The Sun.
London, England, 1844-10-12 00:00:00

COURT OF SEWERS.

A special meeting of the Court of Sewers for 'West-
minster, and part of the county of Middlesex, was
held yesterday, for the purpose of taking some mea-
sures to restore the dilapidated part of the Ranelagh
Sewer, in Gloucester-road, Paddington, T. L. Do-
naldson, Esq., in the chair.
The report of Messrs. '.rite and Rennie, upon the
causes of the failure, which they partly attributed to
the form of sewer, and partly to the untradesmanlike
construction of it, having been read,
The CHAIRMAN asked the contractor, Mr. Bird,
who was present, if his solicitor, Mr. Garrard, was in
attendance ?

Mr. BIRD said that he was not. He (Mr. Bird)
said that he was not aware that the report would
have been received that day; and the only intimation
he had was received that morning, which left him
much too little time to communicate with his solicitor.

Mr. LESLIE thought in that case, as the Court was
so very small, that it might adjourn, in order to have
the report printed.
A discussion ensued upon the point, Mr. Ilawkes
taking Mr. Leslie's view of the matter, and a majority
of the Court thinking, with the solicitor, Mr. Smith,
that if a copy were sent to Mr. Garrard it would
answer every purpose, as it might be reasonably in-
ferred that the report itself was only intended for the
guidance of the solicitor in the approaching actions.
Mr. WILLOUGHBY said that he must recal the at-
tention of the Court to what this question really was.
The question now was, what were they to do to pro
tect the public from inconvenience ? It was certainly
time to put the sewer into a state of repair. They
had now got all the evidence necessary, in the event
of ulterior proceedings, for the report that day read
had agreed with the opinions advanced by their own
officers, and therefore the real and only business be-
fore them, was to adopt measures to get the sewer
into an efficient state as soon as possible. He would
therefore move, "That some immediate steps to taken
to restore the Ranelagh Sewer, in Gloucester-road,
Paddington, under the direction of Messrs. Tite and
Rennie."

The motion was seconded by Mr. J. H. JouNsoN.
Mr. LESLIE thought that, if some little time were
given, the report read that day would have the same
effect on Messrs. Bird and Garrard as it had on him-
self, and perhaps induce them to agree to peaceable
measures.

The CHAIRMAN would wish the Court to come to
some definite resolution upon the subject, and not
procrastinate to any longer period the settlement of
the question.
Mr. LESLIE said that the motion implied that some
immediate steps should be taken for the renovation of
the sewer.

The CHAIRMAN explained that, even at the earliest,
ten days must elapse before any steps could be taken,
and before that time Mr. Bird might be prepared to
offer some suggestion to the Court upon the subject.
Mr. J. WHITE objected to the reconstructing of
the sewer according to the old form, or with the ma-
terials at present in use. Even the able gentlemen
who had furnished the report had stated that the con-
struction was bad; and why then, he asked, should
they go on in the same stated course, when that had
been ascertained to be a bad one ? ie would move,
as an amendment, that a sewer be constructed of a
different form and material than that which had
already been found so faulty.
The CHAIRMAN wished to call their attention to
this simple fact. Were they to allow a dangerous
state of these works to continue, to the detriment of
the public business, and to the great loss of the pro-
prietors of houses near the line of sewer ? Had that
Court not waited long enough to enable it to ascer-
tain the condition of, and cause of, its failure ? He
certainly thought the Court was now in full posses-
sion of all the facts necessary to that knowledge.—
(Hear, hear.) He would also call Mr. White's at-
tention to this point. It was the interest of the
Court to put Messrs. Tite and Rennie in posses-
sion of all statements, that they might not blindly
give an opinion which they would not be able, at
some future time, to substantiate. It was a matter
of justice to the public, of justice to the Court, of
justice to the gentlemen who had furnished the re-
port, and of justice to the contractor himself, that
they should now come to some absolute decision.
He thought, therefore, they ought to adopt the reso-
lution propounded by the Hon. Commissioner (Mr.
Willoughby).
After some discussion, in which Mr. Cantwell,
the Chairman, Mr. Leslie, and Mr. White took part,
Mr. HAwKEs, in an effective speech, seconded Mr.
White's amendment.
Mr. LESLIE again proposed that time should be
given for the consideration of the report ; and the
original resolutions and amendment were then put
from the chair, when the former was carried.
The further consideration of the subject was de-
ferred, and the Court adjourned.

