The Sun.
London, England, 1851-06-26 00:00:00

lIIETROPOLITAN Q UESTION

COMMITTEE.
Yesterday this Committee re-assembled in a Ea°r°
commodious committee-room. Present—Sir James Gra-
Lem (chairman), Sir J. Ilanmer, Mr. Senders, fir. Lillis,
and Mr. Breket.

Mr. IL C. Beloe, accountant to the Liverpool corp•
ration, was examined at considerable length by Mr.
James, Q.C., on behalf of the promoters of the Bill, re-
lative to the results that had arisen from the consolida-
tion of the wat, r companies in Liverpool, and from
placing them under the management of the corporation.
The result had been generally advantageous to the town
and ratepayers. Though there had been no particular
change in the quantity or quality of the water supplied,
there had been a considerable reduction in the rates,
and the supply was better regulated for police and
domestic purposes. Prior to the consolidation, com-
plaints as to the supply were general. The works in
the hands of the corporation were now self-sus-
taining,
and
hmeetputhreehbausertlamenonwehyichhadtheibreepnurcrhaiassed b
e had
entailed. The purchase money had been raised by
bonds on the security of the water rates, and last year
the Corporation of Liverpool pledged its credit for the
completion of the works to the extent of 500,000/.
Th:. want sa on cross-examination admitted that the total
bonded debt of the cnrporation was 802,000/., but that,
even with this amount of outlay, the water supply of
Liverpool was
not g eater or better than is 18: 6, when
snpFlied by independent companies. Where, 1 0 'ever,
the rate-payers before paid 425. they now only paid 365.
city, before which the public complaints
Mr. Joseph Heron, town-clerk of Manchester, gave
similar evidence as to the results that had followed from
the consolidation of the water companies under the cor-
poration in that
of irregular andinsufficient supply were very frequent.
The works for the water supply or Manchester were as
yet unfinished, but would be completed at a cost of
1,050,0001. The transfer both of the water and gas
supply of Manchester into the bands of the Municipal
Corporation had been attended with advantage generally.
The committee at four o'clock adjourned to Thursday
(this day) at twelve.

THE GREAT FIRE at LONDON-BRIDGE.

- -
(FURTHER PARTICULARS.)
Nothing transpired yesterday to clear up the mystery
respecting the origin of this conflagration. The surveyors
of the insurance-offices interested and several prac-
tical gentlemen long experienced in the progress of fires
in the metropolis and the provinces made a careful in-
spection in the cc urse of the day of the position and cha-
racter of the warehouse that last took fire, marked " D,"
with the view of ascertaining how far it was possible for
some burning flake to have been wafted into the upper
floor from the B warehouse. The state of the wind
favours the impressionrno
dueesgrtedh ta
Thn
eedt
rhycar t
warehouse,
ithp ta craoewnu
atl
away
t nrhaoo
that
mt
ah
int
hov
eet
fib
building.
end
could
nuglfloors
d.
oc-
casioned by any flake from the B warehouse, as it was
have
tlaovwweai
stip gansldsseiorde ctrhte
were occupied by firemen and labourers, in order to
guard against such a circumstance. Presuming that
these inferences would lead to the conclusion that at
least the second fire was the work of some incendiary,
it is difficnit to conjecture what could have been the
motive for so diabolical an act.

With regard to the fire at Messrs. Hollingsworth's rag-
stores, in building A, the labourers employed there have
been subjected to an examination as to the cause, and it
would seem that up to an hour before the outbreak the
place was seen to be perfectly safe. The doors of the
stores were locked, but the main entrances of the ware-
house were free of access, and any person maliciously
disposed might have thrown some combustible material
on to the bales of rags through the lattice work which
divided the stores from the staircase. As for the pre-
sumption that it arose from spontaneous combustion,
that has been set at rest by the fact that most of the rags
were clean white linen, and in themselves it appears
they are not liable to self-combustion. The firm are said
to have had about 12,0001. worth of rags in the ware-
house.

