The Sun.
London, England, 1841-11-30 00:00:00

MORNING SUN

THE LATE FIRE IN THE TOWER.

The Committee of Inquiry, appointed by the Master-
General of the Ordnance, have made the following Re-
port. The fire broke out in the Bowyer Tower, but it
is impossible to say whether it originated in the Round
Table-room, the View-room, or the staircase leading
from the View-room to the back stair.
The Committee are also of opinion that the system of
watching is very defective, ani that the workshops
ought not to have been connected with the armoury.
The next paragraphs confirm all that has been published
. respecting the gross negligence of the guardians of this
venerable citadel.

The Committee having concluded their evidence, pro-
ceeded on the 12th inst. to draw up their Report for pre-
sentation to the Master-General and the Board of
Ordnance, which was presented by Colonel Peel, the
Chairman, as under :

" Board-room, Tower, Nov. I; 1841.
" The Committee having examined many witnesses,
the evidence of 44 of whom, with reference to the First
Head of Inquiry, is herewith transmitter;, 'together with
explanatory plans and sections of the. places referred to
by them : it appears to the Commiltee, that the fire broke
smut in the Bowyer Tower, and that it was first confined
to it, as its communication Item that tower to the other
buildings consumed has been most clearly traced in
the evidence. It is, therefore, necessary to describe
very minutely this Ulmer, which is built against the wall
of the great stair; ,se of the Grand Storehouse or arm-
oury ; the baser lent of which is called the Clarence.
vault, over which are two rooms used as workshops—the
View-room and the Round Table or upper room, which
had a dough floor, with an interval of about 13 inches.
Each Imit an outer door opening into the line wall marked
E on pl.an, and an inner door communicating with the
bacis. ~taircase which leads to the three several floors of
the Grand Storehouse—namely, the train of artillery,
the small arms armoury, and the tent-room, which latter
is in the roof.
" The Round Table-room and the View-room were

provided with stores on Arnott's principle; the pipe of
that•in the Round Table room went into the flue of a
chimney on the east side of the Tower ; the pipe of that
in the View room went directly through on the west side;
and there is no reason to believe that these stoves were
improperly placed, unhss it be considered that they
should have been placed upon a plate of metal, which
was not the case.
The entrance front the back staircase into the View-

room was by a flight of about a dozen steps partitioned
off, on the left of which was a wood-cellar running un-
der the floor of the View-room, and on the right of the
steps a window looking upon the roof of the Survey-
room adjoining the Bowyer Tower. The View-room
was divided by a wooden partition.
" The Round Table-room extended over the passage
leading from the back staircase into the View-room, and
had mu partition in it. Tn* stove stood nearly in
the centre.
" The fire was lighted in the stove in the View-room
on Saturday morning, the 30th of October, which
went out early in the day. The fire in the Round
Table-room was also lighted in the morning, and
went out in the afternoon. The stoves and pipes were
thoroughly cleansed, to prevent smoking, and after-
wards some wood and chips were lighted in the stove
to sec hJw-it Would draw ; these chips were allowed to
burn out, and when the men left the room there was no
appearance of fire. The doors were locked, as usual, at
four o'clock, and the keys delivered to Bell, the foreman.
With regard to the exact spot in the Bowyer Tower
where the fire broke out, the evidence is so various that

it is impossible to say whether it originated in the Round
Table-room, the View-room, or the staircase leading
from the View-room to the back staircase.
" Some itnesses describe the fire as haring broken
out before any light was perceptible either in the Round
Table or the View-room. Mr. and Mrs. Gollings de-
scribe the smoke as first proceeding from the upper or
Round Table-room, while Morris and Sergeants Eft:,
wards, Knott, and Nash state that although the %din"
room was full of smoke, there was no lire three when
the lower or View-room was in flames.

