The Sun.
London, England, 1851-05-20 00:00:00

THE FATAL CATASTROPHE IN GRACE-
CHURCH-STREET.

Early yesterday morning the Commissioners of the
City Police received instructions from the legal officers
of the Corporation to take possession of the ruins, and
the remaining standing portion of Messrs. Bell and Cor-
bet's premises in Gracechurch-street, until they had
undergone thorough inspection by surveyors and other
competent persons appointed for the purpose. This
order was immediately carried into effect. A body
of constables cleared every person off the property; all
access to it was closed, and no one was permitted beyond
the barriers under any circumstances, except those in-
structed to inquire into the cause of the accident.
At three o'clock in the afternoon the inquiry com-
menced. There were present Mr. Alderman Lawrence,
a builder; Mr. Cubitt, M.P., the newly elected alderman
for Langbourne Ward; Mr. Montague, the City sur-
veyor; Mr. Woodthorpe, Mr. Stephens, the district sur-
veyor; Mr. Tress, and several others. There were also
present Mr. Bell, of Pope's Head-alley, one of the
proprietors of the property ; his assistant architect;
and the superintendent of the works. From a
plan of the various floors and the works in general
much information was gleaned regarding the true de-
scription and character of the building. As the public
are cognizant of the magnitude of the erection, it is ne-
cessary to state that there was not a wooden beam in the
whole structure. Each of the 140 apartments in the
place was made fireproof, the flooring and ceiling being
composed of twelve inches work of solid cement. These
were supported by iron joists, or girders, each 16 feet
long, and nearly 40 cwt. in weight. There could not
have been less than 3,000 of them, besides other girders
of almost three times their weight, imbedded in the
walls,on which the smaller were tied or secured. These
large beams were " locked" to the main walls by bolts
running through and rivetted on the outer side. Con-
sequently, the whole fabric may be said to have been
tied together like a spider's cobweb. Many expressed
surprise that the entire place was not dragged to the
ground, but the only portion that fell was the centre
(about fifty feet by forty); the frontage in Gracechurch-
street, and the portion abutting on Ball's-court, Lom-
bard-street, remaining entire. The frontage has not
bulged out as represented; the surveyors, it is said, con-
sider it perfectly safe. Along the whole length of the
four floors ran passages, the doors to the chambers being
on each side of them. These were gained by two flights
of stairs, one about the centre of the building, and the
other at the western extremity.
It was in the centre one where the mischief com-
menced. Here were four immense girders, each two
tons weight, nearly twenty feet long, fixed across the
staircase, opening on a well-hole, on each of the four
floors, the ends bearing in the walls, and locked to the
longitudinal girders. They were intended to support
the stone steps and part of the flooring of the passages;
but this part of the work had not been commenced. The
one that broke, and produced the fearful consequences
so much lamented, was the uppermost on the fourth
floor. It had been fixed some days, and the walls had
been carried up to the height ',required to receive the
roof. According to Mr. Bell's statement to the City
surveyors he saw it perfect on Saturday morning, when
he went over the works with Mr. King, the superin-
tendent, and found everything apparently safe and pro-
gressing to his satisfaction.
An attempt was made to discover the cause of the
girder breaking. This was found impracticable, as the
broken fragments lay embedded in the ruins. The
people employed on the works say they are confident
there was no weight on the girder to cause it to break,
and express an opinion that it must have arisen from
a flaw in the casting. It seems that Messrs. Bell and
Corbel possess certificates, showing that the whole of the
iron joists and girders employed in the building were
properly tested and warranted.
At a late hour the surveyors retired from the ruins
to, es we understood, draw up a report to present at
the coroner's inquest, which is fixed for ten o'clock this
day (Tuesday) at the London 'Tavern.
We are desired to contradict the statement made in
yesterday's paper, of two more bodies having been dug
out of the ruins, after the finding of the remains of
Matthew Cromer. Such is not the case. Another death;
however, was announced to the police authorities yes-
terday. It was that of a labourer named Timothy
Donohoe, aged 42. He was supposed by his comrades
not to have been on the building at the time of the acci-
dent, but it appears he was on the top, and was one of
the unfortunate creatures who were precipitated to the
ground with the walls and floor when they fell. He
was got out by some strangers, and taken to St. Bartho-
lomew's Hospital, where he died almost immediately.
The other sufferers (four in number dead) are Martin
Cromer, James Horrogan, Matthew Cromer, and Joseph

Hanley.
Those lying at St. Thomas's Hospital, with the ex-
ception of one, Timothy Sullivan (whose case is pro-
nounced by the medical officers hopeless) are going on
favourably. Most of them were married, and their
families are in want of relief.

