The Sun.
London, England, 1841-12-27 00:00:00

DESTRUCTIV E F 1 UES.

On Saturday morning a fi c broke out in the house
of a Mr. Level!, en extensive pork butcher, residing in
High.street, Camberwell, and nearly opposite the Mother
Red Cap. During the whole day, and especially at
night, the family had been exceedingly busy, and about
twelve o'clock they retired to rest, and from the fatigue
of business soon went to sleep. Shortly after one o'clock
as the constable who was on duty, belonging to the P di-
vision, was passing the house he saw a great body of light
issuing from one of the rooms, which induced him to go
into the road, when he discovered the place was in flames.
He instantly alarmed the inmates when other police con-
stables came to his assistance. The parish engine was
procured, but by this time the flames began to burn
with great fury, and placed the inmates, in a most perilous
position. A little boy, about seven years of age, the son
of Mr. Lovell, in the confusion was forgotten, and when
he was looked after_and recollected he was still in bed,
it was found impossible to enter the house ; fortunately
a ladder was procured, and the poor little fellow was got
out at the window, and thus escaped a most painful and
agonising death. By this time the Southwark-bridge-
road, Waterloo-road, West of England, and other en-
gines reached the scene of destruction, but, in conse
quence of the want of water, only the Waterloo-road
and West of England engines could be put into opera-
tion, and it was then found impossible to save the pre-
mises. By four o'clock the whole was one mass of ruins.
The loss ofproperty is estimated at about 1,0001. or 1,2001.
Scarcely had the various engines from the above fire
reached their respective stations, when they were called
,to a furious fire raging in the extensive manufactory of
Messrs. Bryan and Sons, patent japan leather-dressers,
&c., Dacre-street, Broadway, Westminster. Surrounded
as the extensive premises were, by a dense and thickly
populated neighbourhood, the utmost alarm prevailed
amongst the inhabitants in consequence of the inflam-
mable nature of the property on fire. The manufactory,
which is divided into several departments for the carry-
ing on the various branches of the trade, occupies
a very extensive area, while that portion in which
the process of varnishing and making the leather
impervious to the weather is performed stands at
the further point of the building, and it was in that
part the fire was discovered. From it being Christmas
morning a great number of persons were about,
and information reached the stations in the course
of a few minutes ; the Horseferry-road, Waterloo-road,
West of England, Chandos-street, and County, were soon
upon time spot, followed in rapid succession by the more
distant ones. The portion in which the fire originated
was, however, reduced to a heap of ruins. The loss is
estimated at 2,0001. The loss will fall upon the Messrs.
Bryan, as this part of the building and stock was unin-
sured, the fire-offices refusing to effect a policy on ac-
count of the dangerous nature of the stock ; the other
parts of the building, as well as stock, are insured in the
County Eire-office.
Between eight and nine o'clock, as the horses were
about to be put to the different engines, for the pur-
pose of leaving the scene of destruction, a mounted
messenger arrived, stating that the whole of the ex-
tensive premises known as the Eagle Saw Mills, Old
brompton, were in one body of flame. The informa-
tion appeared to astonish every fireman pro sent, and
upon turning the horses heads round, those attached
to the Waterloo-road engine took fright, and started
off at a most tremendous speed up as far as
Charing-cross, where they were stopped. Upon the
arrival of the firemen at Old Brompton, the information
was discovered to be unfortunately too true. The entire
pile, about a hundred feet in depth, and between forty
and fifty in width, were enveloped in one body of fire.
Unfortunately, as at the two previous fires, no water
could be obtained for some time after the arrival of the
various engines of the London Fire Establishment, and
the consequence was, the devouring element consumed
everything that stood in its way. Directly after the out-
break Messrs. Pye and his partner, the proprietors,
were upon the spot, giving by their information every
facility to stop the progress of the fire, but without ef-
fect. The place being full of timber rendered the heat
nearly insupportable, and when water was procured it
was with difficulty that the firemen could approach suf-
ficiently near to play upon two cottages which joined
the mills, one of which was saved, but the other, used
as a counting-house, was very much damaged.