Dreadful Fire In Fleet-St...
The Times, 1824-11-15T00:00:00

At about three o'clock yesterday morning, tae most naescribable alarm and confusion prevailed amongst the inhabitanta of Fleet- street occasioned by one of the largest and most destructive fires that Lave occurred for some years back. The watchman of St. Bride's parish, wvrose station is on the south side of the street near Bride'x passage, opeosite almost to Shoe-lane,observed some srmokc issuing from under the shop-door, and through the joints of the shut- tcr ae the premises of Air. Bond, the linen-draper, No. 87. Some otther wa.tchmen catne up, and ret about alarming the inmates of that and the adioining houses, bv knocking at the doors, springing their rattles, andt calling aloud '" Fire ! fire I" whilstothers hastened for the engines. The fir3t engine that made its appearance was thait beloinging to the parish, whichi was brought by George Smith the engineer to the spot before the fire burst througii. Smithl, with a deal of activity, forcedi open the door, by applying a pole-axe to the lock, and in an instant a vast body of flamers burst through the shutters, and ascended with terrific fury. At this time not more thian seven peisons were present, all of wvhom exerted thiemselves by putling up tile pavement to nrocure water from the main, but their object, we regret to say, fafled, and it was full 25 minutes before any turn. cock was to be found, when two made thleir appearance, and the water was then put in requisition in verv greut quantities. Durirg this delay, the devouringelenientlhtd gained such an alarmingascen- dency thtat all attempts to rescue any of the stock in trade were found to be impracticable, as the flumes had entered the first floor. The agony of the perEons assembled may be better ima. gined tian we can describe, as none of the innate3 were to be seen, and, strange to say, theoccupiers of the adjoining houses were also iuvisible, although the uproar caused by the watchimen alarmed those of thecopposite houses. The house of Mr, Bond, in less than 20 minutes from the first alar.m, p resented one mnns of tire, which bursting through the roof, and the wind blowingalheavy gale from tise SAV., spread in one huge sheet ; and the houses of Alr lill, the chyrnist and druggist, and 31r. AMattress, the hairdresser were included in the destructive scene: the Ifam-es rpread over to Carlile's house, at the corner of Bride-passage, the attics ofwhich and the floor underneath were discovered to have caught tire. 'T'he Al- liance, Norwich Union, (luardian,West of England,Union, Beacon, HaDd.in-Hand, anl the Sun fire engines by this time arrived, a-d were stationed in front of the burnitig buildings, anl were boon put in notion ; but notwithstanding tie combined cifbets of the firettien to check the devouring elemetit, the adjoining house to theilekt, Messrs. Pitman atid Ashfield, oilinen, at about a quaner before four o'clock was nu,nbered in the coiflagration, as was also fIr. Ajuar- riatt's the furnishing ironmonger. The spectacle was now awfully grand, the flarnes ilkitminating tl,e hiorizo0r for a considerable ex- tent, and spreading their devastation with incredible velocity. Se. veral attempts were made to save part of thestoci and furniture of the houses, but all proved ineffectual, such were the disastrotiz efects of tbe flames. IL was thougilt that somiie of the taluiilies bad periahe' and were burried in the ruins, but some perSOns in a state DI nuditv' were been running along the tops of thie adjoining houses, and werc rescued from their impending danger. A lady waa takeir from "In attic window of one of ttie houses in the rear, and in a few-n onueAts after the roof fell in with a tremendous crash. She was corteyedinto the church, where she was proinptly attended, ard soon re7eored throm. the frhiht ihe had experienced. Sach was the intense heat of tbegsouasL and churchyar3, that the persons engaged in saving what part of theiet property they could, and depositing it in the church, were oblged to make circuitous routes to get to it. At half past four, Mir. 19lar_ riott's cIensive piremises, which run back into Bride',passre,- were e!ttirely in flames, and communicated to the houses of AIr. tn"ith, a tailor, and Atir. Alercier, the printer of the BriiWr Trav-e_ ler evening paper, which in a few seconds were on fire tram top to bottomn. It was now thouight