The Sun.
London, England, 1846-08-25 00:00:00

SUPPOSED INCENDIARISM.

WENNINGTON, MONDAY.—A fire of a most awful
character, involving the destruction of 1 roperty to an
enormous amount, broke out about forty minutes past
eight o'clock last evening on the farm premises occupied
by Mr. Hill, a most respectable yeoman, and a very old
inhabitant of this parish.
Wennington is a small village, situate about one mile
and a halt from Purfleet, in a north-westerly direction.
Mr. Hill's farm stands near the junction of the roads
leading to Rainham and Aveley, about 150 yards beyond
a roadside inn, known as the Lennard's Arms. The
farmhouse in which Mr. Hill resided, with the stack-
yard, barns, and stables, form a sort of square inclosing
the cattle-yard, and altogether covering an area exceed-
ing- an acre of ground. The northern end of the stack-
yard abuts on a lane; all the other aspects of the home-
stead are inclosed and sheltered.

The fire was first discovered at the hour abovenamed
by police-constable Hamilton, who had just previously
passed up the lane skirting the stack-yard and was
proceeding towards the Lennard's Arms, when his
attention was attracted by a noise resembling the
burning of straw, and on turning round he at once
saw that a large wheat stack, one of six of a similar •
character in Mr. Hill's yard, was on fire. The flames
at this time had scarcely extended beyond one
corner of the stack, that portion on fire closely approxi-
mating on the lane before alluded to. Hamilton imme-
diate!) ran across the yard to Mr. Hill's house and
aroused the inmates, after which he gave the alarm at
the Lennard's Arms, and messengers were dispatched in
various directions to obtain fire-engines, &c. The gar-
rison at Purileet, distant, as before stated, about a mile
and a halt; supplied three powerful ones, which were
upon the spot in a very short period, accompanied by a
large body of soldiers and ether persons employed within
the arsenal. A fourth engine was supplied by Sir
Thomas Barret Lennard. The worthy Baronet on
hearing of the catastrophe at once directed his own car-
riage horses to be attached to the engine. Mr. Marden,
of Itainham, supplied a fifth engine, and two or three
smaller ones from the adjoining parishes were also
brought to the spot within an hour of the outbreak. Be-
fore the arrival of any one of them, however, the fire had
extended itself so fearfully that any attempt to do more
than confine its ravages to the stack-yard and outbuild-
ings of the homestead was at once seen to be hopeless.
Before midnight the whole contents of the stack-yard,
consisting of six wheat stacks, averaging fifty quarters
in each, a rye stack, a barley stack, and three hay stacks,
two barns, with a considerable quantity of barley and
fourteen quarters of wheat, a cowhouse, two sheds, one
waggon, three carts, a thrashing machine, and a stack of
300 hurdles, were entirely consumed ; the dwelling-
house, granary, and stables, closely adjoining the same,
being alone saved from the ravages of the devouring
element.

Too much credit cannot be given to the artillerymen
and others employed in the arsenal at Purfleet for the
ready and active manner in which they performed their
duty. The great body of the labourers, too, were espe-
cially zealous in their endeavours to stay the progress
of the fire, the exceptions happily including only a few
habitual drunkards.

There appears to be no doubt that the fire has been
the work of an incendiary, although as yet no positive
suspicion rests on any party. Mr. Hill is much re-
spected in the neighbourhood, and from inquiries insti-
tuted by the reporter it has been ascertained that he is
in the habit of paying wages above the average of his
brother farmers. A sort of motive, acting on the mind
of an ignorant criminal, may perhaps be discovered in
the fact that Mr. Hill has, within the last two or three
weeks, had occasion to use a thrashing machine to pre-
pare straw for thatching. The machine had only been
hired for three weeks, and was to
.have been sent home
this morning.
The reflection of the fire was distinctly seen at a dis-
tance of 3o miles. About 10 o'clock it was plainly ob-
servable from Blaekfriars-bridge, and several engines
shortly after left towe with the intention of pro-
ceeding to the fire. On reaching Bow they returned to
London under the impression that the light observed in
town had been caused by the coke works at that place.
In an opposite direction the reflection was observed at
Southend, and about half-past nine o'clock it was seen so
plainly that two gentlemen name Parsons, who were re-
turning home to North Shoeberry, actually rode ten
miles in the supposed direction, imagining that the fire
was close at hand.

The Nss is altogether estimated at about 2,5001. Mr.
Mill's stock is insured in the Phoenix fire-office for 5501.,
which is, of course, but a fraction of his loss. The farm
buildings are insured by the owner of the farm, Mrs.
Hall Dare, widow of the late Member for Essex. Mr.
Hill is very well known on the Corn Exchange, and his
misfortune occasioned the expressiol of a great deal of
sympathy by farmers attending the market yesterday.
It would be exceedingly unjust to close this notice
without remarking on the praiseworthy exertions of Mr.
J. Greensill, Master of the Ordnance at rurfleet ; the
two commanding officers of the Artillery, Captain
Thorndike and Lieutenant Chandler ; of Mr. Joyner,
Mr. Waite, Mr. G. L. Parrott, and many other private
gentlemen, who remained at the fire from the moment
of its outbreak up to three o'clock this morning, at which
hour nothing was left but a mass of burning embers.
These gentlemen, individually and collectively, not only
directed, but worked with the labourers and soldiers in
endeavouring to extinguish the flames.
An excellent supply of water was obtained from two
ponds in the immediate vicinity of the fire. All the
stock was saved, with the exception of a few geese.
The police are actively engaged in investigating the
origin of the fire. It is said suspicion rests on a young
man who has nut been seen since last night.