"The only way of reconciling these ra nous state-
ments, and to account for the fire occurred acci-
dentally, is to suppose that some ;.gn'itea substance had
fallen from the stove in the Rou-4 Table or upper room
between the double floor, the-~.0 producing a smouldering*
fire, which broke out ver nine .f partially at o'clock, oc-
casioning the light dusc-xtbed by the witnesses, Lock and
his wife, and afterwa
...ds the smoke seen in the upper room
by Gollings and 'ads wife at a quarter before ten o'clock;
that it contini:.ed to burn gradually till it arrived over
the stairca,sq leading from the View-room to the back
staircase, where it burst into flames, and from the Bow-
yer Tower it was distinctly seen to communicate with
the roof of the Armoury, extending east and west, and
gaining ground so rapidly as to account for the impres-
sion on the minds of some that the buildings were on
fire at distant parts at the same moment.
" Various reports have reached the Committee, which,
if true, would prove that it was the act of an incendiary ;
but upon the most diligent inquiry, and strictest exami-
nation of the persons giving information, it has been
impossible to trace the slightest foundation for them. It
is clear, however, from the situations of the workshops,
and the easy access to them from the line wall, such 'an
act might have been easily accomplished. -
"From the evidence of the witnesses examined with
regard to the second head of inquiry, it appears that the
foremen of the several store-rooms and workshops are
considered responsible for their fires being extinguished
before they leave off work, and that the rooms are safe
previous to being locked up.
"There are four night watchmen, two of whom are
stationed on the wharf, and their duties confined to it ;
one at the gate until closed, and the fourth at the north-

east angle of the White Tower, whose orders are to exa-
mine all the doors and windows of the several buildings
to which he has r. eccss.

" The sentries have orders to give the alarm in case
of fire, but i 4 does not appear that the buildings imme-
diately in rear of the Grand Armoury are in view of their
posts, no;i- are they visited by the watchmen.
" It further appears to the Committee, from the evi-
del-iee now transmitted, as well as from the evidence
under the first head of inquiry, that all these precautions
were taken, and that no blame attaches to the persons
whose duty it was to carry them into effect ; but it is the
opinion of the Committee that it would have been far
better if some one responsible person had been appointed
to visit the several storehouses and workshops, after the
workmen had quitted them, reporting to the proper au•
thority that all was safe and secure.
" It also appears that the system of watch-
ing ,is very deficient, the watchmen being few
in number, and previously exhausted by daily la-
bour. Had the buildings in rear of the Grand
Armoury been watched and guarded, which was the
more necessary from the circumstance of their being very
easy of access from the roofs of the adjoining buildings,
the late fire must have been early discovered and easily
extinguished ; this would also have been the case had
John Lock, the first witness examined, given the alarm
when he first saw the light in the Bower Tower, which
he undoubtedly ought to have clone.

"As relate; to-the fifth head of inquiry—namely,
' Whether there appears to have been any want of
due consideration with regard to ,the position of the
wonshops in the vicinity of the building containing the
small arms, or the position of the fire-places or the
flues put up'for warming those shops.
" The Committee are of opinion that the workshops
(which have been used a* such from a very remote
period) ought not to have been connected with the
Grand Armoury, more particularly as the use of stoves
cannot but be attended with some degree of danger. In
thtoe present instance attention appears to have been paid
the position of the stoves, with the exception of their
not
, having been placed on a sheet of metal.
, ,s relates to the sixth head of inquiry—namely,
T ascertain to what extent the want of water, which is
said to have existed, is attributable. to any imperfection
in the arrangement for furnishing a supply, or to any
negligence of those under whose superintendence those
arrangement are.'
" It appears that the charge of the waterworks, tanks,
mains, stop-cocks, &c., for the supply of water to the
Tower, are under the superintendence
al
erintendence of the engine-
keeper, Mr. Smart, li .ho
sothe care of the fire-en-
gines and all appertaining thereto.
" There are five underoTound tanks capable of con-
taining 36,662 gallons. These tanks ought to be kept
constantly full, for when eircumstancers occurfi to prevent
the working of the steam-engine o
(which is the case at low water, or whente water-wheel
undergoing,
repair), they are the only means of supply to the garri_
ample for ordinary
optsurrapaosehs,,, are
son, and although
(as
smsttnautetde
gallows e-rpulnped
in-
sufficient in case of fire, as their co,lBo
out by one fire-engine throwing off
in eight hours, or by eight engines in one hourp
in evidence).
.
"On the night of the fire there were eighteen
cit.-Ines
in operation, and if these had been dependent on
the
tanks alone for water,
supposing they had been full (of
which there is no evidence to the contrary) every build.
ing within the Tower defences would in all probability
have been destroyed.
the barracks
"The main and
pipes which supply .
houses are of lead, only three inches in diameter, having
at intervals of about forty yards stop-cocks and delivery
pipes, to which the fire engine hose may be attached ;
but before any water can be thrown into these mains,
the steam engine at the water-works, or the water-tank,
must be put in motion ; this would occasion considerable
delay, and if the tide should be out, and the moat dry
from having the water let off to cleanse it, there could be
no supply of water.
The Committee are therefore of opinion that the ar-
rangepents in case of fire are imperfect, and that the
practice hitherto adopted of only inspecting the tanks
once in three months is not sufficient, and accounts for
their not having been full (as stated in evidence) as 'he
night of the fire.

