The Sun.
London, England, 1832-05-29 00:00:00

CALAMITOUS FIRE AND LOSS OF LIFE

Yesterday morning, about six o'clock, a fire broke
out in the lower part of the house of Mr. Smithers,
tobacconist, 398, Oxford-street, which was attended
with loss of life, and has beets otherwise of a most
calamitous nature. The police discovered a quantity
of smoke and flame issuing from the lower part of
the premises, and on proceeding to the spot, ob-
served Mr. Smithers endeavouring to make his
escape by the front area, at the same time calling out
fire. He in vain endeavoured to reach the street,
and all the efforts of the persons on the spot to
force the railing up proving fruitless, Mr. Stnithers
ran up the kitchen stairs, which were at that time
in flames, through the shop into the street. He
was very much burned in the face and hands, and
was ultimately conveyed to the Middlesex Hospital.
In a very short time the flames reached an alarming
ascendancy, and before the inmates could be aroused
to a sense of their danger, the house was filled with
smoke and flames. The instant the lodgers and
others became aware of their alarming situation,
they made an attempt to escape by the stairs. Fruit-
less, indeed, were such attempts, for the flames had
so rapidly increased in their ascendancy, that the
whole landing was on fire. At almost every win-
dow was to be seen some individual imploring aid
with uplifted hands where it was impossible for the
slightest assistance to be afforded them. The ser-
vant girl was about to throw herself out of the
third floor window, but was implored not to do so
from so great a height, but to endeavour to reach
the second floor. The entreaties prevailed, and the
poor girl, after making the best of her way through
the dense smoke, reached the window on the second
floor. Several men underneath ranged themselves
to catch her in her descent. It was a few minutes
before she had the courage to throw herself out, but
finding the flames approaching her, she did so, and
alighted on the shoulders of a man; the force of her
fall knocked him down, and seriously injured him,
but the young woman escaped comparatively unhurt.
The second floor was occupied by an elderly lady
named Twamley, her two daughters, Elizabeth and
Caroline, and a niece and an orphan boy about eleven
years of age, nephew to the Misses Twamley. When
this family became sensible of their danger, all hopes of
escaping by the landing was impossible, and they ran
from window to window in a state of mind border-
ing on distraction. Miss Elizabeth Twamley held
the boy in her arms, and appeared more alarmed for
his safety than her own. Not knowing what course
to pursue, she lingered at the window until the
flames reached them, and what clothes they had on
had caught fire. The poor little fellow caught hold
of the window, and appeared determined to throw
himself out, in which he succeeded ; but before
Miss Elizabeth, his aunt, could do so, the smoke
appeared to have suffocated her, and she sunk im-
mediately under the window a prey to the flames.
The boy fell on his bead, and was carried to the
Hospital in a bleeding and apparently lifeless state.
The elder Mrs. Twamley, her daughter Caroline,
the niece, and Mrs. Smithers, after they had left the
windows found heir way to the back of the premises
and from thence to the leads of some house in Dean-
street. Previous, however, to reaching the lat-
ter place, it became necessary to make a descent of
upwards of 20 feet, in accomplishing which Mrs.
'rwarnley, it is said, broke her back, and the niece
dislocated her shoulder. Mrs. Smithers and Miss
Caroline Twamley were more fortunate, they re-
ceiving only a few slight bruises. The old lady was
ultimately conveyed to a friend's in Pulteney-street
without any hopes of her recovery—indeed, it was
expected that death would put an end to her suffer-
ings ere she could reach the above named place.
The remaining inmates succeeded in effecting their
escape. A rumour prevailed, that a French gen-
tleman, who resided on the third floor, had met his
death by the fire, but it is believed that such is not
the case, as a person answering his description was
seen running to a place of safety with only his night
clothes on.
A number of engines were speedily on the spot,
and the unceasing exertions of the firemen prevented
the flames extending beyond Mr. Smithers's pre-
mises, which were entirely consumed, and every
article of furniture and stock in trade destroyed.
After the fire had been extinguished, and the ruins
somewhat cooled, the firemen went over the pre-
mises. They found the remains of Miss Twamley
immediately under the window where she was
seen to sink down, with some rafters en the body.
The spectacle was most frightful, the arms and fee.
were berned entirely off, and her intestines pro-

COAL MAR.

