The Sun.
London, England, 1851-05-19 00:00:00

MA Y 19, 1851

Respecting the cause of the disaster a great many re-
ports are in circulation. Several scientific gentlemen are
of opinion that the mortar was not of good quality. This
is to some extent borne out by the fact of scarcely two
bricks adhering together. Several portions of the walls
are still in an exceedingly dangerous condition, and,
should the wind blow with any degree of violence, it is
quite probable that they will be thrown down; great care
is, therefore, obliged o be used by the parties employed
lest a further loss of life should occur. The proprietors
of the premises, in order to satisfy the public mind, have
determined, as far as can be done without endangering
the lives of the men, to have every portion of the ruins
turned over to see whether or not any others have
perished.
Upon making inquiries last evening, at St. Thomas's
Hospital, the reporter was informed that, with the ex-
ception of Sullivan and Whiting, the survivors were all
going on favourably. The first named, it is feared, can-
not survive the night; the latter, it has been found, has
sustained a fractured radius, the back is dreadfully con-
tused, and the scalp is seriously wounded. So far as
can at present bo learnt, Sullivan has sustained a com-
pound fracture of the clavicle, several ribs are broken,
the tibia is fractured, and both legs are broken. Another
of the sufferers, a man named George Barham, has his
bead fearfully contused, and the abdomen is crushed.
The following are the correct names and residences of
those in the hospital :
The poor fellow Hanley belonged to Westminster. He
has left a widow and young family unprovided for.
William Ransom resided at No. 25, Phcanix-street,
Somers Town ; by trade a bricklayer. He is going on
favourably.

Timothy Sullivan resided at No. 3, Morgan'e-lane,
Tooley-street. No hope can be entertained of his re-
covery.

John Cooper resides at No. 3, New-alley, White-
street, Borough. He was a married man, and, besides
sustaining a fractured scull, has his left leg completely
smashed.

George Barham is a single man, and he suffers se-
verely from his eyes being filled with lime. He has
likewise received many internal injuries. Recovery ex-
tremely doubtful.

Henry Clark, another of the sufferers, resides at No.
5, Vincent-street, Stepney, and, besides being terribly
cru,hed, has I,,st his eyesight.
A great crowd, at half-past ten o'clock last night, was
in the immediate Leighbourhood of the disaster, and it
rt quire:l the service 3 of a powerful body of the City po-
lice to keep them ow, of danger.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
Sin,—We deg in it our Only to al,ay any feeling of
excitement that may be produced in the public mind by
exaggerated reports of the occurrence that has taken
place at the building in Gracechurch-street, to request
you will be good enough to insert this in your journal.
We were both absent at the time of the accident; but
we aro informed by the contractor and others, that an
iron girder crossing one of the staircases broke from
some imperceptible defect, and by its falling weight
broke through the floors beneath, the iron joints of
which, being built into an internal wall, prized over suc-
cessively each story of that as it fell, and which conse-
quently drew inwards with it apart of the external wall
towards the court.

We have to deplore the loss of the life of one man,
one missing, supposed to be in the ruins and now being
searched for, one dangerously wounded, and five with
contusions more or less slight; this account of itself is
sad enough, and we therefore desire to prevent as far as
possible the anxiety that may be caused by the repre-
sentation that it is more terrible.—We are, Sir, your
very obedient servants, BELL AND CORBETT.
Gracechurch-street, Saturday afternoon.

CALAMITOUS FIRE 1N THE CITE
Yesterday (Sunday) morning, at a few minutes before
three o'clock, the city of London was visited by another
terrible occurrence, which, as far as the loss of human
life was concerned, proved equally as disastrous as that
which happened a few hours previously in Grace-
church-street. The scene of the present disaster
was the well-known tavern termed the Rose and Crown,
situate at No. 17, Love-lane, Lower Thames-street, City.
The premises in question were of great antiquity,
having, it is said, withstood the great tire of London.
They were, including the basement, five floors high, and
extended some considerable distance backwards. The
houses in Botolph-lane abutted on one side of the pro-
perty, while those in Thames-street adjoined the sou-
thern side. From the fact of so many houses and ware-
houses being so closely connected with the building on
fire, it appears truly miraculous that the loss of life, and
the destruction of property, had not proved far more ex-
tensive than it really has been.
From inquiries made on the spot during the progressv e.
of the fire the reporter ascertapinaesdsintghadt,owasn pLool ice -caonne:
stable Trimber, No. 586, was
Entisfillede wind°w-
he perceived smoke pouringiefoorlitohgfrsoa
a ltahramt theby
shutters of the front-bar.
premises were on fire, he forthwith raised an
knocking at the street door a a
n- sprit] • -
ging his rattle.
Unfortunately, however, the residents
powered with sleep that a considerable were so over-
time e before any of them could be m audse sensible of the great
lapsed
danger to which they were ex
lower portion of the houso becaPtneea blaßzyingthmatastsim. eTthhee
persons in the premises consisted of Mr. Richard Harvey,
the proprietor of the establishment, his mother-in-law, a
woman 52 years of
Abraham Clark age, named Elizabeth Gray,
, George the potman, and a
young woman named rirlar Elizabeth Chambers, who acted as
the servant.
pos('‘') bent to BarykeY, owing
dis to her child being in-
ing for a few days, and her
mother came up to town and rook care of the house
while she was away. Unfortunately, by so doing, her
has been sacrificed.
According to the statement made by the servant maid,
the only survivor out of all those within the building, it
appears that the house was closed et twelve o'clock on
Saturday night, when she turned off the gas in the par-
lour, the potman did the same in the taproom, and Mr.
Harvey was lett to turn the gas off at the metre, his usual
practice. Little more than two hours had elapsed after
the various residents had retired to rest when they were
awoke by the p, 'iceman knocking at the door. The
servant girl states, that when she awoke she found her
room so full of smoke that she could scarcely breathe.
She jumped out of bed and made for the door, when she
could hear Mrs. Gray calling out "Richard, Richard !"
That was the only name she heard called, and there was
129 uoiee in the house like Any one ranning ab9ut,

