The Sun.
London, England, 1850-09-23 00:00:00

THE FIRE. IN MARK-LANE.

Nothwithstanding the precautions taken by the
surveyors of the various fire insurance offices to pre-
vent, if possible, the remaining portions of the large
warehouses from falling, we regret to state that du-
ring Saturday one of the immense wails, probably
120 feet high, nearly 100 feet long, and 2 feet thick,
fell with a crash similar to a violent clap of thunder.
Fortunately it took place when no one was in the
Corn Exchange, or it is probable that a fearful sacri-
fice of life would have followed. It appears that this
immense building gave symptoms of bulging during
Friday, and forthwith large scaffold poles were placed
in such positions as to bear the weight off from the
Exchange. This was exceedingly fortunate, ; for had
it not been for such arrangements, notwithstanding
that there was a clear space of eight or ten feet between
the two buildings, the whole of the Exchange might
have been buried amidst some thousand tons weight
of bricks and rubbish. As it was, the roof at the
further end of the Exchange has been carried down,
and immense beams of timber, nearly as thick as a
man's body, have been broken by the weight that fell
upon them as easily as if they had been no thicker
than common matches. A great number of men were
immediately set to work in clearing the Exchange of
the mass of brick work which had fallen into it, and in
erecting a wooden hoarding across, so as to be able to
carry on the business as before. Large printed
posters have been stuck up over the walls and stone
pillars, as far as the centre of the Exchange, with the
word " Dangerous " upon them. At eight o'clock
on Saturday night the fire was distinctly perceptible
in many portions of the ruins and also in the walls.
The firemen were at that hour obliged to work hard
to prevent any further outbreak. A notice was posted
on Saturday in the Exchange, of which the following
is a copy :

" Corn Exchange, Sept. 21, 1850.

"Notice is hereby given, o.lli dur.ing the repairs
the gates will be closed on market days at half-past
one o'clock precisely, and the standholders and fre-
quenters of the Corn Exchange are requested to re-
tire at that time.
(Signed) " THOMAS LEVICK, Secretary."
It has been stated that the fire would not have
extended so greatly if a proper supply of water could
have been obtained. It appears that the pipes laid
down in Mark-lane and Seething-lane are so exceed-
ingly small that, even when fully charged, the supply
from them was insufficient for three fire-engines;
while in the adjacent streets the recent laying down
of the new gas company's pipes was reported to have
disarranged the mains of the Nevi River Company;
and but half the usual quantity of water could be ob-
tained from them. Be this as it may, this is a subject
which demands the fullest inquiry. The annexed
statement of the losses sustained by the various in-
surance offices, says the Observer, has been obtained
from the firms whose property is destroyed, and from
other authentic sources !—Pheecix Fire-office, 23,000/ ;
Alliance-office, 20,0001.; Sun-office, 18,0001.; Nor-
wich Union, 10,000/.; Guardian, 7,0001.; Royal
Exchange, 8,000/ ; Imperial, 12,000/. ; Atlas, 8,000/. ;
Church of England, 5,900/.; Monarch, 2,0001.; other
offices, 2,0001. Total, 115,900/.
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