The Sun.
London, England, 1858-03-30 00:00:00

Then we found Mr. and Mrs. Smith—they
were all one on top of each other, as it were.
By a Juryman—The Smiths were in the back part.
Some of the children had fallen T., ith their heads down-
wards, and I had to pull them up by the legs. I took
out 14. The first we found about 10 minutes past 4.
They were all dead. The pressure was enough to kill
any one. They had only their night clothes on, which
were much burnt. One body had his trousers partly or,
and he must have been in the act of pulling them on
when the house fell. He was least burnt of all. I heard
no cries nor saw any person at the windows when I
came up with my engine.
By a Juryman—The house was in flames from the
bottom to the top when I arrived. The alarm of fire
was given at the station by a stranger. I saw the
bressemer giving way in the eentre,iwhicl2'drew the ends
from the wall. I saw it bend and the wall gave way.
I gave an alarm.
By the Coroner—We are supposed to be called by
the police, who we give a trifle for doing so.
Mr. Goff, of the brigade, said he was called by a
policeman on Blackfriars-bridge before the last witness
was called ; the policeman on the bridge was attracted
by the light.
By a juryman—l have seen hundreds of houses on
fire and seen them fall. I ne►er saw a house fall so
quickly as this. Since the fire I find the timber had
not much hold. If the front bressemer had not given
way I think the front wall would not have given.
Police-constable $4 E, Daniel Brown Sullivan, I gave
the first alarm of fire by springing my rattle at a quarter
past or 20 minutes past 2 o'clock on Sunday morning
the 28th.

The Coroner—Are you sure of that ! Because the
Chandos•street men did not get there with the engine
till half-past it o'clock.
A juryman—l saw it at half-past 2 o-clack.
The Coroner—Yes, but the Chandos-street man was in
the immediate neighbourhood.
A Juryman—Yes, and thus were there before him.

The Coroner—lt seems there is no organised system
for calling the engines.
Witness—When at the oorner of Montague and Rus-
sell-streets, I heard a cry and ran towards the house ;
just as I turned the corner I saw the fire rushing out of
the window on the basement. The door, I believe, was
fastened, but the fire was so strong I could not approach
the door. I looked up to the front of the house, where
I saw a man at the second floor font window on the
west side over the shop, above where the Tittles were
gushing out. He cried out and I told him to hold hard
where he was. At this moment flames rini,ed out, and
there was great cracking of glass. I stooped down to
avoid the broken glass when a young man jumped out
and knocked me down. The young man was not killed
at the time, but he was seriously injured. The ma❑
Eastwood, his wife, and three children got out of the
window by means of a ladder which the police put up to
the window. A stranger went up the ladder and brought
down one of the children ; at that time a fire-escape had
not arrived. Five persons were got out safely. No
engine had arrived at that time. I can't recollect when
the first engino arrived. Policeman 56 E first ,:ame to
my assistance. We sprang our rattles almost together
and I sent him for the fire-escapa, but not to the engine
station.

The Coroner—Are the fire escape and the engine-
etation connected.

Mr. Goff (fire brigade)—No, they are not.
Witness continued—a-The only persons we saw were
those we took out and the young man who jumped out,
he came from the second floor window. I did not
see the other window touched. I saw no other living
person but those I have named at any of the windows.
When the last person was taken from the window, the
flames and smoke was so great from the basement that
I could not see the second window. It was about
five minutes after the last person was saved that the fire
escape came. It was there before either of the engines
I cannot say which fire.engine arrived first. The front
door was burning at the time.
By a Juryman—The fire when I first saw it was
burning the Musetfm-street end of the building. I
knocked at the door and sprung my rat tle. One part of
the door was burning at the time. The whole of the
lower part of the premises was on fire when I saw it,
but more towards Museum-street than the other. lam
sure the door was burning when I first saw the fire. I
can't say if the shutters were up in front of the shop.
'no flamed were rushing out in a body at the time.
By the Coroner.—l was at the fire about two minutes
before the young man jumped out. During that time I
sprang my rattle, sent for the escape, and went back to
the young man to desire him not to jump out, the
glass and flames rushed out against me, and at the same
moment the young man jumped out, fell on me, keocketi
me down, and stunned tne. My instructions with
reference to giving information to the fire engine sta-
tions and escapes are to go to all the nearest stations
and give au alarm. When the e-caps arrived it could
not be used. It was higher than the windows, and the
flames from below prevented its use. It was put against
the adjoining house, and the fire-escape man went to the
roof.

-By the Foreman—lt was about ten or twelve minutes
after I discovered the fire that the fire-escape came.
By a juryman--I know nothing of a boy giving in-
formation to the station near the church.

