The Sun.
London, England, 1856-07-19 00:00:00

DEST.RUCTIVE FIRES.

Last night, at about 10 o'clock, a fire, which did
damage to the amount of many thousand pounds, took
place in the premises belonging to Messrs. noun and
Rands, known as the Shad Thames Flour-mills, at the
side of Horsleydown Canal, and extending into Shad
Thames. The building formed a conspicuous object,
from its great height, and had a chimney shaft nearly
120 feet high. The mill, which was fitted with valuable
steam power, contained a variety of millstones, some
weighing upwards of a ton each. At the time of the
disaster the mill was in full work, and several of the
workmen were engaged in the place, ' when some one
cried out, " Escape with your lives ; the mill is on fire."
Upon some of the persons on the works going to inspect
the place they saw flames in the first floor warehouse, in
which a large stock in trade was deposited. Informal,
tion of the misfortune was promptly despatched
for assistance, and in a brief period Mr. Superintendent
Brandford and Inspector Reading, with a strong muster
of police of the M division, arrived and cleared a space
for the engines and firemen to pass along. The engines
of the parish, a great many land ones of the London 15ri-
gade, and that of the West of England Insurance-office,
and the powerful steam-float arrived in rapid succession,
but by the time this force could be bet to work the fire
bad extended completely through the mill, and had
seized upon every floor to the top storey, and the
flames at the same moment played round the lofty chim-
ney shaft, until at length they ignited two or three
vessels lying in the river, as well as the manure stores
of Mr. M. Duckitt, whose premises extend round those
of the mill, and there appeared no chance of saving any
portion of the extensive oil works adjoining. The brigade
engines were forthwith set to work under the personal
superintendence of Mr. Braidwood and Mr. Henderson,
and of the West of England under the charge of Mr.
Connorton. At the time this account was written (one
o'clock) the fire was far from being entirely extinguished.
Another fire took place about five hours earlier. It
commenced in the premises belonging to Mr. Linning-
dine, cabinetmakers, in Featherstone-street, City-road.
Owing to the inflammable character of the stock, the
flames soon seized on the timber in the spacious prowls
belonging to Mr. Cross, timber merchant, and various
other houses surrounding, firing in succession some two
or three of the rocfs. The brigade and West of England
engines having arrived, they were set to work, but the
fire could not be extinguished until several thousand
pounds worth of property had also been consumed. Mr.
Linningdine was insured in the Phoenix Fire-office ; Mr.
Cross, the timber-tnerchant, was insured in the Sun Fire-
office ; Mr. Cotterell, another person who has sustained
great loss, was insured in the Phcenix-office; Mr. Bridges
was insured in the West of England-office.

FROME ELECTION.—The writ for the election of a re-
presentative of this borough, in the room of Viscount
Dungarvan, now Earl of Cork and Orrery, has been re-
ceived. The nomination has been fixed for Monday
next, and the polling will take place on the following
"lay. The contest between Major Boyle and Mr. Donald
Nicol is expected to be very close.