mr. James Hay, surgeon, of Newgate-street, said that
le had known the deceased for many years. His health
'generally was good, unless when his breath was affected.
He was sent for on this occasion, and fOund him suffer-
ing from delirium tremens. He gave him medicine,
which appeared to do him good, but he got worse on the
Saturday morning, and died the same day. He had
since opened the body, but could discover, nothing to
lead him to suppose that poison of any kind had been
taken. The cause of death was from water on the chest
no doubt accelerated by drink.

The,co-roner ' having- summed up, the jury; returned a
verdicUti accordance with the medical evidence, andthe
proceedings, terminated.

FATAL EXPLOSION AT cirATHAm.

On Friday night, about half-past nine o'clock, the in-
habitants of Chatham were thrown into a state of excite-
ment in consequence of a rumour, that a dreadful explo-
sion had occurred at the new gasworks recently erected
near the St. IViary's Barracks for supplying the out-
parish of Gillingham with gas, and by which two lives
had been sacrificed.

It appears that two brothers, the Messrs. Rickon,
have erected, at their own expense, extensive works near
the river Medway, for the manufacture of gas on a large
scale. The gasometer had been erected, and everything
was so far completed that it was determined to fill the
gasometer, preparatory to lighting up the parish on the
following (Saturday) night. A large quantity of gas
had been admitted into the gasometer, Mr. Rickon him-
self superintending the operation, when it was found
that the gas was escaping from some part of it, and the
engineer (John Ormsby Culyer), and also a workman
named William Hall, proceeded to the top of it to see
from what part the leakage came, incautiously taking
with them a lighted candle. Mr. Rickson requested
Calyer not to venture, but he appears to have disobeyed
the order, for, immediately after reaching the top of the
gasometer, the gas, coming in contact with the flame of
the candle, blew up with a loud report. Culyer, the
engineer, was blown a great distance into the adjacent
marshes, and, when discovered was frightfully mangled,
and of course quite dead. The body of Hall has not yet
been discovered. The force of the explosion was so
great as to blow out the top of the gasometer and break
three of the guide lines. The other parts of the pre-
mises have received little or no damage.
The body of Hall is supposed to be under the gasom-
eter, whioh has several feet of water in it. It will be a
oonsiderable time before. the works are in a fit state for
the manufacture of gas, owing to this untoward acci-
dent.

The inquest on the body of Calyer, the engineer,
through- whom the accident originated, will be held on
Monday before the coroner, Mr. T. Hills.

SHIPPING RETURNS.

The shipping returns of the Board. of Trade for the
month ending the sth of November exhibit no great va-
riation fitim the figures of the corresponding month of
1852, the arrivals from Australia and elsewhere having
been. limited. Subjoined are the general totals : -
. Entered inward :