The Sun. — 1844-11-19 (London, England)

THE CREEP AT ST. PETER'S DOCK.—An alarming occurrence took place yesterday morning, at St. Peter's Quay, about three miles below this town, the surface of the ground for some acres in extent, having been affected with what in this district is called the creep, being a sort of incipient earthquake, by which considerable destruction has been done to property in the neighbourhood, the extensive building yard of Messrs. Thomas and William Smith, the eminent ship-builders, having been rendered for a time entirely useless. The first intimation of danger was observed a week ago, but it was very slight, amounting only to a rent in one of the houses to the north of the building yard, which was repaired, and matters continued in the same state till nine o'clock yesterday morning. It may be proper to state. that the dock, though on the north side of the river, is completely undermined by the workings of the Friar's Goose colliery, situate on the other side, and it is supposed the accident has been caused by the working or falling of the root; or superincumbent strata. At the period abovementioned, the whole of the men and boys, nearly 200 in number, were at breakfast in the smith's shop and store, on the north side of the building yard, when they heard a thundering noise, and on looking out, beheld the surface of the ground in motion. They ran away from the spot, and reached a place of safety, and there they were soon joined by the inhabitants of the neighbouring house who fled in the greatest consternation. In a few minutes the heaving of the surface ceased, and, on the men returning to the building yard, they found the ground rent in various directions, presenting chasms several feet in depth ; the bottom of the spacious dry dock, capable of admitting vessels of the largest size, was thrown up in dreadful confusion ; the sides rent ; and the whole presented a scene of destruction which might well appal 1 the stoutest heart. The windows in the neighbouring houses were broken, doors and framework split and crushed, and several walls were levelled with the ground. The movement was confined to the building-yard and the adjacent houses. The quay next the river has sunk several inches, and the bed- of the river, which before was " high and dry" at low water, is now covered to the depth of from eighteen to twenty-four inches. The water in the river was agitated, and the motion was felt on board the vessels lying near. The men employed in the building-yard have been discharged, and all work suspended, and it will be some time before the injury can be repaired.—Newcastle Journal THE MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE OF A BRlDEcnoom.—lt will be recollected that a paragraph appeared in the papers last week, giving the details of the extraordinary and mysterious disappearance of Mr. Joseph Amis, many years bookkeeper at the Bull Inn, Aldgate, who immediately after his marriage had written a letter to his bride, sending her a bag of sovereigns, telling her where to obtain the rest of his property, and concluding by a statement that she would in all probability never see him again. It appears that previously to the wedding he made arrangements to come into the occupancy of the Kent and Essex public-house, Highstreet, Whitechapel, and had paid a deposit as earnest money. On the receipt of his extraordinary letter, his wife and her friends were naturally greatly alarmed, and began to fear that he contemplated suicide; although they knew no cause to which to attribute any mental distress or annoyance. They have, however, since been relieved from all their fears and anxieties by the return of the bridegroom, who having " thought better of the matter," resolved to come back and claim his wife like a man. The oddest part of the business is, that he conld assign no motive for his strange conduct, merely saying that he experienced a feeling of despondency with regard to his new undertaking. He is, however, now in post session of the Kent and Essex. THE LATE MYSTERIOUS DEATlL—Yesterday Mr. Wakley and the jury re-assembled at Mr. Olney's, the Silver Cup, Cromer-street, to further prosecute the inquiry respecting the death of Mr. Henry Williams, aged thirty-eight, managing clerk to a solicitor, residing at No. 8, Constitution-row, Gray's Inn-road, whose death was occasioned by the point of some blunt instrument being thrust into his left eye. After a long inquiry, the coroner cleared the court of strangers, and examined at considerable length in private Inspector Barton and the various police-officers seriatim. The Court having been closed for above an hour, the jury broke up without any verdict being formally delivered, but it was understood that they had made a general return, and that the coroner had directed the closest privacy, for the purpose of seeing whether any party absconded, in which event, he stated, he would issue his warrant for the apprehension of the suspected person, and then reopen the inquiry. The deceased has left a widow and eight children.