The Sun.
London, England, 1835-12-18 00:00:00

CORONERS' INQUESTS.

DREADFUL ACCIDENTS IN THE FOG.—SIX LIVES LOST,
—Yesterday evening, an inquest was held before Mr.
BAKER, Coroner, at the Town of Ramsgate public-house,
Wapping, on the body of Mr. George Paton, shipowner,
belonging to the Glasgow, aged 23 years, who fell into the
London Dock on Wednesday evening, during the fog.
The Jury returned a verdict of " Accidental Death."
Two inquests were subsequently held before Mr. BAKER
and a respectable Jury, at the Half Moon and Seven Stars,
in Ratcliffe-highway, on the bodies of W. Henry Greedy,
aged 18 years, and John Meadows, 24, who perished by
falling into the Hermitage Basin of the same dock, during
the fog of Monday and Tuesday evenings.
A Juror said a man walked into the same dock last week,
and was drowned. The sacrifice of human life in the Lon-
don Dock every winter was dreadful.
Verdicts that the deceased persons were accidentally
drowned were then recorded, accompanied by a strong ex-
pression of feeling on the part of the Jury.
On Wednesday evening, during the dense fog which pre-
vailed, several persons walked into the West India Dock,
but were got out alive. Among them was a watchman,
who, however, managed to swim across the Dock basin, and
reached the other side, and got ashore. The people on the
opposite side, not being aware that the watchman had ex-
tricated himself, threw in the grappling irons, and, after
dragging for some time, brought up the body of a man who
had not been missed. The corpse was immediately moved
to the dead-house in Poplar churchyard, and an inquest will
be held upon it this day.
Yesterday morning, at an early hour; Mr. Fox, a sur-
veyor of Thames Police, and his boat's crew, while coming
up Bow Creek, a branch of the River Lea, from the Thames,
saw the body of a man lying on his back in the mud, ad-
joining the Orchard-house Warf, from which it is supposed
he had walked during the fog into the water, which, on the
tide receding, left him the mud. Fox and his men took
the body ashore, and recognised it to be that of a man
named John Higgins alias Elliott; whom he had met coming
out of the Orchard-house publiC-house, in Poplar, on
Wednesday night. .Higgins had resided for many years in'
Essex-street, Whitechapel, and has left a wife and seven
children.
On Wednesday evening, a young man proceeding through
Rotherbithe missed his way during the dense fog, and pro-
ceeded down one of the landing places into the river, and
the tide being high he met with a watery grave. We re-
gret to state that several persons connected with shipping
and the river are missing during the last three nights, who
are supposed to have perished in a similar manner.
Among thee% are the master and mate of two coasting
vessels lying'in the Pool.
FATAL ACCIDENTS TO CHILDREN BY FIRE.—,CAUTION
TO PARENTS.—Within the last few days inquests upon
the bodies of no less than ten children have been held,
their deaths being occasioned by severe burns. On Wed-
nesday Mr. BAKER held four inquests at the London Hos-
pital on the respective bodies of William Nichols, aged
six yea-is ; William Ross, aged fedi. years and a half ; John
Godfrey, aged four years ; and Maria Flanders, aged three
years. In each case a verdict of " Accidental Death" was
returned.

FATAL ACCIDENT ON THE LONDON AND BIRMINGHAM
RAlLROAD.—Yesterday afternoon an inquest was held in
the Board Room of the North London Hospital, Gower-
street, New-road, before I%lr. STIRLING, on view of the
body of John Hodgson, aged thirty-five years, a miner, em-
ployed in the tunnel of the London and Birmingham Rail-
road, Primrose-hill, whose death was occasioned by in-
juries received in consequence of a quantity of earth fall-
ing upon him. Verdict—" Accidental Death."

BROOKES'S.—ATory Tipperary paper says that the
Earl of Donoughmorg has sent in his resignation as a mem-
ber of Brookes's, because the members have not adopted
the foolish, faded Baronet's recommendation to expel Mr.
O'Connell.

DESTRUCTIVE FIRE.--Yesterday morning, be-
tween one and two o'clock, as police constable, Lumley,
H 110, was going his rounds, he discovered that the lower
part of the house of Mr. Howard, a turner, residing at
No. 80, Leman-street, Goodman's-fields, was on fire.
Finding that the flames were making rapid progress, Lum-
ley,
with the assistance of a brother officer, Johnson,
H 134,-.who had by that time arrived, got on to the leads,
and from thence was enabled to get into the first floor,
and by this means made his way to several rooms, in which
different parties of the family were asleep, and awoke
them. The flames by this time had made such rapid pro-
gress that neither of the parties had time to dress them-
selves, and but very narrowly escaped with the bed clothes,
or whatever covering they could lay their hands upon
about them. At one time, and when the flames were
bursting forth from all parts of the house with the utmost
fury, there were five of the inmates who slept in the upper
part of the house missing, and it was generally believed
that they had perished, and added so many to the frightful
numbers that have lately fallen a sacrifice to the extensive
fires in the metropolis. Fortunately, however, this was
not the case, as they had by some means or other, but hov7
some of them themselves, from their excessive fright, are
ignorant, succeeded in making their escape over the roof to
the adjoining holfses ; and, being in a state of comparative
nudity, they ran to, and took refuge in, the house of Mr.
Flack, the sign of the Brown Bear, which was just opened.
The house of Mr. Howard was completely gutted, and
scarcely a vestige of the property it contained has been
saved ; fortunately for the owner it was insured to an
amount which will cover his loss. No account could be
given as to the origin or cause of the fire ; but, as.there
was a quantity of wood, chips, and shavings about the lower
part of the house where Mr. Howard kept his workshops,
it is supposed that a spark from a candle must have fallen
amongst them previous to the family retiring to bed, and
ignited them subsequently. •
FIRE AND PROVIDENTIAL ESCAPE.—On Sun-
day evening last, a fire took place in the house of Mr.
Kilner, of Aldwark. Mr. K. had, previous to his going to
bed, placed a number of coal sacks before the fire, and
owing to the excessive heat, they had become ignited. It is
somewhat remarkable, that Mr/and Mrs. K., who sleep
over the kitchen where the fire took place, were not in the
least disturbed during the night, neither were any of the
neiihbours ; and consequently the fire was not discovered
until six o'clrick on the following morning when Mr. K.
got up to work, found all the sacks,"--a pair of shoes, and
several chair backs totally consumed; beyond this no
further damage was sustained.—York Courant.