The Sun.
London, England, 1857-05-11 00:00:00

r_HE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY RVENING, MAY 11, 1857'

each borough have but to take it up : the effect
would be immediately felt. It would put all on
their guard, and prevent many from committing
themselves to a wrong course who otherwise would
do it. We may be quite sure that Lord Palmer-
ston will disquiet no reasonable Reformers, if only
they take the precaution to hang on his tail in time
the weight of a watchful organisation.

FALL OF THREE HOUSES AND LOSS OF
LIFE,

-for some those atter, and that was the unfortunate cook,
A.nn Briscoe. It is stated that when discovered she had
a knife grasped firmly in her hand, as if about to perform
some culinary operation. The next sufferer got out of
the ruins was a young man, Mr. Taylor, jun , the son of
the builder. Although not dead, his injuries were found
to be of so frightful a eharacter that his entrails were
protruding, and but little hopes are entertained of his
recovery. It appears that a heavy beam had fallen
across his body, crushing him in a dreadful manner, and
in so peculiar a way that the beam had to be sawn in
two before he could be extricated. He was at once con-
veyed to the hospital. The workmen were unremitting
in their labours, but it was not until nearly 2 o'clock in
the afternoon that they succeeded in discovering the
bodies of the two carpenters, Turner and Garnett, both
of whom mere frightfully crushed and mutilated. They
were got out and also conveyed to the hospital.
Mr. Hughes, principal in the carpet department of
Messrs. Maple's establishment, gives the foil iwing ver-
sion of the affair :—He states that he was aroused soon
after 6 o'clock by the knocking of the men, who were re-
moving the brickwork for the purpose of underpinning
kir. Hunter's party wall. He went into some of the
rooms, and caged upon some of the young men to rise,
and about 7 o'clock he saw the cook, Ann Briscoe, with
a broom in her hand, sweeping out the young men's
breakfast room on the second floor of the house num-
bered 146. He then went down stairs to see what the
men were doing to the wall, and in going down
passed the two carpenters, Turner and Garnett, who
were at the time working at their bench on the second
floor. On reaching the ground floor (level with the
street) he saw Mr. Johnson's men, with crowbars,
knocking the bricks out of the party-wall in two places,
at each end of the wall; and, to the best of his judg-
ment he considers that the holes they had then made
were each about five feet long and three high. There
were some of Mr. Taylor's bricklayers at work on
Mr. Maple's side of the wall. He had been looking at
the labourers at work on the brick work about two or
three minutes, when one of Mr. Taylor's men called
out, "See how the dust is coming from that wall—l
don't like that ; " and instantly after the same man ex-
claimed " Run, Mr. Hughes ! Run for your life; the
wa;l is coming down !" He ( kir. Hughes) and the
three men ran backward towards the carpet department
of Mr. Maple's premises, which is detached from the
front houses, and had only just passed through the door
when they heard the most frightful crashes, one after
the other, and felt no doubt but that tho houses had
fallen. His fright and alarm for some few moments
were so great that he did not know what to do, but he
followed the other men out by the side door, which leads
into Tottenham-place, and lent his aid to rescue the
women, who were at the time the houses fell, in the
sitting-room, and were creeping out of that portion of
the ruins apparently but little injured.
Soon after the occurrence a messenger was des-
patched to Mr. Maple, who resides with his family at
Hampstead. Ho was much affected at the sad occur-
rence, and informed our reporter that he estimates his
loss at very little short of 10,0001. That portion of
the establishment which is crushed contained about
2,000/. worth of costly furniture. The loss of Mr.
Hunter will not be so severe, as he had no furniture
or any other property in the house 148, which was at
the time a mere carcase. When the bodies of the two
poor fellows Turner and Garnett were discovered they
were found one over the other under their bench,
which was crushed in upon them.
The coroner has appointed Wednesday next for hold•
ing his inquest.
The following is a list of the sufferers :
Frederick Byng (suffocated while in bed)—dead.
Ann Briscoe (cook)—dead.
Richard Turner (carpenter)—dead.
George Garnett (carpenter)—dead.
George Kevil—dead,

The following is a more detailed account of this
melartzholy accident than we were enabled to give
ill our impression of Saturday :
A sad catastrophe took place on Saturday. Three
house, Nos. 146, 147, and 148, Tottenham-court-road,
fell down and caused the loss of five lives, besides doing
serious injury to several persons.