Per Ton.
Adair's 18s. Od.
East Percy l6 6
Holywell IS 6
K illingworth 18 0
Pontop Windsor...—. 16 0
St. Lawrence Main 19 0
anfield
17 9
Wylam lB 3
Walla End Gosforth ..... 20 0
Ditto Bewicke and Co. 20 0
Walls End Heat0n........ 19 0
Ditto Killingworth 19 0
Ditto Northumberland 17 9
Walls End Riddell's—. 19 0
Walls End Walker 19 0
Ships arrived since

KET.—May 28.
Per Ton.
Beamish South Moor.- 15s 6d.
Walls End Hetton ........., 21 0
Walls End Lambten--. 21 0
Walls End Stewart's 21 :3
Walls End Adelaide...-, 19 0
Walls End Gordon-- 19 6
W. E. South Durham 18 6
Walls End 20 0
Cowpen . 17 6
Walls End 17 0
Hartley 21 0
Llangennech C0a1....-.... 27 0
Silkstone Field and Co. 17 0
Scremerston Engine...-, 16 6
Tanfleld Trader 18 0
Old Etherley 5ma11...-. 11 3
last market-day, 40.

ST. PANcRAs.—The parishioners met at
Mr. OWENS'S Institution, Gray's Inn-lane, yesterday
morning, to put in nomination forty persons to serve ae
Vestrymen, and five others to serve as Auditors, under the
new Act. As early as ten the large room was crowded to
excess, and various lists were handed about, from which it
is wished the parish should choose their representatives.
In the list of Reformers are Major REVELL, Mr. Mu ItPirv•
Mr. BLAKEMAN, and several others, whose names were re-
ceived with de..fening acclamations; while, on the other
hand, the Tory party (as they are termed) were received
with discordant sounds. The election commences this
day, by ballot, and continues three days..
A German publisher, in advertising a work
under the title of Royalism and Liberty, in which it is at-
tempted to prove that an absolute monarchy is the beau-
ideal of government, candidly adds—that he has under-
taken this publication solely to please the author, whom
he considers in other respects a very worthy man, but that
it would be against his conscience to recommend the work
to the public. _ _ _

In 'the afternoon of Saturday last a carriage
stopped at the shop of Mr. LANE, straw-hat-manufacturer,
in North street, from which two ladies alighted, and en-
tering, proceeded to examine the stock, with the intention
of purchasing. They were waited upon by Mrs. LA
and an assistant. While they were thus engaged, an el-
derlype, ni
ai breathlessti
ed 4 , phe a
youst e,
ent, seizingseizing utihaeubustled
ladies
know where you are ? You're in th it man's shop who
delivered that abominable speech on the Steine on Monday
(at the Reform meeting); come out, come out ; if your
by into
their the
arms,
pa' knew you bought a bonnet here, he'd never forgive you
as long as he lived ; come along, come along !" and, so say-
ing, he endeavoured to drag his female friends out of the
warehouse. Mrs. LANE at first stood as if petrified at the
strange conduct of this ultra-Tory, but, recovering herself,
calmly observed that "Mr. LANE was at home, if the
gentleman wished to see him." ,6 Me see hits !" was the
fierce rejoinder ; " No,
no ; let tradesmen stop at home,
and mind their own business, and not make speeches at
public meetings !" and with some half-dozen more " come
along," he forced Mrs. LANE'S customers into their ear. I
riage, and drove off..—Brighton Herald.

On the 27 BIRTH.I.
th inst. at Cheltenham, the lady of George Grahamheir.
Blackwell, Es•, of minx )
q A .y ark, Gloucestershire, of a son wig
On the 27th inst. the lady of John Burnet, B; q., Golden-squares
of a daughter.
On the 27th inst. in Mabledon-place, Burton-crocent, Mrs.
Edward Lowrance, of a son.

MARRIED.
Blaylock, On 1
01%
Fore street,
caett,Sct.r
ll).,eploengtatrtde:st,o Spi rseclitch,
Elizabeth Mr.B eGisehoiragg:
of Shoreditch.
On the 28th inst. at St. Luke's, Chelsea, George Augustus
Starling, M.D. of Bishop's Stortfoid, Herts, to Julia, second
daughter of the late Thomas William Gordon, Esq., of Demerara.
DIED.
On the 25th inst. at Burton House, Dawlish, Devonshire, the
Right Hon. Sir William Grant.
On the 24th inst. aged 68, Mrs. Martha Purnell, 33 years house•
keer at the Army Pay-office.
On the 2tith inst., aged 52 Mr. Thomas Orchart, of Wood-
street, Cheapside, and one of the Common Councilmen of Crip-
plegate Ward within.
On the 27th inst. at Woolwich, in the 78th year of her age,
Mrs. Pheebe Wright, widow of the late Major Jesse Wright. •
who was killed at Lannoy, in Flanders, in the campaign under
his late Royal Highness the Duke of York, in the year 1794. ,
whilst in command of the British Artillery attached to the Guards.

PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY MURDO YOUNG, erTng
SUN °FMB, 112, STRAND, LONDON..