The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-10-09 00:00:00

ITTrau

Brown and Co. The warehouses first alluded to ran a con-
siderable depth backwards, towards Denison-street, over-
looking a number of courts and alleys of small tenements.
Adjoining these, towards Great Howard-street, was the
dwelling-house of Mrs. Davies a small warehouse belonging
to Mr. Rigby, and the premises of Mr. Croston, painter.
Lower down, towards the Prince's Dock, two warehouses,

belonging to Sir John Tobin, terminate the street on one
side, while opposite, with their backs close up to a street
running along the end of the shed above-mentioned, stands
a pile of large warehouses, overlooking the Pricee's Basin,
the property of Messrs. Highfield and Birch and others.
The tire was discovered about nine o'clock, when a car-
driver, who was passing, observed smoke issuing from the
windows and doors of the third story of the second ware-
house, belonging to Messrs. Davies and Co. Shortly after-
wards, Police-constable Barton saw an indication of fire in
the same room. The intelligence was immediately conveyed
to the Fire-police Station, by a young gentleman, named
John Owen, who, we believe, saw the alarming indications
a few minutes before Barton. Mr. Hewitt and a body of
the Fire and Patrolling Police were quickly on the spot:
Mr. Whitty arrived immediately after them ; but, front the
circumstance of neither of the water companies having mains
in the streets in the neighbourhood, which are chiefly occu- •
pied by warehouses and sheds, a considerable time elapsed
before a supply of water could be obtained. A hose was,
in the first instance, laid into the Canal-basin for a tempo-
' rary supply; and. after some delay, a better supply was
obtained from the mains in Waterloo-road, at the bottom,
and those of Great Howard-street, at the top of Roberts-street
and Hill-street. The members of the Fire-police Committee
have, we understand; made many representations to the fire-
insurance agents on the subject of the want. of water in this
district, and, we believe' remonstrances have proceeded from
other quarters, but without effect. We have also heard of
opinions being expressed, that, if a fire were to take Place
amongst the extensive warehouses of this district, it would
be next to impossible to get it under from want of water.
Throughout the whole night and morning, the principal sup-
ply of thiS important material was drawn front the Canal
and Docks. The consequence of this was, that, for a con-
siderable period, twelve engines were only doing the duty of
five. Two were placed at the Canal and No at Great
Howard-street, feeding one in Roberts-street and one in
Denison-street. • Two engines at the Dock fed two stationed
in Roberts-street, and only three were ultimately supplied

from the mains.
The inflammable nature of the goods in the room where
the fire originated caused it to spread with great rapidity.
This warehouse contained a large quantity of cotton and
other merchandise of a highly ignitable character. The ad-
joining warehouses were also lull of valuable and inflammable
commodities of East India produce; such as indigo' shumac,
pepper, gums, sago, ginger, and sugar. The cellars were
filled with olive oil and saltpetre, and from these combustible
articles the greatest danger was apprehended. At eleven
o'clock the flames, no longer confining themselves to the
place where they had been first discovered, burst forth with
terrific fury, and proceeded, at a rapid rate, up the doors to
the cat-head. In a short time all the upper stories were in a

general blaze, which raged with such fury that the engines,
now in full pia`•, made but slight impression. The lire con-
tinued to burn downwards, and floor after floor fell in, till
the vast mass of glowing materials crushed through into the

