The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-09-27 00:00:00

Many thousands of bricks must, however, be removed be-
fore his remains can be reached. Police-officers Fish and
Bates had here a narrow escape at the time of the accident.
From the top of Formby-street we returned into Great
Howard-street and looked into " Pooles" large cotton shed
immediately north of and adjoining the row of dwelling-
houses noticed. The cotton, which yesterday (Friday) re-
sembled burning masses of rock above the height of the
street, had sunk consumed into the cellars ; but preserves
still the same appearance of black ledges of rock, with the
interstices glowing with a red-hot intensity.
Between Great Howard-street and Crompton-street was
situated the yard of Messrs. E. and W. Mullineux. wheel-
wrights, in which a quantity of timber and tools were de-
stroyed. The whole area further west, and extending north
to Crompton-street, is strewed with the wreck of the fire.
From this point were seen, amidst tottering walls, two or
three immense piles or " hills" still emitting flame and
smoke, in Formby-street, two of them on its north side.
These, yesterday (Friday) afternoon, showed like burning
"mountains," but,. since that time, they have sunk con-
siderably. Bricks were chiefly prominent, though bags or
bales of cotton were to be seen, somewhat preserved in form
but redo ed to tinder. The ruins on the south side of
Formby-street, in particular, bore a frightful aspect. Had
the fire been absent, they would have represented the ruins
of a congregation of castles forming a citadel or strong-hold.
We observed a large quantity of iron hoops in almost regu-
lar piles, as if they had been laid in bundles for sale. These,
we learned, were the hoops of a large number of palm-oil
casks, which had been piled up to a considerable height in a
shed, and the wood being consumed, the hoops took their
places with curious regularity below. Mr. Peniston's bone-
grinding factory, where the fire is stated to have originated,
and Mrs. Isaac's paint and varnish stores, were on this
ground, and were entirely consumed.
From this now almost vacant space, fronting north to
Crompton-street, we passed down that street to Waterloo-
road. The premises below Mr. Isaac's, which comprise a
cotton-shed and some smaller buildings, did not ignite, but
all of them have sustained considerable damage, from the
Precautions taken during the height of the alarm, water hav-
ing-been extensively used and goods removed.
The buildings fronting Waterloo-road, consisting of boat-
builders' yards, &c., are uninjured, but some loss of property
has been sustained by removal of articles thought to be in
danger.

From this street we entered the bottom of Formby-street,
(the middle of which is impassible.) The warehouses at the
bottom on the north side, and also " Sudlow's" fine fireproof
warehouse, a little higher up on the other side, are secure.
Here we saw engine No. 3, three wheels and the body of
which are so much smashed as to render it of no immediate
service—if, indeed, it can be repaired. Another engine, No
6, was broken up in the same manner—both while playing
upon a warehouse immediately opposite to Sudlow's, (on the
north side of the street.) Police-officer Shannon was cap-
tain of No. 6, and Nelson, No. 99, was with the other. They
were both present on our visit to the ruins this day—and
their eyes were much reddened by the heat of yesterday.
They state that the warehouse alluded to came down by the
run, while they were playing upon it, and they had a very
narrow escape. Some unfortunate men were probably
within at the time. Several of the fire police were struck
down, and fixed among the ruins. Mr. Superintendant Riding
was dragged out when up to the middle crushed among the
bricks ; he had his ankle-bone broken.
We may here mention that the daring exertions of the fire
Police force was beyond all praise; indeed, no recompense
that can be awarded to them would be adequate to their toil
and endeavours to save property, and the perils they braved
in their efforts in every quarter.
It On the foot-path, opposite Messrs. Grayson and Bannis-
ter's, shipwrights, a quantity of boards, &c., were in danger
Of ignition. There were three engines employed.

kNOIVN AND UNKNOWN QUANTITIES OF MERCHANDISE

DESTROYED

(From the Albion of yesterday.)
45,908 bales of cotton.
250 casks of tallow.
8,500 barrels of turpentine.
800 sacks of flour.
2,209 brls. of flour.
60 tans cod oil.
Rice and sugar the cargo of the ship Bland, from Calcutta.
Unknown quantities of flour, India rubber, sperm oil, tallow,
bark, Indian corn, fustic, and other foreign produce.
It is impossible to form anything like an accurate estimate
of the total loss entailed by this disastrous event. The
opinions hazarded on the subject have been various, the
greatest amount being £700,000, and the least £-100,000.
Perhaps a mean between these two sums, which would give
£550,000, may be near the mark. The quantity of cotton
destroyed reaches nearly 45,000 bags and bales ; in addition
to which much rice, turpentine, and other articles of mer-
chandise have been consumed. The value of the warehouses
is estimated at £32,000, exclusive of the small sheds, work-
shops, and other erections which have been involved in the
general ruin.

