The Sun.
London, England, 1856-09-04 00:00:00

WARWICK RACES.—(This Day.)

(BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.)

SELLING STAKES.

Desdemona

COUNTY STAKES:

Lord Alfred

Ten ran.
DONCASTER-RACES.
Acceptances for the Great Yorkshire Handicap of 25
sovs each,ls ft, with 100 added. St. Leger course.

Age st lb
Mr. Sykes 6 9 0
Typee 6 8 12
Hungerford
Saraband
Lady Tatton 4 7 9
Alembic 5 7 6
Courtnnay 4 7 6
Yorkshire Grey 4 7 3
Stork .
Vandal
Bo!ton
Imogene
Lundyfoot 3 7 0
Marchioness

Age st lb
Mishap
Pantomime
Gortschakoff 3 6 8
Termagant 3 6 6
Prince of Orange 3 6 2
Gaudy
Freston
Kestrel
Colt by Orlando
out of Clarissa 3 5 10
Houghton 3 5 7
Pan niure
Miss Harka way 3 5 5

THE FATAL CATASTROPHE IN
LITTLE SWAN-ALLEY.

ADDITIONAL PARTICULARS.

We have paid a second visit to the scene of this dis-
aster, and on a further inspection of the neighbourhood
we are impressed with the truth of our hastily-formed
opinion of the dilapidated state of the houses, which are
a disgrace to the City of London and unfit for the habi-
tation of human beings. Visitors to this great metro-
polis, as well as its inhabitants, as they crowd the lead-
ing thoroughfares and admire and extol the capacious
buildings and gorgeous architecture which embellish our
streets, little dream of the close confined avenues and
dilapidated and filthy houses which lie hidden behind,
veiled from the sight by a fringe of elegance—where
squalor and wretchedness are to be found, and from
whence pestilence and fever walks forth upon the breath
of heaven, carrying death and desolation to all arounes
The state of our metropolis, with regard to the dwellings
of the industrious poor, is a disgrace to humanity and
the age. Compelled from the imperious necessity of
labour to locate themselves near where they earn
their daily bread, these unfortunate individuals are
obliged to accept any accommodation offered to them,
and the grasping middleman, in the hopes of getting as
much as possible out of his lease, turns a deaf ear to their
entreaties for cleanliness, decency, security, and comfort;
and then we are sometimes startled, as in this instance,
with the announcement of the fall of a house, burying
the wretched beings alive, and in many instances, as now,
attended with loss of life. It is high time that some
stringent powers were enacted to insure safety in dense
and over-crowded localities, for the mere appointment
of a district surveyor under the present act, to examine
and keep secure the outside, is but providing half a re-
medy instead of a whole one. He may examine the outer
walls of a house, and find them secure; but, having no
power to enter and examine the interior, he is unable
to say if that be secure, aad if not to order it to be
made so. In this instance we find the danger was
within, and had the house, internally and externally,
been examined by an official responsible for his acts,
in all probability we should not have to announce and
deplore so lamentable and fatal an accident.
On interrogating Mrs. Palmer, whose husband was
killed, and who had herself a miraculous escape, she
furnished us with the following details :—We occupied
the back room on the first floor of the house, for which
I paid Mr. Crane 2s. a-week rent. There were my hue-
band and myself, the baby in my arms, my boy, who
was out in a situation, and my other children, Eliza-
beth, James, and Thomas Pullen, by a former marriage.
We lived in the one room. My husband is a dock la-
bourer, and I am in the habit of going out washing. On
Tuesday my poor boy was kept later at work at his
situation than usual, and so his life was saved. About 9
I was preparing my husband's supper, when I heard a
noise as if the walls were cracking, and saw dust falling
from the ceiling. I said to my husband, " Oh, I am
sure the house is falling." He replied that I was always
thinking so ; it was the man in the next room sharpen.
ing his knife. I said there was a noise of the man
sharpening his knife, but it did not cause the walls to
crack or the duE.t to fall, and I was sure the house must
be falling. Nothing further was said, however ; we had
our supper, and shortly after 10 o'clock we went to
bed. In consequence of the baby crying I got up about
5 minutes to 12 o'clock, and gave him some milk. He fell
asleep in my arms, when I felt toe board of the floor
shaking under me. This was a few minutes after 12. I
felt the shaking of the floor more, and I called out to my
poor husband, "Oh ! Good God ! The house is falling ;
save my poor children !" He got up, and said, "My
God, the place is falling." The walls and floors wore
