The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-05-26 00:00:00

DREADFUL FIRE IN SLATER-STREET,

About half-past five o'clock on Sunday morning a dread-
ful fire broke out at the corner of Slater-street and Wood-
street, contiguous to the Music-hall, which caused the
destruction of property to a very large amount.
The premises, which have now to a great extent been
reduced to a heap of ruins, were the property of the late
Mr. William Calloway, painter and paper-hanging manu-
facturer, of 26, Brownlow-street, who died a few weeks
since, and who willed them, we believe, to his widow.
They were erected five or six years ago on the site of the
old Deaf and Dumb School and Eye and Ear Institution,
and formed a very spacious building, extending along
Slater-street and Wood-street a considerable way, and
being four stories in• height from the level of the pave-
ment.

The shop at the corner was occupied by Mr. Calloway.
Two adjoining shops in Sister-street were tenanted by Mr.
John Hunt, a gas-lamp-miker, and Mr. Dodd, a dyer;
and there was a third shop also adjoining, which was un-
tenanted. Over the whole of those shops in Slater-
street, and extending back to Mr. James Edmund Lee's
house, in Wood-street. ran the first floor of the building,
which was occupied by Mr. William Porter Dreaper,
piano-forte-maker, of Bold-street, as bis show-rooms.
The third and also the fourth stories were used by Mr.
Calloway as paint-rooms and places where his business as
a paper-banging manufacturer was carried on.

The fire seems to have been first discovered in that part
of Mr. Calloway's third story which looks into Wood-
street, and is on a line with Mr. Hunt's shop, but so ra-
pidly did it extend, that the whole of the upper part of the
premises was in a blaze when Mr. Hewitt, with the en-
gines and fire brigade, reached the spot about ten minutes
to six o'clock. The flames quickly communicated up-
wards with the fourth story and the roof, and downwards,
also, with Mr. Dreaper's show room; and for some time
the fire threatened the most alarming consequences to the
surrounding property.
It was eight o'clock before the fire could be said to be
completely subdued, and long before that time the entire
of the roof had fallen in, and the beams and floorings of
the second and third stories, as well as the frames and
sashes of twenty-six of the windows, had been completely
burned away. Five of the pianos and all the stained paper
in Mr. Calloway's shop were preserved, but the property
saved bears very little prop rtiun to the Quantity lost.
Mr. Dreaper's loss must have been very considerable.
His show-rooms contained between sixty arid seventy
pianos, some in rosewood cases, and all very valuable, and
not one of this vast number, with the exception of the five
already mentioned, has escaped destruction. He is at pre-
sent in Paris, and we understand he is not by any means
fully insured. Mr. Calloway is insured, but, we believe,
not to the extent of damage which the buildine has sus-
t tined, estimated at between £2,000 and £3,000, and the
loss he has suffered by the destruction of immense quanti-
ties of stained paper, costly moulds used for the purposes
of his trade, oils, varnishes, &c. The origin of the fire is
unknown.

The valun of the game killed upon the estates of Mr.
Clifton, of Lytham Hall, in Lancashire, last year, has
been estima ed at upwards of £1,500. 21,000 head of
hares and rabbits are said to have been destroyed. 7,000
hares at 2s 61. each, would amount to £875, and 14,600
rabbi s, at 2s. per couple, would amount to £700; total,
£1,575. _ _

SELECT VESTRY. On Tuesday, the usnal weekly
meeting of the Select Vestry was held at the Parish Of-
fice. The proceedings of the Workhouse Committee
containtd a reference to the crowded state of the lunatic
vtard. The matter was referred to the overseers. The
Industrial School Committee reported that tht ee of the
teachers—Messrs. Giles, Wooller, and Johnston, had re-
signed. They alleg.-d, as the cause of their resigoation,
that the government of the bCil, ols was objectionable.
The committee instigated some inquiries into the truth of
their allegations, and found that Johnston complained
that the t. achers were not permitted to visit some parts
of the house. Giles stated that be had been reported by
Mr. Corts, the governor, for not making a bow to that
gentleman. The resignations were accepted. A letter

was read from Mr. Bremner, declining the honour of the
seat at the board to which he had been elected. The va-
cancy was ordered to be filled up at the next meeting.
The Sub committee of the Workhouse recommended
that the salary of Mr. Heathcote, keeper of books and
accounts, be reduced from £l5O to £l3O per annum ;
that the salary of Mr. I'ilkington, clerk to the chaplain.
be reduced to £35; and that on the retirement of Mr.
Badclifle, surgeon, next month, only two medical officers
be continued in the house. He availed himself of the
present opportunity to contradict a report which had been
circu!atrd, that the ',' orkhouse Committee and the Ho-

norary Nit:dicta Board were not on good terms, and that

!ommit

onorary

dieal Board. There was not the alight9st foundation for
the report. Mr. Hand moved, as an amendment, that
Mr. Heathcote's salary remain as at present, £l5O per
per annum. Upon a division, the motion was adopted by
a majority of 12 to 5.

