The Sun.
London, England, 1850-10-04 00:00:00

TREMENDOUS CONFLAGRATION.--
Last night, shortly before ten o'clock, a fire, in- .4).
volving a most serious destruction of property, broke
out in the manufacturing premises belonging to
Messrs. W. W. and It. Brooks, tallow-welters, No.
1, Southwark-bridge-road, nearly facing the brigade
engine-station.
The premises extended from Southwark-bridge-
road into Little Guildford street, where they had
another frontage rind entrance. The whole occupied
nearly half an acre of ground, and comprised the
melting-houses, the making shops, spacious stores
filled with dips and m iulds of great value, the ware-
houses containing a large and miscellaneous stock, and
the store-rooms for depositing casks of tallow in the
raw. This property was adjoined by the flax-ware-
house, belonging to Mr. Ward, in Little Guildford-
street, and Templar's Cottages in the same street,
whilst several shops and a Welsh chapel abutted upon
the factory in the front road.
The fire commenced in the melting-house. At the
time a number of men were engaged at one of the pans
melting some tallow, and, whilst stirring it, the
1N hole contents, about 2 cwta beceme ignited. The
men, knowing that the application of water to such
an article whilst on fire would be of no use, made
an endeavour to smother the flames by covering
the top of the pen. Unfortunately that expedient
proved completely futile, for the flames immediately
shot forth with the greatest fury, and set the flooring
of the shops over it in a blaze before the mrn therein
had time to be fully aware of what had occurred. The
men who were in the last-named apartments were
obliged, in order to save their lives. to jump down
stairs through an immeese sheet of flame The bri-
gade engines were immediately taken from the oppo-
site station to the burning premises, at which time an
abundant stream of water was flowing from the mains
in the district. The engines were charged with water
and in full work in less than five minutes after the
outbreak ; but owing to the inflammable nature of the
stock in trade the fla:3s travelled with rapidity, and
ignited almost einaulatneously the store-houses, making-
shops, the spacious warehouses, and some hundred
frames filled with candle,. 'fie scene then became fear-
ful in the extreme ; for such was the fury of the confla-
gration, that the tiles and slates of the roofs were shi-
vered into a LI-miser-el pieces, while the fragments were
scattered over the neighbourhood like so many fire-
balls in a state of combustion. But a very brief period
elapsed ere huge 'thews of flame broke through the
roof, and mounted some hundred feet into the air,
causing the district to be as light as noon, whilst the
lofty objects in the City and the vessels in the Thames
were brought out in bold relief. This caused the
more distant engines to be turned out, so that a great
many more engines of the London Brigade and West
of England Office were enabled to reach the scene
before sufficient time had elapsed to send for them.
The whole of this powerful force was called into ope-
ration, but in spite of the exertions of the firemen, the
flames extended to the flax-:warehouse of Air. Ward,
Little Guildfard-street, to one of the Templar's Cot-
tages, and to the backs of several houses in the South-
wark-bridge-road. The firemen, however, by great
perseverance, and owing to the judicious directions of
their superior officers, succeeded in cutting oft the
further extension of the devastating element; but at
half-past eleven o'clock a greet body of fire still re-
mained in Messrs. Brooks' factory. The damage
done is very considerable, as the whole of the manu-
facturing premises and stores are levelled with the
ground. Fortunately the firm was insured in the
Phenix and Sun Fire Offices.

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.
LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN.
The site decided on by this company for their new
station at Chester will be close to the city walls, at
a point that gives facilities for connecting their own
traffic with that of the Shropshire Union, the canals,
and river.