The Sun.
London, England, 1859-01-14 00:00:00

FALL OF A HOUSE IN LtvEßrooL.

Yesterday (Thursday) the Liverpool Borough
Coroner opened an inquiry relative to the fall of a
shop building in Great George•street on Tuesday
afternoon, which (as detailed in our columns) re-
sulted in the death of five persons.
Mr. Aspin all, barrister, appeared on behalf of Mr.
Lewis, the proprietor of the shop ; and Mr. Snow-
ball, solicitor, on behalf of the friends of Mrs. and
Miss Murray, two of the persons killed by the
accident.

The coroner and the jury having viewed the scene
of the accident, and the bodies of the deceased, the
inquest was opened at 2 p.m.
The first witness examined was Mr. Thompson,
the manager of Mr. Lewis's shop—The shop, he
said, was a double shop with two entrances. It was
42 feet wide and 36 feet deep. In August last
alterations in the premises were commenced with
the intention of enlarging the shop. The altera-
tions were nearly completed, and Mr. Lewis had
announced that the old premises would be closed
and the new ones adjoining opened, the stock being
in consequence sold off at cheap rates. The pre-
mises fell in about 3 o'clock on Tuesday with a loud
noise. Ho at first ran to the door, and then returned
into the shop to render what assistance he could.
Meredith Jones (one of the deceased) was the
assistant bookkeeper. He saw him taken out of
the ruins quite dead. He also saw four other bodies
taken out—three women and a labouring man.
About half of the-flooring of the shop was carried
down into the cellars. There was an end wall,
which was not shored up, which divided the. old
from the new premises. Mr. Lewis looked after
the building operations, but the forem'an of the
contractors overlooked the work in detail. With
respect to the taking down of the old wall Mr.
Lewis superintended the work himself and gave
the men instructions. He believed Mr. Lewis con-
sulted an architect.

In cross-examination witness said he was not
sure if Mr. Lewis consulted an architect. The first
floor which fell in was the next but one to the
shop. He had not considered the pulling down of
the wall at all dangerous. Mr. Lewis and his
family slept in that portion of the building which
fell down. On the day of the accident Mr. Lewis
stayed with the men pulling down the wall from 9
till half-past 11 o'clock. Mr. Lewis was usually on.
the premises all day.
William Roberts, a labourer, said he had been
employed on the premises since August. He had
charge of the place, and worked daily with four
other labourers. He recommended Mr. Lewis to
employ John Ellis, one of the men killed. He
(witness) was not present on the premises at the
time of the accident. Mr. Lewis superintended the
work day after day. He appeared to understand
the work. The last time he heard Mr. Lewis speak
to the men was to tell them to clear the bricks off
the floor as soon as possible. This was not done.
The men ought to have dressed the bricks in the
new building, but they dressed them where they
were pulled down. At the time of the accident
there were a number of bricks on the floor which
fell down. None had been carried away after Mr.
Lewis left. He told the men to clear the bricks
away, as he was afraid something might happen,
but the men did not do so.

To the Coroner—He feared that what might
happen was what did happen. There were two
men taking the wall down. The wall was about
seven or eight feet high that was taken down, and
the bricks were on two floors.

Mr. Newlands, borough engineer, said that be
was at the scene of the accident on Tuesday after-
noon, and he had since examined the premises care-
fully, and his opinion was that the loading of the
top floor with bricks was the proximate cause of
the accident, while the swaying of the thin wall
loaded with chimney breasts had caused the joists
to " buffie The wall ought to have been carefully
taken down, and the bricks shot into a lower part
of the building.
By the Coroner--The men employed to take
down the wall were not proper persons for such
work. There ought to have been a skilful person
to superintend, but Mr.- Lewis's orders as to the
removal of the bricks were quite proper.
Mr. Lewis, he proprietor of the shop, was then
examined. lie said that his premises had been
undergoing enlargement and alteration since lass
August. He had plans from an architect, and all
the new work was superintended by the contrac-
tors. He looked after the men on the old building
employed in taking down the wall, two of the men
saying they were bricklayers' labourers. One of
them said he was accustomed to take down walls,
and he offered to contract for the job. The other
men engaged to clean the bricks as they were taken
down. He told the men to take away the bricks as
quickly as they were taken down.
The Coroner having summed up the evidence,
The jury retired, and, on returning into court,
the foreman announced that twelve of the jury were
in favour of a verdict for " Misadventure, with great
blame attached to Mr. Lewis for not having em-
ployed competent workmen : " the other four for a
verdict of " Misadventure " alone.

