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

Epira ...

Won by half a length.
The Horton Slakes of 3 sovs. each. One mile,

DERBY BETTING AT HALF-PAST TW
7 to 4 agst Teddington
6 to 1 agst Marlborough Buck
7 to 1 agst Hernandez
10 to 1 agst Prime Minister
15 to 1 agst Neasham—taken freely
15 to 1 agst Theseus
25 to 1 agst Lamartine
25 to 1 agst Hippolytu3

ress,

EXCHEQUER.-(THP. DAY.
(Before the LORD CHIEF Bkriox and a Common Jury.)
BRIDGER V. NORMANBY.
This was an action under the Interpleader Act to try
whether certain goods seized by the plaintiff were the
property of the defendant.
The matter, which has been repeatedly before the
Ccurt, ar, se out of a demand made by a coal merchant
against a director of the Patent Elastic Kamptulicon
Company for coal supplied to the company to the value
of 621. The particulars of the ca,:o were wholly un-
interesting.
The jury found a, verdict for the plaintiff.

CRIMINAL COURT.-(THIS DAY.)
NEW COURT.
(Before the COMION bEEGEANT.)
John Piddington, aged 45, described as a 14bourer, was
convicted of unlawfully assaulting Eridget Mcnahon,
aged six years, and sentenced to 12 months' imprison-
ment with hard labour.

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.
(THIS DAY.)
The May adjourned sessions were opened this morn-
ing, at the Court-house, Clerkenwell-green, before Mr.
Sergeant Adams.
The calendar contains the names cf 61 prisoners.
There was great difficulty in forming a jury, and a
great many who did not answer to their names were set
down as fined.

The Learned JUDGE, in his address to the jury, ex-
pressed his ri gret that so much time had been lost in
getting a panel together.
Denis Derhing, convicted of picitieg pockets at the
last sessions, was brought up for judgment.
The Learned JUDGE read a list of the prisoner's nu-
merous convictions for larceny of various kinds, amounting.
in all to forty-eight, since the sessions of November,
1845. Any future chance the prisoner could have must
be in another country, as he would be transported beyend
the seas for ten years.

MARLBRO'-STREE I'—(THIS DAY.)
A MISCREANT,— William Finisher, a dirty, ill-looking
fellow, was brought before Mr. Hardwick, charged with
violating the persons of two little girls under seven years
of age.
The charge, which is of too disgusting a nature to lay
before the public, was fully established, and the prisoner
was committed fur trial.
THE EXHIBITION AND TILE POLICE COURTS.—Since
the opening of tha " World's Fair," there have been less
charges et this court, in which district the Crystal
Palace is situated, than the public would imagine. The
police arrangements for the detection of the chevaliers
d' Industrie have tended in a great measure to cause the
depression in business ut this court, as well as others in
the immediate vicinity.

THE LATE FATAL CATASTROPHE IN
GRACECHURCH-S2'REET.

COROINEit'S INQUEST._-(THIS DAY.)
This morning at ten o'clock the inquest on the bodies
of Matthew Conner, Timothy Donohue, James Ilarri-
gen, Martin Cronin, and William Hendley, who were
killed by the late accident in Graccchurch•street, was
opened before Mr. Payne, and a highly respectable jury,
at the London Tavern.
The jury having been sworn proceeded to viee the
bodies, lying in Allhallows Church, and afterwards in.
spected the ruins of the buining. On their return to
the inquest-room
The CORONER thnught the best way of proceeding
would be to commence with evidence descriptive of the
nature of the building, so as to enable the jury to decide
how far the Act of Parliament had been complied with
in its construction.
Mr. Cox, of the firm of Cox and .Stone, Poultry,
solicitors, appeared on behalf of Messrs. Bell and Cor-
bett, who were anxious for inquiry, and ready to give
evidence.

