The Sun.
London, England, 1857-01-12 00:00:00

DESTRUCTION OF THE ROYAL NAVAL

FEMALE' SCHOOL.

RICHMOND, SUNDAY•
The fine old mansion on Richmond-green known as
Hope-house, and tenanted for several years past by the
Royal School for the Education of Daughters of Naval
Officers, was destroyed by fire at an early hour this

morning.
The premises have been unoccupied since July last,
when the pupils of the Naval School were removed to
St. Margaret's, formerly the beautiful residence of the
Earl of Kilmorey, on the Middlesex shore of the river,
opposite Richmond, but now one of the newly-acquired
estates of the Conservative Land Society. A short time
since negotiations were opened for purchasing the re-
mainder of the lease by the promoters of the new Cavalry
College, just established under the presidency of Viscount
Comberwere, the former site of which at R ieharnpton

had proved too small for the proposed objects of the in-
stitution. These negotiations were so far completed, that
the mansion and grounds had been handed over to the
promoters of the Cavalry College, who for some two or
three weeks have occupied it permissively, for the purpose
of Effecting necessary repairs and alterations, the actual
tenancy being arrange] to commence from Lady-day next.
The Me-srs. Lovell, of London, were the contractors to
whom the repairs were entrusted ,and they have had a large
staff of workmen employed in decorating the interior for
some days past. The college having been advertised to
open tor business on the Ist of February, the op-rations
of the wor' men have been expedited by working early
and late, and charco sl fires have been burned in several

of the rooms for the purpose of drying the fresh paint.
The workmen left off yeateiday at four o'clock, and the
premises were left untended from that hour. At half-
past 5 o'clock this morning, Mr. Warren, a respectable
wine merchant,residingin Duke.street,a narrow thorough-
fare running from Richmond High-street to the Green,
whose house overlooks the side front of the mansion de-
stroyed, fancied he heard an unusual noise in the street,
and on jumping out of bed to ascertain what it was he
observed lames issuing from several of the windows.
Mr. Warren, without waiting to make his toilet, drew
on a pair' of trousers, and ran off to the chief officer of
the Richmond fire brigade, Mr. Simmons, whom he

aroused, and then hastened on to the police station,

where he was also the first to give intimation of the fire.
Inspector M'lntyre, of the V division, on ascertaining
the extent of the conflagration, now distinctly ♦isible
by the reflection of the lames, first despatched a
mounted patrol officer to London to summon the en-
gines of the brigade establishment, and then got
together all the officers of the district, for the pur
pose of aiding in extinguishing the fire. There are two
engines at Richmond supported by the parisb, and a sort
of amateur brigade estp.blishment of six fficers, who,
without being paid any fixed salary, are accorded a kind
of eleemosynary reward in the event of their services
being required. Those men were quickly upon the spot
Nith both engines, but their uselulness was paralysed
for nearly two hours by an almost total want of water.
It will, perhaps, scarcely be credited that in the large
and wealthy town of Richmond, with its narrow streets
and densely crowded population, and boasting a special
water company for the supply of its inhabitants, no fire
main exists; and although plugs are numerous in all parts
of the town in the event of fire, the only water obtain-
able from them is derived from the ordinary service pipes
of the town. Even this supply fails one day in each week,
and upon every day at sunset ; so that, if a fire breaks out
on any Thursday, or between sunset and 6 o'clock in the
morning of any other day, no water is obtainable until
the Engineer of the Richmond Water Company has
ignited his fires and got up the steam necessary to set
his pumps in motion. The fire this morning occurring
before 6 o'clock, as a matter of course no water was
procurable from the service mains, and all that Mr. Sim-
mons and his amateur staff could do was to pump all
the wells in the neighbourhood dry, a proceeding
involving incmen4e labour with a very small result, in so
far : s reducing the ravages of the fire was concerned.
The turticock was among the first upon the spot, and
all the plugs were speedily opened, but water there
was none, and accordingly the honest fellow has-
tesed off to the waterworks under Richmond-bill

to rouse the engineer, who was quietly enjoying him
self in the arms of Morpheus. On being roused he
bestirred him-elf, and in about an hour the pumps were
in motion, and all the cisterns in Richmond were speedily
overflowing. What waste water remained in the pipes
was now at the service of the engines, and Mr. Simmons
and his gallant little brigade worked away manfully, as
far as the supply would allow. But the flames at this time
had gained too great head to be stayed by the limited
means at command, and shortly after 7 o'clock it was clear
no prtion of the mansion could he saved. The attention
of the firemen was therefore chiefly directed to keeping
the outbuildings and surrounding property well saturated
with water, and in this judicious proceeding the Rich-
mond men were assisted by the brigade from Kingston,
who arrived with the town engine, drawn by four post-
horses, at a quarter after 7 o'clock. The mounted patrol
despatched to London galloped to Wandsworth, and then
sent on a fresh man to London, who gave notice of the
fire at the Brigade and Wet of England Fire-engine
Stations. The letter was fi.st on the rJad, and after a
journey of indne difficulty, owing to the heavy state of
Lice roads, drove into Richmond shortly after 8 o'clock.
Mr. Henderson, foreman of the Southwark division Of
the Fire Brigade, who had lost a few minutes in fruitless
endeavour to obtain four post-horses, arrived soon after
Mr. Connorton, and both engines were speedily at
work: The miserable effect of the paltry economy
which leaves so vast a neighbourhood almost unpro-
tected against fire was now again apparent, the Lon-
don engines with their superior power speedily absorbing
the whole supply of water. The flames, however, bad
now nearly exhausted themselves, and the whole in-
terior of the mansion having been destroyed, the fire
was easily prevented from extending, and before ten
o'clock it was confined almost exclusively to the
smouldering ruins in the basement.
The catastrophe has occasioned great excitement in
the town, chiefly owing to the want of water above
alluded to ; hut, apart from this, much regret is felt at
the destruction of one of the finest old decorated man-
sions with which this neighbourhood abounds.
As t,) the origin of the fire, no doubt whatever exists
that it must have occurred through the culpable care-
lessness of the workmen in leaving charcoal fires burning
without any person to attend them.
The mansion and premises are insured in the Sun
and L'hcenix fire offices.
Mr. Superintendent Fenn, of the V Division, rode over
from Wandsworth at an early hour, on receiving intelli
g,mce of the fire, and personally directed the police
officers en duty.
Captain Barrow, late 17th Lancers, the resident com-
mandant of the new Cavalry College, and several other
officers of the institution, visited the ruins this morning;
and it is gratifying to be enabled to state that the un-
fortunate destruction of the house will not materially
interfere with the proposed opening of the college,
as
its promoters will, during the rebuilding, either take
premise's in the immediate vicinity or occupy their pre-
sent house at Roehampton.

COAL STATISTICS.—The following particulars of the
import ation of coals into London by ships, railways, awl
canals during the past year, compared with 1855, have
beet, c, wwiled by Mr. J. R. Scott, Registrar of the Coal
Market, London :

Ships. Tons.
Seabon te—ln 1856
n 1855

Increase llO