The Sun.
London, England, 1857-05-27 00:00:00

THE FA L OF HOUSES IN TOTTENHAM-

COURT-ROAD.

Yesterday Mr. Brent, the Deputy Coroner, and
the jury empannelled to inquire as to the deaths of
the sufferers by the late falling down of houses in
Tottenham-court-road, re-assembled for the fifth
time at Lawson's-rooms, Gower-street.
Thomas Miller examined—l reside in George-
street, HampStead•road, and am a carpenter. I
was at work at the roof of the houses 148 and 149
on the morning of the accident. I was employed
by Mr. Hunter. I was on the scaffold in front of
the house 148, and I heard a crack. I said " Good
God what is the matter ?" to a man who was
with me on the scaffold and in an instant after

the same man said, "Look ! hereare all the houses
corning down !" I then ran away. I saw ihe stack
of chimneys of the houses Nos. 146 give way first,
and then the houses followed. I cannot account for
the occurrence.

Mr. John Maples examined.—l reside at Hamp-
stead, and am an upholsterer. The houses 145,
146, and -147, Tottenham-court-roa4 were its my
occupation. About three weeks after Mr. Hunter
commenced alterations on his premises I commenced
them on my premises. Mr. Raggett was my sur-
veyor. He was recommended to me by Mr. Lock-
yer, the architect. Mr. Taylor, the builder, was
engaged by Mr Raggett at my suggestion. He had
done work for me before, and I had always found
him a careful man. One of the works was to raise
the flooring of the house No. 147 two feet, to make
it level with the floor of 146. A new brestsummer
was required to be put in at 147 to effect this ob-
ject. I had no communication with the district
surveyor but once,- and he then said he thought the
party-wall (alluding, to Mr. Huntet's party-wall)
must come down. (alluding,
" I hope not." There
was an agreement between Mr. Hunter and myself
as to the repairing of this party-wall. I never
heard from Mr. Baker, the district surveyor, that
be had condemned the party-wall, but there was a
notice from the police, which I sent at once to Mr.
Raggett. I placed myself in the hands of Mr.
Raggett, my surveyor, and Mr. Taylor, the builder.
Mr. George Parton Raggett, a surveyor, who
was engaged by Mr. Maple to superintend the
alterations, gave an explanation of them. He said,
—I have been 27 years in the profession. I con-
sider the cause of the occurrence was the cutting
away of the chimney breasts of the party-wall of
the houses 147 and 148, and that the making the
two holes in that wall on the morning of the
accident.

Mr. Joseph Taylor, ermined--I reside at 97,
Upper Seymour-street, Euston•square. I am a
builder. I was engaged to carrsr out certain altera-
tions at Mr. Maples's premises, under Mr. Rag-
gett, the surveyor. I saw Mr. Baker on the 231,
and told him the character of the works. He ob-
jected to the removal of the chimney breasts.
Nothing was done till the 27th, when the works
were commenced, and one the 30th the new brest-
summer was put in and properly pinned. On May
the 4th we struck the first shores, but before we did
so iron ties were put up from the brestsummer to
the joists, and into the garden. On the Thursday
before the accident we had built up two piers from
the basement to the ground-floor ready to receive
the iron stancheons, and stone corbels were,also put
into the wail. That, in my opinion, was quite suffli-
cient of itself to carry the superstructure, but I put
two pieces of wood in addition, five feet before. I
went all round the premises
.on the morning of the
accident, and saw all safe and right till I otiserved
Barnes making a hole in Hunter's party-wall. I
asked him what he was going to do, and he said to
underpin it and put in new brick work to the first
floor. I told him to be careful, as it was a very old
wall. I saw Mr. Baker, the district surveyor, on
Friday, and he told me to stop my men doing the
match-boarding of Mr. Maple's house, No. 147, as
he was determined on having that wall (alluding
to Mr. Hunter's) taken down ; that they were to
have a meeting this afternoon, and he would have
it down. " You have had my consent," he said,
to take your chimney breasts down, but they have
taken their chimney breasts down without my con-
sent, and I will have it down." I had got about
165 feet distant from the houses, when they fell
towards the New-road. The cornices fell over on
to the pavement, and the fronts fell in. I was
much amazed and alarmed, knowing my own son
and 19 of my men were on the premises. I ran
and informed Mr. Raggett, and then came back and
mustered l 4 of my men. In my opinion, the cause of
the accident was the weak state of Mr. Hunter's
wall, rendered still weaker by cutting the holes for
the underpinning. I ought to have had notice that
such work was going to be done to Mr. Hunter's
wall, which they did not give me.
There being no other evidence, the inquiry was
adjourned till Friday.