The Sun.
London, England, 1851-09-01 00:00:00

DESTRUCTIVE CONFLAGRATION.

Or.e of the most serious fires that has visited the
metropolis for some time past broke out yesterday
morning in the immense range of; premises belonging
to Messrs. llorne (late lloulditch), coach manufac-
turers to her Majesty, situate in Long-acre, immedi-
ately facing Bow-street. The building was erected
a few years since, at the expense, it is stated, of
30,0001., and at the time of the outbreak upwards of
100 carriages were on the premises.
Owing to the wry inflammable nature of the stock
within the place, the flames travelled with the rapidity
of lightning, and as the fire rushed through the roof
and various upper windows, immense flakes of burn-
ing material were wafted by the strong breeze over
the roofs of the houses a long distance off, to the
danger of their destruction. Three persons, who
were sleeping on the premises* were with great diffi-
culty aroused by the police. They fortunately made
their escape in their night-clothes. The equestrian
troop of horses belonging to the Theatre Royal
Drury-lane were located in Clarke's stables, at the
side of the blazing property, but fortunately they
were extricated in time.

The fire-escapes and engines of the London brigade,
C imbe and Co.'s brewery, and West of England Com-
pany, arrived with all promptitude, and plenty of water
being obtained, all hands were set to work, but at
five o'clock the flames had travelled completely round
the building, and had descended three floors, of course
destroying all that they contained, and there seemed
every probability of the entire range of premises fall-
ing a prey to the fury of the devouring element. It
was nearly noon before the fire was wholly extin-
guished.
The total loss must reach to several thousand
pounds, but great as it is, it would have been far more
extensive had it not been for the indefatigable exer-
tions of the firemen, several of whom narrowly escaped
with their lives.
Respecting the cause of the disaster nothing positive
is known ; but the prevailing opinion is that it must
have originated from the spontaneous ignition of pain-
ters' wipings or lamp-black.
The following is the official report of the damage
done, as certified by Mr. Braidwood :
" Sum:ar, AUGUsT 31, 1851.—A fire broke out
at half-past three A.M.' on the premises of Mr. W.
Horne, coachbuilder, Nos. 93 and 94, Long-acre.
The third and fourth stories burned out, and roof off;
the second floor seriously damaged by fire and water ;
the first, ground, and cellar floors severely damaged
by water only. Pert of the stock on ground-floor da•
maged by removal. The building belongs to the
Mercers' Company, and is supposed to be insured
in the Royal Exchange Fire-office. The con-
tents
anotherwere
fi r
eo
ffie.
supposede
The
ab be insuredseof fire ui int the Alliancekwno
a,
~ and

THE BISHOP OF GLOUCESTER. AND BRISTOL.—
From the latest accounts received from the Continent it ap-
pears that the health of the Lord Bishop of Gloucester and
Bristol has much improved, and his Lordship hopes to be
able to commence his visitation of the diocese in the last
week of September. Ile has been joined by Mrs. Monk and
the members of his family.
from off one of the Gravesend
FATAL ACCIDENTS ON THE RlVER..—Yesterday the
sbteemda3,'
eors atfa man, wh* fell
Woolwich, was picked up on the bank at East
Charlton, and conveyed to IVoolwich dead- house to be
owned, and for an inquest. It is that of a. man about G 5,
dressed in brown frock coat and light moleskin trowsers.
The body of Mr. Chittinfield, of Fountain court, Strand,
who fell from off the Sunbeam steamer on Tuesday, was
found yesterday at Lambeth, and removed to the workhowe
iu Princes-road.