Mr. Richard Bell said the building at which the
accident had occurred was the joint property of him-
self and Charles Joseph Corbett, they being architects
of Pope's Bead Alley. The building in question
had been erected on the site of the old Cross Keys Inn,
the whole of which had been pulled down to make room
for the new structure, which was intended for merchants'
offices, fire proof, upon Fox and Barrett's patent.
(Witness produced a ground-plan of the new building.)
The building was commenced in September last. lie
was over the whole of the building on Friday evening
last at half•past six o'clock, and it then appeared to be
in a safe state. Mr. Dennison, the contractor for the
plaistering, was with him. They went for the purpose
of seeing if there had been any " settling," but could not
discover as much as a " hair crack" about the walls.
He went again at eleven on Saturday morning, and
found the west staircase wall, near the centre of the
building, had gone down, and drawn with it the floors
and external wall of xt the church. He inquired of the
contractor, Mr. Dorrett, what had been the cause, not
being able to imagine any. was told that only one
body was under the ruins, but never left the spot until
the bodies had been taken out, Thole were five, one
of which was not taken out WI yesterday. The cause of
the accident was the breaking. of an iron girder crossing
the staircase from north to south. That girder was
at the top of the building. Its weight was about 35
cwt. or two tons, and it broke everthing as it fell,
the floors prizing the walla over with them at the
same time. There were eight girders of the same sort,
which were furnished by ;gr. Ford. Had generally
visited the building once a day. Had seen
i the iron-
work generally, but did not examine into its quality.
It was perhaps his own duty, although he had not done
so. It had been examined, hey supposed, by the foreman.
The contract was to have it proved before delivery.
Had proved some of the smaller bearers, but the larger
ones could not be proved on the premises. The bearers
were made a third stronger than usual; one of the
smaller ones had broken when. tried with nine times the
weight it would have had to tear on the building, had
examined the girder which as the cause of the acci-
dent, and found a flaw in the under portion of it, It
was 12 inches deep; the bottom flange 7 inches wide.
The whole thickness of the metal was inch, The
flaw, in his opinion, was caused in
the
castingwould
There are many circumstances in, casting which
make such a flaw, but I do rant 1391 Y how this one oc-
curred. There were means of discovering this flaw
before it was painted over; but if this girder hal been
properly proved it must have broken. This girder was
to have been proved with sir tons on the centre; but
whether it was done I have no means of suing The
paint the girder before it was
sent. to
contractor had to
our premises. I calculated that the girder would have
carried 36 tons. There went such precautions taken
that if these girders had not broken nothing could have
caused the accident Mr. penult was the contractor for
the whole work—we furnishing the materials, part of
which, the bricks, lime, and aand, we purchased of Mr.
Reddin, a large dealer in these things. There was more
cement in the budding than in any other building where
it was not wholly conszructed of cement. lam sure the
accident did not occur from any defect in the brickwork,
Before we commence a building we give notice to the
district F. ur vey or ; Ke sho4 him the drawings
before tie commence. The surveyor was only
on the premises once during the progress of the
works, and then he came only about the piny e
I thing any one may carry a a building without the
personal superiu ndence of the d istrict surveyor. The ac-
cident, I am confident, occurred ,:through the breaking of
the girder, which had a flaw in it. The building was of the
extra first-rate class. The district' surveyor never made
any 'complaint ebent the insecurity of the building. 11'e
had no other surveyor but ourselves'.
Margaret Harrigan, wife of one of the men killed,

MARKET .NEWS.-(TIIIS DAY.)
003601:11211.26.
StIGAR.—Tha market for British Plantation is steady,
sales 632 hhds., &O.' including 220 Demerara and
Jamaica at auction, the former at 3Ss to 46s 6d for
crystalized, and the latter at 36s to 395. Mauritius, of
3,460 bags offered, only 1,000 sold at nearly 6d decline,
yellow 38s to 40s, and fine brown, 36; 6d to 375.
Bengal, 3,760 bags nearly all found buyers at 43s to 44s
for grainy yellow, and 39s 6d to 4:3s for low to fine white
Benares, being barely previous rates. The quantity of
British Plantation landed last week at the East and West
India, Docks was 4,372 hhds 675 tierces 1,245 barrels;
there were taken for home consumplion 605 'Ads 53
tierces 141 barrels. The stock in the same place is
8,152 hhds 1,291 tierces 1,634 barrels.
COFFEE.-500 bags Native Ceylon, of old import,
partly sold in public sale at 393 6d to 40s, and two lots
of fine at 41s Gd to 425; 200 bcs Java were withdrawn
considerably above the value.
COCOA.-183 bags Trinidad were withdrawn at no-
minal rates.
Corrox.—There is scarcely anything doing, but
prices are not lower.

QUEEN'S BENCH.--(THIS DAY.)
The Court was occupied during the whole morning in
trying an action which was brought to recover a part of
the value of a cargo of chicory, which on its arrival in
the port of London was found to be greatly deteriorated
iu value. The only question involved in dispute was
whether the cargo waa damaged previously to being shipped, or on board the vestel on its voyage from Goole to London?
The trial had not concluded %he❑ we went to