Transcription
Mr. and Mrs. ASTLEY, we believe, were not in town. The mother of Mrs. ASTLEY unfortunately was in the house that was inhabited by her son and daughter, in front of the Theatre. She was an old Lady, about 60, and rather infirm. Two Gentlemen, Messrs. MOOR and BURNETT, made use of every effort in their power to save her. A ladder was raised to the window. She was seen to approach the window, and, as we hear, to run back on a sudden, as if recollecting something, probably she wished to save some papers of money in the house. As she was coming back to the window a second time, she floor of the room gave way, and she was seen to fall in with it. It was now impossible to save her: she was burnt to death.
With a very commendable alacrity the St. James’s Volunteers and Lambeth Association ran to arms as soon as they heard of the fire,--they formed a line round the fire and the engines, and thus kept off the croud [sic] from impeding the efforts of the firemen, and protected the furniture of the adjoining houses which was brought out into the street:--all the space from Westminster Bridge to the Turnpike, is loaded with the effects of the poor sufferers.
The whole of the Theatre is consumed, and nothing is left of that beautiful little building but a heap of black and smoaking [sic] ruins. The range of the fire was most fatal towards and in Phoenix-street. Between ten and twenty houses are consumed in that street, and as it is inhabited by poor people, none of whom be are, we suppose, insured, their distress may easily be imagined. They were running about for hours in a state of frantic despair—here a mother might be seen with her naked and screaming children clasped to her breast, running about the street in the wildest agony; there a poor mechanic wringing his hands at the loss of all the little implements of his trade. The scene was dreadful beyond conception.
Most of the houses on the side of this Theatre are much damaged, particularly the back past of Mr. PENLINGTON’s, the Chemist.
About six o’clock the flames were got under.
We have not heard that any but Mrs. ASTLEY’s mother fell a victim to the flames. Two children belonging to a waterman were in great danger, but by the intrepidity of the firemen were saved. A constable, named Butt, was very active in endeavouring to rescue as much as possible of Mr. Astley’s property from the flames. He succeeded in saving the chests, in which were deposited plate and other valuables.
Mr. and Mrs. ASTLEY came to town, we hear, yesterday morning, to behold a scene, that few have ever had misery to witness—their property in one night destroyed—their mother a mangled corpse. It was only on Wednesday that the mother of Mr. ASTLEY was buried; the next night was to deprive them of the mother of Mrs. ASTLEY, and to deprive them of her in so dreadful a manner! The father too of Mr. ASTLEY is now a prisoner of war in France. What a scene of accumulated misery and horror!
