The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-02-17 00:00:00

Aggregate average of the six weeks.
Wheat 555. 4d. I Barley3is._7d..l Oats 21s. Pd. I Rye 34i. 4d

Duty on Foreign Produce this week.
Wheatl7s 0d Barley 7s Od I Oats .. . 6s Oct llt
Beans 656(1 I Pease.. 5s I Ind. Corn Os Od IF

Duty on Canadian.
Wheat.. Is. Od. I Barley.. Os. Gd. I Oats .. Os. 6d. I Rye.. Os 6d
Beans Os. 6d I Pease os.6d. Ind. Corn 08.0 d. I Flour .Os jid

_ ~.her British Colonial.
4s. Od. I Barley.. Os. 6d. I Oats, 2s. d. I Rye... Os. 6d
Beans.. Os. 6d. I Pease.. Os. 6d. I Flour. 2s. EA.

Liverpool Averages, week ending 10th Feb., 1846

Oats, 331 qrs., price

Beans, 60 qrs., 38s. 10d.; Pease, -L qrs., (is. od

FOURTH EDITION.

'andard-qffice, Four o'clock

ALARMING AND DESTRUCTIVE FIRE

This afternoon, at about twenty minutes past
one o'clock, fire was discovered to have broken
out in the eight-story bonded warehouse, known as
" Sills,"

No. 369, on the east side of Back
Goree, and forming a centre one of a pile of
four lofty and valuably filled buildings of the
same elevation. The warehouse runs a long.way back to-
wards Drury-lane, and the smoke was, we learn, first ob-
served to issue forth from the back part by a man, who
gave the alarm. Thomas Brown, the warehouseman, soon
atter, without knowing this went to the front in Back
Goree, and observed that fire was going on in room No.
3. (the third from the ground,) where some men, who
had gone to dinner, had been taking in cotton during the
forenoon. Ile attempted to get up stairs to the room, but
was driven back by the dense smoke, and hastened to his
employers, Messrs. J. Heap and Co., to give information.
The alarm was then speedily given to the police, and a
large force, with engines, water-carts, &c. were speedily
at the spot, both back and front. The building was
chiefly filled with grain (chiefly wheat) and cotton, the
latter belonging to Messrs. John Heap and Co., who, it
is said, had 1,200 bales in two of the rooms, Nos. 1 and 2.
The fire was most Curious in the upper rooms, and the
flames burst forth from the top part from two tiers of
doors nearly contiguous, and which are from the top to
the bottom of the building. The doors were of iron, re-
cently put in on the new principle, but they speedily
warped or broke off from their fastenings in the walls, and
most of them fell out, being probably secured to timber in
the brick-work, the warehouse being an old one, though
very substantial of the kind.

We noticed early on the ground the Mayor and several
gentlemen of the Corporation ; Mr. Dowling, hear:-
constable; Chief-Superintendents Quick and Reding;
Superintendents Clough, Ride, and Anders ; the whole
of the fire brigade, and a great number of the police.
The crowds tLat gathered at each end of Back Goree,
and other points of view, were immense. _ _

It became manifest almost from the first that it would
be fortunate if the fire could be confined to the premises
in which it broke out, and every possible exertion was
made to attain this object. While some of the town en-
gines (all being upon the ground) played back and front
into the burning building, firemen and others ascended to
the top stories and roofs of the two adjoining warehouses,
to which hose were hoisted up, and, notwithstanding the
great height, the engines that supplied these worked well,
and did great service, by enabling the branch men to
throw down columns of water upon the roof and burning
materials.

The supply of water was, on the whole, good, though
not at first sufficient from the mains. Fire-engines were
stationed under the shed, at George's Dock, and gave a
good supply to as many near the building. All the smaller
water carts were also out, and brought up loads in rapid
succession.

About two o'clock the roof and upper floors gave way,
but not with any extraordinary crash, and the front of the
warehouse, from the falling of which danger was appre-
hended, still stood perpendicular. Flakes and large tufts
of burning cotton continued to fly about in all directions.
endangering the neighbouring property. One of these
stuck to and lighted a jigger rope of one of the adjoining
warehouses, but it was lowered to the street before any
mischief was done. The wind at the time was blowing
rather freshly from the nort'. and as thi

.e pile of ware-
houses lies north and south, those on the south side were
the more liable to ignition.
The flames at times rose many feet over the top of the
burning building, but at no ..ime was the fire of so furious
a nature as many as we have seen in our locality. By
three o'clock, the top rooms, down to it might be said
No. 3 were, as it were nearly burnt out. The beams of
the floor, which were massive had given way, and such
portions of them as stuck to the wall, hung down,
attenuated to long, slender, and blazing pieces of char-
coal. What by the fire, the falling of the materials, and
the damage by water, tie whole contents of the warehouses
may be considered as destroyed. We have not been
enabled to arrive at any estimate of the loss, which must

be great.
The warehouse on the north side and immediately ad-
joining is full of wheat and flour, belonging to Messrs.
Sandars and Claxton. This will be saved. The ware-
house on the south side, called " Hallowes," contains very
valuable East India goods ; one individual, we learn, Mr.
Crosfield, owning property in it to the amount of £lO,OOO.
The West of England Insurance Company's engines
and an effective body of men were early on the ground,
and rendered efficient service. Hose were passed through
Messrs. Ingleby and Cook's office (Goree) into Lack
Goree, to supply water from the docks.
At the time we write, great fears are entertained that
the fire will ignite Hallowe's warehouse, and men are em-
ployed in getting goods out of the centre rooms.
The warehouse burnt was rented by Mr. R. Harbord,
and let off by him to several tenants. The property was,
we understand, all, or nearly all, insured, but we hare-not
learned how the risks are divided.

The firemen, the police, and others employed, as well
as all who directed them, deserve the greatest credit for
their:exertions throughout. No accident occurred, though
the men in the top rooms of the adjoining warehouses
had often hard work to breathe amidst the stifling smoke.

FIVE o'cLocx.—Since writing the above, great part of
the front wall of the warehouse has fallen into the street,
leaving an arch in the brick work above.
Four men who were amongst those employed in roam
No. 4 have been carried out in a fainting state from the
suffocating density of the smoke.
One of them was taken to the Northern Hospital. It
is said there are still some men in the same room, in a dan-
gerous way, but it is hoped they will be got out.

The cotton, &c. in Halloin's warehouse is much
damaged by the water which it was necessary to throw
against the walls inside to prevent it taking fire.