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

•
steaming bricks. 'they havei we tindersthnd, come over for
practice, and their glossy and gay new garments formed a
striking contrast to the soiled, discoloured, shrunken habili-
ments of the Liverpool men. Fire-policeman Moran showed
us a policeman's button which had been found in the ruins.
All the coating was burned off it, and it was evident the
edges had been in a state of fusion. Some individuals ar-
gued from this, that the owner of the button was buried in
the ruins. We are happy to say, however, that the /men have
all been mustered and that not one is missing, save Hodson
and those who are known to be suffering from injuries.
Passing from Formby-street to Neptune-street, we found
the officers of police on guard at every entrance. Within,
the labourers were at work clearing away rubbish. Further
on, elevated on the piles of black rafters, broken walls, and
slates, mixed up with burst bags of rice and other matters,
were firemen playing inwards on the masses of materials.
The sheds along the north side of Neptune-street had all
been emptied, or nearly so, of what damaged goods or rub-
bish they had contained. In the first of two sheds, that of
Messrs. Horsley and Co., some workmen had been that
morning employed at the north-west corner clearing away
the bricks and other matter which had been forced in when
the warehouses at the south side of Formby-street fell in.
When they came to the flooring, they found on the ground a
cotton-hook and a penny. In clearing a little further, they
found a quantity of calcined bones, which had, doubtless,
belonged to the owner of the hook and penny. The state of
these bones gave evidence of how intense must have been the
heat. Not only has every particle'of flesh been dissipated,
but nothing save the earthy portion of the bones remains,
and they are as light as charcoal. The men cleared away
more of the materials, and, in a short time, they found ano-
ther cluster of bones similar to the lust, amongst which were
several of the spinal vertebrte, and some ends of the humeral
and femoral bones. This shed was crushed in at the same
moment when Mr. ,`Knight's sheds were, and, being in the
set of the draught, the flames played completely through it.
Mr. Maxwell informs us, that he was in this shed, appre-
hending not the least clanger, and surveying the operations
of those who were getting out the cotton. Sveral labourers
were at the further end next the burning warehouses which
fronted Formby-street, but they were as unapprehensive of
immediate danger as Mr. Maxwell. Suddenly the latter was
called away, and he had scarcely reached the mouth of the
shed when the crash was heard. On looking round, he saw
the ruin that had ensued : the upper end of the shed smashed
to pieces, the rafters and contents of the burning warehouse
tumbling forward, and the flames rushing with the air through
the shed. _

The scene was most heart-rending when the poor fellows
on Mr. M`Knight's shed lost their lives by the falling in of
the roof. They were in that gentleman's employ, and were
most zealous and active in their exertions to save his property.
One of them, when sinking in the flames, called out in agony
for Mr. Whitty, who was near, to save him. Another, who
as within Mr. \Vs reach, stretched forth his hands for help,
out, though an effort was made to save him, which was un-
successful, from the fierceness of the flames, he too sank in-
to the burning ruins. The bones which were yesterday dug
out of the ruins of the shed, and which were completely cal-
cined, were, doubtless, those of these unfortunate men.
Engines are placed at regular distances all round the area,
and are at work incessantly. Passing from the sheds into
Waterloo-road, we went to the western end of Formby-street.
From the iron warehouses an enormous mass of burned,
smouldering, and still ignited material extends northerly and
northwest. The mass of cotton sends up a curious, glittering,
blinding smoke, which shows there is still great heat below.
A fireman who was stationed on this had covered his face with
a wet handkerchief, for the purpose of saving his eyes. How
he endured the fume we cannot tell, for our eyes were unable
to withstand the severe infliction more than a few seconds at
a time.

Passing up Crompton-street, we found nothing materially
worthy of observation, save the utter and entire devastation
in this direction. The spectator may walk over ground
which was till recently all occupied, and meet with but little
obstruction. - A few sorched bones show where a bone boil-
ing, manufactory has been ; some scattered colors indicate a
colour warehouse ; iron hoops, a cooperage ; scorched beans
and oats, a stable, &c.

The effect produced upon the eyes of the firemen by the
smoke and flames was unusual and remarkable. The eyes
swelled and stood out, and the sight was, in many cases,
temporarily suspended. There is, it is said, in cotton an
essential oil, which, having been evolved by the fire and
thrown heated into the atmosphere, caused the opthahnic
phenomenon we have mentioned.
It is worthy of record, that part of the merchandise con-
sumed in the sheds in Neptune-street had been saved from
the fire in Galton-streetonly about two hundred yards to the
south, and an account of which we gave last week.

"We again visited the scene of destruction at a late hour
last night. The wind had, during the afternoon, veered
round a few points in an easterly direction and freshened,
which had, in some places, blown away the crust and given
renewed vigour to the fire beneath. Here and there small
brilliant pyramids of flame shot upleards, illumining the
ruins and circumambient atmosphere with flickering light.
No further efforts had been made to bring to light the body
of Hodson, the heat of the materials on each side being too
great. Near the spot where he lies a quantity of tallow has
been buried, and it sends up a faint blue flame through the
interstices, and, by the gas which it generates, causes fre-
quent small explosions. The water from the Canal-overflow
now passes completely through the ruins, and has found its
way into the foundations of the sheds facing Great Howard-
street.

On the opposite side, near the iron warehouse, there is still
an immense body of fire beneath the bricks. The moment
the engines stopped for want of water its intensity was indi-
cated by the manner in which it flared up through every in-
terstice.

By the kindness of Mr. Highton, the Governor of the
Borough Gaol, who has given much polite and valuable as-
sistance to those connected with the press. we had a view of
the ruins from the summit of his house. The appearance of
the area, illumined by the lights from the burning materials,
was most picturesque and imposing. All the harsher and
more repugnant features visible by daylight were absent, anal
the standing walls and gables shone strong and well defined
against the background of deep gloom.