The Sun.
London, England, 1833-09-10 00:00:00

THE DREADFUL ACCIDENT ON

SAFFRON-HILL.

CORONER'S INQUEST.

Yesterday, at one o'clock, an inquest was held at
the Distillers' Arms, Great Saffron-hill, before
TuomAs STIRLING, Esq., and a respectable Jury, to
inquire touching the death of Honora London,
aged 33, who was killed by the falling of some houses
on Saffron-hill.
The case excited considerable interest, and the
Jury-room was crowded to excess by the parish au-
thorities and other respectable inhabitants.
Mr. H. R. Whittle, surgeon, of No. 77, Middel-
ton-street, Clerkenwell, deposed that on Friday
evening last, about half-past five o'clock, he was
called upon to attend the deceased, whom he found
lying before the bar of the above house with her
ribs broken, and a severe injury upon her head.
He was informed that two houses had fallen in.
The injuries were sufficient to cause death, and
might have been produced by heavy substances
falling upon her.
Wm. Hannegan,being sworn, deposed that on Fri-
day evening last he was passing by Saffron-hill when
he heard of the accident. He proceeded to the spot
and went on the ruins, where he shortly after found
the body of a child, who seemed to be alive. 0,1
farther search he saw the head of a woman whose
body was buried in the rubbish. It was taken
ant and carried to St. Bartholomew's Hospital,
where it was found to be the boJy of the deceased,
quite dead. 'Witness returned to the ruins, and
assisted until a surveyor said there was great danger,
and ordered him and the other persons off the
rubbish.
Mr. Christopher Cockerton, builder, of Upper-
street, Islington, being sworn, deposed that after
the accident took place he was passing by, and was
requested by Superintendent Dixon, of E division,
to take a view of the ruins, to ascertain whether
there would be any danger for the police and other
persons to remove the rubbish. He did so, and
found that there was great danger. He ordered a
shore of the angle to be made. It was dangerous
for any body to have repaired the houses unless
under the superintendence of a surveyor.
CORONER—Do you think the late high winds had
any thing to do with the accident ?
Witness—No. The houses ought to have been
pulled down long ago.
Here a professional gentleman, who attended for
Mr. Wiggins, the landlord of the premises, re-
quested to be allowed to attend the investigation.
His client was in attendance to give evidence.

Mr. Robert Higgins deposed- that he is a brick-
layer, residing at No. 13, Saffron-hill. He rented
the houses Nos. 13, 14, and 14i on Saffron-hill
under a repairing lease, and was to execute the
repairs by next Michaelmas-day. He had not cut
away any of the chimney-breasts.
Juror—Will you swear that you never took away
any of the timber from the breast-summers ?
Witness—l swear that I never took away any
timber.

Juror—l think we shall be enabled to prove that
you did. _
...

Witness—l did not.
Juror—Did not you observe any cracks in the
place ?
Witness—l observed a settlement in the party
wall, and I observed some cracks in the upper
room of No. 13. I thought there was something
dangerous, and I put up a pier or upright from the
basement to the cobble to keep up the breast-sum-
mers. I did not carry it up with cement; I set the
bricks with mortar. On Friday a Mrs. Nl‘Carthy,
who lodged at the top of the house, told me that
there were cracks in the ceiling.
Juror—Were you not spoken to on Thursday
last by some young man who told you that the
houses would fall in ?
Witness—l do recollect it.
Juror—What reply did you make to him ?
Witness—l do not recollect. I might have said,
" You be —."

Juror—Did you not say, " Let them fall and be

--
?1,

Witness—l was chaffed by somebody, and I
made some reply, but not that ; I would hardly say
that, or place the lives of myself and family in dan-
ger. My wife had only lain in two days before,
and had a narrow escape. On Friday evening,
just before the accident, I was at work in the cellar
turtling up mortar, when Mrs. M' Carthy ran out
and exclaimed " For God's sake come out ; the
house is falling in. You'll all be killed." Witness
ran up stairs, pulling his son after him, and then
hastened to save his wife, whom he carried out, and
on getting outside the houses instantlly fell in to-
gether. Had it been a moment later they would
all have been buried in the ruins.

Juror—ln reading the specification, I find that
you were bound to alter the breast•surnmer which
gave way ?
Witness—No; that breast-summer was at the
back part of the premises.
Juror—Did you not move away some timber and
lead from the house ?

Witness—l took no timber away from the body
of the house that would at all weaken the premises.
I have taken some timber to another house which I
am building at Hackney, which belonged to a shed.
The accident was caused by two stacks of chimneys
and the breast-summers in the centrical part of the
premises giving way. The house where the woman
was killed was No. 14. I examined the house on
Thursday evening, and could not find the cause of
the settlement. I lived in the shop No. 13, and had
a back room and another underneath it. The de-
ceased lived in the front room, second floor, with
her husband and two children. All the other in-
mates are still living. He had received a letter from
Mr. Goode, the person of whom he rented the
houses, stating they were not in a state to be re-

