The Sun.
London, England, 1868-06-19 00:00:00

GREAT FIRE AT DULWICH.

Shortly, before 12 last night one of the most ex-
;ensive fires that has occurred for years broke out

in the premises belonging to Mr. Dawson, the well-
known brick and tile manufacturer, and contractor

for several public works, including some for the
British Government. The factories, which werJ

probably the largest of the kind in this country,
were fitted up with steam power, and were filled
with manufactured and partially finished goods.

As was the usual custom, the day hands left off work

and ouly the usual night hands were kept on the pre-
mises. One of these all of a sudden noticed that a

stack of straw in the back of the buildings and ad-
joining had taken fire, and at the same moment he
saw fire issuing from the counting-house, the boiler--
house, engine-house, as well as the general offices
an 3 stables. _ _

In the last-named compartment 3 were 16 valu-
able horses, and a little further to the north were a
number of pigs and a large number o► fowls, ducks,
and geese. These were fortunately saved, but

three of the noble horses were burnt to death, i
being impossible for any one to stand the heat Elen

forth by such a powerful body of fire, to drag them
out, and their cries during the time the fire was
attacking them were painful to hear.
Two of the Metropolitan Brigade engines were
soon in attendance under the command of Messrs.

J. and G. Jerrard, and these were followed by Mr.
liewatt, the eminent brewer,. of Larkhall-lane,
Clapham, and his bold body of volunteer firemen,
with a land steam engine by Shand, Mason, and
Co. By this time buildings covering exactly 444

feet in length, and in some parts three floors high,
were in a general blaze. Acting foreman Macduff
and head engineers Duck and Helps next arrived
with several other steam and manual power
engines, and the mains of tke Lambeth company
afforded a most abundant supply of water, but
the factories on fire were so far away from
the main road that it required not less than
30 lengths of hose, each of 42 feet, to reach the
scene of conflagration. The paying out of such
enormous lengths of piping took but a very few
minutes, an the engines were worked with full
vigour, but hours elapsed before the least impression
could be made upon the violence of the fire. Some
of the engines in order to get near the fire to be
called into operation had to pass up and down hills,
over green fields, &c., and we regret to state that
the Watling-street engine in ploughing its way
across one of the newly made roads overturned and
threw the firemen upon the ground, and Mr.
Hatchins, one of the engineers, was badly injured
by the wheel of the engine passing over his leg.
The London Salvage Corps, under the direction of
Mr. Superintendent Swanton and Foremen Cooper
and Puckett, were also remarkably early in arriving,
and they assisted materially the brigade in sub-
duing the fire ; but it was not until an advanced
hour this morning, notwithstanding the vast streams
of water that were pouring from the engines, that
the slightest impression could be made upon the
violence of the conflagration. At length, however,
the firemen had the gratification of seeing the
flames palpably diminish, and before 7 o'clock they
were entirely extinguished. The damage done by
the diastrous event will reach to several thousand
pounds sterling.
Mr. White, the assessor to the County Fire Office,
and other gentlemen, as soon as the fire was sub-
duel, made an inspection of the ruins, for the pur-
pose of ascertaining the cause of the fire and the
amount of property destroyed. As far as the for-
mer was concerned, not the least reliable informa-
tion could be gleaned, but it was stated that Mr.
Dawson's loss will exceed £7,000. Unfortunately
he was not insured. The chimney stalk, up-
wards of 170 feet in height, is standing, as well as
a long range of warehouses and workshops, and,
what was also fortunate, the books, which were
taken out of a red hot patent Hobb's safe, were
found to be perfectly legible, so that the
fifty workmen thrown out of employment
will be enabled to resume their employment much
sooner than would have been the case had the books
and documents been destroyed.
The police, under Mr. Inspector Gredge of the P
divisioa, renderel great assistance to the firemen
by keeping the crowd out of danger, and Mr.
Fountain, of the Plough Tavern, threw open his
house for the night, for the accommodation of the

Brigade.
The following is a copy of Captain Shaw's
official report of the damage :—" Lordship-lane,
Dulwich.— Mr. Dawson, patent brick and tile
manufacturer ; a brick boilding of two floors, 60ft.
long and 370 ft. broad, used as boiler and steam-
engine house, offices and stabling burned down and
roof off ; a brick and timber building of three floors,
240 ft. long and 34ft. wide, used as drying-houses,
machine-rooms, and dwelling-house, about 50ft.
severely damaged by fire, and part of roof burned
off—all adjoining and communicating. Three
horses burned to death."