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

THE EAST INDIA AND CHINA STATIONS.
The Commander.in-Chief, Rear-Admiral Austen,
C. 8., in his flag-ship Hastings, 72, Captain Austen, in
tow of the Sphynx, 6, steam•sloop, Commander Shad-
well, arrived at Trincomalee on the Bth of April.
The Commodore, Captain Lambert, in the Fox, 42,
arrived at Trincomalee on the 9th April.
Salamander, 6, steam-sloop, Commander Ellman, ar-
rived at Trincomalee on the 2d April, from Moulmein.
Reynard, 12, screw-sloop, Commander Cracroft, and
Lily, 12, Commander Barker, were daily expected.
The above ships were ordered to assemble at Moul-
mein for the purpose of forming a court-martial to in-
quire into certain charges against Captain Baker, for
having, in his passage from Portsmouth to the station,
turned some naval apprentices ashore at Ascension.
Sphynx had been cogaged in conveying two com-
panies of the 37th Regiment, with some men of the Royal
Artillery and gun-lascars, to Colombo from Trinco-
malee • taking back two companies of the 15th, some of
the Trinco-
malee;
Rifles to reinforce the detachment there,
and some of the Royal Artillery at the latter place.
CHINA.—The following men-of-war were in the China
seas March 30:—Cleopatra, 26, Captain H. L. Massie;
Enterprise, discovery ship, Captain Collinson, C. 8.;
Royalist, 6, surveying vessel, Commander Bate; Minden
and Alligator, at Hong-Kong; Contest, 12, Commander
Hon. J. W. Spencer, at Shanghai; Pilot, 12, Commander
Hickley, at Whampoa; Serpent, 12, Commander Luard,
at Amoy.
THE MEDITERRANEAN STATION.
The Commander-in-Chief, Sir William Parker,
Bart., G.C.8., received at Malta intelligence of his pro-
motion to be full admiral, on the 10th inst., and hoisted
his flag, blue at the main, in the Queen, 110, Captain
Wise, under the customary salutes.
The Governor of Malta took his departure under sa-
lutes and manned yards, in the Merlin steam-packet, on
the 13th, en route to England, via Marseilles.
The public, funeral of the late Captain Knox, of the
Firebrand steam-frigate, took place at Malta on the even-
ing of the 2d inst.
A court of inquiry has lately taken place on board the
Albion, 90, Captain Hope Johnstone, on Mr. Fraser, a
midshipman, who had committed an assault on Mr.
Bulgio, a clerk of the Ganges, 84, Captain Smith, C. 8.,
a few evenings previous. The captains of the Albion
and the Ganges formed the court. On their report the
young gentleman was directed to make a public apology
to Mr. Bulgin or. board the Ganges before the officers of
that ship, six gentlemen of the gun-room of the Albion,
two lieutenants, and the commander. Owing, however,
to the posture Mr. Fraser assumed, Captain Smith felt
compelled to decliue accepting the apology, feeling
himself treated with contempt. Mr. Fraser was sent
back to his ship, and a further report made to the
admiral.
Caledonia, 120, Captain Carter, left Malta on the sth
instant for England. She was accompanied by the Fire-
brand steam-frigate, Captain Codd, which had instruc-
tions to proceed in company to the south-west of Sar-
dinia, in order to assist her by towing or otherwise, as
might be necessary.
On the following morning the Porcupine steam-vessel,
commanded by Lieutenant Bacon, of the Caledonia, and
manned by part of her crow, left Malta for Gibraltar
and England, where she will be paid off.

S CATHERINE HAYES'S CONCERT
AT THE HANOVER-SQUARE ROOMS.
.Yesterday morning Miss Catherine Hayes, the English
prim,, donna assoluta, who is, we are sorry to say, about
to leave our shores for America, gave a grand, and we
fear
we must add a farewell, concert at the LiailOVer-
square Rooms. The audience was ono of the most
crowded and most brilliant ever assembled within these
walls, and the reception of the fair beneficiairc was most
enthusiastic. Never have we seen Miss Catherine Hayes
look better, never have we heard her sing more
y. Her voice
deliciously than she did yesterda
seems to have acquired greatly increased power
since last season, and her rendering of the
" Ah mon file," from the Prop/tete, was a miracle of ex-
quisite musical expression; her lower tones were exceed-
ingly rich, and told with immense eff he conchs
in this splendid
cavatina. But the great triumph of thrt was tho
" Caste Diva," from Norma. Never haven we heard Miss
iss
Catherine Hayes sing more exquisitely; er have
heard this chef d'iruvre of Bellini more perfectly ren-
dered. She gave the slow movement with m imense ex-
pression, dignity, and pathos; and her execution
of the cabaletta was the very perfection of florid
vocalization; her //tonere was wonderful alike
for its taste and its execution. The p.
blame at the conclusion wag rapturously enthusiastic.
Beautifully did she give the exquisite duet, " Da quel
from Linda, with liar Reichert, and Mori 's new ballad,
"Come, where sweet-toned Zephyrs," was quite made b by
the delicious vocalization of Miss Catherine llaye
must be a fortune to a young composer to have hiss.prot-
ductiDns so introduced to the public. This
the musical
also worthy of note, as having introduced to thc
the youngest son of ithle
public Mr. Augustus Braham,
great tenor. Mr. Augustus Braham 's
voice is
a light tenor of great sweetness, flexibility, and
expression, and of considerable
power also. He sang
the `'Tutto e sciolto " from the
Sonnambula with great
expression, and afterwards gave a Scotch ballad very
tastefully. We are inclined to prognosticate a brilliant
career for Mr. Augustus 13raham. Mademoiselle Ana
Zerr, prima Aim of the Opera of Vienna, appeared for