Timothy Sullivan, aged about SO; both legs fractured,
and severe contusions on the body and head. Remains
in a very dangerous condition, in the same hospital.
William Ransom, aged 24; right leg fractured, and
body much bruised; supposed to havo received very
severe internal injuries.
William Whiting, aged 34; scalp seriously fractured,
with divers wounds and contusions over body; not ex-
pected to iecover.
Thomas Clark, aged 30; scalp lacerated, and ribs
supposed to be fractured; in a very dangerous con-
dition.

John Cooper, aged 39; laceration of the scalp, and
several severe contusions on the body; expected to re-
cover.

George Barham, aged 29 ; fracture of the legs, and
severe injury to the scalp; hopes of recovery.
David Foley, aged 31; numerous wounds and bruises
over the body, and head much injured ; expected to
recover.

James Kirby, aged 28; head much cut, and lower part
of the body seriously injured; recovery doubtful.
Henry Perry, aged 38 ; slightly contused over the
body and head; nothing fatal apprehended.
James Jenkins; slightly injured.
Three of the last named it was expected would be able
to leave the hospital during the week. The names only
of two of the sufferers still under the ruins can at present
be gleaned. One was named James Harrigan, the other
T. Connor. Three persons unquestionably are missing,
but it is hoped that the third may have left the building
in safety, and gone home.
Thousands of persons continued to flock towards the
scene of the melancholy catastrophe, and to keep the
immense crowd out of danger the thoroughfare has been
barricaded at each end, and a strong body of police placed
on duty, under the command of Superintendent Hodgson
and Inspector Alarchant.
The premises, it is stated, were erected under the di-
rection of Messrs. Bell and Corbett, who officiated in the
twofold capacities of builders and architects, while the
brickwork was intrusted to the superintendence of Mr
Dennett.

LATEST PARTICULARS.
•
SUNDAY NIGHT.—The whole of the men employed on
the premises who were fortunate enough to escape with
their lives when the deplorable accident occurred were
engaged during Saturday until midnight, when a fresh
• number of hands were taken on to assist in removing the
ruins, in order to get to the three unfortunate sufferers
known to be wivhin the building. Several carts were
filled with bricks and iron girders, and many tons'
weight of both articles were removed before the least
signs of a human being could be discovered. At length
the men, in turning over a heavy iron girder discovered
the body of one of their fellow-workmen. Great care
was used to avoid mutilating the remains. After some
time the brickwork around him was so loosened that the
body was pulled out with little difficulty. The poor man
was immediately recognized a 3 Martin Cronin, a labourer.
Life, of course, was quite extinct. The unfortunate
sufferer was 40 years of age, and had been within the
ruins 24 hours. He has left a widow and three small
children totally unprovided for.
Within a few feet of the spot where the body was
found, that of James Harrigan was discovered, but not
so deep below the surface of the ruins. About 4 o'clock
the workmen came to the body of Matthew Connor, and,
after working round it for nearly an hour, they suc-
ceeded in extricating it.
The three bodies were forthwith placed in shells and
removed to the parish church of Allhallows, Lombard-
street. Neither of the three bodies appeared so much
injured as the survivors in the hospital. There is no
doubt therefore entertained that the three poor fellows
died from suffocation, and not from any external
wounds.
During the day (Sunday morning) many thousand
persons flocked to the scene anxious to view the ruins,
but owing to the dang€.rous state of the remaining walls
ne one unconnected with the works was allowed to enter
the premises. So great was the excitement in the
neighbourhood that the churchwardens of Allhallows
judiciously dispensed with the performance of divine
service during the day. The side windows of the sacred
edifice affording a view of the ruins, it was considered
the people would flock to that portion of the building
and interrupt the proceedings, and hence the discon-
tinuance of the service.
During the afternoon two more bodies were found,
both shockingly mutilated. The poor fellows had fallen
through the arch of the basement, and up to the time
this account was written neither of the two had been
identified. It is now extremely questionable whether
there may not be one or two other bodies under the
ruins.