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

Staddard-oilice, Half-Past Two o'clock.
We have again visited the scene at the conflagration, and
are happy to state that the -flames are so tar subdued by the
falling materials, and the exertions of the firemen in the
outskirts, that the destruction will in all probability be con-
fined to the buildings already noticed ; the goods in m hich (a
comparatively trifling quantity being got out) are doomed to
entire destruction.
We have just taken a tour of the whole area. In Formby-
street the row of dwelling-houses at the top on the north
side, which had before ignited, were io a blaze all through,
reaching the floors and roof of the top one, a lodging-house at
the corner of that street and Great Howard-street. The house
( Mrs. Bark's) just opposite (also at the corner) will probably
be saved. The furniture had been removed. . The yard and
trick-field opposite to Poole's cotton sheds, ou the other
side of the street were strewed with bags and heaps
of loose cotton, bags of flour, furniture, &c. The lodg-
ing-house became in flanoes at about u quarter-past 12
o'clock. The interior of Poole's sheds was, when me
left, a mass of burning cotton, like red-hot rocks ; and the
outer wall was in so precarious a state from the floor, &c.
being burnt, that the police were active in keeping parties off,
lest some further fatal accident might take place. The scene
in passing down Crompton-street, (the northern boundary
of the fire,) was painfully interesting. The site of the yards,
smithies, and other workshops, where the fire had originated,
still enclosed by a wall on the north and east, presented a
large area of burning materials, not, howevei, rising to any
great height in that quarter. The remains of the bone grinding
steam engine with its small chimney ; the chimney of another
small engine to the eastward of it ; heaps of paint that had
been in barrels burnt out, and leaving only a few of the iro-
hoops, and other materials, formed the foreground of the pic-
ture from this point. More behind were two " burning moun-
tains" of cotton, one on the site of Dennistoun's (called
Rayner's) large warehouse, and the. other in " Taylor's."
That on the went side was about 60 to 70 feet in height,
burning and flaming all over, and resembling a perfect
volcano previous to or after the subsiding of an eruption.
The mill where the fire originated was Mr. Peniston's. The
adjoining paintworks which were ignited, belonged to Mrs.
Isaac. From the door
,of a shed a little lower down, and the •
whole of which had interiorly fallen, a most imposing view
of the general conflagration was obtained. Even here,
though to windward, the, heat was very great.
Indeed the whiffs or gusts of hot air that passed along all
the neighbouring streets were at times almost stifling, being .
as hat as the breath of a furnace, and surcharged withal with
motes, dust, and sparks, exceedingly injurious to the eyes.
Some high portions of the ruins rose in majestic isolation be-
hind, and had a .truly romantic appearance. Sudlow's free
cotton-shed, in the same line a little below, was saved, as
were the buildings (boat-builders' yard, &c.) facing Waterloo-
road on the west. We passed up Neptune-street—the
southern boundary of the fire : the sheds at the top, on the
north side—with the exception of the corner one just oppo-
site the Borough Gaol—were all burnt out. Some staves,
hoops, &c., were saved from the cooperages and yards above,
but a great deal of cotton in other sheds was consumed, many
of the bags retaining their shape though red hot ; and reduced
to tinder. The back or north wall of a warehouse lower
down had fallen down from the effects of the fire, so that it
could be seen through to " the burning mountains" of cot-
ton on the north. Out of this warehouse a great quantity
of rice, in bags, was lowered and taken away in carts, and •
great part of this property will doubtless be saved. The
interior, or further gable end of the next shed but one higher
up, had fallen, crushing (as before stated) several men
beneath the ruins.
A fireproof warehouse near the bottom of Formby-street,
(marked "Sudlow's") stood the flames surprisingly. ltclosely
adjoined one of those warehouses to the east, the contents of
which formed the larger " Vesuvius." Men were em-
ployed in hoisting buckets of water into it to cool the walls,
which, however, were by no means so hot as might be ex- •
pected. ;The wall, of the adjoining warehouse burned down,
against the gable end of this fireproof building, still stands,and
forms a sort of protection from ignition by the immense
pile of redzhot cotton still blazing against it. Much damage
is done to the premises of Messrs. Grayson and Bannister,
shipwrights and smiths, and to those of other smiths, &c.,
a little lower down. Men are employed carrying the timber
and other combustibles out of Messrs. G. and B.'s. One
shed, between two other sheds which have ignited, has not . •
taken fire, and is, we learn, filled with " guano" manure.
In taking the rice out of " Sudlow's" shed a bag fell upon ' •
the head of a man in one of the carts, and considerably stunned
and injured him. He, however, walked away to obtain rest
at a neighbouring house. It was at first thought that he was
killed, but he happily escaped without any bones being
broken. Several other and more serious accidents took place
in various parts within the site of the fire, besides the
casualties before referred to. It is, therefore, quite im-
possible to give the precise number of unfortunate teen
killed or injured. This cannot, indeed, be ascertained for
some days ; for, though the missing police may be reckoned,
there were many others, who were strangers, hurt or killed,
of whom no account can yet la.-3 supplied. The rumours
abroad on this point are, we feel assured, as before stated,
rather exaggerated.
We have not yet been enabled to ascertain the relative
amounts of insurance effected, but we fear the loss to indi-
viduals will be very great and disastrous.
The fire, we should think, when at its height, which was
from five to six o'clock in the morning, must have been
discernible for miles round. From the Cheshire shores
of the Mersey the appearance was terrific. Seen through
the rigging of the shipping in Prince's and Waterloo Docks,
it appeared, upon a first view, that these docks were them-
selves on fire ; and on looking closer, the inhabitants of
Seacombe, Egrernont, and New Brighton—many of them
our leading merchants—imagined, from the extent of ground
covered, that the destruction extended over a great
portion of the north part of the town, the extensive ware-
houses of which contain a mass of property whose value is
incalculable.

