The Sun.
London, England, 1825-05-26 00:00:00

DREADFUL FIRES

DESTRUCTION OF THE MANSION OF LEVY .SO-
. LOMON, ,BY FIRE.
•
Between one ando4o'clock ottMonday morn
ing the horizon was illuminated to a vast extent by the reflec,
tion or cine of thelargest•fires•We have seen-Since those in Fleet-
street and on Ltidget4lll4 which broke Aft in 'the superb and
spacious residence of Levy Solomon, Esq., a wealthy Hebrew, ,
in Buiy-street, St. Mary_Axe, and, from the 'immense ile .oi
The house, nothing . but general devastation was anticipated. •
The family retired to rest at their usual hour on Sunday night.. -
and, as was the usual custom, the domestics took the precau-
tion of seeing that all the fires were extinguished,'and the doors
secured. -\llr. Solomons and his Lady slept in a bed-chamber
in the centro,of the building, and the yoUng ladies in the room
joining. ItWas a maxim of Mrs. Solomons to leave one of
e newly-invented floating lamps burning all night, and on
S. ida, night slie as usual placed it, on going to bed, on her
toilet.. About the time above stated; the young lathes were pre -
vented froth going to sleep by a continual eracking and the •
Smell of smoke. They at first thought but lightly of it; but on
the latter increasing almost to stiffocation, they bee:fire exceed-
ingly alarrned, and: jumping from their beds opened their
chamber door, when they discovered that the house had taken
fire, and the flames making a rapid progress up the great stair-
case. Their shrieks aroused the footman and coachman, who
expected the house was beset by robbers, it being well known
that Mr.' SolOrnons was always in possession of immense wealth,
and under that impression they armed themselves •with fire-
arms,- expecting kidesperate.rencontre ; but the young La-
diett who at this IM:intent sought - their protection entered the
.room almost in a state of nudity, and convinced them that the
house was on tire. The, alarm-bell was then • rung, and the
members of the establishment were warned of their perilous
situation. Mr. and Mrs. Solomons were with the utmost dif-•
ficul!y made sensible of their danger, and they were assisted ont at
.thpgates,and placedin safety in the house adjoining. Immediately ,
after the young ladies were carried out fainting. The scene
now assumed a most -frightful appearance, as the flames were
bursting with terrific ascendancy through every window in the
edifices and the female domestics were seen at the windows at
the top of the house, -;imploring assistance from those below to
enable them to gain the street; but, unfortunately, none could
be affinded them from the impetuosity of the devouring ele-
ment, and they were at length, by the inducement of the crowd,
obliged'to drop from the roof of the house on fire on to that of
the adjoining building, a height of 15 feet, which we are htippy
to say-they effected Without .any material injury : two of the
housemaids escaped out of the back windows, liy means of
ladders. The distress of mind of Mr. Solomons and his family
was indescribable t. and such was the fury of the element, that
all efforts to save any part of the -superb household furniture,
or, in fact, any.part„of the property in the house; proved in-
effectual. The enoines belonging to the Royal Exchange,
- Alliance, Globe, -and ;other offices, arrived with all speed, but
wo are.sorry..th say were considerably impeded in their powers.
by no't Jiving good :supply- of water, consequently their..
effOrt:S. were scarcely visible. At half-past two the roof fell in
with a tremendous crash,. carrying all the immense beams of
the floors Underneath with it. By this hour the supply of
water was very, abundant, and nothing can exceed the exer-
tions Of 'tile titeMtit to check the progress Of the flames, in.
which they were prompted by Mr. Solomons himself, who ot-
Cupied Himself,. during Abe
.calaniity; in working one of the
engines, although .he was flinch injured in the face by the
-flames in attempting* to save some part of his treasures. .By
•-four 41Ntek'tlii.ptiiitlakration was so far got under as to Pre-
Neat an -fnithei 'niiSehief, but it was not entirely subdued
the whole of yesterday. :14r...:Solomons is a diamond mer-
chant; and at the-time of the 'calafnity he had some of those
scarce gals in .'the • hous, -of ..110,iiinable Worth, besides
other precious stones, none of - Whieli,:have been saved. In a
maw_ iron -safe were JeWels and pOrls estimated at 4,0001.,
Which are ilvi4uari;a' in the ruin S; =and in another-, Safe were
deposited upwards-:of 1,7001. in 5,01. q and silver, ,besides all the
family plate,. whjcli,was very Tassive. In. addition to this pro-
perty' Was One pf'die mat' valuablelihraries of. books (many, of
which werein-thellebrew. tengue, and very scarce). possessed
by aiky.iioiyidttril in. this, country, nearly:. the whole of which
have4444lest,rnYed. Yesterday, morning. part of the valuables
in orietiftlie iron dePOSitOries Were dog out of the ruins by the
firenieri.nf,the Royal Exchjnige- arid Alliance' offices. The
maniion- contained 4 l rooms, andmotbing but the walls are now,
to 14:seeni The heuSes (*.either *sia6 are:slightly injured, ar.d
were-saved.frorn•the devastation owing to -strong •party-walls:
Iris rumoured thnt.tha fire-Originated; in Alts. Solomon's- 'bed.:
chamber., !wing to the-floating,lamp. catching the curtains of
the looking-glass On" that lody's'ioilo ; -litq from what we have
seeti and heard,:vve dcsnot believe if to originated in that
way, and, at present. the 'zeal cause is•mitiknown. loss
sustained by Sir. So)omong is estimated at least at 30,000/.
and we' Understand 14 irrsured' tri.'the Royal Eithange,
Alliance, and_ Globe •insttrauce ;offie4S,,for about half that
,arnount only.