In the case of one of the former fires in the immediate
neighbourhood, some three or four years ago, it was
thought that it must have arisen from some " shoddy"
which had been stored in the warehouse, and the jury,
. at the inquest convened to inquire into the cause, recom-
mended in their verdict that so dangerous a material as
" shoddy," which so readily heats and ignites, should be
excluded from the warehouses. Mr. Humphery fully
acquiesced in the suggestion, and from that time it has
not been permitted to be stored within the buildings.
It is true that oils, &c., are shipped at the wharf on the
opposite side of the way, but they are always deposited
in the alderman's extensive vaults under Wellington-
street, where some 4,000 or 5,000 tuns are stored.
Beneath the warehouses aro spacious vaults extending
the full length and breadth of the buildings, and they all
communicate with each other. Among other stores they
contained between 3,000 and 4,000 firkins of butter,
upwards of 3 000 barrels of flour, several hundred cases
of cheenes, and other provisions, the property of Messrs.
Allen and Anderson, provision merchants, of Hibernia-
wharf. The substantial brick arches of the vaults re-
sisted the pressure of the ruins of the gutted warehouses.
and the fire was entirely excluded from them. The
water, however, got down through the brickwork, and
partially inundated the floors of the vaults, particularly
the western portion under D warehouse, where 3,000
barrels of flour were piled, which for the most part is
supposed to be partially damaged. Its value is fully
covered by an insurance.
A survey of the warehouse marked C showed that,
with the exception of the floors being saturated with
water, the building itself sustained but very little injury
by fire. Its preservation, wedged as it was between two
tremendous blazing piles, is considered to be most extra-
ordinary.
The scanty supply of water obtained from the mains
in the localily during the progress of the fire has formed
the topic of much comment. It is thought that the nu-
merous fires which have occurred in the locality during
the last 15 years, and their disastrous extent, which was
generally attributed to the insufficient supply of water to
work the engines, might have at last induced the pa-
rishioners to secure some greater protection to their
property in this ill-fated quarter.
.At eight o'clock last evening the fire was ?aging
within the ruins, and from appearances it will be some
days ere it will be suppressed. Very little salvage is
anticipated.
The lofty walls fronting the water-side premises have
been shored up in order to prevent any disastrous
accident.
On inquiries being made at the hospital respecting the
unfortunate engineer of the brigade, Edward Burch, we
were informed that he continued in an unfavourable
condition. lie is shockingly burnt about his face, head,
neck, and arms.
Several daring robberies were perpetrated during the
height of the fire on the Surrey side of London-bridge
by a gang of desperadoes from that notorious place
known as the Mint.

(ADDITIONAL PARTICULARS )
Yesterday. a most searching in *r was made by Mr.
ihuei
Humpheryoun., as well as by q
offices interested in the immense amount of property
destroyed, for the purpose of finding
yofficers of the fire-
or was wilfully out, if possible,
whether the disastrous conflagration originated acci-
dentallyA
young man, named Finley,
pre-
mises facing the warehouses destroyed, in answer to Mr.
occasionewto works on the
Humphery, stated that on the afternoon of Monday last
he had been talking to a man
riemhomeedei:itetltyndophpaovsiinte
Messrs. liolliogsworth'l
rraasg
thweaarchuof th® bridge, heg
Wdiarsecitnedt; th-e--
had occasion
the .te°, step
rest:ruing, when his attention was
second floor from the ground by perceiv-
ing an unusuosuiseeLkering light at the window nearest
Hotel. Feeling convinced that a fire
the Bridge-it
ohnet,kheyesc,aaloletdhtaot
tßharyowmni,ghont one of tkhethewdoorkor-
ouse
openingand
tascertain
theythe efoxutenndt a ofla :ghee
body
of ofaedtni;
febtrwooUponget
t
mis-
chief. •
of fire in the eastern side of the warehouse, burning
amongst the rags. He immediately called for buckets of
water, but before sufficient time had elapsed to procure
them, the whole or greater portion of the floor became
one great sheet of flame. The fire then rushed through
the wainscot which separated the compartment from the
passage. At the time he noticed the flame through the
window no one was in the floor, and the door
was locked.
Mr. Humphery, j un,—Had you seen any one enter the
of
premises during the day
a suspicious character?
Finley—No, sir. I had been in the road the whole of
the day, and did not see any one looking at the premises
that in the least degree excited my
suspicions.
Mr. Humphery stated, that were so many persons
were continually passing to and fro, it was almost im-
possible for a single individual to look at every one who
passed by.
Finley then informed Mr. Humphery that when he
saw the fire was spreading so fiercely he sent for the en-
gines. His opinion was, that had he had a few pails of
water at hand when be first entered, he could have ex-
tinguished the flames, or have kept them under until the
arrival of the engines.

„
THE SCOTTISH riOSPITAL.--Yesterday a quar-
terly court of the governors and supporters of the Scottish
Hospital was held in the hall of the corporation, Crane-
court, Fleet-street, to rece
r. for
ve the report the past quarter ;
Dr. Webster, a governor, in the chair, Major Adair, the se-
cretary, read the report, from which it appeared that the se-
cretary,
amounted to 1,8021. 2s. bd., which, with the last ba-
lance, included 3631. 17s. ; annual subscriptions, 393/. 16s. 6d...
and 6371. 18s. 3d. interest of stock. There had been paid
in charity, 1,3251. 195., and after discharging all clause
there remained a balance in hand of 17:21. 14. e. sd.
port, lae received and adopted.;