The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-04-16 00:00:00

DREADFUL FIRE IN LONDON.-SIX
LIVES LOST.

On Thursday night, shortly before twelve o'clock, a fire,
attended with great destruction of property and loss of life,
broke out in the extensive range of premises beloaging to
Mr. Williams, 287, Oxford-srreet, the corner of Gilbert-
street, and known as the Crown and Cushion wine vaults.
The building was four stories high and had a considerable
depth and frontage. The fire began in the counting-house,
adjoining the bar, in which was deposited a large quantity
of spirits, and which was speedily enveloped in one mass
of flames. At that time three children were sleeping in
the upper part of the building. There were also two fe-
male and three male servant in the place as well as Mrs.
Williams and her sister.

Such was the fury of the flames, that in a very few mi-
nutes they had extended to the bar amongst the spirits,
which, once on fire, spread with the most surprising rapi-
dity up the stair case, to the upper apartments. The ex-
citement which followed was the most painful to witness.
At the second floor front a young female, named Fritchley,
made her appearance, and before sufficient time had elaps-
ed to procure a ladder, she was compelled to throw herself
down to the ground to escape suffocation • fortunately the
only injury she received was a few burns about the knees.
By this time the St. Marylebone parochial engine arrived,
and was drawn in front of the blazing premises, and an
abundant supply of water was flowing from the water
works belonging to the Grand Junction, from which the
engine was set to work. No sooner bad the firemen got
this engine into operation than one of the vats of spirits
burst, and the liquor becoming ignited, the flames rushed
out of the windows with terrific violence. burning Mr.
Bridge, the engineer, about the face very badly. As the
different engines arrived they were taken to the best posi-
tions, and were all set to work. By the time, however,
they were got into full working play the flames had reach-
ed nearly every room in the building, causing great appre-
hension for the safety of the contiguous buildings ; in fact,
it was feared that tue whole of Grosvenor Market would
have been destroyed. The fire continued to blaze most
fiercely until a quarter past one o'clock in the morning.
Almost every part of the building and its valuable contents
were destroyed. Mr, Williams is insured, to certain extent,
in the Licensed Victuallers' Fire Office. A great number
of buildings are damaged. The origin of the fire could
not be ascertained. On Friday, as soon as the ruins were
sufficiently cooled, the brigade men got over the roof of
the adjoining houses, and by raising the ladders reached
the party-wall of the premises, and upon looking over saw
what appeared to be the body of a man lying on the floor
of the second-story front. At first the ruins appeared in
such a tottering condition as to render it dangerous to ap-
proach. Ladders, however, having been placed over the
most dangerous portion of the floor, the firemen found the
body to be that of the poor pot-boy Jacob, who appeared
to have died from suffocation, for his hands .covered his
face, and be was lying flat on the floor, not much burnt.
The firemen having lowered the body down the front into
the street, they proceeded to make further search, and in
the course of another hour and a half, they found five
other persons—three women and two children. They
were discovered entangled in the burnt rafters in the back
floors, but it was impossible to recognise them, all traces
of human form having been destroyed. It was a frightful
sight, and many of the firemen in removing what they
supposed to be the bodies of the two servants, were actu-
ally moved to tears. Each servant had :a child clasped in
her arms. The body of Mrs. Williams was subsequently
found dreadfully burnt. The police, upon being made ac-
quainted with the discovery, sent intelligence to Mount-
street Workhouse, and the authorities there sent shells,
into which the blackened remains were placed, and they
were then handed over to the custody of the beadle.
Upon Mr. 'Williams reaching home, his state of mind on
learning what had befallen his wife and family can be bet-
ter imagined than described.
The utmost danger is apprehended from the fearful state
of the walls : and the superincumbent masses of brick-
work, &c., hanging over the interior of the building, ren-
der the task of exploring the building highly dangerous.

FACTORIES ACT.—Mr. Brotherton, M.P. for Salford,
has procured a return of the number and names of per-
sons summoned for offences against the Factories Act be-
tween the ht day of January, 1843, and the Ist day of
January, 1844. &c. We find from this return that the
total number of convictions in the four districts of Messrs.
L. Horner, T. Howell, Saunders, and Stuart, amounted
to about 192. The offences were principally the over-
working of children, or the employment of children under
age, and at night, &c. From a summary appended to this
return,
under the provisions of the Factory Act, from 1834 to
184,3, both inclusive, amounted to 3,401, being an average
of 340 a year ; that the gross total amount of penalties in-
11.1(‘:ted.. for the said offences during the above decade was
zt.6,89J ; and the total amount of cost £2,123.