The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-03-09 00:00:00

The adoption of the report was then put to the vote and
carried by a majority of 35 to 3.
A good deal of discussion followed relative to the clause
introduced in the bill, by which the Corporation are
to grant the site for the Sailors' Home.—Mr.
HORS:FALL advocated it.—Sir T. BRANCKER contended
the finance committee had no power to alienate the.pro-
perty of the Corporation.—He was supported by ',Mr.
Rathbone, Mr. Robertion, Mr. Parker, and others:. It.
was finally put to the vote whether the clause should re-
main in or be expunged from the bill. Its continuaude
as a part of the bill was decided by a majority of four.
Some communications made to the Mayor relative to
the Cleveland-square Market, and the affairs of the
of Toxteth-park, and a claim from Mr. Snowball for
a sum exceeding £5OO per annum, as compensation for
the loss of his office, were then read; after which, Mr.
EARLE proposed theta suitable building be provided for
the reception of persons who may be affected with fever ;.
the only accommodation at present being the Fever Ward
at the Workhouse, which was intended for the 'exclusive
use of paupers. The motion .was seconded by Mr. Tinne,
and referred to the health committee.

Mr. Higgini rose to move a resolution, upon which the
Council was counted out.

INQUIRY BEFORE THE WATCH COMMITTEE,
RESPECTING THE SUPPLY OF WATER TO
THE LATE FIRE IN MASON-STREET.

In consequence of the conflicting reports made by the
police-officers and Mr. M`Gill, the foreman of the 'Water
Company; respecting the supply of water to the above
fire, the Watch Committee decided that the matter should
be thoroughly investigated, and that reporters should be
requested to be in attendance during the proceedings,
which were appointed to take place on Thursday last, at
two o'clock. There was a numerous attendance, of the
members of the Watch Committee; the Town-clerk and
the Head Constable were also present. Mr. Stanistreet,
Mr. M`Donald, and Mr. Banner were in attendance on
behalf of the Harrington Company._ _ .

The proceedings commenced by Mr. Ashlin reading a
long report by Superintendent Clough, where the want of
water and the absence of turncocks was assigned as one
of the principal reasons why the fire had gained such an
ascendancy. Mr. Stanistreet then proceeded to call wit-
nesses to rebut these allegations. The first was Mr. Holt;
cabinet-maker, Berry-street, who was at the fire at half-
past three o'clock. He saw the engines at work in Huist-
street. There did not appear to be any want of water, as
they continued to play without intermission, which would
not have been the case had they been supplied by water
carts. Evan Davies deposed that he is warehouseman to
Messrs. Barton, Irlam and Iligginson. He resides next
door to Mr. Challoner's warehouse, which was burned
down, lie was aroused about half-past two o'clock by
the policemen's sticks and rattles. On getting into the
street he found the shed in a blaze. It was blowing a
mwgaiiilneeunoteftshwAaeifntfiesttredtrihsge time. The fire made rapid progress.
street,
r,
tea
es
to sure: out
n of, oi fg
bed.otth e. s time,ulptp
:a.asosfh e
waterl
abouto o looked
raolafnt.
carts.i
half-past
tw threeatc h
In
when
o'clock
felwi e
cwaans,epulapce: ditinwikalsason-
ainneotahrerriveerdigniet
pla-
ced at the corner of Hurst-street. While the firemen
were getting it ready, he saw two 11;mington watertnen
come and call for a stand pipe. They drew a plug, and
ti:' water immediately sponted.up r. height of several 'feet.
This was before the engine was ready to play. "There was
plenty of water all the time. There was some dispute,
amongst the firemen about getting the engine into-play.
This caused some delay.
James Standish, turncock, stated that he received the
alarm of fire in Stanhope-street. He immediately got up
lannd ai n
so paerzetedalwPaayrsl iafnlyntc-hsatrregeetd cock.
water,r,
andT ,larged;or
engine is likewise kept at work all night. I then hastened
to the fire. I saw John Hughes, another of the Company's
turncocks, there. There were two engines ; one playing
on the fire, and another getting ready. George Hewitt
was unrolling the hose. I called to him to get me a
standpipe. lie gave me one, and I drew a plug and put
it in. There was plenty of water in the mains • it was on.
very strong, and must have run at all the plugs there-
abouts;—it could not have been otherwise, as the cocks
were open.
Several of the Company's turncocks were called -and
examined,—their evidence being corroborative of the
other witnesses.

