The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1861-07-10

FIRST APPEARANCE OF THE FLAMES.
From The London star, June 24.)
The metropolis, on Saturday evering, was Wis
tied by one OF the most terrific agratons thai
has probably occurred since the great fire in 1866
Certainly, for the amount of property destroyed
nothing like it has been experien ced the last bal
century, the loss being estimated at e. 000, 600
The scene of this catastrophe on the water
side portion of Tooley street, nearest London
Bridge-a locality which has been singularly
fortunate during the last twenty five years-some
of the largest fires having occurred there. The out
break took place in the extensive range of prem
ises known as Cotton's wharf and bonded ware
houses belonging to Messrs. Scovell. They had an
extensive river frontage, and the whole space the
land side, extending Tooey street, was Gov.
cred with eight nine massive brick ware
houses, six stories i'll height, of which were
formerly used as ordnance (government) stores,
| the whole occupying, were informed, about
three acres. These buildings were filled with mer-
chandise of every description. There 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 tallow, various oils,
bales of cotton, hops and grain. Every portion OF
the entire establishment might be said to have
been loaded with goods, and of the whole of this
| very valuable property, said to be valued at up
wards of a million, not vestige remains but the
| bare walls and an immense chasm of fire, which at
dusk last evening lighted up the Pool and the east
end of the city. To be added to this very serious
loss is the destruction of the whole of the western
range of Alderman Humphreys warehouse, flank
ing the new dock, known Hays wharf, the
burning OF four warehouses and quay, comprising
| Chamberlain wharf, adjacen to st. Oave's
| church. besides MANY other buildinge in Tooley
| street.
The saddest loss of all, however, was the depor-
able accident which beLel Mr. James Braidwood,
! Director of the London Fire Brigade who, it will
be seen bv the subjoined details, persisted at
| ly stage of the fire.
MIR Braidwood surveyed the course of the fire
with his usual cool and practical eye, and posted his
men where the best command iuld BE- had over the
] dpStTuctlpn- hal
| O'Clock he entered the gateway leading to the
! wharf nearest St. Oaves chu ch, and proceeded
down the avenue, where four of his men were sup
porting and directing two branches from the float
ing engine BY this time the warehouse in which
| the fire commenced was gutted; but the enormous
stock OF tallow which had been stored in the lower
floor caused the flames to rise to considerable
height, and, ii anything. ragged more iuriously
when water was scattered over them. The ada
cent building also contained large quantity of cot
ton and oil, which down the loOp-hOes in
stream to the vaults as the warehouses gnited.-
AT intervals there loud reports, if from the
explosion of carbon or barrels of oil; but at the
time it did not excite any particular alarm, the
hremen had been assured that those warehouses
contained no explosive matera, such as saitpetre,
although there was large stock OF it in another
part of the wharf
A terrific explosion suddeuly occurred, and in an
instant it seen that the whole frontage of the
second warehouse coming down, falling out
wards into the avenue. Mr.. Henderson, foreman of
the southern district of the Brigade who was stand
ing within few PAGES of MIR. Braidwood, shouted
for them call to run" The men dropped their
branches. Two, with MIR. Henderson, escaped by
the great gateway, and the other men ran in the
opposite direction to the wharf, where they
jumped into the river. Mr. BraidwOod made an
effort to follow Mr.. Henderson, but it was only me-
mentarly, TOR he was struck down by the upper
part OF the wall and buried beneath some tons of
brickwerk His death must have been nstanta-
neous. Several of his men would have rushed TO
extricate him, and indeed some did, hopeless as the
task was but another explosion happening caused
the men to fly in great terror.
A TERRIFIC NIGHT SCENE.
Towards 10 o'clock the aspect of the con1agra-
tion had become quite appalling, and terror and
dsmaY seized upon all. The continual explosions
of the saltpetre destroyed all the windows of the
surrounding warehouses on both sides of Cotton's
wharf also sha tering the loon -hoI. doors of the
various floors. By this means the great ware
houses of Mr.. Alderman Humphrey, forming the
western division o.! Hays wharf and dock, nine so-
ries in height, and extending inland some hundreds
of feet, ignited, together with large leather
warehouse in Hog lane, adjoining the land side en-
trance to the wharf On the st. Oaves church
side Of Cotton's wharf the fire was making as rapid
ragages, having penetrated the four extern
sive warehouses comprising Chamberain's
wharf, besides many houses and other build
iugs in line with Tooey street. That
they must share similar fate as that of Cot
toms wharf was evident; and what rendered mat
tiers worse, the fremen were comparatively
powerless. The two powerful steam floating en-
gines were compelled to be hauled away in couse-
queIce of the flaming matter which poured over
the wharf walls and covered the surface of the
river the whole length Of the burning warehouses;
it was they had lost large quantity of hose by
the walls being blown down. The two steam land
engines built for the brigade by Shand Mason
working vigorously in Tooley street, but the
overpowering heat prevented the men approaching
the river near enough 20 be of any practical SER
vice Indeed the duty was fraught with great
danger, and they very properly called off.
