Star.
London, England, 1808-09-22 00:00:00

VEIL IDPUL• FIRES

WANING OF COVENT-GARDEN TIIATYIS.
Litwin rArelcusahm4

CORONER'S INQUEST'S.
*kV ANTHONY Gas}, Esq. Coroner, and Mr. Boventiton,
is Foreman, and 15 Jurymen, at the Britannia Coffeehouse,
corner of James-strett and Covent-Garden, yesterday, on the
persons who were burned to death In assisting to stop the
dreadful conflagration at Coveat•gatden Theatre, on Tuesday
ismeging.

At two o'clock the Coroner attended, and the
Jury were sworn. They then proceeded to inspect
the bodies. They went first and viewed that of Mr.
Davis, lying at his lodgings, in York-stmt. They
then proceeded to St. Paul's Church, where they exa-
mined the bodies of eleven persons, viz. Richard
Cadgill, J. Holmes, J. Hunt, Wm. Jones, J. Evans,
James Crab, T. Mead, Wm. Riggleswort, and J.
Jtilbey, and two unknown. It is impossible to des-
cribe the situation of the bodies, nearly burned to
cinders, the flesh parted from the bones. The Coro-
ner, who, from his situation, has been obliged to exa-
mine the bodies of many persons killed by accident,
declared he never witnessed any thing so horrid. At
three o'clock they returned to the Britannia, when
the following witnesses were examined :
Win. Addicotte deposed, he lived in Russell-street,
Covent-garden, and was stage carpenter to Covent-
garden Theatre ; was at work there until half past
eleven o'clock at night, the time the entertainment
was over, on the 19th of September. The Play was
Pizarro; he got home at 12 o'clock, and went to bed.
About four o'clock, on Tuesday morning, Mr. Car-
michael, a baker, his neighbour, knocked him up,
and told him the Theatre was in flames ; he dressed
himself and went into Bow-street ; the whole of the
east end was then blazing ; the British engine and
two othirs were there ; there were very few persons
assembled ; in ten minutes there were more than
twelve engines. He had no idea by what means the
Are was caused ; he, with the assistance of some other
perms, broke open Mr. Hughes's, the Treasurer's,
toot. The Bow-street box-door was open—got to
the engine of tha Theatre, which was placed over a
reservoir of water, but the hoses would not fit, which
made it useless. He went with the intention of going
to Covent-garden side of the house, called the Piazza
door; at the corner of Hart-street he met Mr. Bran-
don, the box-office keeper, who seemed much distress-
ed, and told him where he was going ; Mr. Brandon
gave him some keys, which he stated would open
the Piazza door. The witness then went round to
the door, and found it had been broken open ; it was
then about half past six o'clock, and the engine be-
longing to the Phoenix Company was in the passage,
very near the door, over a new tank or reservoir of
water, which was only the day before completed ;
the suction hose of the engine was in the reservoir,
there were about twelve persons at work at the engine ;
ftome firemen were further in the passage, about 100
eet from the entrance towards the opposite end ; the
eieling of that part was then in flames, and falling in.
The witness spoke to the engineer, whose name he
had since learned to be Fish, and informed him, that
the room over-bead was on fire, and he had better run
the engine out. He replied, that the witness had
better mind his own business than instruct him. The
witness then called to Rye, one of the persons belong-
ing to the Theatre, not to venture into the passage,
and returned to Bow-street. In about a quarter of
an hour afterwards, a fireman told him the house had
fallen in under the Piazza, and that there were three
or four of their men killed : he was not present when
the bodies were dug out.—The witness then stated,
there never was more than two pounds of gunpowder
in the Theatre at one time, which wfs kept in that
part of the house adjoining Hart-street, opposite
Felix-alley. The Apollo room, over the passage, had
been appropriated to the carpenter's room. The ciel-
ing of the Apollo room fell, and took the floor, which
gave way, and smothered the engine and the per-
sons who were working it ; there was no person hurt
in Bow-street. There were seven houses burnt to the
ground. Mr. John Johnston is not missing, although
there was an apprehension for his safety ; the witness
did not know there was any blame attributed to the
watchman, but they had to knock for a length of time
N. the stage-door before he appeared. It was the duty
of the watchman to go every hour through the rooms
of the Theatre, but he believed he was only in the
habit of going twice in the course of the night ; there
was a chair, fire, lanthorn, and candles, provided for
him, but no bed; did not know that he was asleep ; the
watchman was in fits ever since the night of the fire.
Mr. Brandon generally went on the stage every night,
after the house had been cleared, from whence he had
a full view of the house, except of the rooms which
were considered to be under the immediate inspection
of the watshman. The witness did not conceive the
fire could have been caused from any use of fire-arms
in the play of Pkarro, as there were only three guns
fired, two across the stage, and one towards the back
part of the stage, and the fire broke out at the East
end. The watchman's station was the hall, next the
box-office, which was but a very few paces from the
stage. Had the watchman been attentive to his duty,
it was his opinion, that he must have had earlier inti-
mation of the fire having commenced ; but he be-
lieved that he was asleep in the hall, from the cir-
cumstance of the difficulty which was found to gain
admittance at the stage-door; he, the witness, having
himself knocked loud and repeatedly, and that an en-
trance to the house was not found in that direction
until the door was forced open ; then the watchman
tame forth quite astonished. The house was then
entirely in flames.
One of the Gentlemen of the Jury declared, he was
present when the first man came out alive from the
ruins ;he was in the greatest agony. The Juryman
threw a bucket of water over him ; in his agony, he
carght one of hisown arms with his other hand, and se-
vered the flesh from the bone, leaving it completely bare ;
the sufferer's name is Harris. The second, and the
only ether that came out alive, had his coat on fire,
also his whiskers and eye-brows. The Juryman took
his harsikerchiet and wiped his face, and took his
coat of ; he was so hot, and so much burnt, that he
found it • necessary to throw several buckets of water
over him. He also stated, that the first body that ,
was brought out was so much doubled, having been
found in a sitting posture, that it became necessary to
break the back-bone, before it. could be made suf.
ficiently ari_ght to put in a shell.
William Dark), deposed, that he was a fireman,