The Sun.
London, England, 1829-05-25 00:00:00

LATE FIRE.

An inquest on the bodies of five of the sufferers
in the calamitous fire that took place on Thursday.
night Was held on Saturday at St. George's work-
house. The Jury having been swore, proceeded
to take a view of the remains which had been dug
out of the ruins, and which presented the usual me-
lancholy appearance.
On their return several witnesses were examined,
and from their testimony it appeared that the flue was
first discovered about ten minutes before midnight,
at which time the flame was perceived through the
shop shutters of the house, which belonged to a fur-
niture broker of the name .of Pick. The names of
the inmates of the house were Mr. and Mrs. Pick,
and a child that Mrs. Pick had had by a former
marriage, of the name of Mary, Ann Clinch, Mrs.
Gregory, and her infant about three months old,
and her sister, whose name was Eliza► Robbenet
there was also the errand-boy, of the name of John
Field, all of, whom are supposed to have been
burned, although the bodies of the last five only have
as yet been discovered. A man of the name of
Cook, who is the private watchman of St. George's
market, was among the first on the spot after the
fire broke out. A woman told him of it out of a win-
dow in the market, and he immediately ran to the
house. Just as he got there he found two or three
persons eagerly engaged in breaking down the shop
shutters, in the hope of being able to save the fur
uiture; but. finding that he could be of little use
there, he went round to the back of the premises,
and, assisted by two or three young men, he suc-
ceeded in detaching a platform from the premises,
by which the fire was prevented from extending it-
self to some work-shops. This %i•itness ap-
peared to think that the regular watchman
of the beat had been very remiss, for although
his watch-box was not above half a dozen yards
from Mr. Pick's house,, he did not make his appear.
ance for ten minutes after the fire was discovered.
Those who were engaged in removing the shutters
of the shop soon succeeded in their attempt; but
though this was the means of saving a little of the
furniture, the Coroner strongly deprecated the course
pursued, as it was necessarily the means of admit-
ting a strong draught of air to the flames, and add-
ing a vigour to the fire which before was wanting.
In his opinion, had every thing been kept closed,
and the inmates thoroughly alarmed, they might
have contrived to make their escape: but as soon
as the under part of the house was once thrown open
to the air, the staircase acted as it were a chimney,
and the whole of the fire and smoke issued up it
. with such vio!ence as effectually to prevent any
escape that way. Very shortly after the first alarm
of tire Ms given; a woman with an infant in her
arms was seen standing at the second floor window,
as if for help, bat no sooner were the shutters re-
moved than the smoke mounted upwards in such vo-
lumes that she was no longer able to retain her
situation. The next-door neighbour, Mr. Smeed,
finding that all hope of escape that way was lost,
ascended to the trap-door at the roof of his own
house, to see if any assistance could be rendered
them. He had not been many minutes there before
Mr. Pick made his appearance from the trap-door of
his house, with no other garment on than his shirt,
and with some difficulty was assisted into Mr.
Smeed's parlour. All the witnesses who saw the
unfortunate man, agreed in describing him to have
been in an almost distracted state ; and so highly
agitated, that he appeared quite unable to under-
stand what he was about.

These facts having appeared in evidence, Mr.
Pick was called upon by the Coroner to state what
he knew of the melancholy transaction. Mr. Pick,
in obedience to this call, :mired, that he had spent
a portion of the evening previous to the fire at the
Princess of Wales, a public house near his own resi-
dence, and that at a quartet' before eleven he re-
turned home. He and his wife had a broiled mack,
erel for supper, which was cooked and eaten in the
back parlour, and then, having raked out the fire,
they retired to rest—probably about twenty minutes
past eleven. He could hardly tell whether he had
been asleep or not, when he was aroused by the cry
of " fire," on which he threw up the window, and
saw that persons beneath had succeeded in removing
one of the window shutters : on this he roused his
wife and the lodgers in the next room, and they en-
deavoured to make their escape down stairs, hut
after descending a stair or two, they found the pro-
gress that way was impracticable ; the witness then
became so confounded with alarm and agitation, that
he could scarcely tell what subsequently took place;
as fir as he remembered he got a chair from his
bed-room, arid by that means made his escape
through the trap-door and down the nest house, as
described by Mr. Smeed. He had no doubt that if
the shutters of the shop had not been so suddenly
removed, they might have all been able to make
their escape, for they had only to descend about
eight or ten steps to get at the platform which led
to his work-shop ; the smoke, however, was so
overpowering, that, as he had stated before, they
were obliged to return, after having descended a
stair or two. He did not know whether the house
was insured, but he had insured his furniture and
goods in the Hand-in-Hand Assurance Offices for
.00!.
The father of Mrs. Pick appeared to think that
there was some confusion about the time that
elapsed between Mr. Pick's retura home and the
breaking out of the fire. Mr. Pick had told him on
the morning after the lire, that he did not return
home till a quarter after eleven, and he certainly
thought that from a quarter after eleven till ten mi-
nutes to twelve (the hour at which all agreed the
fire was first discovered) was a very short time for a
mackerel to be cooked and eaten, a pot of beer to
be drunk, Mr. and Mrs. Pick to go to bed and be
asleep, especially as the fire must have been smoul-
dering for some time before it was discovered.
Mr. Pick denied that he had said it was a quarter
after eleven that he had returned home ; it was a
quarter before eleven, and he could bring a witness
to prove it ; neither had he said that he had been
asleep ; he had told the Coroner that be could not
•be sure on that point, as he had been roused so
abruptly, and so alarmed and confused since.
A tradesman, and relative of Mr. Pick, who had
spent the evening with him at the Princess of Wales,
stated that he left Mr. Pick at his own door at a
quarter before eleven ; Mr. Pick was quite sober at
the time, and both he and another, ho was with
them, thank out of the pot of stout beiore Mr. Pick
carried it in doors for his supper.
In answer to a question from the CORONER, Mr.
Pick said that he could not form the least idea how
the fire originated.
The CORONER said that the whole of the evis
deuce having been gene through, it did not appear
that there was the slighest ground for insinuating
that the lire was other than a.cidental; and the
Jury, after some deliberation, returned a verdict
accordingly.

TRIALS OF THE MANCHESTER RIOTERS.
—On Saturday eight persons, charged with having taken
part in the riots of Manchester, and with having assisted
in breaking open several bread shops, and carrying off the
provisions, were tried at the New Bailey, Manchester.
Seven of them were found guilty, and one was acquitted.
Of those convicted four were sentenced to he transported
for seven years, two to be imprisoned in Lancaster Castle
fir twelve months, and one to be confined in the House of
Correction for six.—Leeds Mercury.
THE LATE MURDER AT KENSINGTON.—
Since BIRMINGHAM'S committal for trial two persons have
come forward to give .additional evidence, which will pro.
bably go far in corroboration of that already sworn to.—
One person, we understand, will negative the assertions of
the girl who swore that she stopped With BIRMINGHAM all
night, and a!so confirm the statement of his having been
at the Camden Arms till twelve o'clock on the night before
the body was found. The other person +lves that he saw
BIRMINGHAM and the deceased, whom he knew, pass along
the Kensington-road, beyond the turnpike, at an early hour
in the morning. This additional evidence was swot nto
before Mr. SKETCHLEY, at Kensington, yesterday evening.
Persons continue to visit the spot where the unfortunate
girl was murdered..