The Sun.
London, England, 1868-09-07 00:00:00

WESTMINSTER.

VIOLENT ASSAULTS.—Wm. Pringle was charged
with assaulting Mr. Charles Gibbs, the landlord of
the Constitution public-house, Churton-street.
On Saturday afternoon the prisoner went into
Mr. Gibbs, the worse for liquor, and asked to be
served with whisky. lie was refused, and then
used bad language, and when asked to desist as-
saulted Mr. Gibbs by striking him on the nose.
He was then ejected by Mr. Gibbs and the neigh-
bours, and conducted himself in a most outrageous
manner, striking and kicking everybody. He forced
his way into the house three times, assaulted and
threatened the potman, and used very bad lan-
guage.
Prisoner said he had been very badly used by Mr.
Gibbs and Mr. Brown, a neighbour.

In reply to the magistrate, the police said he was
not known.

Mr. Selfe said if he had been he would have sent
him to prison without the option of a fine, as it was
he fined him 40s. or a month.

The money was immediately paid.
James Ryan, beforz convicted, was charged with
assaulting the police.
On Saturday night there was a street row in
Chelsea, and the prisoner was ordered away by Case,
142 B, whom he violently assaulted in a dangerous
part and kicked in the chin ; he was so violent,
backed by the mob, that staves had to be drawn to
keep them off, and then prisoner went quietly.

Prisoner made an unsubstantial defence, and
called a witness whose evidence was not to the
point.

lie was sentenced. to 11 days' hard labour, Mr.
SAfe stating that naxt time he would send him for
trial.

THAMES.

John Anderson was charged before ,Mr. Benson,
by Police-constable No. 15 K, with the following
outrage :—On Sunday afternoon the prisoner and
another man were lying on the ground fighting
together. The officer went forward and tried to
separate them, when the prisoner struck at the con-
stable. At first he thought he had mistaken him for
the other man, but the moment the defendant saw
that he was an officer he gave him a blow on the mouth
and another in the breast. Ile therefore took him
to the station-house. The prisoner said that he
had got intoxicated, and having met •a young
woman he knew he asked her to have a glass of
ale, when the other man grossly insulted his young
woman, and he in honour took up the defensive, but
he denied that he was aware that he had struck the
officer.

Mr. Benson said, if he really thought he pur-
posely assaulted the officer, he should inflict a
severe punishment upon him, but for his disgrace-
ful conduct of getting drunk and fighting on a Sun-
day he must pay a fine of
imprisonment. lOs., or suffer seven days'

711 E LATE RUM fly SOUTHAMPTON

DOCKS.

It is satisfactory to be able to state that, not-
withstanding the extensive destruction caused by
the fire which occurred at the West India factory
on Friday night, the company will experience very
little interruption in the progress of repairing or
other work required by their steamships, the great
boilershop and other portions of the premises having
happily been saved. The fire, after raging with
fearful fury for over three hours, was got well in
hand before midnight, and confined to the area
which it had up to that time ravaged. The fitting
shops and plant, with all their valuable contents,
including the sets of tools belonging to the work-
men, were entirely destroyed. The brass foundry
and the main boilershop were saved with great diffi-
culty. The ruins continued smouldering the whole
night, and even during Saturday, but constant
watchfulness and a plentiful application of water
prevented any renewed outbreak. The:damage done
to the sugar refinery, which adjoins the Mail Com-
pany's factory, was confined to the wing at the
eastern end of the large building used as the boiler-
house, which was completely shelled, leaving the
bare walls standing. The whole of the buildings
occupied by the Royal Mail Company, and also the
sugar refinery, are the property of the Dock Com-
pany, and covered by insurance. The plant be-
longing to the West India Company was also fully
insured. Very fortunately, the new shaft for the
Atrato was taken out of the factory on Friday, so
that the repairs of that vessel will not be inter-
rupted, and she will be enabled to leave on the 17th
inst. with the outward mails as arranged. A new
shaft for the Tyne (one of the company's intercolo-
nial fleet), which was to have been sent out by the
Atrato, was still in the lathe in that portion of the
fitting-house which was totally destroyed, but it
has been found that the shaft is uninjured. It was
a very providential circumstance that the night was
calm, for had there been anything like a strong
wind blowing no exertions could have prevented a
much larger destruction of property. As it was, the
fire was got under solely by the indefatigable and
well-directed efforts put forth by all persons who
flocked to the scene of the conflagration, including
the mayor and municipal officials, the Royal Engi-
neers, the marines and crew from her Majesty's ship
Hector, the local and other fire brigades, the offi-
cers and men belonging to the various steam com-
panies and the docks, and the Ist Hants Volunteer
Engineers. In fact, everybody worked with an
alacrity and zeal which cannot be too highly com-
mended. The origin of the fire as yet remains a
mystery; It appears that the factory was closed as

usual about half-past 5 on Friday afternoon, and
the gates locked, everything then appearing safe.
Sonic few men were, however, left on the premises
upon some engineering work of a particular charac-
ter, and these men, about half-past seven o'clock,
smelling what they thought was fire, looked through
the keyhole of the door communicating with the
carpenters' pattern-shop, and saw that the place
was on fire. They wrenched the door open and gave
an alarm, but the fire had already obtained such a
hold upon the building, which contained materi:ils
of an inflammable nature, that all attempts to sub-
due it were utterly fruitless, and the flames spread
with the rapidity of lightning to the adjoining pre-
mises. The mass of tire was so great that the
whole town was for an hour or two lighted up as
by one vast illumination, and the scene from the
water, even as fir as the Isle of Wight, was hide-
s .nibably grant].