Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1861-07-19
rHrLArr onpAr FIRE IN LONDON.

TIE LATE GREAT fiRE IN LuNDON.
es.sr. dsssd London July 2eth. gives the following
account Of the awful Migration Of Saturday, June 22d
az have further 70 report great calamity which has
beallen Tue already very suffering mercantile community
of London viz the destruction OF an immense quantity
of nroner1v by FIRE. Az have been an eyewitness
ns.ry from the beg nnng for fully ten hours when the
co ,eration WIS at ia full hegh, will Try TO give you
description Of the grand but terrible sight
,,sa.urdsy last whea left the office 70 30 nome
sbont 81 p NJ FIRE had broken out just below LONDON
Bridge opposite the CITY, In one OF the numerous war
YES by damaged juse which Is said 10 have gnited
snontaneous combustion and the flames spread win sucn
fearful rapdity that in about half an hours ume inc
huos ix sioried warehouse crsmmed with oil kinds OF
me1cbapdse was in full blaze and such was the Jury OF
tho element that In about three hours time, all tho ad-
Joining great warehouses about twenty In numoerb
nuruee from the roof to the ground floor.
UAlthough there plenty of engines In prompt
attendance they we're of avail On the river there
were powerful. steam engines, each throwing rom tso
10 ten tons OF water per minute, they maae not inc
sghtes. impression They were not hss toan iUo ,se'
ds,nt FROM the burning building, but they were in dan.
ger of being burned themseves and had to be moved
further into the stream.
The valIs OF ,hs burning warehouses began 10 fall,
aud then burning tslloS OIL Sugar and other sr'lces
poured down 70 Thames and spread over the surface
Of the water, the river thus appearing 70 De ntnes
Tbs roar OF The FIRE and repeated explosions rapidly sue
ceedng ono another in the burning warehouses made
scene fearful beyond description,
seyera vessels laying along the whaEzas wn'on coui0
not be got away account OF the tide also
and we're DESTROYED. The Kensekutt from New York
and the screw steam fes. lying In basin we're 60. ou
stn much difficulty, their rigging and sails a, ID
IL vss very fortunate that there was nearly petec
calm otherwise no one but God could say when the nre
might have been stayed. The resisthnceof nunuipe
oeSly erected on fire proof principle, cneekeu .'
flames at last Burning fragments carried up 10 'ne -
D, the heat fell in showers over the ey, o,'saneo "
fully two miles Several poa'y witch ventqred TOO hea
o bs acme we're drawn into the fire, and theF crew
persisted. ,o, :,
aTbere wers many accidents, and At least from ten 'e
sson lives were Lost 81 far ysa ee ascertaneo in'
FIRE is still burning, and will, 10 oil probability, osrn 10
week or moro 10 come % there are immense r'oeh'
of tsos H., in tho cellars and ground floors, NOT ye
consumed.
"All the spires and prominent buildings were huminec
with re- clare and visible from great distance Ina nae
a full view Of the fire. when {. 49, nS1' So.
from the terminus Of the London Bhdge Station,
London Bridge, from the Fire Monument in the Oity
from the Custom House. and lastly for fully three hours
from boat in the river at as close proximity as wa
safe.
rhe damage done, according to the best calculation
can FORM being well acquainted wish the contents aud
the warehouses themselves will reach at least tS
some make it much higher.
Inspector Braidwood was killed not more than one
hundred yards from the place where was Standing, BY
A wall comtg down suddenly. He had the chief man
asement Of the London Fire Brigade, and was held In
such high estimation that the Queen sent two messages
TO inquire whether his body had been found The Prince
Of Wales also present at the fire as private gentle
man"
From the London Tines
There was moment on Saturday evening when il
seemed possible that the great fire OF London might occu
over sgar; and indeed IL was not owing TO any rssour
Il - Al. .lau nal
Our reports Of the coDiagration will have shown how
poweress we're all inventions against the fury Of thu
lmes Had the wind been high, or bad il blown stead
y away from the river in the direction OF The tosn It
impossible say what might have been the fate OF thu
southern portion of the metropolis. The least tha
could have happened must have been destruction ove
tho vast area and proacon for the rest Of the city a
the cost Of Q circle Of ru ne.
