The Sun.
London, England, 1859-01-10 00:00:00

LONDON FIRES DURING 1858.

The following is Mr. Superintendent Braidwood's
official report of the number offires that took place
in the Metropolitan district during the year just
ended, as well as his annual return of the risks
attached to the various trades carried on in London,
which must prove of the greatest importance when
it is remembered that over one hundred millions
sterling of property are insured in the various fire
insurance offices. rhe return of course must prove
of great interest to the many thousand insurance'
agents located throughout various parts of the
country, as it will to some extent enable them to
form an idea as to what may be considered the
proximate risk attached to the several trades and
professions carried on.
The return opens in the following manner :
" To the Committee for Managing the London
Fire Engine Establishment.
" 68, Watling-street, E.C., Jan. 3, 1859.
" Gentlemen,—ln accordance with minute of the
27th of December last, I beg leave to report as
follows :—The fires in 1858, as compared with thoLe
which took place in 1857, have decreased by 1.
On the average of the preceding 25 years the in-
crease is 357. The number of fires in the list of
totally destroyed' is the same as last year, and on
the proportional average of the last 25 years a de-
crease of 7.3.

"Of the 32 totally destroyed, 14 were from 2to
10 miles distant from the nearest station ; 13 were
the workshops of carpenters and other dangerous
trades, 3 fell down more from old age than the
effects of fire, and of the remaining 2, 1 was des-
troyed by an explosion of saltpetre, and the other
by imprudence in breaking open the shop front
before the engines arrived.
" Although the fires are 1 less in number during
the past year, there have been a great many of a
more serious character than usual, entailing very
severe labour and 'watching on the part of the fire-
men, which they have gone through with the
greatest alacrity and cheerfulness, and I may truly
say they have done their duty to their employers
well and faithfully to the best of their ability.
" The whole of the land engines and apparatus
are in excellent order.

" The upper steam float has been called to 26
Tres, and been at work at in all 74 hours. The
lower steam float has been called to 16 fires, and
has been at work at 10, in all 6631 hours. These
steam floats have been invaluable during the past
year. The number of fires from the Ist January to
the 31st December, 1858, has been as follows :

Fires at which the premises were totally destroyed 32
Ditto, ditto, considerably. damaged.. 385
Ditto, ditto, slightly damaged 697

Total fires
False alarms
Chimney ditto

1,114
94
112- 206

Total calls 1,320

"The foregoing does not include chimneys on fire
known to be so, but only such as were said to be
houses on fire.

" I have enclosed a list of fires according to the
different trades, also a list of fires where the pre-
mises were totally destroyed, with some remarks
thereon.—l have the honour to be, gentlemen, your
obedient servant,

