36 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1818. [Mar. 



the ground. He had thrown 

 himself through a back window 

 at the top of the stairs on the 

 landinsr of the first floor. He 

 was injured very much by the 

 fall, and was carried into the 

 house of Mr. Whitebrooke, the 

 Cannon wine-vaults, in Hunger- 

 ford-street, where he was put to 

 bed ; his inquiries after his wife 

 and child were truly distressing. 

 His child was shown to him ; his 

 little feet were burnt, and his 

 head cut, though not danger- 

 ously. A neighbour had the 

 child to suckle it. 



A great number of firemen 

 reside in Hungerford-street, and 

 they were very promptly on the 

 premises ; but no water could be 

 got for three quarters of an hour, 

 and the flames were communicat- 

 ing with the greatest rapidity to 

 the houses of Mr. Ashman, pawn- 

 broker, Mr. Buckingham, brush- 

 maker, and Mr. Rowley, carver, 

 gilder, and picture-frame-maker. 

 The firemen were running from 

 plug to plug, and no water could 

 be got while the thieves were 

 busily employed in plundering 

 the premises, and carrying off the 

 property. Very £ew of the parish 

 constables had arrived, and one 

 of them sent to the Horse Guards, 

 requesting some soldiers to keep 

 the mob from the buildings. In 

 about a quarter of an hour after- 

 wards, part of a company of the 

 third regiment of guards were 

 despatched from the guard- room, 

 and placed under the authority 

 of the constables, and shortly 

 afterwards another company ; 

 they were placed at the disposal 

 of the civil authority. Property 

 to a great amount had in the 

 mean time been carried away by 



the thieves. The family of Mr. 

 Ashman had just time to escape 

 from the house before it was in 

 a general conflagration from the 

 cellar to the garret. One of the 

 female servants was actually 

 dragged out of the house by a 

 constable (Nettleton); she had 

 only her night-clothes on, and 

 wished to put other clothes upon 

 her ; but if she had remained a 

 minute longer, she must have 

 been destroyed. 



Mr. Ashman had a number of 

 guns in his house, several of 

 which were loaded, and were 

 heard to go oS'. Two men were 

 observed carrying off several 

 guns from the premises ; they 

 were pursued by a constable 

 along Piccadilly, but effected 

 their escape. Two other persons 

 were stopped by an officer df 

 Marlboroi'.gh-street Police, with 

 a quantity of^tolen property. 



The houses of iNIr. Wheater, 

 Mr. Ashman, Mr. Buckingham, 

 and Mr. Rowley, were entirely 

 destroyed by half-past eight 

 o'clock in the morning, and all 

 the property (except a few tri- 

 fling things which were carried 

 into St. Martin's church-yai'd) 

 was destroyed. The engines 

 v/ere not supplied with water 

 until seven o'clock. The flames 

 continued their ravages chiefly 

 at the houses in Hewit's court, 

 at the back of the above six 

 houses (which were chiefly oc- 

 cupied by poor persons), which 

 were before nine o'clock entirely 

 gutted. The poor occupants 

 had but very little time to get 

 out of their dwellings, and there- 

 fore could save but very little of 

 their property. The children 

 v/ere carried into St, Martin'* 

 church-yard, 



