The Sun.
London, England, 1820-03-04 00:00:00

DREADFUL FIRE .AT CHATHAM:

[I''URTIiER PARTICULARS—En/11l " The 7'imes.l

Intelligenee Navin„ been received in town' yes-
terday morning, that a conflagration was raging
in the town of Chathatu, the attention of eery
one' became naturally directed to the important
naval depot et that place., and very:alatming ru-'
•monrs in consequence found ready •eirculation.
We have the satisfaction, however, to state, that
the Dock-yard has not suffered in any degree;
indeed it was too . far removed from the scene of
the fire to have been exposed no.any danger.
The fire broke out about half-past two o'clock
yesterday Morning at the house of a baker, in the
main street;
.and the wind being extremely high,
it spnead with !peat rapidity, crossing the street.,
which is way narrow, and overwhelming the
flutists on each aide ill one common destruction..
To add to the enttfusion and distreiti of the mci-•
men!, a beavy.sl.-et began to fall, which; aided'
by the violence of the n intl and the extreme' colt),'
almost paralysed the eicitions matte to pnt a'sfoir
to the Names. Attention- Seents, to' have'
been mot e 'generally directed to securing, the goods'
said furniture loom those 'tousda. which 'were'
threatened than to the Proper application of the'
fire-eitgiues, the managetnent- of which appears to.
.have been very imperfettly..Undeestoori. • We are.
•infurined, that at five o'clock,- such was the fury
of the devouring elt.inent, and. the apparent in-
adeqwfoly of the Means to check its progeess, an
express was: sent to London to obtain-engines,
and firemen experienced in work ittgl hem. Both
these were dispatched:; butlnetore they could ar-
rive all necessity for their assistance ceased to'
exist, as we understalnl that by .eleven o'elteck the'!
• flames were completely subilitred, and nothing, was!
visible of the conflagration but a heap of smoking
ruins. The whole number of houses destro.yed
amounted to 36, among . which were the Sun Ta-.
vent, with the dwelling-house as pant of the
brew-house belonging, to. Mr. Best.

We are happy to say tliat, at tar as can be as•
Cell ained, no lives have be-en IoSI, and in most
nistances the property that could be feinoved has
been lived.

The troops quartered at Chatham were called
Out, and rendered every assistance that was requi-
site. The strvet which forms a p.irt of the high-
road to Feveishato is ót course completely ob-
structed.

Since writing the B.boxe, we have received the
folloAing account horn n gentleman who Will on
the spat /luring a pall at the dreadful scene, and
Who itnebsed the tffect of the whale :

The the commenced at the house of Mr Hill,
retidipg at 69. Higlt:etreet. lirittre tiny
it.slSt nIICC could be alkoded, it had gained ssuch
as to pill ail til.d U. Of hopes of saving!
Mt, Loose,- or that to it, With which
the ft ilors bad almost immediately conattottiticatt-t1
btfri.t:on of 1114.4 r. tvli..) first -eante to the spot
,‘ a 9 liteil (Hr. c,ell to tie mljortlit,g hatters, nud It)
those opposite, towattis Which the fleattei time.
tiritro by
.a violent n,orth-westerly wittd, which
(twinned to blow strongly otitil a late Dour to
the tuorLit,s. itout ilill's I uuye, and frutu those