FALL OF ANOTHER HOUSE AT LIVER-

POOL.
(From the Daily Post of yesterday.)
This morning, shortly after 9 o'clock, an accident
somewhat similar in its nature to the one in Great
George-street, but fortunately not so fatal in
its consequences, occurred in Tithebarn-street.
The publichouse of Mr. Lumb, opposite the
railway station, has been undergoing repairs, with
a view of forming the premises into an hotel ; and
this morning, while labourers were engaged in
taking down the roof, the joists supporting the
ceiling of the top story gave way, and this falling
carried with it the second and first floors to the
cellar. One poor man, Timothy Hunt, aged 40,
and resident at 14, Kew-street, was carried down
with the ruins and killed on the spot ; and another
man named Michael Herne, who fell with him, was
so severely injured that little hopes are entertained
of his recovery. He was taken to the Northern
Hospital by officer 24 (Burns). Several other men
were engaged on the premises at the time, and their
escape is perfectly marvellous.

DR. HASSALL ON THORLEY'S FOOD FOR.

CATTLE.

(From Mark _Lan,Express of 10th January, 1859.)
Having on more than one occasion been requested to
make an analysis of Thorley's well-known Food for Cattle,
and to express my opinion respecting it, I placed myself a
short time since in communication with Mr. Thorley, de-
siring to be furnished with certain particulars relating to his
food. Mr. Thorley, who was previously a stranger to me,
at once conducted me over his factory, showed me all the
ingredients employed, and also the process of manufacture
of the article.
I took away with me samples of the food, as well as of
every ingredient entering into its composition. I have since
carefully examined and tested these, and I have also com-
pared the samples procured at the manufaotory with others
obtained by myself from other sources.
I am, therefore, now in a position to express an authori-
tative opinion respecting the composition and properties of
Thorley's Food for Cattle. I would remark of it--
First. That the ingredients used are all of excellent qua-
lity, and are purchased without regard to expense.
Second. That the receipt or formula, according to which
the food is prepared, is an admirable one, no ingredient
being selected on account of its cheapness, but those only
being chosen which are best adapted to fulfil the objects in-
tended. _ _

Having regard, thus, to the composition of Thorley's
Food for Cattle, I find that it possesses the following pro-
perties in an eminent, degree : it is highly nutritious and
fattening. It is a tonic and gentlo stimulant, aiding, when
mixed with other descriptions of food, materially the diges-
tive powers of an animal—a point of great consequence,
since it is an undoubted fact that much of the nourishment
contained in the ordinary food given to cattle is lost in con-
sequence of the impaired or defective action of the digestive
organs.

Comparing Thorley's Food for Cattle with other cattle
foods, with the composition of which I am acquainted, I
unhesitatingly assert that it is infinitely superior to any
others at present known to me. In all those, of the com-
position of which I have a knowledge, I have found ingre
dients to be present which have been added solely on
account of their cheapness—that is, for the purpose of
adulteration, and to the exclusion of other valuable, but
more expensive articles. In some of the foods I have
detected ingredients which are positively hurtful.
Comparing, also, the samples taken by me from the
manufactory with others procured from different sources,
I found a perfect accordance in the composition of both
series of samples.
Before bringing this report to a conclusion, I would
notice an objection sometimes urged against the use of cattle
foods generally—namely, that the price at which they are
sold exceeds considerably that of the materials from which
they are prepared ; this can be readily shown to be a very
unreasonable objection. Thorley's Food for Cattle is a
compounded and manufactured article, upon the composi-
tion and preparation of which much care, labour, and ex-
pense have,been and are bestowed. Moreover, the refuse
materials resulting from the cleansing, grinding, &c., and
which are an entire loss, amount to twenty per cent. To
estimate, therefore, the value of such an article merely at
the cost of the raw materia's is both absurd and unjust.
Neither must the value of this, or any other cattle food,
be determined by the exact amount of nourishment con-
tained in them, although in the case of Thorley's Food
this is very considerable, but the indirect effects resulting
from its employment must be taken into consideration
that is, the effects of the article in improving the appetite,
digestive powers, and general vigour of the cattle
fed upon it. By the improved condition of the diges-
tive organs animals may be fed upon coarser and cheaper
articles of food, and from which, without the aid of
Thorley's Food, they would be unable to extract
all the nourishment which such articles usually contain •
I consider, then, that the use of Thorley's Food is attended,.
not with an additional, but with a considerable saving of
expense.
I am glad, therefore, to be enabled to recommend—which
I do strongly and conscientiously—Thorley's Food for
Cattle as a highly important and valuable compound for
the feeding of all descriptions of cattle.
(Signed) ARTHUR HILL HASSALL, M.D.,
Analist of the " Lancet" Sanitary Commission ;
Author of the Reports of that Commission;
of "Food and ith Adulteration;" " Adultera-
. tions Detected ; " &c., &c.
74, Wimpole-street, Cavendish-square, Dec, 21,.1858.