The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-09-13 00:00:00

EXTENSIVE FIRE LAST NIGHT.

Yesterday afternoon, shortly before five o'clock, the ex-
tensive warehouses belonging to Sir John Tobin, we believe,
situated between Tyrer-street and Barton-street, near the
Borough Gaol, were observed to he on fire. The flames
soon made their appearance, and the interior of the building
soon presented a mass of flames. At eight o'clock, the
scene presented to view was most terrific and grand. The
surrounding streets were illuminated as brightly as by day,
by the flames. The piece of waste land on which the stones
and road-stuff are stored for the use of the highways, was
covered with crowds of people, who availed themselves of
every elevated spot to witness the burning building. Every
minute immense volumes of flame were thrown lip, as the
materials ignited; and from the strong smell of turpentine
there must have been a large quantity of it on fire. Dense
volumes of smoke poured forth, thickly studded with bright
sparks, which, from the calmness of the night, floated slowly
away to the southward. As each floor fell with a crash, the
fire appeared to break out with renewed vigour, and the
light then rose more intensely. The adjoining houses were
emptied of their furniture, and at the time of our present
writing (nine o'clock) did not appear to be in a state of igni-
tion. Men were placed on the tops of the warehouses in
Barton-street, who threw down quantities of water on the
catheads, which, from their projecting, were likely to become
ignited. We perceived the fire-police to be actively em-
ployed, and exerting themselves assiduously to quell the de-
vouring and fierce flame. We have heard that these ware-
houses (bonded) contained large quantities of cotton, salt-
petre, rum, turpentine, &c., which no doubt greatly con-
tributed to give the flame its peculiarly lurid appearance.
Several accidents have occurred, which in our later accounts
we shall be able probably more fully to describe.

(FROM ANOTHER REPORTER.)
Yesterday evening a destructive fire took place in an ex-
tensive bonded warehouse, called "robins," and belonging,
we believe, to Sir John 'robin, situate between Galton-street
and Barton-street, and fronting Greenock-street. The ware-
house was rented by Messrs. Graham and Taylor, and con-
tains a large quantity of cotton in the upper rooms, and in,.
the lower stories and cellar, a quantity of guano manure,
the property of Messrs. W. J. Myers and Co., some
rum, and, as reported to us, a quantity of saltpetre.
The fire was first observed at about half-past five
o'clock in the afternoon, in the top story of the building,
and upon the alarm being given a strong body of police and
the fire-engines and firemen were promptly upon the spot,
and, under the able superintendence of Mr. Whitty, our
active high-constable, and Mr. Rose, the superintendent of
the fire-brisade, directed their unwearied efforts to check its
progress. These efforts, however, were materially retarded
by the want of water in the plugs, the main pipe, at the time,
not being on ; and the fire made rapid progress downwards,
until the whole of the upper part of the building, with the
inflammable contents, became a mass of flame. At a
little after seven o'clock the roof fell in ; and at this period,
and for nearly two hours afterwards, the spectacle presented
was most splendid—if such an expression can be applied to
a sight involving sa much of devastation and ruin. The
flames burst upwards several yards in height from the mass
of burning cotton and other materials within the building,
illumining the whole of the neighbouring docks, shipping,
and streets ; and the blaze must have been plainly dis-
tinguished for miles along the Cheshire shore opposite;
as well as from the high part of the town, and the country
round about. Fortunately the wind, which had blown rather
fresh from the north-east during the early part of the day,
had abated before the fire occurred. This, and the confined
and sheltered position of the premises, materially contributed,
with the well-directed exertions of the police, to keep down
the devouring element ; and, at ten o'clock, although the
fire still burnt fiercely, and might at any moment have been
fanned to a strength which it would have defied human
power to resist sufficiently to preserve the adjacent buildings
and the valaable property which they contained, it was the
opinion of Mr. Whitty that the force at the disposal
of himself and Mr. Hewitt would be able to prevent the
spread of the fire to the lower stories of the building, and
the consequent destruction which must have resulted had its
contents (spirits and saltpetre) been ignited.
We have no means at the present late hour (ten o'clock)
of arriving at the value of the property already destroyed, or
the total value and exact contents of the building. We have
no knowledge either of any particulars as to the probable
origin of the fire. We believe that up to the hour at which
we write nothing whatever on this point is known.

LATEST PARTICULARS, TWELVE O'CLOCK.
We regret to announce that several casualties have taken
place. One young man of the age of nineteen, in assisting
to remove some of the bales of cotton, received a violent
blow on the head, which fractured his skull, and he was im-
mediately taken to the Northern Hospital, where he received
every attention, but we are sorry to say he now lies in a very
dangerous state. He has only been married two months,
and worked at Bury's foundry. Four other men are also in
the hospital; but though their contusions are severe, we
trust the able medical skill at hand will be the means of their
speedy restoration.
The flames appear at this hour to be so far subdued that
there is little apprehension of the fire proceeding further ;
although the general combustion within the four walls is
still very great. The height of the warehouse from the
street (exclusive of the cellars) is six stories. The four
upper stories were, we may say, burned out, with the excep-
tion of a large quantity of cotton, &c. saved by the police
out of the lower one ._ of the fn... Oa that, :nour
, .

b.,,unu) CLIGM was on immense ac-
cumulation of goods, beams, and building materials of the
roof and higher floor, and the heat in the interior appeared
to be intense. Nevertheless, several of the firemen had got
up with hose inside some of the windows on the south front,
and into one of the doors on the west side. Hose was also
directed into other windows, and no fewer than thirteen en-
gines were at play alternately. The contents of the lower
stories are as yet not injured by the fire, but are no doubill
considerably damaged by the water.
About half-past ten o'clock, smoke was discovered issuing
from the cellar of a marine store-keeper in Paisley-street,
the next street to that in which was the burning warehouse.
In a short time, however, it was put out by the fire police.
No clue exists to its origin. We cannot conceive how the
adjacent fire could communicate to this cellar.
Our respected Mayor repaired to the scene of conflagration
the moment the information reached him, and was present
at the time our paper went to press.