By the Coroner—l think most of the de'ay in the
arrival of the escipe arose from the beams of timber
across the street, to support the building, impeding its
progress.
By a Juryman—l think the cries proceeded from the
men who jumped out of the window. Ido not know
if the occupants of the adjoking house; were i.creatning.
.Tohn Curie, 8. Bury-street, Bloomsbury, painter and
glazier—l was at the fire on Sunday morning shout
20 minutes, ur half:past two o'clock. I was
fiat alarmed by the ery of murder and the sound of a
policeman's rattle, which occurred simultaneously. I
had just returned home, and bed passed the end of Gil-
bert-street about five in.nutes pas 2. I iinrnediately went
to the fire, where I fund two po icemen, one of whom
was springing his rattle, and the other was close against
the door. I don% think the door was o❑ fire, but the
flames were coming through the shop window. It was
not great at first, though it wa rather a large flame that
came out of so small a shop ; the door and window ap-
peared to join. I can't say if the door was broken open,
but I think not. I heard several calls or screeches.
Tnere can be no doubt they came from the sEcond floor
window. I saw an arm put out of the window, ani
pulled back again. It was not the man who jumpe I
Out. The hand and arm were put out of the window
nearest Bury-street ; the party appeared to be in their
shirt or night dress.
Rev. R. Long, curate of Bloomsbury, said he had
often visited the house, and could state it was impossible
for any one to get out of the window, because boards
were placed across them.

Witness continued—Mr. Eastwood was at the window
when I put the ladder up, about three or four minutes
after I got there. I saw the t and and arm before I saw
Mr. Eastwood at the window. I did not see it afterwards.
I went up the ladder and brought down a little girl
about nine or ten years of ago. Mr. Eastwood then
went baok into the room. After that I brought down
Mrs. Eastwood and an infant in her arms. Mr. East-
wood went back a second time, and got a little boy out,
and then came down the ladder himself. Mr. Eastwood
went in and brought them as calm and as cool as if he
was following his ordinary employ ; but when he came
down he was evercome—he fell into my arms and said,
" Oh, my dear boy, I have not a rag left." Neither fire-
escape nor engine had then arrived. It was a quarter
of an hour or so after Mr. Eastwood was got out that the
fire-escape or engine came. Had the ladder been long
enough I could and should have gone to the second
floor window ; but when the fire-escape arrived, it
was impossible for them to render the inmates any aid—
all chance was gone. The fire-escapeman was willing to go
up, but I put my hand upon his shoulder, and said, "Yon
can't live up there," and he then put the escape against
the adjoining house and went on the roof. When the
escape arrived, the flames were rushing out of the sky-
light. The poor man who jumped out was first laid on
the opp Rite side of the street.
By a Juryman—When I took out the child the flames
were issuing from the shop window, but not from the
door. I did not see the door opened. When the police
came we were all driven back for the firemen to work,
and I can't say what was done then. No flame at first
issued from the first or second floor window. When I
mounted the ladder and looked in at the window there
was no fire in the first soar. Mr. Eastwood was burnt
coming down the ladder. After the policemen drove
me back I stood on the buildings opposite, and saw the
walls at first fall course by course. If the fire-escape
had arrived earlier, or I had had a longer ladder, more
lives could have been saved. The ladder was so hot
that I could not hold the sides in my hand as I went up
and down. A policeman knocked at the door violently,
and pulled the bell.
John Eastwood, one of the occupiers of the house,
whose life was providentially saved by the last witness,
deposed—l am now living at 42, Museum street. lam
a carpenter by trade. I occupied a front and back
room on the first floor, under those occupied by the
Hedgers. I was first awoke by my wife. She said,
"John, there's a row; what is that crackling noise?" I
got up and said, "Dear me, the pace is full of smoke."
I slept in the back room with my wife and one child,
and the other two children in the front room. I jumped
out of bed, opened the door between the two rooms,
and saw the reflection of a fire in Gilbert-street.
I then went to the front window and looked
through it, and saw the flames curling up over
the front of the adjoining window, which was
immediately over the carpenter's shop. There was
flame at the landing,and rushing up the stafrcase. I shut
the front room door and locked it, to prevent my wife in
a moment of excitement attempting to escape that way.
It was impossible to escape by the stairs at that time.
I then rushed to the front window, opened it, got out-
side on to the shallow balcony, and called for assistance. '
I heard the policeman's rattle immediately after my wife
awoke me. I called for assistance, and pointed to a
ladder at the new buildings opposite. I kept my wife
back from the window till the ladder was brought there.
I then handed my eldest daughter to the last witness.
We all fortunately got out without injury. At the time
of my escape the room was nearly full of smoke, and was
accumulating. When I got my last child out I could
scarcely see, but by stooping down I was able to look as
it were under it. The flames little boy
coming through
I lived at
the front window as I got my little
hbsoy
20, Gilbert-street about three mont
• Nnto.
The rooms one slept on
the ground floor. There was no basement.
adjoining mine on the first floor were unoccupied. I
can't say when a person with a candle was last
in the
carpenter's shop. I saw no light there on Saturday
night when I went to bed about elece o'clock.
By the Coroner—Kave you formed any opinion as to
the cause of the fire I
Witness-1 can't imagine. 1

The Coroner—You cannot conjecture
Wi tne,s —I have not the slightest idea. I saw nothing
to excite my suspicion.
By the jury—l Emelt nothing burning on SatiltdaY