The early boats, it will readily be believed, were crowded
with parties anxious for the safety of merchandize and build-
ings belonging to themselves and their connexions ; and the
vague rumours brought at a very early hour of the destruc-
tion of life width had unfortunately occurred rendered many,
we have no doubt, anxious for the personal safety of parties
far removed from danger.
The scene in the neighbourhood of the fire, and particu-
larly in that of the hospital to which many of the unfortunate •
sufferers were carried, was distressing in the extreme. The
police and firemen on duty were distracted by the applies- • •
tions of parties anxious for intelligence of fathers, brothers,'
or sons, missing and supposed to be buried in ithe'burning::- '
ruins. Of course, as yet no satisfactory answer can in-Many.., •
cases be returned. Many parties missing are no,dnubt- fie, • r
Lively engaged at the fire, and well. Many no•dtintiVvictili.,:
never again be heard of, unless the calcined bones which j• ,
will be found on clearing away the ruins may be ima-
gined to belong to them. At the Northern Hospital,
crowds of distracted persons were gathered round the gate •
anxiously enquiring after the condition of friends known to
have been admitted, or seeking intelligence of persons for
whose safety they were under apprehension. The scene, as
a whole, may be imagined, but cannot possibly be described.
Of the men admitted here, as described in former editions,
we find, up to this hour, two o'clock, that two, John Mar-
tin and Luke Smith, are dead, besides one man, name un-
known. Robert Black is dangerously ill (skull fractured).
The remainder, more or less severely injured, are doing
well. Two more have been admitted within the last two
hours, and discharged, after having their wounds dressed.
We have just heard, as the latest estimate on 'Change,
that the quantity of cotton consumed is 37,000 bags. This
will make the total loss half a million sterling.

Standard Qffice, Half-past Six o'clock, p.m.
We again visited the scene of the fire at five o'clock, and
found, as we had anticipated, the fire would be confined to
the site before described.