Mr. M'Donald deposed as follows am the superin-
tendent of the Harrington Company's works. I received
the alarm of fire at my residence, No. 9, Lord Nelson-
street, at half-past three o'clock. I immediately haStened.
to the spot—it would be about a quarter or ten minutes to
four o'clock when I got there. I tried to reach the tire
by going down Mason-stieet, but the smoke was so denso
I was compelled to turn back and make a circuit in order
to get to windward of the fire. I found .seVeral Of the
company's turneocks there. They informed men that
there was abundance of water. I saw that the engines
which were supplied from our mains had plenty. Lknew
it could hardly be otherwise, as our large mains in that
district of the town are kept constantly charged. We have
one main capable of containing nearly one hundred .thou-
sand gallons of water, and in addition to that, we keep
the Windsor engine working at night in order that we
may have an ample supply of water in case of fire.
I saw Mr. M'Gill there immediately after my arri-
val. I went with him round the various en-
gines,, those who had their hose attached to our lire
plus were well supplied, with one exception—that of an
engine in Barter-street—which was not fully supplied.
The pipe in that street is a very bad one. I sent the turn-
cock to find another plug for this engine ; he did so, but
the fireman rAused to use it, alleging as.his reason that he
had not sufficient length of hose. There were two en-
gines in Tabley-street, below Hurst-street, without a
supply, of water. This arose from our having no fire

DARING OUTRAGE IN VAUXHALL-ROAD.—On Wed-
nesday, a rough-looking fellow named Jonn Barton, well
known to the police, was brought up charged with attempt-
ing to rob a poor man named Patrick Manley, of his
money. It appeared the complainant was going up Vaux-
hall-road on the previous evening, about seven o'clock,
and had some money in his hand, with which he was about
to purchase bread, when the prisoner and another man
made an attack upon him, knocked him down, and en-
deavoured to hold his mouth, to prevent him giving an
alarm. In consequence of some parties coming up, the
two men ran off without accomplishing their purpose.
They were pursued, but only one of them, the prisoner,
was taken into custody. It appeared that several robber-
ies of a similar character have taken place lately in the
same neighbourhood. The prisoner was committed to
gaol for three months.
CHARGE OF HAVING SHORT PROVISIONS.—A Com-
plaint was heard against Captain Robinson, of the ship
Vindicator. George Thompson, the cook on beard, de-
posed, that he sailed in the above vessel, on the 10th Fe-
bruary, 1846, for Hongkong and Shanghae. During the
whole passage out they had had plenty of provisions on
board, also when they were at China. They were four
months on the passage, and during two months and three
days of the time they were short of peas and flour. There
was plenty of bread on board during the whole passage
out and home. On referring to the articles of the ship, it
was found not to mention either flour or peas. The com-
plainant said, that, when the captain read the articles over
to them in the cabin, he also mentioned flour. Mr. Rush-
ton said, that it was not a usual thing for these things to
be mentioned in the ship's articles, and accordingly he
would acquit the captain from the charge.
DISPUTE ABOUT A SEAMAN'S WAGES.—At the police-
court,. on Tuesday, Captain Lawson, of the California,
appeared under a summons granted at the instance of
William Brown, a seaman, to recover the sum of £4,
alleged to be due to the complainant for services. It
appeared that the complainant had been engaged at
St. John's, New Brunswick, as a seaman, with £4 10s.
advance to go to Liverpool, thence to British America
and back to St. John's; but if the captain discharged him
in England, he was to be entitled to £5. He stated, that
upon his arrival in Liverpool he was discharged, and the
captain refused to give him his certificate of discharge
because he demanded the £4 extra pay. It appeared,
from the ship's articles, that there was some difference
between the terms as stated by the complainant and the
articles as they were in writing ; consequently, the com-
plainant was told that he must lay another information if
he thought proper. Another information was also heard
against Captain Small upon the complaint of a seaman,
who, it turned out, had deserted the ship at St. John's
after having got the advance. This information was dis-
missed.
It will be remembered, that some time ago a policeman
was shot in Hotham-street Bridewell, by a young man in
custody, but who was acquitted on the ground of there
being no malice. The poor wounded man never recovered,
and we regret to hear, died on Friday, from the effects
of the wound.