expedient by the firemen to turn their attention to the adjoining houses, and torrents of water wera tbrowra r upon them to cheek the farther extension of the fire. Fortunately a. strong party.wall of the house of Ml r. Phene, the confectiorer, savedt.? his extensive premises; and the court on theotherside had a rimilaD". effect as regards lfessrs. Davenport and Co.'s china-warehouse. Tue confusion in the court was dreadful, asit was imagined, from thegLare, that half Fleet-street was on fire ; and persons were seen rt.naun. about in their night clothes in the greatest despair, and depc ;trn their little pluperty in die church. A curious circumstance,ta t't' cou rse of the confubion took place: sme of Carlisle's family tookr^ fuge in tke church, and placed also there, for securitya Ia ti his Deistical publications; TVie Age of Reason was ont of them--; At five o'clock the entire fironts of the kouses of Mtr. Bone and Mr15 Hill fell suddenly with a tremendous crash. Indeed, so suddenwas the fall, that had the ruins fallen into the street, a nursbarf Fris6ns would have been buried underneath. The flames were norparatily damped, but still wore a fearful aspect, and the firemen were obliged_, i to continue most unceasingli to exert themselves until ninre n'c S"i when the fire was subdued, but the houses still were ,in *"v places on fire, and the engines during the wbole of yesteray ywer- 't f . active requisition. No lives were lost. FuRTItEk PARTICULARS. The above fire was said to have beer, occationed by tlfeiincau:r.- dropping of a spark from a candle in the closing of'r Bnrd4 shop, behiiid the counter, which, communicating with the g.as,wh-c it is thought was not properly turned off; prodnced a esru;suj of property to nearly the amount of 100,0001. -The family of Mr. Bond were out of town, antl oniv two persens slgpt :n the house, who escaped when the house was 2a1iost entirely in firmX they got out of the up.stairs window over the roofs of tthe houses ; on e of thetm, a female, suffedet dreadfuly fromr lari. 'Tbe families of Ar. Mattress and hi r. Ashbield did not e.xpcieno a injury. Mlr. Hill, the chymist was also fromtsome n prh oUtrno- shop of his house was partitioned, and appropriated as a GffiGerf the publication of the .Suntday, Monrior ne,rspaper. N.. Ma1tfrers. e;as unable to save atty thing. It wavs cthouger at ouepFedbtl tbt*hafe- church woeuld have fallen a sacrifice to the devoarin,, eenlentL !he rector and churchwardens, Messrs. IoxaU anId d'i5owel3 wieere- 'ent during the whole of the tinme, and humanely soothadaniptoatry renidered assistanee to the sufferers. The houses ofMessrs Fitnian and Ashfield, AlMr. Hill, and Ai r. Mattress, caugh.t fireneearly dilse same time,and burnt downwards,so thattbefarnilies had pleniyoftIme to escape and save part of their furniture. The family of 51r. S,itit consisted of nine persorss-hiniself, wife, rmother, and eix clildea hie had scarcely time to save the latter, wlho slept in the attic, and was obliged to rush through the flames with two of-them. Retilaced them in the court, and ran bWcr to save his mother, and on-is re- turn, missed his youngest child, a girl about four years of ane. who, he was informted, had run back into the house. The ago iTJo.Ctht- tled again into the house, wvhichi was entirely in flapes, and foundl the pour child crying in a corner of the kitchen. As he anded tLe crackling stdirs with his daughter, part of the honse fell, and he was nearly suffocated in making his way out; he, however, suc- ceeded,and during the whole of yesterday vwas very unweU from the cflUcts of the exeltion. B e, we are sorry to say, is notinsured; and his loss is very great indeed. The other sufferers aie partially insured in the Hand-in-Hand, I\'ert of England, Atlas, and Suu co"panie. The walls of some of the houses were standing yester- day, but in a threatetiiug and dangerous manner. In the course of the da paret of the ruins of Mvir. Bonn's bouse fell into tile street,but no accident occurred. The tIollowing are the names of the persons who are sufferers. Alr. Bond, Mlr. Hill, Mr. Mllarriott, -Mr.Alereier, AMessrs. Pitman and Ashlield, Air. SLitil, Alr. Brady, and several other persons whio were ledgers in the houses. There were upvarnis of 20 engines in attendsnce, aimd the greatest croditibdueto the fifenien for their spirited exertionis. DRJADFt'L FIRE liV FLEET-STREET.