The Sun.
London, England, 1861-06-26 00:00:00

THE INQUEST ON MR. BRAIDWOO3.

The inquest into the causes which led to the
death of the late Mr, Braidwood was taken yester-
day morning, before Mr. Sergeant Payne and ajury
of the principal tradesmen of the neighbourhood,
the board-room of St. Thomas's Hospital. After the
usual formalities of opening the proceedings had
been gone through, the coroner said the jury would
in all have to inquire into the cause of two deaths
which were attributable to the late calamitous fire,
in addition to that of the late superintendent of the
fire brigade, viz., that of the man Sullivan, who
was killed by the chain of the floating engine, and
Thomas Masson, who was so dreadfully burnt by
blazing tallow.

Mr. W, Williams, instructed by Messrs. Jones
and Arkcoll, attended to watch the progress of the
case for Messrs. Scovell. Mr. Sewell himself was
also in attendance, as were also Mr. Birkbeck, son-
in•law to Mr. Braid wood; Mr. Hodsoll, surveyor to
various fire offices; Mr. White, of the County Fire-
office ; Mr. Cutler, of the Westminster ditto; Mr.
Henderson, superintendent of the D Brigade; Mr.
Fogo, chief of the B District; Mr. Superintendent
Bradford, and other officers.

Mr. Watkin Williams said that in attending
there on behalf of his clients, it was almost entirely
with a view of affording the jury every possible
assistance in their endeavours to ascertain the cause
which has given rise to so fearful a fire, and re-
sulted in the death of a most valuable public ser-
vant. A statement had been made in some of the
public journals to the effect that great neglect was
attributable to the persons in Messrs. Scovell's em-
ploy in not having, at the outbreak of the fire,
made immediate use of the iron fireproof doors
which shut off communication between the various
floors of the warehouses. He would, however, be
able to prove to the satisfaction of the coroner and
jury that there was not the least foundation for this
statement, and he trusted that the contradiction
would receive the same ptblicity as had been ac-
corded to the remarks which had called it forth.
Mr. J. G. Doyle' wharf superintendent to Messrs.
Scovell, was the first witness examined. He said
began were known as
'wharfs. Formerly they
were Cotton's
wharfs
separate
andwheretheco Depot
concerns,
ct
ehre firee
ns,tbtt
they were now united,
wharfs were underlet.
Mr. Scovell. The first intimation he received of
Theand fisroem
he e
gah portions
in t
the
ef
parts the
wholly occupied by
past 4, when he was on
hart: One of the boys
came
thasme outbreakcieeaenyd side
wdeafhs i
Cma be
tot
thueath:hs at
Whl re.
re was a fire in the D
floor, and witness ran at once
to see. The D floor
was the third story from the
ground. He could
see no signs of fire then, and therefore hurriedy, and looked for the
back to the Depot Qua
smoke, which he saw at about 120 feet distance,
going towards the street. Re at once went to the
spot, and found that clouds of smoke were issuing
That was a portion of Cotton's
from a portion of the warehouse called "H, No. 4."
Wharf proper, abut-
ting immediately upon the bepot yard. Witness
saw that their foreman, Mr. Autrobus, had already
attached a hose to the main which was kept
es
ofcapable
water,
4a
charged for constant service, order that any be-
ginning of fire might be check is
'xi ,
at the very outset.
The supply, however, through the main was so in-
adequate that it scarcely threw the jet beyond eight
feet. Witness went at once to the hose-house and
go
o f throwing,dderLadders
were if
u
then at once erected to the window whence the
smoke was coming, and two men went up and sent
in a good supply of water. At that time, however,
supplied, ptlwi eod , llaarrggee q hose-pipesua n it
no fire could be seen in the first story. They had
not played the
hose through the
window more than
minutes when a large
two or three sheet of flame
burst out through the aperture, and the fire began
Nevertheless the men
to spread. continued pump-
ing on it for about three-quarters of an hour, until
they were completely driven away from the hose
by the fire, and the men in the cellar who worked
the force pump by the smoke. The three chief ar-
ticles of merchandise stowed in that warehouse were
jute, bags of rice, and bags of turmeric,,.d he had
an
not the slightest doubt about the fire having com-
menced there. He had many conversations with
Mr. Braidwood when he arrived an( began to su-
perintend the firemen before the Vail fell. The
wall gave way at about half-past 7 "clock in the
evening. At that time witness was standing within
150 or 180 feet of the deceased. The fire had then
gained a complete mastery, and was raging
fiercely.
But a minute before the wall fell witness had been
on the spot, and Mr. Braidwood was then giving
brandy to some of his assistants. Suddenly he heard
a sound as of a floor giving way in tree Mock known
as " G," Nos. 7to 12. There was a series of floors
in that warehouse, from the cellars to the roof.
Witness could not say exactly which 01 the floors
it was that yielded; but as he knew theia all to be
well loaded, he apprehended such a cas‘talty, and
warned about 20 persons to leave the spot, for
he feared the wall would come out. He had just
turned himself to get away when a loud cry was
raised, " The wall is coming." Before witness
could gain much speed from the spot he was knocked
down by another person flying like himself,and he
saw no more of Mr. Braidwood. When he last saw
him he was standing perhaps about thirty feat from
the wall. The portion of the wall which fell was a
mass measuring about eighty-four feet longb) forty
deep. There was not the least doubt but that a
part of this fell on the deceased. Witness had seen
the spot where the body was found, and it was close
to where he last saw the deceased. There was no
explosion of saltpetre, as had been stated in the
papers, though there was a loud, dead, peculiar
sound, as of the floor giving way- On the top floor
of that warehouse there were about 1,600 bales of
cotton, each weighing nearly 4 cwt.—about 3 cwt.
3 qrs. The floor was wood, and the beams and
rafters wood, but the stanchions which supported
them were iron. The bales of cotton were packed
down by hydraulic pressure, and were about one
foot nine inches in height or depth. If, however,
the band were loosened, the bale would at once ex-
pand or spring
up some twelve or fifteen inches.
Witness could very well imagine that if the fire
once got to the bands and burnt them the bales