The Central Glamorgan Gazette, and General, Commercial, and Agricultural Advertiser. — 1868-08-14 (Bridgend, Mid Glamorgan, Wales)

GREAT FIRE IN THE BOROUGH. Early on Monday morning a very destructive conflagration occurred in the neighbourhood of King-street, Borough. It commenced in a large timber building, situate in Chapman's-yard, Bowling-green-lane, a narrow passage, flanking the backs of the shops and houses on the south side of King-street. In the stables beneath were nine horses. Two only were rescued; the remainder were burned to death. For a long while their cries and sufferings were distressing. The district engines of the fire brigade reached the spot in a very short time after the alarm had been given, but scarcely sufficient supply of water flowed to put one engine he work. The consequences were that the firemen and engines were powerless, and the flames spread with terrible destruction to the property around. In Chap. man's yard, opposite to the timber building where the fire commenced, stood a fine range of four-story brick warehouses belonging to the &ay's Hospital estate, occupied by hop merchants and factors, containing several thousand pockets of hops. The width of the street being very narrow, not 30 feet, the frontages of these warehouses were exposed to the full force of the fire. The result was that the flames penetrated the windows, and soon got a firm hold of the different floors. The men belonging to the London Salvage Corps, seeing what must inevitably follow, entered the lower floors of these warehouses, and succeeded in saving between 400 and 500 pockets of hops, valued at from £l5 to £2O per pocket. In this work they continued until the burning floors began to give way, when they were withdrawn. By four o'clock two of the warehouses were completely destroyed, and the roofs had fallen in. One of the einduies had to work from a remote distance, through no less than 16 40-feet lengths of hese before its stream reached the burning buildings. At one time it was computed there were no leas than 10 houses on fire, and the scene all around the neighbourhood was one of the wildest excitement and suffering. Moat of the houses were till dwellings of poor, industrious families, who appear b. have lost everything they possessed, as several of the buildings were wholly destroyed. The houses on the south side of King-street did not escape. The fire laid hold of the back rooms, and many of them were partly gutted. Another he) warehouse was nearly sharing the same fate as the two previously mentioned. It belonged to Messrs. Latter and Co., hop factors, and on every floor there was a communication with the adjoining warehouse by means of iron folding doors. The intensity of fire in the centre warehouse drew these doors up like piper, admitting the flames into the floors, and such a firm hold had the fire got of the interior that its destruction was considered certain. The brigade, however, displayed great tact and indomitable perseverance, for notwithstanding the interior of the warehouse was filled with smoke to almost suffocation, they entered the various floors with their branches, and, meeting the flames bursting through the openings where the iron doors had given way, they continued to maintain their position amidst great risk, and eventually succeeded in saving the building. As the morning adwinced, the supply of water from the plugs became more copious when the rest of the engines were got to work, and continued for many hours. It was nearly noon before the fire was wholly extinguished. While the fire was at its her2ht, the authorities of Guy's Hospital threw open the hospital gates in Kingotreet, to enable the mifferers to remove their furniture and goods from their burning houses ins green sward within the gates, where they were protected from the violence of the mob. The loos of property IS computed at about 230,000.  Tar's Carbolic Sanitary Powder, 108, Dorsetstreet, Fleet-street, London, E.C. (One Penny.)  SAD END Of AN EVENTFUL UFA  An inquest has been held relative to theilleath at Richard Andrews, aged 42 years. It appeared kora the evidence of numerous witnesses that the deceased was a very well•informed man, had been a sergeant In the Royal Engineers, and had been in service in India and Arabia. He was, employed to superintend the erection of the lighthouse on the Isle of Perim in the Red Sea. The glare of the sun at Aden affected his sight, and he left the service and came home. At the time of the Fenian excitement in the beginning of this year, be was made patrol officer of the "Fenian watch" around the Custom•house, and he served in that capacity for some months. He then became a weigher at the Customs. In the spring he made a proposal of marriage to a young lady residing in Twickenham. She answered, "I cannot accept your offer until I know you longer. He gave her three months to decide, and the time was to expire on the Ist of June. At the end of May, however, she told him that she con. sidered he was not in a position to marry her, and that, besides, she did not like him sufficiently to become his wife. She never saw him after. On the 18th June he , disappeared from the Custom.house without assigning any reason. About the middle of July he was seen in Stepney, evidently somewhat straightened for want cf money, and he said to the wife of a person whom he wished to see. " Monday next will be too late, for it will be all over then." Na one, however, thought that he was a man likely to commit suicide. On Monday last his body was found floating in the river, off St. Paul's steamboat pier ; it was so decomposed that it must have been in the water at least a fortnight. Some of the jury thought that the case was one of suicide, but the coroner said that the deceased might have stepped accidentally into the water in consequence of his defec• tive eyesight. The jury ultimately returned an open verdict of "Found drowned."