Transcription
FIRE AT ASTLEY’S AMPHITHEATRE.
A most dreadful fire broke out this morning, in the interior part of this handsome building, and entirely consumed every part of the frame. Mr. Teller, a Baker, in Amphitheatre Row, adjoining to the gateway leading to the Stables belonging to the Theatre, being up with his men baking, about a quarter past two o’clock discovered the Theatre to be on fire, and the flames to be burning through that part of the roof which was over the front of the stage; he and his men ran immediately and knocked at the doors of the several houses in the front of the Theatre, and the alarm soon became general. We fear that no person was on watch within the Theatre, or the alarm would have been earlier given, and prevented the shocking accident which befell Mrs. Smith, the mother of Mrs. Astley, jun.: she resided in the house in the front of the Theatre, and which in less than 20 minutes was in flames, when Mrs. Smith, who was near 60 years of age, was seen at the two pair of stairs window nearest the bridge, attempting to open it; Mr. Moore, a Tinman, who lives at the corner of Phoenix-street, mounted the balcony in the front and thence to the window, but being unable to open it, was obliged to descend and use the end of the ladder to demolish the sash; in the mean time Mrs. Smith disappeared, and as it seems went into the back room, and there fell a victim to the flames, for under this spot her remains were discovered by the forenoon ,so shockingly burnt and mangled that thy were with the greatest difficulty collected into a basket, and being covered with a carpet, were conveyed over the way to the house of Mr. Richardson.
It was near half an hour after the flames appeared, before the persons belonging to the Theatre were collected to attempt the saving of the horses, which owing however to the high wall between the Theatre and stables they effected, the old grey mare so well known, was the last got out, and not without the greatest difficulty and after several unsuccessful attempts to make her move. The confusion occasioned by the inhabitants who surrounded the Theatre on all sides removing their goods was beyond description, and the damage to furniture has been immense; fortunately water was at hand, and the engines assembled in time to prevent the entire destruction of any house but that immediately connected with the Theatre, although on every side their offices and back premises are burnt, and several of them had actually taken fire.
Of the houses in front, Mr. Brewer’s, clothes-sailsman, is a little damaged behind, Craden and Jordan’s, linen-drapers, the same; Holmes’s, upholsterer, is much damaged, so is Carmichael’s, the stay-maker, and Forster’s, the oilman; Mr. Taylor’s, the draper, is but little damaged, and Mr. Gallery’s stay-shop the same: fortunately an high and excellent wall protected Mr. Elliot, and coach-maker’s premises, and arrested the progress of the flames in that direction, although the roof and turret of his workshop were at one time on fire. The houses on the west side of Phoenix-street escaped with the loss of the out-house only, where they had such. Mr. Barnes, carpenter, behind the Theatre, lost his back premises, and his house has received damage, so has Mr. Banks’s, the Taylor. Eight of the small houses in Amphitheatre-row, are much damaged in their roofs by the fierceness of the flames from the old scenery deposited in the long shed, on the other side of the wall at their backs, and tow of them were on fire in several places, but the engines extinguished them. By half past three o’clock the whole of the Theatre had fallen in, and nothing is now left but the bare walls and smoking ruins. A party of Guards attended and protected the vast pile of goods collected in Mr. Richardson’s yard, and in several other places: a few scenes were the only things saved from the Theatre.
The columns of flames which at one time ascended was inconceivably great, and the crowd assembled round the spot was immense; and continued so during the whole of this day. Mr. Astley, jun. was out of town when the fire began. His father is not a prisoner in France, and he buried his mother on Wednesday last, and now, in addition to the loss of his property, will have the same melancholy duty to perform for the remains of his mother-in-law!
It is but little more than nine years since Mr. Astley’s former Theatre on this spot was destroyed by a like calamity! 10,000l. has been mentioned as the sum for which Mr. Astley is insured, but we hope it is to a greater extent, as his loss must be much beyond that amount.