THE CASE OF THE MISSES JOHNSTONE.--It may be
recollected that in August last two sisters, named John-
stone, who had endured the most severe trials and priva-
tions, commenced a small school at No. 27, Charlotte-
street West, White Conduit-fields, in which they failed,
and became indebted to their landlord for rent, when the
youngest sister died in a state of insanity, brought on
through the anxiety attendant on the school, grief, and
want of nourishment. Their distress having been acci-
dentally discovered through the death -of the sister, and
the particulars having been detailed in The Sun, the
utmost sympathy was manifested, and we rejoice to state
that the case, after being investigated by some clergy-
men, &c., was found deserving, and the surviving sister
is now placed in comparative comfort, although in deli-
cate health.

FATAL ACCIDENT AT VAUXHALL GARDENS.—
Yesterday afternoon an inquest was held at the Coach
and Horses public-house, Flood-street, Dean's-yard,
before Mr. Higgs, the Coroner for Westminster, on the
body of Robert Hunt, aged fifty years. The deceased,
for fifteen years, had been employed as a lamplighter at
the Gardens, and about eleven o'clock on Tuesday night
last, as he was standing on a stage, five feet two inches
from the ground, in one of the covered ways, reaching
over to the last lamp he had to light, he overbalanced
himself, and fell on to the back of his head, fracturing
his skull on the right side from the top to the base. He
was conveyed to Westminster Hospital, and died at five
o'clock on the following morning. This is the only fatal
accident that has occurred at Vauxhall Gardens during
the last forty years. Verdict—" Accidental death."
INCENDIARISM IN SUFFOLK.—lncendiarism in this
county appears at the present time to be alarmingly on
the increase. A most destructive fire took place on
Wednesday evening last in the parish of Whepstead, on
a farm in the occupation of Mr. Holden. It was discovered
in the stack-yard, and in a short time ten stacks of diffe-
rent kinds:of produce were burning at once, illuminating
that part of the country for may miles. The Suffolk
fire-engines soon after arrived, but, strange to say, the
largest of them went without the necessary pipes, and
when it reached the spot the men in attendance were
obliged to send down to Bury in a cart for them before
they could render the slightest service. The fire in
the meanwhile raging with such unchecked fury,
that it became evident it would be useless to attempt
to save the stacks, the attention of the firemen was
therefore directed to the dwelling-house, which was
within a short distance, and which by continual damp-
ing was saved from any material damage. This makes
the fourth incendiary fire which has taken place in the
neighbourhood of Bury St. Edmund's since last Friday
—a fire taking place that day at Cheveley Park, belong•
ing to the Duke of Rutland; one at Waltham de Willows,
on Saturday; another at Hengrave (which we believe
was extinguished), on Wednesday afternoon; and a fire
at Whepstead on the evening of the same day. The in-
habitants, generally speaking, are is a state of great
alarm, and the destruction of property is immense.
SUICIDE :THROUGH DRUNKENNESS.—Thursday Mr.
Carter held an inquest at the Bell, York-street, Lam-
beth, on the body of Elizabeth Pearson, aged 48, the
wife of a sawyer, residing at 38, York-street, who, it
appeared from the evidence of her son, a lad about 17,
who was deeply affected, that, about four o'clock on
Tuesday afternoon, he came home, and found his mo-
ther, with a cord round her neck, suspended to one of
the bed posts. Medical assistance was instantly pro-
cured, but she was quite dead. She had for a long time
been accustomed to drink gin immoderately, which had
about three months since caused her to complain of pains
in the head and back, when she was attended by a sur-
geon, and advised to discontinue spirits ; but she drank
to greater excess, which impaired her mind, and drove
her no doubt to commit suicide. This testimony having
been corroborated by other witnesses, the jury found
that " Deceased destroyed herself while of unsound
mind, produced by the excessive use of ardent spirits."
The Coroner observed that this was but one of many si-
milar cases which had recently come under his notice.
A serious accident occurred at the station of the
Bristol and Gloucester Railway, Gloucester, on Monday
evening. By an arrangement, which appears to us ob-
jectionable, the immense concourse of persons, 1,500 or
1,600 in number, who had arrived here by special train,
when the time
for returning approached, were shut out of
the yard till almost the last moment. The consequence
was, that on the gates being opened, a tremendous rush
and confusion took place, and one man, in attempting to
force his way into a carriage, was pushed backwards,
and falling on the buffer, broke his thigh. He was car-
ried to the infirmary, where he still remains.—Gloucester
- Journal,