The following report was then read by the secre-
tary :
" The directors have the satisfaction to report that,
with few and comparatively trifling exceptions, the im-
portant work of constructing the railway may be consi-
dered as completed. The unavoidable suspension of the
works during the years 1847 and 1848, frem causes not
within thee control of the directors, occasioned a longer
continuance of the payment of interest upon capital, and
otherwise involved a greater expenditure than was ori-
ginally anticipated. But notwithstanding the occasional
difficulties and disappointments they have had to encoun-
ter, in common with the directors of railways generally,
they can safely state that the estimates of the cost of the
undertaking will be very clesely- borne out by the expen-
diture in the company's capital account. The purchase
of property was a task of much difficulty and labour,
and the estimate of expenditure under this head consti-
tuted, as the proprietors are aware, the heaviest portion
of the general outlay. To keep t his expenditure within due
limits required incessant attention, and the greatest cau-
tion in almost every instance. The owners and occupiers
of property were, from the general character of the line,
exceedingly numerous, and their pretensions for the
most part exorbitant; in those cases, however, where the
directors have been compelled to submit the question of
compensation to the decision of a legal tribunal the re-
sult has been favourable to the company. Toe great
value of property in f.hee, . mediate vicinity of the me-
tropol' The repilhtyleith which the'htid adjoining
the railway is being covered with buildings since the
works were commenced, render it impossible that a com-
peting line could be hereafter constructed having similar
advantages with that of this company. The directors
are, therefore, satisfied that the company possess a
property eminently valuable from its position, and the
resources of which will increase from year to year, by
the constant erection of new tenements, bringing a cor-
re,,ponding accession of passenger traffic. In February
last the directors reported that the railway had been
opened for passenger traffic from Islington on the 29th
September, 1850, and from Camden-town on the 4th De-
cember following. It was further opened on the 9th of
June last to the Chalk Farm station, Hampstead-
road, where the railway is connected with the lines
of the Landon and North-Western Company. A state-
ment showing the result of this partial working, from
the 26th September, 1850 to the 30th of June, is now
submitted to the proprietors in a separate revenue ac-
count. There have been carried during this period
1,792,968 passengers, the gross receipts from which amount
to 27,0051. ls. 2d.; the expenses of working, exclu-
sive of rates and taxes and toll to the Blackwell Rail
way Company, amount to 12,4934 65., and the balance
of receipts over expenses to 7,209/. 13s. 11d.; which being
further reduced by the interest for debentures on the
current half year, leaves a surplus of 2,4301. 12s. 6d,,
which amount the directors recommend be carried for-
ward to the credit of the present half-year's account.
The directors have every reason to be satisfied with this
short experience of the passenger traffic. There has
been a steadily progressive increase in the numbers tra-
velling, and the facilities offered by the railway are thus
becoming every day more evident to the public. The
London and North-Western Railway Company have not
yet been able to alter the mode of running their passen-
ger trains so as to work in connxion with this company's
trains at Camden-town ; in a short time, however, this
arrangement will be adopted, and a further accession of
passenger traffic may be expected from this source. With
respect to the goods traffic your directors have to report
that the works for this portion of the company's busi-
ness are so far completed as to be in all essential points
ready for immediate work. The floating dock at Black-
wall belonging to the company is finished; a siding con-
necting the company's station directly with the exten-
sive warehouses of the East and West India Dock Com-
pany has been made by that company, and portions
of their warehouses have been altered and appro-
priated for traffic connected with this company's rail-
way. Sheds and the necessary machinery along the
quays of the railway duck, for the landing and ship-
ment of' goods, and for the extensive coal trade, is in
course of erection, so as to adapt these premises to the
purpose for which they have been designed. The ex-
tent of the station at Blackwell has not yet been deter-
mined upon; but in the meantime temporary accommo-
dation will be provided until the exact nature arid re-
quirements of the traffic can be ascertained, and for this
traffic the large area which this company possess ad-
joining their dock, and directly connected wish the rail-
way, affords ample resources. In addition to the goods
traffic arising out of the c .nnexion between the London
and North- WestertVitairviatObie dock warehouses of
London, and the shipping in the Thames, which origi-
nally formed the extent of the goods traffic expected
over the company's railway, the London and North-
