The Sun.
London, England, 1861-09-05 00:00:00

Acceptances for the Welter Cup. 18 subs.
Age st lb Age st lb
I
General He 55...... 4 11 7 Gaberdine
Suburban
Ellen
Greenwich Fair ... 6 10 4 Juno ....
Sawcutter .. 3 10 2

ALARMING _ME IR LONDON _HOUSE-

Y ARD.

Given the greatest amount of inflammable mate-
rial in the vicinity of property the most valuable
and the least replaceable in the most crowded
locality and the most prominent position of the
greatest metropolis in the world, and the fire that
took place last night can be realised. In the north-
western corner of the narrow spot allowed as the
limits of St. Paul's Cathedral, is a tolerably wide
space narrowing from the churchyard, so called,
into a small court which leads into Paternosta7a.-
row, and extending on one side into a yard or pas-
sage—the houses composing which are a green-
grocer's (Mr. Fox's), who is also a hay and corn
dealer, the very exact sort of trade that ought not
to have had such a neighbour as Mr. Knight, the
great tallow-chandler, whose premises—burnt down
about eleven years ago—(then belonging to Messrs.
Cuthbert and Co.), have for more than half a cen-
tury been known as the great standing, almost im-
memorial, and therefore impracticable and in-
exorable nuisance of the neighbourhood. Next to
these premises, facing towards St. Paul's Church-
yard, is the well-known hostel of the Goose and
Gridiron. Messsrs. Knight's premises extend
through, into Paternoster-row, and are flanked on
either side by Blackie, Son, and Co., booksellers,
No. 44, comprehending also the establishment of
Messrs. Green, Atkinson, and Co., lithographers;
Mr. Thomas Hodgson, publisher ; Mr. Alexander
Martin, book agent ; and Messrs. Timbury and Co.,
bookbinders' toolcutters. On the other side is Mr.
Thomas Brown's, of the firm of Longman and Co.,
No. 39, and from 38 to 41, the extensive premises
of Messrs. Longman and Co. On the other side of
Messrs. Blackett's are Messrs. Hitchcock and Co.'s.
A few minutes after twelve Richard Gallaher,
No. 107, saw smoke issuing from the premises of '
Mr.. Cox, and instantly summoned the engine from
Farringdon-street. The flames, however, had ob-
tained an unmanageable ascendancy, and speedily
the fire, having destroyed a stable under Mr. Fox's
premises, and with it a van and horse, broke into
the adjacent store-house of combustibles at Mr.
Knight's, and a conflagration rapidly burst forth
which lighted up the great cathedral to the very
dome, and signalised to the whole metropolis that a
vast fire was threatening devastation to that
crowded neighbourhood. The fire now raged,
through, into Paternoster-row; the tons of tallow
in the cellars of Mr. Knight blazing up like a caul-
dron, and hissing and exploding a gas, the more
inflammable, the more water was poured upon it in
the hope of extinguishing its dangerous force. The
supply of water was abundant, and so far as the
neighbouring " Goose and Gridiron" was concerned,
the fiery element was speedily swamped, but not
before the premises were destroyed. In Paternos-
tor-row, Messrs. Blackie's was utterly destroyed,
with all connected with it. Across the narrow
Row, of about 18 feet, the flames rushed, and caught
the roofs of the opposite premises of Miss Pattie,
No. 31, and Messrs. Heylin, No. 28, but these were
soon extinguished Ly the admirably directed
engines of the brigade. At a quarter past two
o'clock the front of Mr. Knight's premises, Nos. 42
and 43, fell into the "Row," but fortunately with-
out injuring any one. The attention of the brigade
was now directed to Mr. Brown's house and the
premises of Messrs. Longman, but we regret to say
that the first mentioned house was utterly de-
stroyed, and the stock and premises of Messrs.
Longman sustained a damage which is irreparable,
when the many precious and valuable works con-
tained therein is taken into estimation.
Of the throng that gathered round and about the
Row it is unnecessary to speak ; but no words can
do adequate justice to the well-disciplined exertions
of the police force and the gallantry and conduct of
the firemen, working as they did within an area at
once so limited and so full of danger. Messrs.
Sherrard's land steam fire-engine, assiduously
worked by Foreman Gerrand, of the Watling-
street brigade, did most excellent service ; indeed,
was the great repressive and overmastering engine
of the night—in fact, what was done by this engine
is a proof that steam power to work fire-engines is
an absolute essential in the presence of any great
conflagration, and must for the future form the
principal component of every fire brigade.

LATEST PARTICULARS.

At eight o'clock this morning, after the most un-
tiring exertions, the engines ceased playing upon
the building ; and at about ten o'clock a hasty sur-
rey was made over the blackened and smoking
heaps of bricks, rafters, broken furniture, books,•&c.
The ravages of the fire have been most terrific.
The whole of the premises of Messrs. Knight, the
tallow melters, are level with the ground, and
the only part of Messrs. Blackie's, the publishers,
No. 44, are nearly in the same state. The front
wall, however, still stands erect, but the sides are
not above 16 or 17 feet high.
The damage done to the warehouse of the
Messrs. Longman, the eminent publishers, in toe
Row, is very serious. The roof is entirely de-
stroyed, and the quantity of valuable books destroyed •
must be enormous, as many thousands of volumes
have already been removed all but totally de-
stroyed.
Another serious loss will be incurred by the
damage done to the stock in the warehouse of Mr.
George Hitchcock, the extensive silk mercer, St.
Paul's Churchyard. The business of the firm was
this morning entirely suspended in consequence of
the assistance required to remove other portions of
the stock out of danger from the water flowing about
in all directions.
The houses on the opposite side of " the Row" to
those destroyed have suffered very severely from
the effects of the fire, the whole of the fronts
having with difficulty been prevented taking fire.
At one o'clock to-day, as a matter of precaution,
the hose affixed to the water main in front of Lon-
don House-yard was kept charged, and another in
a similar condition was still discharging itself into
the ruins of the tallow melters premises.
Of course no estimate of the loss can be arrived
at, but no doubt it will be found to be enormous.
The scene of the disaster has been visited by
thousands, and it requires the utmost exertion of
the police to keep the curiosity seekers out of
danger.