DOCK COMM ITTEE, THURSDAY.—PIaTIS for a new basin
and rim for the south end of the docks were submitted,

Lion of the commiltee.—Plans of the new graving docks
at the north end, with their dimensions, &c., were also
ordered to he on the table till next Thursday.—lt was
ordered that Mr. Peter Cato should repair the damage
done to the Queen light-ship by dry rot, at an expense
esirnated at about £75O.—A synopsis of the inks and
regulations for the Albrrt Dock were submitted, and the
discussion upon them adjourned till next week.—A letter
was read from the officers of customQ, stating that it would
be premature to give any ot,inion on the subject of a new
warehouse at the novh end of the town until the propised

additions at the warehouses at the King's Dock were
made. A copy of this letter was ordered to be sent to
the American Chamber of Commerce, who petitioned the
committee to erect the warehouse at the north end. The
Secretary stated that the old warehouses, when the alte-
rations are comWeted, will bold 19,000 hlids., and that

the greatest stock ever held here was 17,000 hhds.—A
police report of the fire at the Brunswick Dock. on Sa-
turday, was then read. The chairman regretted that men
who worked the engines received so poor a remuneration
r their labour. They only got Is. for the first hour and

6d. each hour afterwart's. Some conversation took place
upon this point, but it was decided the committee could
not interfere, as the matter rested with the Watch Corn-
mittee.—Thomas Stirzaker, keeper of the Crosby Fght-
ship, was appointed pier-master at Clarence Deck, at a
salary of £lOO per annum.—Five new dock-gatemen were
anpointed.—The solicitor reported that the conveyance of
Col. Tempest's prouerty, at the north end, had been
completed. and that the money, £7.820 10,., might be
paid, together ai'h such interest as might be due thereon.

DITRICT PROVIDENT SOCIETY.—The annual meeting
of this society was held on Tuesday. The Rev. Rector
Campbell in the chair. There was an increase of £231
14s. in the amount of the annual subscrip.ions over that
of the preceding year, which rendered that amount the
largest sum ever 'mired under that head since the first
establishment of the society, which circumstance led the
committee to chet ish a hope hit the inhabitants in general
of this large and wealthy ton n were beginning to appreci-
ate more justly the claims of the institution. 1 bey re-

gretted, however, to state, that as far as the present p, riot
is concerned, their anticipations have not been realized

for they find that, insiead of any increase, there Las been
a deficiency in the sub•criptir.os during the pest tear ef
£47 13s. 6J., their amount having been cnly £1,!53 18s.

rte amount of donations during the year had been

_ efore by
the sum of £302 IS3. 9d.—a circumtance not to be re-
garded with much sunrise when we remember the differ-

wort o

he )4 ar

very serisr

e soc;ety's resources

•
The number of applications for relief bad been tffectrd
materially by the abundance of employment and the mild-
ness of the past winter. In the preceding year, the appli-
cations amounted to 18,294 ; in the last, to no more than
i-
-8,225. b ing 10,e69 fewer thai the former. Of this num-
ber-93 weie rejected, as nor Leine proper objccrs fir the
sccietv's heunry ; consequently, the total number relieved
has been 8.112, at a cost of £435 17s. 6d. Of these, 3.488
were Erivlish, 4.446 Irish, 112 NA el.!), 52 Scorch, and 4
aliens. The nutnbt rof tickets ao'd has been 780, at one
penny each. fr r which, sccoriinely, the sum of £3ss. has
been rt reined. The tit kt ts prneure the applicants a piece
of bread at the t Sire, aii bout. any inquiries being made at
their own reside nee. The report referred with regret to
the falling off in the nua.b..r of visitors. In 1844, the loss
was 46; in 1845, 21 ; and in the last year, 33 : so that in

the Fho r t space of three years the eoei, ty hos been (16.
priced of the services of no ;ewer ►hen ll 0 of these most
valuable co-operators, and there are at the present time
only 215 names left on the books. The number of collec-

to's h..ving been reduced, the number of deositors, hid
as a matter of coun.e, fallen off. In 1845, the greateit
number in any one month was 39U9, duriug the last year it

it ors, it was p,atifyine to notice Ott there has been an
increase of .1:452 7s 9d. in the amount of deposits, those
for 1545 haviog reached £9 583 7,10 d., hilst those for
1846 have amounted to 1.10,05 15s. 7d. Of this laree
sum £2,529 l4s. 2d., or more than one-fourth part, has
hero received at the office from unsolicited depositors.
1

There was one circumstance which the commirtee notices,
with nitwit satipfaetion, showing, as it did, that the t florts
of the s ci(ty to foster habits of It-acidity and prudential

econ►►my. amongst the labouring elass.s, have
int ffroutd. It had ever been their wish to make
cirty subtervient to the Sav'ngs Bank, by urging the de-

- - -
when sufficiently accumulated, to that excellent itistitu'..
tion. This was now done, they were happy lb state, to a
considerable and rapidly increasing extent, and, during
the past year, no less an amount than £232 175., in sums
varying from £1 to £2O, has been thus transferred by'
twEntv-seven deporitoie. It appeared that, in conse-

51d. latt