The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-07-17

tionaI powers ID the bar room. do not easily
advance hundreds Of miles through An enc
my's country, and eject the eSnaurss n,, o. =
and Wales. Its said, indeed, that there 10
alrs ady di,ntnution of zsat among the more
wealthy of the voluu teers; who, thou9n ouri'
ing to night the Secessionists, are ratnsr als
appointed at not meeting any within conve-
nient distance from home. This, we rear, Is
a common fault with fashionable warriors on
both sides OF the Atlantic. They like cam
paign where enemies are well preserved"
To nght i'm country well stocked with hos
tile game is very well, but TO follow 1t over
vast tracts, and to fad themselves brought to
q stand. still for want Of food, or conveyance
or arms or ammunition, - .nsi h s.suagn
Of ardor. We cannot but think that wnen
Congress meets in July, 1t Will De necessary
TO provide for 4 stricter and more lasting Or
garization to be cons titu ted OF harder mate
rial. What the Southern ers may be doing we
know not; but from the hints OF our Speciai
CORRESPONDENT we should conclude that their
military authorities will have the sane dim
culty. War can never be waged on so large
scale without regular armies, and TO regular
armies it must come at last on the American
Continent. In the meantime the late OF the
Border States hangs in the balance; Kentucky,
Missouri, and even Tennessee are threatened
with disruption as we'll as Virginia. The
first victories will no doubt decide to which
Confederation these shall attach themselves
or whether they shall be broken asunder. A
that we can clearly ee is that our own policy
of neutrality is both wise and just.
The Great Fire in Lendon.-First Appear
ance Of the Flames.
From the London Star, June p
The metropolis on Saturday evening was
visited by one Of the most terrific confiagra-
tons that has probably occurred since the
Of property destroyed, nothing like it has
been experienced the last half century, the
loss being estimated at $1,000 600. The scene
of this catastrophe was on the water side OF
Tooley street, nearest London Bridge-a To-
cality which has been singularly unfortunate
during the last twenty five years-5oLne OF the
largest fires have occurred there. The out
break took place in the extensive range OF
premises known as Cotton's wharf and bond
ed warehouses, belonging to Messrs. Scovell
They had an extensive river frontage, a "a the
whole space on the land side ex tending to Too
lev stree. was covered with eight or nine mas
siye brick warehouses, six stories in height,
some OF which were formerly used as ord
nance (io vernment) stores, the whole occu-
plying, as we are informed, about three acres
These buildings were filled with merchan-
die OF every description. There were some
thousands OF chests of tea and silk stored in
the upper floors, while in the lower one there
WAS an immense stock of Russian taliOT,
various oils, bales Of Gotten, hops and grain.
Every portion of the entire establishment
might bs said to have been loaded with goods,
and OF the whole of this very valuable pro-
perty, said to be valued at upwards Of mil
lion, not Il yestige remains but the bare walls
and an immense chAsm Of fire, which at dusk
| last evening lighted up the Pool and the east
81 of the city. To be added to this very
serious loss is the destruc ton ct the whole OF
the western range of Alderman Humphrey
warehouse, fiaLkng the new dock, known as
Hty's wharf, the burning OF four warehouses
and quay comprising Cnamberlain's wharf,
adjacent to ST. Olaves Church, besides many
other buildings in Tooley street.
BRIGADE DIRECTOR BRAIDwOoD KILLED.
The saddest loss of all, however, was the
deplorable accident which befell Mr.. James
Braid wood, Director of the London Fire Bri-
gade, who, it will be seen by the subjoined de-
tails, persisted at an early stage OF the fire.
Intelligence Of the outbreak Ieached the
headq uar tiers Of the brigade in Waiting street
at ten minutes to five O'Clock, and all the
available force and engines belonging to that
establishment were at once dispatched to the
spot Reaching the western avenue in Tooiey
street. leading to COttCns wharf, a dense
q uantity OF smoke was observe ed issuing from
the loop hole doors on the first story OF one Of
the MAN centre bonded warehouses abutting
on the wharf, and in a line with other ware
houses stretching TO Tooiey street. This CEN
tire bnilding had only been recently erected,
and its construction gave rise to some dispute
between the insurance company and Messrs
Scovell, which we are informed had ouly
been arranged few days since.