IL Is was not In the dead Of the night, but sum
mer afternoon that the Fire brigade in Waiting street
vas summoned to Cotton wharf, close to London Bridge
on the South side Of the Thames. The engines directed
by the chief of the brigade In person, we're quickly oil
the spot when it vas found that fire had broken out
the first story OF the Warehouse. The building per
iecly rev, and constructed Oh approved principles
architecture strong party walls provided with iron doors
divided the fabric and the warehouses in the vicnit,
were reported be fire. proof also. The place had no
been abandoned for the night; the workmen were still OF
the spot and Of them actually discovered in smal
heap Of smoking hemp the germ Of that coDaagrator
which before midnight represented by three
flame Unhsppiy, the smoke at that early period pro
tcted the fire. So dense were its volumes as to forbit
all approach and the fame left to do its work
i'll, there vast array OF engines in the street q
well as % the stream; there was q trained
brigade OF fremep, conducted by courageous
aud experienced leader; there was stroDt
body of police 10 aid IN seeping order and there wer
ireproof walls contend against Ere Ba; Of all thes
appliances no. asailed to control the flames They
burst forth from the first warehouse and sez another
Iroa AMI brick, though they cid not actually bazs ye
burnt through and through till they became red-ho
masses Mr.. Brnid-ood, the caiei Of the brigade, a
once dFc rned the true state of the case and predicted
from his survey the magnitude OF the configration.
wa the last opinion be was IA ed to utter few minutes
Later AS he Was placing his at their posts and en-
coura Gin. them ty his directions and example, he me
Ills death A tremendous eI plosion of saltpetre in
vault shook do IN the entire frontage Of warehouse
and he Wa Lurcd under the runs Ills fAii dsnsyo
his men already disreaed b. severity Of their duties
sod yet they rushed Ike brave followers 20 his rescue
but in vain. second explosion drove them from II.
uDot and the ascendancy OF the FIRE now complete
Il docs soen, indeed thetthere much
Of subduiug the nlmes even rcm the first, but from Til
moment the contes: decided The brigade was pow
eTlcss. All great engines aud all trained nremer
were of 10 avail. Our 6reproo buildings failed to KEEP
out the ere, and it depended simply the force ant
direction of tho yipd bow much of Southwark might b.
standing on Monday morning
Provdentially, the night calm yet every nov and
them when little gust came up the river, the redoubed
roar Of the fass and the fakes OF FIRE launched into
the atmosphere showed the magnitude Of the peril
Even as it wa, the spectacle END ruin are alike without
parallel in our tine. Three acres OF ground were
gradually covered with q mass Of fre glowing and
cracking at vhito heat like lake of molten iron The
sapere, the taog the tar aud tho other combustibet
s'ored 10 the warehouses, h2 ng into the river
Ill the very appeared 10 be covered with flames
We n he n
life alnost great the Thames in the
The glare Of the cobtsgraton not only visible. but
strikngly conspicuous, thirty miles of The multitude
Of spectators enormcu- aud the excitement incred
ble We may truly saw indeed that never, for two oen
turtles, has the metropolis such catastrophe.
TIE original accounts seems 10 indicate pretty clearly
the probable origin Of the fire. Il not the first time
ttat hemp and ue have been found in spontaneous com
bustior but two circumstances are reported which may
have coadsed TO the spread OF the conaagrston and
the helpessness OF those we attempted TO subiue il
The workmen employed the warehouse lad omitted
Is said, close the iron doors by which communities
ep Was maintained between the several divisions OF the
building .u cr the first hour or two-that to say, a
tie very time when ths yc- Of the engines would have
been most tasctive-there was little ra:er to be OBJ
tanned
IRON The London Times. June 20
The hinge pile ruins caused by this fearful disaster
continues a. unapproachabe Even With oil the
assistance afforded BY the late heavy rsas and the con
tinuous streams Of water which poured on them On
all parts from the mains by night aud day. the heat they
give of is 60 intense that it Is impossible to penetrate
beyond few yard5 inside the bsckened walls from the
land sids Nothing dare approach them from the river
In the centre several large cellars of oil aud sllov
blazing furiousy As ever The glare Of these almfs
which during the day, shines out brightly
before with pightal when, Of course, the alarm d
spread that the hro has again etarted fresh
OF destruction. There is however, happy to say
not the least DANCE: nov OF such additional loss.
All tho ruins on the oalsSits Except, as we have
saij these next the river rot opy cold, but vel
SITUATED with water The burning cellars 10 the centre
which cannot be reached must burn themselves out and
from what 10 known Of their contents along time must