cellar.
All hope of saving anything from this warehouse was now
at an end, and the attention of the Fire-police was directed
exclusively to the warehouses adjoining, the great object
being to prevent the fire from extending. In this they were
not successful, for the olive oil in the cellars continued to
blaze upwards with excessive fury, while the saltpetre sent
up columns of white, hissing flame, and a series of ex-
plosions, on which water made not the slightest impression.
A brisk breeze aided the progress of the conflagration. The
result was, that the adjoining warehouse, belonging to
Messrs. Davies and Co., was soon on fire.
About twelve o'clock. the front of the warehouse which
had first taken fire fell forwards into the street with a terrific
crash ; but, timely precaution having been taken, no person
was injured. The second warehouse of Messrs. Davies had,
by this time, ignited so extensively, and, owing to the nature
of the materials which it contained, the fire was spreading so
rapidly, that there appeared no chance of saving it. The en-
gines kept pouring water into the blazing mass, without the
smallest effect, and the scene assumed an aspect of terrific
grandeur, the flames rising to an awful height, and the burn-
ing embers and flakes of cotton flying in every direction.
The poor people in Denison-street, as well as in most of those
adjoining, were in the greatest alarm, and must have sus-
tained much loss in removing their fuiniture, from what they
conceived impending danger. The progress of the fire in the
second warehouse was nearly similar to that in the first.
The interior of the upper stories was rapidly consumed, and
the whole of the burning materials continued to accumulate
on the lower floor • s, one after the other, they gave way.
Tne walls tonere' the great heat acted on the mortar,
destroying its tenact -, and the whole fabric was momentarily
expected to fall. The blaze sent up was most terrific, and
the greatest anxiety was expressed as to the result, if the fire
reached the nitre, oil, and turpentine, of which an immense
quantity was known to be stowed in the cellar of the second
warehouse. Serious apprehensions were also entertained for
the safety of the shed opposite; in which the cotton of Messrs.
W. and .1. Brown was stowed. The excessive heat sent
forth, with the numberless burning masses of cotton which
were flying about in all directions, gave good foundation for
these fears. - •
From six to seven o'clock in the morning the fire abated
somewhat of its excessive fury: indeed, by the hour last
mentioned, it had been so materially got under, to all ap-
pearance, that confident hopes were entertained of its being
quickly altogether subdued. These hopes, however, unfor-
tunately', proved fallacious. About half-past seven o'clock
nothing appeared of the second warehouse but the walls and
a heap of burning embers on the lower story. These con-
sieted of a mass of cotton and other materials burned to tinder,
exhibiting one immense glow, from which shot up numerous
tongues of flame. Still, so much had the fire been got under
that, with the exception of some fear being entertained for
the safety of Messrs. W. and J. Brown and Co.'s shed, with
the cotton under it, and the turpentine in the yard, every body
present seemed to consider that all chance of the fire com-
municating to the lower warehouses, the property of Messrs.
Charles Lawrence and Son, was at an end. Even the Fire-
police partook of the general belief, and Mr. Whitty retired,
for a few minutes, from the scene. Shortly after eight o'clock,
however, an event occurred which changed the whole aspect
of things and renewed the conflagration. The olive oil in
the cellars of the warehouses which had been on fire in the
night became inflamed by the smouldering and incumbent
mass. It then blazed up with great fierceness, and set fire to
a large quantity of saltpetre. A terrific explosion unexpect-
edly took place. Many of the people on the spot were
momentarily stunned by the concussion, while all were more
or less alarmed by the eruption. Fragments of burning
cotton and timber were projected into the air, and driven,
with fearful force, across the vacant space towards the north.
SOme of the flaming projectiles were shot as far as the Wa-
terloo Dock, where they momentarily set fire to the rigging
of two or three vessels, as well as to some loose cotton on the
quays; while men two hundred yards from the spot, but in
an uninterrupted line, had their persons covered with the
saltpetre, just as if they had been exposed to a shower of
snow`.' The violence of the explosion may be imagined by
the circumstance, that the concussion broke the glass in most
of the windows of the houses in ltoberts-street and Hill-
street ; though a second explosion, which occurred afterwards,
was felt at a greater distance than the first had been, and
proved more destructive to the glass in the neighbourhood.
The immediate effect of the explosion, and of the mass of
fire which the eruption threw out, was the ignition of the
cotton in the shed already mentioned, belonging to Messrs.
W. and J. Brown and Co. The produce in the yard and
under the shed, but particularly the cotton, burnt with great