T ".

'FIRE AT,CUMBEII.LAND. GARDENS.
Fu erlitir PARTICULARS.-17esteetiay morning these e4_'
tensiv'e p-remises were totally consumed by fire. The fire was •
discokredby two young men:returning home about 20 minutes' .
before tour o'clock. They were passing over Vauxhall-bridge, • ,
-when. thef observed- smoke bursting from the roof just above
the kitchen.. They immediately alarmed the persons who kePt.
the tap, and having leaped•the garden pilings, they arosed the •
inmates of the tavern.. In a short time the waiters and the fe-
males in the hotiSe. were-got down stairs,almost all without any !
other clothes than. those they -slept in. In a few minutes Mr. •
Knott, Mr. Baily's partner in the tavern, returned from town,
and he, with the assistance of the young men before mentioned,
and others,•succeded: in saving the money and
_books, in' the
bar,, and_ ntberparts of the house, and almost all the bedding,
furniture, '&c., with the . exception of one or two bedsteads.
SheetS and blankets 'were • the only coverings that could be fur-
nished to :the females, • who were sheltered by the neighbours
Messrs. Wisher, Smith, White, and Wells,, to whose houses,
'-and those of others, what, property was saved was also taken.
Having saved all that was possible; in which they encountered •
Much danger, they, next turned their'attention to procuring en-
gines. Two of sir R. Burnett's were soon got into the garden ;
but in consequence of the wind blowing very strongly down the
'river, the tide, which was at low ebb, and . muck lower_ than
usual,- together with the' shortness of the engine-hoses, which •
couldnotreach the water, these machines were useless. The
.of the different fire-offices in town then arrived, but
from.the saute cause were unable-to work for the long Period
-of one-hour. and.l7 minutes. During this time, owing to the • •
violet:ice of the wind and the quantity of wood in the building
(the long robrn being entirely of that material and plaster); the
flames were Making an astonishing rapid progress towards the '
destruction•of the whole premises, . At last the sun-fire float,
ing engine arrived, and threw a „vast body of water on the
.flames, while one of the Globe engines was got on the beach,
and supplied one of the Westminster in the garden, by. joining;
their hoses together, and thus enabled the latter to playon the
flames. Notwithstanding these andother strenuous exertions;
the roof of the ball-room tell in .at a quarter to six o'clock,
and that of the tavern at about seven o'clock. The tavern part
of the premises being of brick-work, might possibly. have been
saved, but for the difficulty of procuring water.- Two Plugs
of the South Lambeth water-works were opened, but for a
considerable length of time they supplied no water. The un-
fortunate waiters, who lost their clothes, at first appeared so
amazed and stupified, that they leant on the railings and were
unable- to render any assistance for a considerable time; while
some of the firemen seemed to be very willing to transfer the share
of the labour to the zealous and active inhabitants of the neigh-
bourliood;' who exeritd-theinselves to the utmost in •attempting
to.mtbdue the flames. The only part of these extensive premises
now standing, are part' of wall. and,a Stick -of chimnies ;
under these are, the cellars containing the most valuable of the
stock,' which, it •is to be •-tibped, will be found to -be but -.-
little damaged. „Miss _Bally received a contusion by the fall-
ing of part Of a bedstead on her. Mr.knottovas considerably
'hurt on tile' side and leg by the filling of a chest of drawers ;
and one of the young- men who first ciikovered the 'fire, had .•
one of his boots,burnt, and his hands, considerably. scorches!, in • ,
his exertions to save the' propertY, while the foreman Of the.
SunTire=oflice actually fainted from the-excess of heat:, •Bi-r;
Baily, who is in a bad state of health, is noveatMargatb for-his•-•• •
recovery, whither an express.` was immediately dispatched;
infotru biro of the disastrOul event. It is supposed that the..
fire broke out in a flue in the kit Chen ; but in truth, thee:l4e of:
it.is not at present ascertained. . • • ,fl