Mr. Braidwood surveyed the course OF the
fire with his usual cool and practical eye,
and pos ted his men where the best com maEd
could be had ever the scene OF destruction.-
About half past seven O'Clock he entered the
gataWa leading to the wharf nearest st. Oh
ave's Church, and proceeded down the ave-
nue., where four of his men We're supporting
and direc ting two branches from the 1Oa ting
engine. By this time the warehouse in which
the fire commenced was gu.ted; but the enor-
nous stock of tallow which had been stored
in the lower ioor caused the flames to rise TO
a considerable height, and, if anything, ragged
more furicusly when water was scattered
over them. The adjacent building also con-
tanned large quantity OF cotton ana Oil,
which ran down through the loop holes in
stream 10 the vaults as the warehouses lg-
nited.
At intervals there were loud reports, as f
from the explosion of carbon or barrels of Oil :;
but at the time it did not excite any particular
alarm, as the fremen had been assured that
those warehouses contained no explosive ma
terial, such as saltpetre, although there Was q
large stock of il In another part OF the wharf.
The police, who by this time had got command
Of the tn oroughfares lesding to the wharf, had
cleared this western gateway or avenue, and
with the exception OF the firemen, there was
only few standing by. Mr.. Braidwood, who
had visited the men several times previously
seeing the distressed state they were in from
the intense heat and their great exertons,
called one of his attendants, and gave each Of
them snip" of brandy, and then noticing
another of his men in similar exhausted
state, an d whose eyes had suffered much from
the heat, turned his back on the warehoG SO to
give the man some of the brandy. AT this
moment terrific explosion suddenly occurred,
and in All instant 1t was seen that the whole
of the frontage Of the second warehouse was
coming down, falling outwards into the
avenue.
Mr.. Henderson, foreman of the Southern
district Of the brigade, who was standing
within few PAGES of Mr. Braidwood, shou ted
for them call to run" The men dropped their
branches. Two, with Mr.. Henderson, escaped
by the great gateway, and the other men ran
"a Uh 4 rf
where they jumped In to the river. Mr. Braid.
wood made an effort TO follow MIR. Hender
son, but 1t was only momen tarity, for he was
struck down bv the upper part Of the wall
and buried beneath some tons OF brick work
H,a de~th must have been instan .aneous.
Several Of his men would hays rushed to "ex-
tricate him, and indeed some did, hopeless as
the task was, bat another explosion happen
sad fate of this gentleman had q most de-
pressing effect upon al, ana to add to their
trouble the confagration had assumed most
awful ascendancy. 1t is stated that there
were three men standing by at the time, and
it is feared that they have persisted. We are
in u position, however, to state Mr.. Braid
wood is the only member Of the fire brigade
who has persisted.
TRRRIFFIc NIGHT SCENE.
Towards ten O'Clock the aspect of the con-
terror and smay seizsd upon all. The con-
tinual explosions ct the saltpetre DESTROYED
all the windows of the surrounding ware.
houses ON both sides Of Ootton's wharf, as
also shatteriog the loop hole doors Of the va.
rious floors BY this means the great ware
houses Of Mr.. Alderman Humphrey, forming
the Western division Of Hays wharf and
dock, nine stories in height, and extending In
land some hundreds Of feet, ignited. togo ther
with a large leather warehouse in Hog Lane,
ad i3ining the land side entrance to the wharf
Oh the St. Olave's Church side OF Cotton 5
wharf the fire was making as rapid favages,
Eaving penetrated the four extensive ware
houses cor4pri .ing Ohsmberlain's wharf, be-
line with Tooley street. THAT they Laust
.ha - . a. ni1ar IA of (yottor .f