paired.
Joseph Shearer, mop-maker, of 4, Little Gray's
Inn-lane, deposed that on Friday morning, about
ten o'clock, he saw forty bricks fall from a wall at
the back part of the house, when he said to Mr.
Higgins, "By —, your houses will fall in," to
which he replied, " Let them fall in and be —.',
hllitsttleood afterwithin
v
At one o'clock he saw some more bricks fall, when
witness said, " So help me God, the houses will
twenty-five
fall in." He (Higgins) said, " and a good
joibm. too
A.' t a
awthewrotie of thedsfrom
houses fall in. I went into the ruins of the houses
and brought out a child which was buried in the
ruins; it was about six years of age. I assisted in
digging after the bodies when I saw the leg of the
deceased, who was taken out quite dead.
Samuel Davis deposed that he is landlord of the
Distillers' Arms, Great Saffron-hill. On Friday
evening last he was alarmed by the crush of the
hon es falling in. He had given notice of the danger..
ous state of the houses to Mr. Goode, of Hatton-
garden, who is the surveyor and collector of up-
wards of 100 houses in the neighbourhood. Witness
sent to hirn three times to look at the premises.
The first time he went to him was about eight
months ago. He said he wished them let, but lie
(witness) declined taking them. Witness saw a van-
load of timber taken away from the house, and
seven or eight cwt. of lead, which was sold in
Leather-lane. A waggon of lime came to the house
of Wiggins, and the party would not leave it with-
out the money. He made several applications to
Mr. Goode afterwards, and be, in company with

his clerk, went over the premises. A fire ,
wards took place in the neighbourhood, and "'a
plied to Mr. Bird, of the Royal Exchange, g,
informed him of the danger of the houses. 1"
added that they were in so dangerous a stee
he would not have suffered a dog of any value
remain there. Witness saw the deceased ‘l4:er.
of the ruins quite dead. Mr. Dixon, the 'lir,
intendent of the G division, and the office, e%efrt
themselves in a laudable manner.
Goode was spoken to by witness, he
said he would pull the whole of the h,
and how could they help themselves
conceived that Wiggins could not lay 0'
the repairs of the house.

le

Thomas Nichols, No. 11, Brewer-stree
street, Gray's Inn-road, deposed that he
in the house at the time it fell in, in th.
the ground floor. He was with Mr. Higgs
up the floor. Had not taken any of tit,-
as to weaken the house. There was a
or upright to support the chimneys
part of the building. The pier was fini
same day. Witness did not think thi
danger until the place commenced falli
ness said there was no jarring or hammeri
the buildings. They commenced buildi
after they received information that the
falling in.
Mr. John Power, gentleman, of No.
Saffron-hill, deposed that at eleven o'.
morning of Friday he saw some of ti
give way. At about five o'clock in the
saw Mr. Higgins and his son coming
house in great alarm, and in about two
whole of the houses fell in. The wit
that too great praise could not be best
Mr. Bodger, who was then in the room,
risk of his life, before the other houses were prat,/
up, he went on the ruins and saved the life °
child.
'
The CORONER said there appeared to have bee,itl
a great deal of neglect in the parties connected ''vet)
the premises. It appeared to him (the Coreor),
that Mr. Higgins was not equal in a peeo"i'oo,
sense to repair the houses. The landlord had coot
mitted an oversight in letting such a man bee 01:
his tenant, as it appeared that he was obliged tope(
the lead to go on with the repairs. The o°,r00ei
ule,
added, that there appeared to be several other °yeti
in the neighbourhood in a highly dangerous 6t
and which ought to be immediately attended t%c
The Jury consulted, and after a deliberat,,l°Arl
about ten minutes they returned a verdict Of lee'
cidental Death, and that there was culpable vegoil
on the part of all parties connected With
premises."
nsd

_
A Court Leet was then proposed to inqu'
examine into the other dilapidated premises.

LONDON MARKETS.

PRICE OF BREAD.
The highest price of Bread in the Metropolis is
4lb. Loaf. There are others who sell from %d. to IN'
that price.

PRICE OF SEEDS.— Sept. 9. , ,i'
New English Red Clover Seed (per Cwt.) —s. —s. fine --; ,
Old Ditto Ditto
,r —s. --s. fine
New Foreign Ditto- - - . —s. —s fine --"'" ~.-1'
•
Old Ditto __ -s. —s. fine •--$* -,i'
--s. —s. fine —'' #l'
•
....g. ~ fine . ~..i.'
.............„......"......... —s. —s. fine o,ll'
ttd . ---s. --s. fine„, If 61a,•„
..... . --s. —s. •
..„4,
—....--... --s. 14s. fine ~ 97
40,- di'
.(per Quarter)............,. 425. 445. fine 408,',
_s2ss..
....6285..
78fito,„n e.
.;:eee, ~I:,
~
—B. -.8. neW
...4. 0:60
w0w.... ...-13. .-. neW ,,
—s. 48s. fine ,0 ,
A A 50 ...S. one 60'
Atto, for crushing -...5. s. one
703 /* Canary Seed, New —s. ••,. fine 0,
!lath Old _ —s. —m• --4* I4s. fine.
, White Mustard Seed—(per Bushel)-... —s. 12s
Brown Ditto .
dm
to , ...„,. 20;445• figee

New White Clover.
Old Ditto Ditto
New Trefoil
Jld Ditto ,
Rib Grass .

English Carraway
Foreign Ditto

St. Foin ...
Rye Grass

Piice•

for feeciir;;

Turnip Seeds, itoun,

Greet

'fares, Old
Ditto New.
Rare Seed, l

;
—B. —,s. • tiny .04,

reign 231•
.

PRICES OF HOPS —Sept. 9. n to 61. 00,
New Kent Pockets (per cwt.) 4'. 15s. 01. 0
. 61.
Choice
East Kent----.. o'. Os. 01. 0i•01. . Ta:
71. Os. 01. Os. to 51.
41. Os. 01. 0, to oh 00,
01 O. 01. 03 t„. 61. CL''
51. Oa. 01. OS. .. 5/. J•
51. Os 01. 00. tO
cd at 155,000/.

K .ilt

New S•,ssex Pockets
Superfine Ditto
The Hop I

„,
PRICE OF OIL.
Rape Oil, brown 6e. Refined
Linseed Oil 11 it
Linseed Oil Cake at the Mill, per thousand
Rape Cake, per ton

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mess adil4P' sit'', at it
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