. -- -
It was shortly after seven o'clock in the morning
that the three houses fell, and it is scarcely necessary
to state that the event created intense excitement in
the neighbourhood. During the remainder of the day
that portion of Tottenham-court-road which lies be-
tween Warren-street and Grafton.street was barred to
the passage of vehicles, and the whole space was filled
by a dense crowd of people, who waited anxiously to
hear of the extrication of the bodies from the ruins.
Bet Ween Grafton-street and Tottenham-place there are
seven houses; five of these are or were occupied by two
furniture warehousemen, Mr. Hunter at No. 143 and
149, and Messrs. Maple and Co., 145, 146, and 147.
The houses which have fallen are the three centre ones
—v►z , Nos. 146, 147, and 148, leaving still standing on
either side of the ruins respectively one house of the
rival dealers. The front of Mr. Hunter's house and the
party wall—still standing—are newly built. The house
of Messrs. Maple is old, and would by this time have
been a ruin had not been "shored" up at an early
period of the day. The weight of cement has torn the
front several inches from the walls, and the stack of
chimneys, which leans over frightfully, has separated
eight or nine inches from the roof. The wonder is that,
like its neighbours, it too is not now a heap of ruins.
In the shop of this corner house of Messrs. Maple and
Co., extending a great distance to the rear of Totten-
ham-court-road, there is an immense stock of valuable
furniture of all descriptions, which has fortunately re•
mained uninjured; but in one of the houses which had
fallen it is said that the furniture and other stock in
trade were of the value of several thousand pounds.
From 50 to 60 men were at work at the time,
and some score or more of shopmen and others were
sleeping or dressing in different parts of the house
at the time of the accident. On the kitchen
range, which yet clings with tenacity to its place in
the chimney nearly at the top of the house, there
are still the kettles. and on the mantelpiece over it the
tea-pots anl pewter wares which in a few minutes would
have been brought into use for the breakfast of the es-
tablishment. For some time atter the house had fallen
the fire burnt brightly, and the boiling water streamed
forth out of the kettle-spout on to the ruins below. In
an adjoining apartment portions of wearing apparel and
a carpetbag bang on the pegs against the wall ; their
owner, while still in his bed, was suffocated amid the
fallen rains. The cook, who was preparing the break
fast, is a mutilated corpse ; she was hurled among the
falling timbers of the adjoining house. A lad engaged
cleaning the knives escaped, although precipitated from
the top of the house, with only a few slight scratches.
All around the spot where he was found lie piled up in
strange confusion the debris of the house; The thick
bressemers, strengthened with iron, which carried the
front of the houses, are snapped in the centre l►ke thin
laths of wood; girders and beams are snapped or
mingled in the strangest of forms ; flooring boards are
wrung from their joists, and sheets of lead, torn off like
paper, are rolled and curled up in the most curious
shapes ; ltth and plaster, brick and mortar, doors and
staircases, window frames and cupboards, bedsteads,
chairs, tables, and looking-glasses, are smashed and
broken and pounded up into rubbish ; and, as the men
work among the mass, they fell on a cup 3r a saucer, or
some other fragile piece of crockery, still strangely pre-
served, secure in its weakness, amid Cie general wreck.
As though to make still more complete the scene of ruin,
there are huge torn printed placards everywhere which
appear to rejoice in the catastrophe, and to grin more
horribly in the midst of the desolation. They are headed
with huge letters, " Fire, fire !" and go on to state that
the salvage stock from the late fire—a portion of the pre-
mises were rebuilding, after a recent conflagration—is to
be sold at some alarming percentrge under the original
price, and " regardless of the cost." How much of the
cause of the present catastrophe is to be traced to the prin
oiple embodied in these four words will never be fully
made known, but if it should be proved that, "regardless
of the cost," rival traders had disregarded the warnings
of surveyors and others, and sought to put showy exte-
riors upon rotten fabrics, and paid no heed to the foun-
dations or superstructure of decayed party walls, then it
is high time, for the sake of the public, that such per-
sons should be told that " extensive alter►tions," when
made " regardless of the cost," cannot longer be per-
mitted.