On Saturday, at one o'clock, a meeting of the agents re-
presenting the different Fire Insurance Offices took place in
the Underwriters' Committee-room, N. D. Bold, Esq., in
the chair. After " comparing notes" on the engagements
of each office having liabilities in connexion with this de-
structive event, the following was reported as the result :
The Sun £17,000
Globe
Royal Exchange
Pficenix • 30,000
London Corporation
Liverpool . . . . ,
York and Loudon . . - . . .
Imperial
Scotch Union
West of England
Alliance 13 OOO
Atlas
Manchester
Guardian
Yorkshire
Norwich Union
County
North British
London Union

Total Liabilities £350,900
Some uncertainty, however, exists as to whether all the
liabilities have been ascertained, the meeting having been
called so soon after the conflagration. No doubt, there
would be much property uninsured : so that the result of the
Meeting tends to prove, that the loss cannot be tar under
what we have stated. In the Manchester office, we learn,
an insurance was effected on M`Knight's bonded warehouse,
Neptune-street, on Monday last.
We have received from an intelligent and accurate gentle-
Man an estimate of the quantity of produce destroyed, which
as it is drawn from sources likely to be correct, we are dis-
Posed to place more confidence. in it than in any of the
rumours which we have heard on and off'Change. This
estimate makes it appear, that 45,908 bales of cotton have
bee
• tl consumed. We also learn, from the same source, that
there were in the warehouses 250 casks of tallow, 2,209
barrels and 800 sacks of flour, GO tuns of cod oil, 8,500
barrels of turpentine ; additional unknown quantities of flour,
turpentine, and tallow ; besides India rubber, Indian corn,
Perna oil, fustic, rice, sugar, and bark, Amongst the cotton
is a considerable quantity of Sea Island, which is very valti-
4ble. It is considered a low estimate to value the cotton at
0 per bale, all round. This will yield a loss, in that com-
Inodity alone, of £362,264. The loss in merchandise of
other descriptions, with the smaller buildings, is taken to be
about £95,000. Add to this £32,000 for the warehouses,
and we have an estimated total loss of £489,964, or, in round
numbers, of HALF A MILLION !
In saying that this is the greatest fire that ever occurred in
tLiverpool we spoke advisedly, as even the great conflagration
us' which the Goree warehouses were burned down in 1802,
did not destroy so vast an amount of property. We find,
from the brief record of that event in Gore's Directory, that
the estimated damage was, in warehouses, .1:44,500 ; grain,
120,000 ; sugar, £60,000 ; coffee, £8,500; cotton, £30,000 ;
and sundries, £60,000; total, £323,000. The ruins, it is
stated, continued burning above three months. The lire
Which ranks next in destructive effect was that in Launcelot's-
i"Y New Quay, &c., in 1833. by which fourteen warehouses
and nine dwelling homes were burned down. The damage
housestimated tu be. in warehouses, £28,000 ; dwelling-
, £2,000 • and merchandise, £168,000 ; total £198,000.
°n this property insurance was effected to the amount of
4:130,000.

We surveyed the whole field of the fire, so far as it was
accessible, yesterday morning and afternoon. The men had
eolitinued at work incessantly since the preceding day, and
we saw several, dressed in the tattered, burned, and dirty
horshors witness toh the arduous services in which they had been
iiigazed, wo had only taken about four hours' rest since
the commehncement of the fire. The Head Constable and
,e, Chairman of the Watch Committee, to whose great
tt"etavity and zeal we can bear ample testimony, took care,
however
that, after the fire began to subside, the men should
A"' want needful refreshment, though any long interval of
-st, with such an immense field of fiery matter to contend
against, was out of the question.
i•,;rshere was but little appearance of fire yesterday, and what
there
le there was burnt internally, and found vent, here and
in flaring, curious-looking cones of lambent flame.
The whole area, wherever cotton had been, was covered with
Mc,l:tlst of dun-coloured, almost impenetrable, floculent
re(rer• The pyramids and precipitous fiery masses, in which
ap„ Caverns yawned and passages of flame opened, had dis-
wrared : the material was consumed into powder, and all
iihere the disagreeable dun-colour above alluded to. The
to facing Great Howard-street, which, when we saw them
ahoy:Way, exhibited a mass of red hot material several yards
feet
the level of the street, were now empty to as many
vo
le below it.cotton had burned down gradually to a
The
half surface, and the whole mass of ashes was not above
the la Yard deep, while it was passible to trace the shapes of
orißianst bales that had subsided, shrunk almost to half the
At tat! dimensions.
gushio e top of Formby-street, the broken sewer was still
tity J,,and carrying amongst the ruins an immense quan-
saved ys:anal water. Numerous sacks of flour had been
the ah:,i'rr'ol beneath the ruins of the warehouse adjoining
workt,`" 'tt the back of Mrs. Bark's house. About twenty
cott43,lell were busy clearing away and picking the loose
been which had only escaped being consumed by having
the 410thered up with bricks from the warehouses. Even
IlextTrY dwelling -houses on the north side of Formby-street,
wise unetait lloward-street, owe their safety to this other-
s() strap ward circumstance. The warehouses which fell
so asto choked up the street, and one piece of wall fell
Yard wide u, a barrier, which, with an interval of about a
ti;sin the shape of an entry, was all the protection
e stoat' tenements had, though the wind was
now,lo e.,,,"ercely in their direction. The bricks, however, it is
fora, algeot, smothered up the tire, on the one hand, and
the -oetr:rbarsrier which aided the efforts of the firemen on
where H.,,_,oNlany bricks had been cleared away near the spot
!tqisae, np_B.lßO was overwhelmed ; but, owing to the heavy
smallbut ll terial s of the fallen warehouses on each side,
progressof briek,,afehad been made. On one of the pyramids
the Preato4 _ w fathoms further on, stood two or three of
firewen, playing a branch on the smoking and