(Signed) " JAS. BRAIDWOOD, Superintendent."
The following is a list of the trades in which fires
occurred during the past year, alphabetically ar-
ranged:—
" Apothecaries and dealers in drugs, but no che-
mical works carried on, 12 ; bagnios, 5 ; bakers, 12 ;
ditto, sea biscuit, 1 ; barge and boat builders, 3 ;
beershop keepers, 9 ; brewers, 2 ; brokers, and
dealers in old clothes, 18 ; builders, 11 ; butchers,
8 ; booksellers, binders, and stationers, 18 ; cabinet
makers, 30 ; cane dryers, 3 ; carpenters and workers
in wood, not cabinetmakers, 51 ; carriers, 2; char-
coal awl coke dealers, 3 ; chandlers, 13 ; Cheese-
mongers, 2 ; chemists, including all places in which
are laboratories for chemical purposes, 4 ; churches,
4; coalmerchants, 3 ; coffee roaster, 1 ; coffecshops
and chophouses, 13 ; coopers, 5 ; eolourmakers, 2 ;
confectioners and pastrycooks 5 ; coachmakers, 6 ;
cork-cutters, 1 ; corn chandlers, 8; curriers and
leather dressers, 3 ; distiller, 1 ; do. tar, 3 ; docks,
2 ; drapers, linen, woollen, and mercers, 59 ; drug-
gists, wholesale, 2 ; eating houses, 3 ; engineers,
mechanical, 4; fancy box makers, 3 ; farming
stock, 4 ; feather merchant and dresser, 1 ; firework
makers, 3 ; founders, 3 ; French fancy warehouses,
2 ; furriers and skin dyers, 2 ; gasworks, 2 ; grocers,
19 ; hatmakers, 11 ; hospitals, 2 ; hotels, including
club houses, 7 ; ice merchant, 1 ; ink (printing)
maker, 1 ; japanncrs, 5' • laundresses, 5 ; leather
(patent) manufacturer, 1 ; lodgings, 98 ; lucifer
match makers, 3 ; lunatic asylum, 1 ; Manchester
warehousemen, 4 ; marine stores (dealers in), 12 ;
mattress maker, 1 ; musical instrument makers, 4 ;
mast and block maker, 1; milliners and dress-
makers, 14.; nurseryman, 1 ; nuts and oranges
(dealer in), 1•, oil and colourmen (not colour
makers), 9 ; oil works, 2 ; painted baize manufac-
turers, 2 ; painters, glaziers, and plumbers, 2; paper
stainers, 2 ; pawnbrokers, 2 ; pipenia.ker, 1; photo-
graphists, 4 ; port-lateher, 1 ; potteries, 2 ; printers,
8 ; printer (copperplate), 1 ; private houses, 258 ;
public place (not theatre), 1 ; public build-
ing, 1 ; rag merchants, 9 ; railways, 5 ;
ropcmakers, 5; sale shops and offices, 48 ; sawmills
(steam), 4 ; scaleboard cutters, 2 ; ships, 3 ; ship
(steam), 1 ; ship chandlers, 2 ; sailmakers, 3 ;
schoolmasters, 5 ; soot merchant, 1 ; stables,
21 ; straw bonnet makers, 3 ; sugar refiner, 1 ;
tailors, 19 ; tanners, 4 ; tarpaulin maker, 1; theatre,
1 ; tinmen, braziers, and smiths, 15 ; tobacconists,
12 ; toy warehouses, 3 ; varnish makers, 3 ; vic-
tuallers, 58 ; under repair and building, 5; unoccu-
pied, 14 ; upholsterers, 2 ; wadding maker, 1 ;
warehouses, 3 ; weavers (mats), 4 ; ditto (trimming),
1; wharfingers, 2 ; waterproof canvas maker, 1 ;
wine and spirit merchants, 4 ; wood merchants, 6 ;
workshops (no hazardous goods or process), 2.
Total fires, 1,114 ; false alarms, 94 ; chimney ditto,
112. Total calls, 1,320.
(Signed) " s.BRAIDWOOD, Superintendent."

THE WEATHER IN NORTIIMITBERLAND.
SHIELDS, Jan. B.—For the first time this winter the
county of Northumberland is covered with snow, and the
Cheviots and other high lands have a very bleak look.
There is an appearance of more fall. The wind is from the
N.E., and a heavy sea is breaking on the coast, which makes
it very dangerous to vessels running to the Tyne and other
ports for shelter. Last night the schooner Sir Edward
Banks, with coals from Hartlepool for Aberdeen, in at-
tempting to take Shields harbour for shelter, encountered a
tremendous sea. and was driven among the broken water
on the Herd Sand, where she struck. Three lifeboats, two
from South Shields and one, from North Shields, manned
by Tyne pilots, put off to the assistance of the crew, and
rendered material aid in rescuing theta. The vessel still
remains exposed to the gale. Some other vessels also had
narrow escapes in rimning for the harbour. The Provi-
dence, from Bremen, struck heavily in corning overthe bar,
but got into the harbour, though much damaged and leaky.
A considerable fleet is due from London and the south, but
the prevailing winds prevent them getting down. Freights
are improving both on the Tyne and Wear; and, notwith-
standing the present depression of the shipping interest,
several large and valuable vessels have been launched on
the Wear this week.
AN ODD ACCIDENT.—The Marchioness of West-
minster, accompanied by her .daughterovas driving in a
small pony carriage up Foregate-street, Chester, on Mon-
day last, when the vehicle separated into two parts, quietlye
archiosntaresstedanodffLwiadth the ". dickey," on
Lady
Theodora tl-
gclreopunosidti,nlgvhitlhee Marchioness
horse
which two servants were seated. The carriage had seen
good service inthe family, and the accident.-is stated to
have occurred through sheer decay of the timber of which
it was composed.