Joseph Taylor, son of the contractor, received a severe
gash in the left groin, about six inches long, completely
severing the bone that unites the thigh to the general
trunk of the body, and exposing the large blood-ves.rls
in that region. He is likewise severely contused about
the head; has been perfectly conscious ever since the
accident; suffers no pain; and although in a very pre-
carious condition, yet hopes are entertained of his reco-
very.

George Eaton, cashier to Mr. Maple, is severely
bruised about the chest, but, though his lungs are slightly
inflamed, his chance of recovery is favourable.
The housemaid and a boy were likewise brought to
the hospital yesterday, but were only slightly bruised
and left shortly afterwards.

From the statement made to us on the spot it appears
that there are t'vo versions in connexion with the cir-
cumstances which have led to this shocking calamity.
Some few weeks since the premises of Mr. Hunter, fur-
niture warehouveman and upholsterer, which imma-
die.ely adjoin the premises of Messrs. Maple and Co.,
'were so much injured by a fire which broke out as to
render the rebuilding of the whole, or a great portion
necessary. These works were entrusted by Hunter to
Mr. Johnson, builder, of Peeenix-place, Gray's-inn-road,
and carried ott under the direction of Mr. Redding,
Mr. Hunter's surveyor. While these works were pro-
gressing at Mr. Hunter's, Mr. Maple thought it a fitting
opportunity to have some enlargements and alterations
made in his 'itemises adjoining, ant Mr. Maplees altera-
tions were entrusted to Mr. Taylor, builder, &c., of Sey
mour-street, Mr. Raggett, of Gower-street, being the
surveyor to Mr. Maple. These works were in progress,
and no apprehensions were entertained till Friday after•
noon, when Mr. H. Baker, the district surveyor, is
stated to have come to view the premises, and he at
once condemned the old party wall standing on the
southern side of Messrs. Maple's premises, numbered
145, 146, and 147, Tottenham-court-road, and directed
that it shoul l be at once underpinned, and from the
ground fieor to the first floor new brickwork put in.
The district ceders stated to have been given by Mr.
Baker, the district surveyor, to Mr. Johnson or his fore.
man, were, tbrt the workmen were to take the party-
wall down fror the ground floor to the first, and replace
it with new brickwork, which was to be supported by "un-
der-pinning." It appears that Mr. Johnson's men came to
work about 6 o'clock, and under orders from Mr. Moore,
the foreman to Mr. Johnson, they commenced the re
moval of the trickwork of the party wall. Mr. Taylor's
men were also at work in the premises belonging to Mr.
Maple; 147, Tottenham-court-road, the house imme-
diately abutting on the party wall referred to. it is
stated that Mr. Johnson's men commenced removing the
brickwork from the piny wall in two places at the same
time—namely, near the front of the house at Tottenham-
court-road audalso towards the back part of the premises.
It is said that these holes in the brickwork were made
to the extent of about six feet long by three feet high,
when the party wall gave way, dragging with it the two
adjoining bellies, No,, 146 and 147, in its descent. This 1
is one version of the cause which is stated to have led to
the catastrophe. The other version is that derived from
Mr. John Moore, the foilsman to Mr. Johnson, the
builder for Mr. Hunter. He states that he had the
superintendence of the works in course of erection for
the new premises belonging to Mr. Hunter. He states
that he had the new premises belonging to Mr. Hunter
at 148, Tottenham-court-road, which al in those of Mr.
Maple's last house, numbered 147. The wall of 147
had, he says, been much cut about for the purpose of
putting in a new breesemrr, and all the ties having any
connexion with the party wall had been cut off. The
district surveyor, Mr. Henry Baker, came on Friday
afternoon and inspected the works, and ordered the
party wall between 147 and 148 to be underpinned and
repaired. In accordance with the direction of the dis-
trict surveyor he gave ins ructions to the men that they
should commence the underpinning of the party wall
that morning. They came at the usual hour and com-
menced the work, when the front wall of Mr. Maple's
nearest house, No. 147, fell outward, causing the entire
building to collapse, and that forced Mr. Hunter's party
wall into the area of the space on which the house, No.
148 (Mr. Hunter's) was being rebuilt, dragging the next
door house, No. 146, with it.