The whole of the carriage way of T0uley street
in all directions from tlit w!d taUoW, TAteh flowed
was that it would by some misfortune be brought
into contact with turpentine and get ignited.
BY eleven clock the whole of the above men,
toned warehouses at Hays wharf and Chamber
lain's wharf were gutted. 1t then became evident
that the would not progress any further west
ward towards London Bridge. There was slight
break between Chamberlan's wharf and St Oiave's
church, although at one time there every like
lih0od of the sacred edfce being destroyed. Hays
wharf now became the centre of operations A
wide dock separated the two divisions of ware
houses, although they connected by flank
warehouse on the land side. Mr. Alderman Hum
phrey and Mr.. Humphrey, Jr, collecting all the
available strength of auxiliaries, made strenuous
efforts to stay the fire from laying hold of the east
ern range OF buildings. In the dock lay two ships
The Stockton steamer, which was to have sailed
in the course of Satu day evening, and the Amer-
can ship Pentucket. 1t was low water. 1t was
impossible to eXtGcate them, and the rigging hav-
iug taken fire it supposed that they either
would be burned crushed By he walls of the gut
ted warehouse which threatened to fall. Several
engines were brought to play in all directions and
after two hours incessant labor the fire was con-
auered and stopped at this point. Eventually both
ships were towed out OF the dock into the river.
SECOND OUTBREAK FLAMES.
Owing to the many floating policies upon the
property stored in the different warehouses; and
the owners living at such long distances it is, as
yet, impossible tn find out the losses the respective
persons have sustained. Messrs ScoveIl's wharf,
alone, at least those portions destroyed, consisted
of seventeen tremendous warehouses, similar in
construction aud size to the London Docks, and
contained similar description of goods, the most
explosive and dangerous being saltpetre, phur
and oils. In some of the other warehouses
hemp, jute, rice and spices, such mace Ga very
infammabIe articlel pimentO, Of which there
over twenty tons, innunerable barrels of ginger,
1000 tons of rice, and vast amount of artists
and other colors; but to tell the exact amount of
Russia tallow and oils in the various buildings is
present impossible.
One immense warehouse, four floors high, was
stocked in every part with colonial produce, worth
100000. The seeds of various kinds in another
warehouse adjoining stated to be worth flE0,-
600. Gums, shellac, arabic, dragon, gambouge,
and cOchneal were stored, which it is stated
worth flS9,000 This building had fire proof iron
doors, and the property mi ht have been saved had
the doors been closed, but, unfortunately, they
were left open. The warehouses on the other side
of the premises also divided by double iron
doors, but in the of the other building they
were left fully open, and when the fam-s caught
the spices, especially the mace, it burnt like gas,
the oil that ran from it, as the top part of the
was on, flew along the flooring like streams of run
ming gas.
Every one who had anything to do with the
wharf then became convinced that all they could
possibly do would be of avail in saving the pro-
perty, unless they could manage to close the iron
DOORS but that they could not do owing to the fury
with which the flames rolled out of the windows
and loopholes, with terrific violence andsgrandeur.
The warehouses near Chamberlain'S wharf con-
tanned stock in trade of nearly half a million in
| oil stInn nt yIna Inta -1IS lnt
coors white and pig lead, oils, talows, gums, &c,
and other articles of drysaltery. There were like
wise in the premises soft soap lin Scotch casks),
rosin, sugars, teas coffee and an immense cargo OF
black and white pepper, the latter said to be worth
Ga, 600. This proved to be of great Inconvenience,
and caused much pain to the tiremen, for the
condment became ignited and the water fell upon
it. the spice entered their eyes, and greatly injured
their power OF seeing.
From the London Times June 26
The huge piie OF ruins caused by this fearful
disaster continues as uaapprOach able ever. Even
| with all the assistance afforded by the late heavy
rains and the continuous streams of water which
| are poured on them all parts from the mains by
night and day, the heat they give Oft is so intense
that it is impossible to penetrate beyond few yards
inside the backened walls from the land side
Nothing dare approach them from the river. In
the centre several large cellars of oil and tallow
are blazing as turiously as ever. The glare of
these flames, which unseen during the day,
shines out as brightly as before with nghtfal,
| when of course, the alarm is spread that the fire
has again started a fresh career of destruction
| There is, however, we are happy to say, not the
least dan er now of much additional loss All the
ruins on the outskirts Except, have said,
those next the river) are not only cold, but well
saturated with water. The burning cellars in the
| centre, which cannot be reached must burn them
| selves out, and from what is known of their con-
| tents a long time must elapse before this takes
| place if they left to themselves.
| The chiefs of the Fire Brig ade however are OF