shaking; he was trying to put on his trousers, and going
to the corner of the room where my three children laid
on the floor, to save t hem, no doubt. That is the last I
saw .of them. I ran to the stairs screaming for Mrs.
King to escape with her family. As I got towards the
bottom of the stairs, they gave way under me, and as
the house fell, I was thrown out with my boy in my
arms on to the pavement in the court. I can recollect
little more than that I and my baby were saved, and
that we were nearly suffocated by the clouds of dust and
mortar. My child was hurt by the fall. I have la'ely
had strong doubts about the security of the house, and
bad talked to my husband about leaving. Last Satur-
day night week Mr. Crane called upon me for the 2s.
week rent. I said, "Mr. Crane, you had better have
something done to the fire place, for it's not safe for me
or my children ; we shall fall into the cellar some of
these days." There was a large crack by the side of the
fire place. He said that ho would call in a few days
and look to it. He went away, but nothing had been
done to the place. My husband war 31 years of age,
Elizabeth Pullen 14, James 12, and Thomas 9, all of
whom are dead.
Last evening a meeting was held in the Ward School
Room, London-wall, to consider what steps should be
taken in reference to the accident ; Mr. Deputy
Hale presided. A subscription was at once made for
the sufferers. A resolution was also carried, that
Messrs. Perkins, Saunders, and Wadd should be ap-
pointed a sub-committee, and that they, with the sub-
scriptions received, should purchase such furniture as
was requisite for the poor persons whose goods had
been destroyed, and otherwise minister to the necessi-
ties cf the survivors. The coroner's inquest will be
opened by Mr. Payne on Friday next.
On the news of the accident reaching the Mansion
House, the Lord Mayor immediately repaired to the
spot, and gave instructions that every possible attention
should be paid to the injured persons. In the course of
the morning several members of the Court of Common
Council commenced a subscription for the sufferers, the
lit being beaded by the Lord Mayor with a donation of
51., and which in a very short period amounted to up-
wards of 701.
This morning Mr. Waddington, Mr. Perkins, Mr.
C'arke, Mr. Saunders, and Mr. Elliott, assisted by Mr.
Jones, the ward clerk, met at the same place, and
commenced an inquiry into the state and condition of
the survivors, with a view to their temporary relief.
At the same meeting reports were received from Mr,
Woodthorpe, the district surveyor, stating that mea-
sures had been taken to secure the adjoining houses
which the inmates fled from in alarm the previous
night leaving their little property behind them, in order
that they might enter in safety and remove their fur-
niture. It was further stated that the walls of the ad-
joining houses, from the defective state of the founda-
tions and the heavy stacks of chimneys in many instances
resting on the outer walls were in a very insecure state.
, It is to be hoped that prompt measures will be taken to
guard against another similar calamity.
On inquiry at St. Bartholomew's Hospital this morn-
ing, we were gratified at bearing that the injuries of
many of the unfortunate individuals were not of so serious
a character as might have been expected from the nature
of the accident. The only inmates of the hospital at
present are John Seibert and his wife, who ere much
bruised, particularly the wife, Jane Hodwin, Julia King,
and Henry King. The deceased George Palmer was
the husband of Mrs. Palmer above referred to, and the
three children, Elizabeth Pullen, 14, James Pullen, 12,
and Thomas Pullen, 9, also dead, were her children by
a former husband.

...
The inquest on the bodies of the above unfortunate
persons will take place to-morrow (Friday).

DARTMOUTH, Wednesday Morning. —The mail screw
steam-ship Tynemouth has arrived, after a rapid run
down Channel. This is the second ship of the new
monthly line of mail steamers to the Cape of Good
Hope, Mauritius, Point de Galls, and Calcutta. She
leaves this port on Saturday morning, the 6th, alter
receiving the mails. She has a full cargo and 60 pas-

sengers.
SWIMMING —WOOLWICH BATHS.—A grand swimming
gala took place at these baths yesterday, for the benefit
of W. Woodbridge, under the patronage of the military
schools. After several races had been well contested,
Mr. Woodbridge illustrated this useful art by a vaaiety
of scientific swimming, floating, diving, smoking, drink-
kg, and undressing under water, assisted by Mr. W.
Smith, &c., to the great delight
.and satisfaction of a
vely numerous company.