The Sun.
London, England, 1832-06-02 00:00:00

LATE FIRE IN OXFORD-STREET.

CORONER'S INQUEST.—Thursday afternoon an inquest
was held before Mr. Higgs, at the Sun and Thirteen Canteen a,
in Great Pultency-street, to inquire into the cause of the death
of Mrs. Ann Townley Twamley, who died in a few hours after
she was conveyed from the fire on Tuesday last. The deceased
was 70 years of age, and for many years one of the opera dancers
both at Covent-garden and the Opera-house.

Abraham Harrison, No. 10, Newton-street, Holborn, smith,
about twenty minutes past six o'clock on Monday morning,
heard an alarm of fire from his master's premises in Dean-street.
When he, with his shopmates, went into the yard there were
two gentlemen on the leads of the back parlour of Mr. Spires's
house. Immediately after he saw the deceased, who was sit-
ting on the coping-stone of the second floor window of the
house belonging to Mr. Smithers, in Oxford-street ; at this
moment her daughter took her in her arms. The wit-
ness went with a ladder, and said "for God's sake be pa-
tient for a few minutes." The fire was approaching them, and
they both fell down together, apparently from fright, a distance
of about ten feet, on the leads below. The fire was coming
out of one of the windows at the time. He immediately took
up the deceased and removed her to his master's premises. She
was quite insensible. The daughter appeared quite frantic ;
she was calling out for her child. He knew nothing of the
origin of the fire.
Mr. Henry Robert Abrams, of John street, N. James's-
square, surveyor and architect, had, at the request of the
neighbours near the house where the late fire took place, at
tended on Wednesday and examined the premises, where he
found in a vault on the basement story, a small quantity of gun-
powder in a card, which was folded in the shape of a trough,
and a continuation of powder in small portions in a train, till
it reached a shelf on which the card was deposited ; at the end
of the shelf was a small quantity of shavings laid in a heap,
under which was a piece of oiled paper, on which gunpowder
had been placed, and had exploded ; the shavings had partially
ignited, one part of them had been on fire, and the witness
supposes the blast had put it out; there was also a bottle turned
upside down, which had contained turpentine; about twe
feet from the shavings was a deal board, on the ground, upon
which a fire had been laid, and a communication formed by the
same to a coal-bin, in which was a large quantity of coals;
there was a continuation of deal boards placed in a slant-
ing direction along the west wall of the cellar, which was
the partition which divided the vault from the kitchen, which
line of deal boards and old baskets, extended to the partition
dividing the vault, which partition remains untouched by the
fire; the whole is a strong bricked arch, near thirty feet long.
The witness was of opinion the oiled paper would have caught
fire, but it did not, the powder merely partially exploded. The
witness then went on to state what he had seen in the kitchen,
which he described as follows ; near the water-closet door he
had discovered the lower part of a sack, which was nearly full
of shavings ; there was a portion of them, near half a bushel,
unconsumed and wet, the rest were burned ; there was also a
great quantity of wood ashes.
By a Juror—Was that a place where the shavings might have
been laid casually ?—By no means, it would obstruct the way.
By the CORONER—Where did it appear to you that the
fire originated ?—ln my opinion the fire commenced first under
the stairs. The witness was in the habit of surveying houses
for a fire-office, and was satisfied that the fire that consumed
the house originated at or under the stairs.

It was the opinion of the Jury that it was not their province
to inquire into the cause of the fire, but merely to ascertain
the cause of the death of the deceased, when they returned the
following verdict :—" That the deceased being aged and in•
firm, in a weak state of body, and in the last stage of asthma,
her death was caused by fright, and a fall, at the late tire in
Oxford-street."