THE PROPOSED HARBOUR OF REFUGE. AND
CHESTER AND HOLYHEAD RAILWAY COM-
PANY'S PIER AND HARBOUR, AT HOLY-
HEAD. • -

We last week noticed the extraordinary proposition for
the necessary legal powers, to be granted to a private
railway company, to construct " a harbour of refuge," for:
the vessels passing Holyhead. The Company are
pushing with all the precipitancy which money, and. other
means, can effect, to construct a " Safety Harbour," (so
termed by them,) in Holyhead Bay ; for the good of the
public, as they aver ; but, in reality, for their own pur-
poses ;—a harbour, in fact, the only safe or good portion
of which they propose to be for their own private use and
revenue, excluding even her Majesty's ships, We enter-
tain no objection whatever to the formation of a real
, harbour of refuge at Holyhead. But the exposed position
' and other difficulties of the locality, under certain gales
of wind, render any proposition to effect that object almost
hopeless of accomplishment for the public good ; unless
the scheme were put into the hands and management of
some of the first scientific and nautical men of the age.
Least of all should we approve of the plan laid down
and advocated by the agents of the railway company
narned,—a plan which would involve immense cost to the
public, for the mere benefit of a comparatively few indi-
viduals ; and which, moreover, would not, were it carried
out to its fullest proposed extent, benefit themselves.
We expect to be enabled to show, to those of our read-
ers who interest themselves in such matters, that the
position we take in opposing the Railway Company is
justified in defence of our local and general interests.
We this day furnish, gratuitously, with our paper, a
Typographical Plan of the " Harbour of Refuge," pro-
posed' by the Chester and Holyhead Railway Company.
• A glance at this scheme, in conjunction with the marginal
references, will enable our nautical readers, at least, 'to
judge for themselves. To others, some explanation is
requisite. It was fortunate for the public, and especially
for those whose pursuits require them to pass between
this town or North Wales, and the " sister isle," that
Mr. C. W. Williams, of the City of Dublin Steam Packet
Company, happmed to learn that a project so preposter-
ous was, almost silently, working its way in Parliament
by the " locomotive" influence of the aforesaid company ;
and, by proceeding to London, happily succeeded in post-
, poning the secnnd reading of the bill for a firtnight.
The : simple fact is, that the Chester and Holyhead
Railway Company—having Holyhead for their western-
or sea terminus, are pushing to have not only the
sole part or.portionof the proposed harbour, which offers
any real degree of safety to vessels during gales, for their -
own exclusive use, but urge also to be the exclusive pro-
viders of steamers for the passenger and other traffic, be-
tween HelYhead and Dublin ; thus wishing to become
traffickers by sea as well as by land ; in fine, to usurp a
monopoly which their own-plan shows them to be quite
incompetent to accomplish. There is an old saying
amongst " Ne sneer ultra erepidam,' and
such are this stretches recently attempted by .some of our
"railway companies" with their accumulations of
wealth—that they appear to be wishful to exhibit their
new fledged skill on the sea, though they have had many
disasters to answer for on their land operations. We in-;
cline not to disparage the character of railway companies ;
but we must, in candour, say that the voyage by rail, and
by sea, are so distinctly appertaining to two pro_
fessions, which cannot be conjoint with advantage to
the public, that the 7proposition of the Chester and
tlelyheadi Railway Company to become " sailors," as
well as " tailors," (for aught we know;) is most prepos-
terous
we repent. impertinent. They propose to
give *1 and,
200,000 towards the expense of constructing the
". harbour of refuge ;" but, as Mr. 'Williams truly states,
" they will contribute not a farthing towards it, the sum
stated being to be expended in objects intended exclu-
sively to benefit the said company, and not only foreign
to the purposes of the asylum harbour, but absolutely in-
jurious
to its value and efficiency ; to such an extent, in-
deed, as virtually to deprive it of any claim to the charac-
ter
of safety.' ' Eight hundred thousand pounds (or, '
in plaimwords, a million—taking such estimates into ac-
count)! is sought for by this company, on the plea of public
safety and 'convenience ; but out of this (we quote the
language of the proposed act) "the said company shall in