The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-11-27 00:00:00

PRESENTATION OF A VALUABLE SILVER MEDAL BY THE
ROYAL SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF LIFE FROM
FIRE.-Mr. Edward Booth, surgeon, late a medical student,
of King's College, residing at No. 19, Salisbury-street,
Strand, who, at great peril to himself, rescued nine persons
from the flames, who must have otherwise perished, on the
night of the 14th of April last, has received the reward of a
silver medal from the above society. It is to be regretted
that their funds will not enable them to present medals of
gold. It appears that the most heroic conduct was displayed
by this young gentleman. Being engaged at his studies till
midnight, he was able promptly to render such assistance as
to entitle him not only to the small token of encouragement
given by the Royal Society in such interesting cases, but also
to the lasting gratitude of the family he saved (a Mr. Robert-
son of Salisbury street) and the admiration of the public.
Instead of matters of such moment being passed over with
silent indifference, it would not be too much if a magnificent
temple were erected at public expense, and such deeds as
those achieved by Mr. Booth, recorded therein on tablets of
gold.—Morning Herald.—Mr. Booth is a son of the Rev. E.
Booth, Tyldesly, in this county.

SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION OF COALS AT SEA.—The
barque Amazon, Campbell, of Liverpool, sailed from Pem-
brey, near Llanelly, on the 9th May last, for Bombay, with a
cargo of coals for the East India Company. On the 4th
June, in lat. 9 29 N., long. 25 20 W., a large mass of the
coals ignited from spontaneous combustion. The captain
writes that " they broke out in a solid body of fire. He im-
mediately got the hatches battened down, and every place
stopped up by which air could enter, in order if possible, to
smother the burning. On the 6th he opened the hatches,
but the heat and sulphureous smell prevented the possibility
of going below. He then closed them up again, stopped up
the scuppers, and through holes bored in the deck, poured,
from the head pump, and with buckets, so much water upon
the coals, that by nextday there was five-and-a-half feet wa-
ter in the hold, and the coals, as Captain Campbell writes,
" well cooled down." The same evening he commenced dis-
charging the heated coals and cinders, and threw overboard
about 250 tons before he could consider the ship safe. He
had been running for Demerara the two days preceding, hav-
ing had his boats in tow from the first commencement of the
fire. He now bore away again for Bombay. But the mis-
fortunes of the voyage did not end here. On the 4th of July,
in very heavy weather, the ship sprung her mainmast, and
while they were getting it secured, the boatswain, carpenter,
and three of the crew, declared they would not work unless
the captain would run the ship for some port in Brazil. Cap-
tain Campbell called them to his cabin, and did his utmost to
persuade them to return to their work. He also gave them
till the afternoon of the same day to consider what he had
said to them ; but finding then that they were still refractory,
and refused to, work, he immediately put them in irons, and
kept them in confinement during the remainder of the voyage.
One of the crew was sick, besides the five who were refrac-
tory. To the captain, therefore, and the remainder of the
crew, who, under God, with great labour and perseverence,
and in much exhaustion, carried the ship safely to Bombay,
through such imminent perils, great praise is justly due,
Notwithstanding all these misfortunes, the Amazon made the
voyage in exactly four months.—Shipping Gazette.