The police force connected with the engines were during
the whole morning, and throughout the day, most active in
their exertions. Mr. Whitty and Mr. Hewitt were every-
where; and the superintendents and inspectors, and we may .
add the whole of their men, used every endeavour, and braved
every hazard. The commissioner of police, Mr. Dowling,
was also present at an early hour, and through his directions
.the houses at the top of Formby-street were eventually saved,
though with great and unavoidable damage interiorly. Mrs.
Bark's house was also saved. If these buildings had caught
the Borough Gaol would have been in great danger, as
a-fe some light buildings attached to it at the north-
we...t corner, which would probably have become ignited.
Through the exertions of the police, 20 hhds. of tallow were •
got out of the shed adjoining Mrs. Bark's premises before
the fire reached it. Had these remained, the blaze would
have been awful, and the houses at the top of Formby-street
would have been involved in the destruction.
Lieut. Butler, R.N., commanding H.M.S. Etna, sent a
corps of marines from that vessel to the assistance of the
magistrates and police force, in the event of the Gaol taking
fire, in which case they would have been employed to escort
the prisoners to Kirkdale. Happily their services were
not wanted within, the danger to the Gaol having been over-
come. The mai ines reached the ground at about seven in
the morning. They were in charge of Mr. Wright, mate of
the ship. Their services were found most efficient in keep-
ing off the crowd during part of the day ; and they remained
stationed at the Gaol during the night.
The supply of water was very scanty, there being no
main in Great Howard-street. A sewer was, however,
opened in that street, through which runs the overflow of
the canal. From this source, and the fire-police water-
carts, as well as from hose leading from the Waterloo Dock
across Waterloo-road, and into Formby-street and Neptune-
street, a plentiful supply was at length obtained. There were
fourteen engines employed, as well as the engine of the West
of England Fire-office, under the direction of Mr. White-
house.
So far as is yet known, only ONE police-officer (Hodgson)
has lost his life. Several others were injured. Mr. Super-
intendent Biding had his ankle-bone broken. Another
officer bad his wrist dislocated,

We have to record an honourable instance of the activity
and foresight of Mr. Parker, member for St. Anne's Ward,:
in the Common Council. That gentleman, during the
height of the fire, observed the' gable, or front wall, of a
warehouse, in Crompton-street, in a tottering and dangerous
condition—while between 30 and 40 people were close under
it. He gave notice to the policed and strongly cautioned the
parties. Luckily his advice was taken, and the crowd was
induced to withdraw. In a moment afterwards the wall fell
down with a tremendous crash, and the whole street where
the parties had stood was filled with ruins !

APPEARANCE OF THE FIRE ON SATURDAY.
(Abridged from the second edition of the Chronicle, of
Saturday evening.
We have, this morning, gone round and over all the acces-
sible parts of the large area within which the fire did its
work of destruction, accompanied by Mr. Highton, Gover-
nor of the Borough Gaol, and are enabled to furnish some
additional interesting particulars of the conflagration when at
its height, as well as an account of the appearance and state
of the ground up to the present time.
From Great Howard-street, a little to the south of the
entrance to the Borough Gaol, the ruins, still emitting from
their eminences volumes of smoke, andflame some feet in
height, are first seen by the visitor from the town, and con-
vey a lamentable idea of the extent of the work of destruc-
tion. Nearly in the middle of the area, and not approach-
able from any point, were any one fool-hardy enough to at-
tempt, .•
stood, at seven o'clock, the lofty west-side wall of a
very large warehouse, in Formby-street (Dennistoun's, or
" Rayner's," we believe), and also the N.W. corner of the
same building, nearly to its full height of many stories; the
latter forming a right angle, resembling one-half of a dilapi-
dated
square tower, of which the other half had fallen or
been cut off diagonally from top to bottom. About half-
past eight o'clock, the side wall, though it appeared to have
maintained its perpendicularoposition, fell with a tremendous
crash, the mortar having probably been calcined by the force
of the fire which had for a long time yesterday been at a red
and frequently a white heat, the warehouse being filled with
cotton from bottom to top, the whole of which is consumed
or yet (below) in a state of combustion, .the whole, with the
ruins, forming a hill, in which the bricks now are solely. to
be seen, either separated in their fall, ores shattered portions
of the walls. The half-tower still remains—a prominent
monument of the destruction, and, strangely enough, mark-
ing the fatalities of the day.
passing along Great
into a small yard.
H o'"Wr,ea rmd -asdter etel tl e.
c i
or cnu ientering
rau ignast,efiwrasyt
opposite the prison wall, and a little south of the top of
Formby-street, we found ourselves at the foot of a large heap.
of ruins rising westward from the warehouses noticed and
another more proximate. The flames still issued from the
bricks here and there—the effect of the progressing combus-
tion below, but little or no timber was to be seen, the *hole
being nearly consumed. In this yard, about five o'clock
yesterday (Friday) morning, Whitty, Mr. Hewitt, Mr.
Hewitt's brother, police-officer Hughes 464, and several of
his men, had a first narrow escape from destruction by the .