The first indication of anything wrong took place
about a quarter.past.seven o'clock in the morning, at
which time there were between 20 and 30 young men
and women, in the employ of Messrs. Maple an d
Co., on the spremises, either is bed or in the act of
rising and dressing. Of this number about 20 were
in the upper portions of the houses numbered 146
and 147, which have fallen.. At the same time there
were Mr. Johnson's men at work at the wall on the
one side, and some of Mr. Taylor's (Mr. Maple's builder)
at work on the other. Two of these men were carpen-
ters, named Garnett and Richard Turner, who were at
work at their bench in the first floor of the house No.
147. At this moment a craokling noise was heard, and
a sound like thunder succeeded. The buildings fell with
a frightful crash. Shortly after a strong body of police
of the E division, under Superintendent O'Brien and In-
spectors Checkley and Duigan, arrived, and labourers,
under the orders of Messrs. Johnson and Taylor, were
set to work to ascertain who were the sufferers, and to
rescue those who might be found alive as fast as possible.
The first who escaped were, singular to relate, Mrs.
Cbristms.e, the housekeeper, and two young women em-
ployed. in the drapery department. They were in the
sitt4.og room on the second floor of 146 when the house
P.lll, and were very slightly hurt. The escape of Miss
Christmas was truly miraculous. She was at the moment
of the fall dusting the piano, with which she was carried
away, and, falling in the hollow between the piano and
a beam, she escaped with a slight graze of the legs.
As soon as the alarm created by such a catastrophe
had in some degree subsided the muster-roll of the per.
sons known to be in the houses at the time of the fall,
and employed on the works, was called over, and also
those attached to Adessrs. Maple's establishment. Among
the latter were Mr. Frederick Byng, chief clerk ' • James
Beam, Reginald Rudd, Horace Regnant, George Bayley,
George Eaton, William Ayres, William Beauchamp, a
youth who acted as cashier in one of the departments ;
Ann Briscoe, the cook ; and Mary Daly, house-servant.
Among those employed on the works, mis-ing, were Mr.
Taylor, jus., the son of the contractor for Mr. Maples's
works; Turner and Garnett, carpenters; and George
Keel!, one of the labourers in the employ of 1)Ir. John-
son, at work at the party wall on Mr. Hunter's side
of the premises. The large body of men set to work
soon succeeded in rescuing most of the above-
named, and they were conveyed in rapid suc-
cession one after the other to University College
Hospital, where they were at once attended to by Mr.
Ericson, oue of the principal surgeons, Mr. Teevan, the
house-surgeon, and the whole of the medical staff. After
digging out the ruins for about three-quarters of an hour
the men succeeded in reaching the body of the unfortunate
young man Frederick Bvnoe'e The poor fellow was
found lying in his bed, which had fallen with the upper
floor, where he had slept. He had evidently been suf.
faceted, as there was no mark of violence whatever upon
his person, except a small drop of blood at one of his
nostrils*. 'He Was at once removed to the hospital, but '
life was quite extinct. The next body was not got out