fury. The shed was, in a few minutes, one mass of flame.
Ailwelling adjoining was almost completely enveloped in fire,
but, to the wonder of all the spectators, it withstood the fury
of the flames, isnd remained entire to the last, though it was
seriously injured inside. A,second shed, also belonging to
Messrs. Win, and Jas. Brown and Co., on the north side of
Hill-street,, and opposite the first-mentioned shed, was now
exposed to imminent danger of ignition, from the intense
heat caused by 'the burning cotton across the street. Men
with buckets of water were, however, placed on the roof ;
and they, by, continually pouring the liquid, on the slates,
.windows, and doors, succeeded in preventing the fire from
communicating to the shed.
The circumstances which we have described all occurred
within' the space of twenty or thirty minutes. Meanwhile,
the same causes which had ignited the shed opposite, also,
but more slowly, ignited the adjoining warehouse, from the
top windows of which smoke began to issue. At first, the
smoke was mistaken for that arising from the ruins of the
destroyed warehouses. In about half-an-hour, however,
from the explosion of the oil and saltpetre, flames made their
appearance; and, in a few minutes more, two warehouses,
which most people had thought to be out of danger, were
palpably on fire. At this moment, Mr. Whitty, who had not
been absent more than half-an-hour, reached the spot. In a
few minutes, the hose of several engines were carried up the
stairs of the warehouses, upon the roofs of which, as well as
into the top rooms, torrents of water were thrown. The
efforts of the Fire-police to extinguish the flames seemed
likely to produce the desired effect, when the combustible
nature of the produce in the warehouses completely defeated
them. N second explosion of oil and saltpetre, more terrific
than the first, took place shortly after ten o'clock. Like the
first, it stunned many of the individuals in front of the burn-
ing pile, While the crowd, terrified by the noise, and frightened
lest the projected fragments of fire should fall on and wound
them, ran in every direction, falling over each other in heaps.
More glass was broken in the windows of the houses and
warehouses in the neighbourhood than had been shivered by
the concussion caused by the first explosion; and large
masses of burning cotton, and even of heavy wood, were
strewn over the contiguous streets. The explosion was of an
extraordinary character, and, in appearance to an observer,
was grand and most terrific. First, there arose, with a most
stunning roar, a column of white flame, which shot upwards
to an immeuse height; this continued for about half a
minute. It was, doubtless, the oil which had burst from the
casks and ignited. Then there was a burst as of a flash of
gunpowder, which lifted the walls or shell of the second
warehouse upward, and then allowed it to fall with a crash
to the ground. Immediately the same description of flame
was seen to arise above the ruins, but it was quickly render
comparatively obscure by bright flashes of light which rushed
upward with au indescribable sound, in one continual erup-
tion, from the saltpetre which had ignited. This was fol-
lowed by another explosion, which burst forth with a noise
like a clap of thunder, and blew to fragments the store of
Mr. Rigby, the house of Mrs. Davies, and the premises of
Mr. Creston' which had all been deserted long before, and
emptied of the property which they contained. As a proof
of the violence of the last explosion, we may mention, that
the greater portion of a bale of cotton was blown to the
top of Sir John 'robin's warehouse, and a great many very
large fragments of stone were hurled completely over
the Borough Gaol. We ourselves saw, a second or two
after, several fragments of ignited wood descending from an
immense height, at the distance of at least a quarter of a mile
from the scene. Both explosions were heard for miles around,
while they were actaally felt for more than one. The burn-
ing fragments, ton, were carried to a great distance, flakes of
cotton having been picked up on the Cheshire side of the
Mersey. Happily, nobody was hurt by the eruption. The
effect was, however, most disastrous for the warehouse. This
new fire had been comparatively confined before, but the
immense heat generated by the combustibles which had
flamed and exploded in the manner described, with the rush
of the air in its reaction on the now cleared space, caused a
burst of fire to issue simultaneously from the doors of both
the lower and upper stories, which-made it plain that the fate
of this warehouse also, if not of the other three, was inevitable.
By the almost superhuman exertions of Mr. Whitty and his
force, and greatly to the surprise of every One, the adjoining
warehouse of Messrs. Lawrence and Son,' as well as the two
next, belonging to Messrs. Highfield and Birch, were saved
The first warehouse of Messrs. Lawrence was totally con-
sumed before noon. The front wall of the building, which
had not even been broken, , fell, about half past twelve, with
a tremendous crash. .
•The engines continued to play upon the contiguous ware-