Yesterday evening, at seven o'clock, Mr. Higgs, the Coroner,
and Jury, re-assembled at the Golden Lion, Dean-street, Soho,
when the inquiry was resumed touching the death of )lio
Eliza Twamley, who perished in the fire in Oxford-street 0'
Monday morning, when the following additional evidence will
adduced :

Mr. Edward Lonsdale, house-surgeon of the Middlesex:Hoo'
pital, deposed, that Mr. Smithers was brought to the hospital 09
Monday morning, about half-past six o'clock, lie examine,'
him, and found that his face and hands were most severely
burnt. The burns on the face were of a light blue colour.
This peculiar colour might Lave been produced by an explo-
sion of gunpowder.

Mr. Misery Ilawksworth, one of the Jury, had examine('
the premises with his brother Jurors and other gentlemen. The
irot • grating in the front of the house was forced up, through
winch he entered, and made his way to the kitchen.
His attention was first directed to the kitchen range, HMI
it did not appear as if any fire had been made there
on Monday morning. There was a saucepan on the
left bob, quite full of clean water. The fire-place
was completely encumbered with rubbish. A quanta,'
of
this
entire hcleared away, e discovered'
hasi ng
.
n i ot
which had not been burnt. Some shavings were also at th;
therubohtitsoh m o havingf a sack, beenai and near it
bottom of this sack, which was about two feet from the stairs'
Further on, in removing some mere rubbish, he put his spnae
into a quantity of soft stuff; containing about three bushels'
It had a strong mineral smell, and was white on the exterior,
and green inside. Ile had since carefully examined this stuff,:
and found it strongly impregnated with nitre or saltpetre.
was found under the stairs with some shavings heaped on '"
He was of opinion that the fire originated at least seven fee;
from the range, and near where these combustibles were plae
a s
under the stairs. The flames appeared to have rebounded fr°'l-
the ceiling, and burnt the top of the mantelpiece, but the 1-1",
der part was scarcely singed. The curb of the copper 0.
,-,
covered with lead, and that side facing the stairs was melte°,
whilst that opposite the fire-place remained entire. The pOti;
tion near the scullery was much burnt on the kitchen side, I)°,
that part nearest the vault was hot much injured. The ti;
was laid in the range, but did not appear much burnt.
small quantity of gunpowder was found in the vault, together
with some shavings, and a quantity of dry wood.
rt'
Mr. Samuel Davis, of 9.7, Soho-square, auctioneer, had aP3,
men ts on the first-floor of the house. About half-past eleeve;;
o'clock on Sunday evening he came home, and was let aide
Mr. Smithers, which was rather unusual for him to do. '0
gave witness a candle, with which he had occasion to go doo'e
stairs, and Mr. Smithers followed him, and said there was '°:11
,1e
wood and shavings, and desired him to be careful with
light. On getting below, he saw some pieces of wood betweele,
the copper and water_closet. Smithers hastily put himself
fore the wood as if to hide it from witness as he passed tot
ej
water_closet. Smithers stopped with him while lie rentai°,o
below, and hurried him away, saying that he wanted to Volt
the water-closet himself. He did not, however, go there,
followed witness up stairs.
to
By a Juror—Witness soon after he went up stairs rettr‘—eo,
ily
stir
Ilef,
,rool‘,
aanuirri
cdt
sthda.os
al
Smithers
eitti
uheej
elduerh
iar,csnaudu:istr,ecint,diliseinre"oleg::t;l
jetihoirp:dco'..
bed, and heard nothing more until he was awoke in the 1nc204
es.
he
himc3NiuNe::)g'::llls:t.ea'htaliste',l:rililsdillbeiatltaeiglo,i'ac)oedphrtee.isdni(tisslttaciooliludr:trttlho:€teroeodriYasaiiltir:illit(mslieflo,lsov'atueli.
house on lire; you have not been in bed all night." S'n'tt von ,
replied, " Hold your tongue, you foolish woman, (Joni*: 00
see how I'm burnt ?" Smithers was dressed the same as
the preceding night. vire'
Edward Saunders, fireman, belonging to the British h
„it
office, deposed that Smithers had insured there to the au'o hiuclir
of WO/. on his own account, and 70/. for a lodger; for
bowevvrdie had not yet obtained the policy, Witness yyosr