258 Oji the Folatiliiy and Iiijiammahiiily 



on examining the iron doors of the warehouse, found thetn to be 

 fast. The smoke was so bad that he could not at first see whence 

 the fire proceeded; but, by crawling on his hands and knees, 

 he reached the place of coinmmiication between the long-house 

 and the wareliouse, and perceived li^bt as well as smoke in the 

 long-house. He could also see into the fill -house, by means of 

 the gas and fire above. The fire appeared to have seized on the 

 sides of the fill-house, but be saw none in the body of it. Ke 

 had likewise a distinct view of the oil apparatus at this time, and 

 must have seen the mischief, if any were taking place; but he 

 saw none. 



George Wick, a sugar-refiner, who lived near the premises, 

 deposed, that he rose in consequence of an alarm of fire at the 

 time already specified. He approached within a yard and a half 

 of the fill-house in Union-street ; and at twenty minutes past 

 four he perceived neither smoke nor fire within it. 



Samuel Aubur stated, that he also resided in the same neigh- 

 bourhood ; and being avvakened by the watchman's rattle at an 

 early hour on the 10th of November, he proceeded to a spot 

 where he could see through a window of the warehouse. The 

 lower part of this window was on a level with his breast, the fill- 

 house being considerably below ground. He then perceived a 

 quantity of fire and smoke opposite, part of which appeared to 

 him to descend into the fill-house. 



Mr. Henry Wilson was then called, and stated that he was well 

 acquainted with the various processes of refining sugar. He had 

 for some time been conversant with this subject, and with the 

 application of oil for that purpose. He had put up apparatus 

 for the same purpose in two houses at Liverpool, three years ago, 

 as well as in one or two others in London. In the present case 

 it had been put up almost exclusively under his direction. He 

 conceived that the ordinary mode of refining sugar was attended 

 with both inconvenience and danger. One great danger was 

 that of the sugar boiling over; another, of its emitting very in- 

 flammable gases, arising from the combustibility of sugar when 

 in a desiccated state. At the degree of 344, inflammable gases 

 were created. The boiling point was 245. He visited the pre- 

 mises in question almost every day, and observed that there was 

 some leaking, but none that could produce the slightest mischief. 

 It was impossible that the leaking of oil into the fire below could 

 cause the fire to communicate with the oil in the vessel. When 

 the oil was thus converted into combustible gas, it passed off up 

 the chimney. The temperature of the oil in the vessel never 

 exceeded 360 for the working point. If it were to go beyond 

 440, the thermometer would burst. The boiling point of oil 

 was about 600 degrees ; and until it attained that degree of heat, 



it 



