The Sun.
London, England, 1838-01-11 00:00:00

number of commercial gentlemen urged Mr. Braidwood to
cut off the communication and save the remaining portion
of the edifice. He explained that it was impossible--the
building was so connected together with one continuous
roof, and there was such an immense volume of flame,
that it would he fatal to any man who ascended the
budding. No one could doubt the accuracy of Mr.
Braidwood's opinion, and the fire continued its work of
destruction, proceeding- from floor to floor, and running
along the corridors with the greatest rapidity. At two
o'clock the flames reached the tower, and the 'terror and
excitement of the assembled multitude is Cornhill, Man-
sion-house-street, and the Poultry were extreme. A hun-
dred thousand voices murmured, " It's reached the tower
—it's all over !" The appearance of the frightful confla-
gration at this period was awful in the extreme ; the whole
of the Exchange lay completely in one 111453 of flames, and
the heat was so great that the firemen and auxiliaries could
soareely pursue their labours near the burning mass. The
splendid tower, nearly one hundred and filly feet in height,
was reduced to ashes ; the musical peal of eight bells, with
a tenor about IS cwt., and weighing about three tons, fell
one after the other, carrying away everything in their pro-
gress towards the pavement, including the roof and stone-
work, and the arch over the central entrance. The clock
had a very singular effect while the tower was burning,
which was no doubt visible at some considerable distance.
The plates of the dials became red-hot, and the hands
pointed to twenty-five minutes pest one o'clock when
the works took fire, melting the chime-barrels and the
machinery in a few minutes. It is utterly impossible to
describe the scene which presented itself to the eyes of
the spectators ; for although the sky was unclouded, and
the moon shone bright with all its splendour, yet its celes-
tial brightness was totally obscured by the dense volumes
of smoke and flames which issued from the ruins. A shower
of fire was seen hovering over the houses to the south of
the Exchange. On the tower being discovered to take
fire, the Lord Mayor sent a messenger to the Tower for
more troops to assist the civil power, and in a very short
time a large body of soldiers arrived, some of whom took
up a position on the south side of Cornhill, while others
were ordered to assist the inhabitants in removing their pro-
perty to plums of safety. Cornhill was immediately cleared
of the people, who, it is but justice to state, behaved in a
very decorous manner ; and but one feeling, that of re-
gret, seemed to prevail. Everybody viewed the fire with
astonishment and dismay, and the greatest fears were
entertained for the safety of the Bank and the adjoining
church of St. Bartholomew, abutting on the north-east
corner of the Exchange. The multitude frequently gave
vent to their feelings by exclamations of " I hope the Bank
will he saved l" They must preserve the old Church !"
Fortunately the wind blew from the north, and both edifices
remained untouched, and were made the repositories of
large quantities of goods which were carried there. At
half-past two o'clock a general opinion seemed to prevail
that the offices of the Royal Naval Hospital, at the side of
the .xchange, would not be reached ; and on a suggestion
by some gentlemen present, several engines were ordered
to be drawn up opposite Sweeting's-alley. On this being
done, the hoses were conveyed to the roofs of the houses
on the east side of the alley, which is a very narrow one,
by which means the firemen had a perfect command over
that portion of the Exchange, and torrents of water were
discharged into the interior of the building ; but not-
withstanding all these efforts the flames rapidly ex-
tended, and the firemen were obliged to retreat in conse-
quence of the great heat. The persons employed at
the engines worked to their utmost, many of them up to
their knees in water and ice, and they were encouraged in
their efforts by the Lord Mayor and Aldermen present ;
but, unfortunately, no one thought of obtaining any re-
freshment for the poor fellows. The firemen's coats were
covered with ice, and the whole of Mansion-house-street,
\-yalbrook, Bucklerabury, and every thoroughfare in the vi-
cinity of the Exchange was covered with water, which soon
became frozen. The Gresham lecture-room was totally
consumed. A.t half-past three the north, west, and south
sides of the immense building were burnt down ; and the
flames had reached the east side, threatening the entire de-
struction of the range of shops and dwelling-houses con-
nected with the Exchange, and forming the west-side of
Sweeting's-alley. The inhabitants on both sides of this
narrow court succeeded in removing the greatest portion of
their furniture and stocks in trade before the flames reached
the alley, and goods to the amount of at least .50,000/.
were deposited in places of safety, but a good deal of heavy
furniture could not be got out of the houses, and was sa-
crificed.