Sir John Simeon, one of t...
The Times, 1824-02-06T00:00:00

Sir John Simeon, one of the Masters in the Court of Chancery, died on Wednesday morning; this, therefore, hns created a vacancy ; and another varcney was created by the appoiatment of M r. Alexander to be Chief Baron. 4- FIRE AT HAsertEaRsmrrn.-wAboUt teil o'clock on T._ dav night, the hamlet of aammersmitdl was thrown into the great. estconfusion by the alarm of "F Fire!" and the bursting fo:th of flames from thelower part of the house of Nr. Cox, grocer and chandler, King-street: anl so rapidly did the flames ascend, that scarcelv had the family timeeto fly from the dreadful danger betbre the fire communicated to the first floor, and burnt upwards with tremendous fury, The parochial and cther engines ofthe neighbour- hood were very'soon on the spot; and plenty of water being obtained, were in full action but at the most critical juncture, when the in- terior of the house was nearly in flames, were heard the shrielks of a femal6. Some persons instantly recollected that a youing wvoman, who was brought to bed about ten days before, was in the house with her infant, and a thrill of horror ran througlh the mul. titude, all believing that she must inevitably perish; how- ever, the female succeeded in making her way to the win. dows where her senses left her. She was, however, resa cued bhy some of the firemnen, and taken to a house, when, on recoverine her recollection, she exclaimed, " Ob ! where's my, child ?" The suddenness of tihe fire, and its subsequent conse. quences had, it appeared, deprived every one of his memorv, and the poor infant would have perished in the flames but for its mother's exclamation. Several persons instantly tusbed into the burning house, and one masn most intrepidly exerted himself, and succeeded in finding the infant asleep on a couch, and made his appearance at the window with it. Finding he could not return, as the stairs were giing way, and in fact the room in flames, be held out the child, and some person stepped forward to catch it in his-arms; but at the moment thie infant was dropped,he witharew his arm s5ttidentallv, -and the childfalling on the pavement, was killed on the spot. [T'he muan ras obliged to jmup out; he was terribly scorched, a;nd tnuch bruised by his fall. The body of the infant was careied into a house. Some women who witnessed the shocking catastrophe faint. ed a.way. The devouring element then extended its ravages in evcerr direction; and althongh the Sup, County, and Exchange er.. gire sarrived from London, the rapidity the flre waa such, that Air. Cox's house wasburned to the ground, and in za41ltor time the house of his vaext door neighbour, air. itilwad, Zstclynaker, shared the sgme fate. being entirely guttedl. nThe houmesof MIr. WVay, Dr. Duncan, ind fir. Terretu, were also suck datuxageei, and a numnber of small wooden buildings werej burned to die ground* s.everl houses in the street were also tnuch iojured. At one time the F.re threatened destruction toib.he neighieduihood. iMIlT. Clox, we are informed, was insu*d; Iir. .Sillivjrd waanot; ana although he sawed conside'zable propertt, yeftl-ben ha3 lost mans articles o4 value.- .,: . . ..1