Western Company have recmtly acquired extensive
warehouses in the City as depot for go ids to and from
the metropolis, and which, p,s!ioß over the lilackwall
and this company's railways, will materially add to
the traffic on both. The statement of the
capital account is submitted to the proprietors
in the usual form. From this statement the proprie-
tors will observe that payments have been made on
account of arrears of calls to the extent of 6,2251. during
the half-year. Several proprietors whose shares have
been f irteited, having exercised their right of redeeming
their shares by paying up a:1 arrears with interest at 5
per cent., the amount remaining due upon original share
capital is now reduced to 13.7501. The directors have
succeeded in ',lacing the comparatively few debenture
bonds which have hitherto fallen due at the reduced rate
of 4 per cent. interest, and us others are payable they
hope to effect similar reductions."
The engineer's report stated " that the works of the
railway included in the original undertaking are now
completed ; and that the accounts of contractors are so
far arranged as to enable me to state, with confidence,
that these works will be performed within the estimated
amounts. In constructing and completing the railway,
the necessity of executing the works in the most durable
manner, in order to bear the heavy traffic intended to be
conveyed over the line, has been carefully kept in view;
a great portion of the railway having now been at work
nearly twelve months, there has been ample opportunity
during this period of judging of its efficiency ; and
from the experience derived by a continual examin-
ation, I am enabled to give a confident opinion
that the precautions which have been taken will
reduce the cost of future maintenance to a cotnparatively
low amount. The importance which the passenger traffic
has trzsumed has rendered it desirable that additional
moans should be provided for preventing any interference
with the regular working of that traffic by goods trains.
With this view the works have been arranged so as to
give a great extent of separate accommodation for the
goods; and the sidings for coals in the various parts of
the railway have been increased in their dimensions, in
order to secure perfect freedom from interruption on the
main line during the time of running the passenger
trains. At the company's floating dock at Blackwell,'
the sheds, with connecting rails, and the machinery for
discharging ships, now erecting, only remain to be
finished to admit of the premises being opened for busi-
ness in perfect working condition; these trifling works,
being far advanced, will occupy but a very short time,
and they are being pressed forward with every possible
expedition."
The CHAIRMAN said they looked for a further in-
crease in their traffic from several sources not yet de-
veloped, but the meeting would be glad to hear that
in the two months that had elapsed since the accounts
had been made up, the passenger traffic had already
much improved. The gross receipts on the last two
months, according to the present returns, would be
upwards of 12,0001. They did not, of course, expect
that this would go on as the short days and cold
weather approached. A wet day now made a vast
difference. All their receipts now were from passen-
ger traffic; they had not as yet carried one ounce of
goods. He trusted when he next met them he should
be enabled to announce a dividend.—(Cheers.) He
begged, in conclusion, to move the adoption of the
report.
Mr. JAMES YATES complained that the North-
Western Company had not completed the communi-
cation between the two lines, all that was required
being now an increased length to the platform.
Major ALCOCS said the directors representing the
independent shareholders were out-numbered and
swamped by those representing the North-Western
and the East and West India Companies, none of
whom necessarily need be shareholders.
The SOLICITOR said, that in leasing the line the Act
provided that it must be done by the shareholders
themselves, and not by the directors.
The report was adopted, and after a vote of thanks
, to the Chairman the meeting separated.

BIRMINGHAM, WOLVERHAMPTON, AND

DUDLEY.

7
The half•yearly meeting of the above company
was then held ; Mr. Barlow in the chair.
A resolution adopting the accounts, &c., having
been seconded and carried,
The CHAIRMAN said the Dudley line, although not
in so forward a state as the Birmingham and Oxford,
was, nevt-rtheless, progressing very satisfactorily. Its
completion would follow close upon that of the Oxford
line ; for engineers, contractors, and all parties con-
cerned, would use their utmost endeavours to forward
the works.
Mr. ASTON said he congratulated the shareholders
upon the state of their works, and the near approach
of the completion of their enterprise. He hoped that
when the lines were finished, their expectations would
be fully realised,
The meeting then separated.

BIRMINGHAM AND OXFORD.
BIRMINGHAM, SATURDAY.—To-day the half-yearly
meeting of the above company was held at their tern
porary offices in Snow-hill ; Mr. Barlow in the chair.
After the advertisement calling the meeting had
been read by Mr lierabaw;