. , .
Of Mr. Wa,son, a litten-draPer Col Mr. Cohen,
a pawn-broker.; and tWU'or -three others which
intervened, deiosiring 'eletnent
Sun Tavern, a very extensive pile of building, sod
'the principal Jun of .Chathatn. When rhisho!lie,
Caught
had
the scene way most
flameshad now been driien'hy• the' iiiileifeeint
the wind t'o the opposite side ofthest-i.vet,-whicV:
then presented, to the eye a pile ofburning'build7..L
ings, between which, from the ,nartowness of -
place, the paSSage was-iti'sorne
an,l in all extremely dangerous:. About hall past''
tour nr five, the -roof of the San Tavern.lfeß,
in with a tremendous crash, and shortly after aid?
a very sm;,ll part of the walls Wes' seen
'At one time the brewery of Mr. Beat was-thanglir.
to be,iu such danger that its utter ruin was
'ell upon as inevitable.; providentially, however.,
by the prompt assistance- of great' nartnberl '
town's people, aided by the active .eicertintss
'the military, it escaped with comparativelytrill.ing ,
'damage. Mr. Best, was not so fortunate saveh
respect to his dwelling4tonSe, which with
adjoining houses, also his .ptoperty, wereerttirelvy---,
consumed. The walls of Mr. Best's house weer.,
from their great
,solidity, the only parts vadat,
were not levelled with the earth. "At font.; 41;01
between that and -six o'clock, the confusion whicAr.
reigned in the town was beyond, description --=_
From the appearance of the flames at the lettere,
hour, it was thought that all thehonseS
east of that where the fire began would fall
crifice to its rage. So strong was this impression,'
that many families, considerably removed kora.,
the immediate scene, of danger, bad ;taken dorms
their beds and other articles of furniture, and ha4l
removed a large part of them • to a still -greater
distance. it would be impossible to give tire'
whole Of the particulars at the late hour at silicas
ibis account was' written j we stall thereforne
content orost6ves with staling the result.
About II o'clock-the fury of the flames was
checked by the partial destruction of some houtresi
on the same side of the street where it began, audl•
by the total demolition of one or two on the aye., •
polite side, which the 'flames 113(141VA then reacie—`
ed, but which it was judged proper to take dowaS,-,.' •
to prevent a further spread of the ccrnflagratiou.'
The whole number of houses-destroyed Higls4
street is 3S ; but 'there were several 'smalt'builel-- -'-
ings destroyed in the rear 'of each. -The violence"
of the wind was suet', that large fiakes'of burning
matter were -conveyed to some hundred yards' disi
tance. One of those flakes fellupots to large stack, •
Of hay,- about 1513 yards from Lligh-street,•whicte
consumed that and two others whichwereclossz„.
by.- There was a considerable quantity of 1;14_,
between these,staeks-, which fortunately e§ta,ptaa •;
From the extraordinary rapidity with which due:
flames spread, and the danger which threatened' ••
its a narrow street, both sides of which for a gre4o(4
part on fire, an immensity of property was .41C-.
wined, which, had the weather been more mita,' ",
trigist"
,haVe -been saseit; Set'eral houses, awl
those, we. understand,' prineipally belonging .10:“1
persons 'whose ruin most he the 'conserineoce,.•
were wholly unensared.; It is, however„. 'a satin=
GCI-101), iu idatil)g• this ACCidellt,
be able to state that no life was hos-t on the occa-
sion. One or two persons were, we understood.
hurt by the falling of a tt all, but not dangerously'
At an early hour of the day the news of tlhe tn 4
reached London, frOm which some engines wore
dispatched ; but • bet re their '•arrival,the tines
had beets nearly subdue'l. The- engines from no"
chester and Maidstone were on the spot as, soot
as possible alter the account bad reached 6094
Enlaces. The Sun fire-engine, drawn by six horses;
reached Chatham at six in the afternoon: .Orr*
inconvenience was experienced from the watt-.calf
a plentiful supply of water. In some plaCes
Was con'veyed in casks to .the spot where the ore
glues were at svollt, and there emptied' nto tbc
streets.

'this we understand, the third severe visa*"
tion by fire which Chatham has' ,experiencea
within the last halt ceotury. About 20 years..sio
a fire broke out
°pearly in. the same plAce as ALM
present one, which consumed nearly 70 ho4l 4esit
about 21 or 22 years before that period a fi,"(
happened in the saute street,' to which sO< 'or 90
Rupees tell a prey.

COAL ftIAIIKET, 11.1sacu 0..
Ships at Market. • Sitips sold; Prtor.-
Newcasttu
0 Solidcrialtd • 0 ..

(:OURSE OF EXCHANGE, INTARcti 3.
,
:Aititteftlaru . 12 -, o C. F.
Ditto, at Sight
Rot terdant '.. 12 1
,Antwerp. l2. 2
Haloburgh
Altona
Paris, 3 Day's sig.bt
o.lto . ........ ............ .......
'Boittilolitix, ditto
-Frank fort ott,tlie N1aiu.,.... ... .... 15.2 Ex... Woof
ridaitritl-
Cadiz'
..,..
• flitlioa'
. iesille
Oihralfar • Si;.
Barcelona . •

Leghorn
Genoa. 44f.---Ve,ttice, Ital. Liv 3.7 3t
Malta. 46 -Nap1e5.....,...... :14._
Palermo
Lishou ...
itio (Noel' o
Dablitt lot Cork loaf per l'ettt.

BtILLIOWq

Portugal (]e11(1, irt Colo 1 .9 '0 0 lier'r4'
Foreign t;tiold, iu liars.... .
New Don hkonb .. •

New Dollar: 0- 4
Silver iii Bar, Standard....

1311tl'H.
Ott-Friday, the 8d irtst. the Lady of Frederick l'ollock, r'lo'
of Bedfoid-row, of a (laughter.

ATtE 1 F,D.
On the 2Sth tilt, at Bersted Church, Sussex, Richard
city, tut:lrailutte, CA: conti -daughter tit Sit itupxrt ticiA"P
Batt. •

Di I,olsv
• On'SruiVay,-tbe 47th tilt. ,teclsB, at hi 4 home in of
liArd-strert, .Cliarks ;Ball, Esq. formerly of :11errue, tbe
Guildford, Surrey..
tlie•2(l inst. in ('liarturbouse-srottre, i-.1e45
Jenkinsou Sa)rr,l.sq. :Auditor of Cliairterbouse.

•
1.(1NDON:. Printed I.IJ. B. CARSTAInS, of No. 49, , 4 0
Ornootti-tnrcut,. Qui:eu-squarr; and puiLlisin'j 14.
SCIOITS; of No. 7, South Moßou-strect, at T+o4
(lil•re. No. )4i, Stranit ; Adrettiscnitflo., 4)1—
Lt .1(04, &c„ :LUC. !n; aldresse.d.

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