"The erroneous impression, however, in the minds of
some of the witnesses that there was no water in the
tanks, arose from ignorance of their construction, and
depth to the surface of the water in the eastern one
(which is upon a higher level than the others) to be
much less, as shown in the accompanying section of the
tanks.

" Air. Smart being the only person responsible for the
supply of water, it was impossible for him to be at the
waterworks, at the tanks, and at the main pipes, at one
and the same time ; fortunately the foreman of the works
and one of the labourers in the engineer department,
who have a knowledge of the waterworks and pipes, were
on the spot to render assistance, but even this was very
far from sufficient for the emergency ; the Committee
therefore respectfully suggest, that the Ordnance tire-
engines be placed under the control of the officer com-
manding the detachment of Royal Artillery stationed in
the Tower, whose duty it should be to instruct his men
as to the means of obtaining a supply of water, and see
the engines practised at least once a month.
" The Committee are also of opinion that iron main-
pipes of six or eight inches in diameter should be laid
down in place of the present three-inch leaden ones, and
that water should be laid on when required, in case of
fire, by one of the London Waterworks Co
, mpanies.

" For ordinary purposes, and for the sake of economy,
these iron pipes might be supplied with water Iv the
means now in use.
" J. PEEL, Lieutenant-Colonel, and Surveyor-
General of the Ordnance.
" L. A. HALL, Major Royal Engineers.
" A. MACBEAN, Captain RP,fal-Artillery.
" A. PORRETT, Chief aerk to the Principal
Storekeeper.."

RAILWAYS.
(From the Radway Magazine.)
SOUTH WESTERN RAILWAY.

We understand Sir F. Smith left town yesterday (Fri-
day), to re-inspect the Gosport branch for the second
time prior to its opening. To-day the Directors go down
the line to attend a public dinner in honour of the event.
MANCHESTER AND BIRMINGHAM RAILWAY.
This line will open to Crewe, that is the remaining
distance throughout, in March next.

SECOND SLIP ON THE CROYDON.
The first slip, which occurred about a fortnight since,
was completely cleared away by Saturday last, so that the
trains traversed the line on the following Sunday and
Monday ; but on Tuesday morning a mass of earth fell
down on the floor of the slip, covering the rail to the
extent of several feet. The passage of the trains thus
being impeded, the Brighton passengers were conveyed
by omnibuses to the Dartmouth station, and on Wed-
nesday afternoon a way was made for the waggons to
pass through, and the men have been employed in clear-
ing away the rubbish both by night and by day. Thy
road is expected to be made passable in a day. or
two, when the trains will resume their running. Mean-
while passengers are passed over the slip, by means
of a raised platform on one side the cutting, 'sheltered
by an awning, which causes about a ten minutes' deten-
tion of the train. The passengers thus meet with no
inconvenience, and we understand that many of them
have personally expressed their thanks to Charles Hut-
ton Gregory, Esq., the Company's engineer, for the kind
precautions which he has taken to ensure their comfort.
lIAMBURGH AND BERLIN RAILWAY.
The several Governments interested have, says the
Journal of Commerce, agreed to the construction of this
line, which is to join on to the Hamburgh and Bergedorf
Railway, already completed.
LONDON AND BIRMINGHAM RAILWAY.
On Monday evening a stoppage of one of the trains
for a short time took place by the breaking of an axle,
near Harrow, but no other inconvenience than the delay
ensued.