It may, perhaps, be in the recollection of most of your readers, that I commenced my annual report of London fires some time antecedent to the formation of the present Fire-Establishment; and that I have more than once explained that my source of information was then limited to the experience of one fire-office only. Now it must be pretty well known, that under the old regime, no one fireoffice in London was in possession of information respecting all the fires that occurred, nor of any thing like it; in fact, out of my own observations and attendance, I was frequently enabled to add to the list. Now, if we just compare this state of things, with the present very complete arrangements, by means of which every alarm of fire throughout the whole extent of this vast metropolis, be the result what it may, is reported twice a day to the head-quarters of the establishment, this alone would account for a vast discrepancy in point of numbers. I should like to know what sort of a fire-report I could have drawn up for 1838, had my sources of information been confined to the practical experience of the County Fire-Office, which continues to jog on in the unimproved state? I can vouch that it would have looked somewhat more companionable with its like of 1832, than did the voluminous records afforded by the comprehensive knowledge of the better plan. In the next place, the classification of the damages is now somewhat different to the former practice, making an apparent increase of serious fires, when the fact is, the per centage of really serious fires is very considerably reduced. Again, under the old system, fatal fires were seldom or ever reported. Under these cireum

stances, therefore, the disparaging comparisons instituted by "Aquarius," and so boastingly brought forward continually, are founded (as he well knows) on erroneous data, and are altogether false in the inferences attempted to be drawn from them.

It must be palpably evident, that the fire-men cannot prevent fires taking place, and that the number of these accidents may be expected annually to increase, with the spread of population and of buildings. Neither is it in the power of fire-men under all circumstances, to prevent the occurrence of serious fires, because it continually happens, that fires have really become what is now called serious, before they are discovered; in fact, I have already mentioned several instances in which total losses have actually taken place before the fire-men have been called out; and because the results are honestly reported, are these men to be censured by such hypercritical observers as 66 Aquarius"? This writer says, "the testing point of the firemen's success is the number of fires that are prevented from spreading to a serious extent after they are discovered." This list, then, in strictness, would include all the slightly damaged, and very many of the seriously damaged, with a tolerable share of the total losses!"

The

It is not, however, by a dry enumeration of number alone, that any correct idea can be formed of the good or ill success of the fire-men's exertions. ever varying circumstances of each particular case, réquire to be known and duly weighed, before any satisfactory conclusions can be drawn from them.

In the truly appalling list of last year's serious fires, I have entered into the details of most of them as far as was consistent with the limits of your work; and I would ask any intelligent and impartial reader, if there was a single instance in which blame would seem to attach to the fire-men. Take for example, the destruction of the Royal Exchange; there the flames had attained a most serious ascendancy before the fire was discovered-great difficulty arose in obtaining access to the building-water was with difficulty obtained, from the intense frost which prevailed-the building was filled throughout with timber galleries and passages most intimately connected-and yet some portions of the

building were preserved, and the fire most effectually prevented from extending its ravages to the adjoining buildings.* Look again at the burning of Messrs. Edgington's tarpaulin manufactory in the Kent Road; an extensive range of wooden buildings filled with the very daintiest food for fire; the first intelligence given to the fire-men was by the illuminated horizon, the flames bursting forth all at once with terrific fury— on reaching the spot, no water was obtained for upwards of an hour, in fact, not until the whole of the premises were burned to the ground.

In

At the Temple fire again, intelligence was most reprehensibly with-held from the fire-men till the flames had gained an ascendancy that for a time defied suppression, and only a scanty supply of water at hand for the purpose. this way I could go on, had I no respect for the patience of your readers, through the whole of the serious fires in my obnoxious list, but these instances will sufficiently explain my reasoning.

So long as the public continue to manifest a worse than apathetic indifference to the prevention of fires, conflagrations must and will increase; and so long as the public persist in disregarding all precautionary measures, and continue to set at defiance, all wholesome provisions, and legislative enactments for limiting the damages of fire, conflagrations may be expected to be more and more extensive in their ravages.

Look at Fenning's wharf and warehouses, the site of one of the most tremendous fires of modern date, the destruction of which was solely attributable to the illegal dimensions of the buildings; and yet, in defiance of law, and in spite of the dictates of reason and of common sense, a new pile has risen, like a phoenix from the ashes, as unlawful in its undivided dimensions as the former. In the event of another fire breaking out, the same consequences as before seem inevitable-the entire destruction of the whole!

The vast warehouses of St. Katharin'e Docks, present another immense pile, the preservation of which, if once well on fire, seems scarcely within the

It is right to observe, that a portion of the firebrigade were at the same time occupied with a serious fire at Chelsea.

possibility of man, and yet if any of these consequences should follow, what a precious outcry would be raised by "Aquarius" against the fire-brigade, forsooth!

It was an intimate practical acquaintance with these and similar co-operating circumstances that led me to assert the greater liability to serious and extensive fires of London, as compared with Paris; this argument" Aquarius" has attempted to hold up to ridicule, by a comparison as invidious as it is unjust. A greater piece of injustice can hardly be conceived, than to take isolated statements of facts, brought forward upon different occasions, to illustrate different arguments, and to place them in juxta-position, without the explanation required to reconcile their seeming contradiction. This, however, is the unworthy artifice resorted to by "Aquarius," and in this way only, does he attempt to support his jaundiced view of these matters.

In conclusion, with respect to fatal fires, I inost expressly stated, that during last year, no life had been lost after the arrival of the fire-men; a thing of too frequent occurrence under what Aquarius" himself designates the unimproved system.

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The fire-brigade, therefore, are wholly free from blame-provided their attendance has been sufficiently prompt after being called. Now, Sir, I assert without fear of contradiction, for it does not admit of contradiction, that the attendance of the fire. men was not under any circumstances near so quick formerly as it is now. The location of the men at their respective engine-stations-a sufficient force constantly on duty day and night— with the admirable system of calls, ensures a rapid attendance of a larger force than was ever witnessed prior to the formation of the London fire-establishment. The constant effect of this plan has been in most cases such a timely attendance of men and engines as to confine to the list of "slightly damaged" accidents, which, under the old system, would inevitably have turned out "serious fires," or even "total losses."

In addition to the benefits thus conferred upon the community, I consider we are under considerable obligations to the Committee of Management of the London Fire-establishment for the handsome and liberal manner in which the valuable information by them collected,

is always made accessible to persons in any way connected with the public press, or who take an interest in these questions. The readiness with which this is afforded, is, I am aware, extremely annoying to certain narrow-minded persons, who therefore take every possible opportunity of abusing, and underrating the advantages of this excellent establishment.

Although I have endeavoured briefly to reply to the remarks which provoked this communication, I find I have greatly exceeded due limits, I must therefore conclude, and remain,

Sir, yours respectfully,

London, March 15, 1839.

WM. BADDELEY.

PREVENTION OF RAILWAY ACCIDENTS

It is a

Sir,-When we take into consideration the vast sacrifice of human life from accidents on the various railroads, it is amazing, that in a country so prolific of improvements of every kind, no one has undertaken to produce plans for obviating these calamities. Surely means might be adopted, for at least lessening the chances of such accidents. disgrace to an enlightened nation like Great Britain, that men of capital should seem careful for nothing beyond acquiring the best returns on money laid out on speculation. A man should unquestionably m ke the most of his employed capital; but, he should not at the same time shut out those philanthropic feelings which we should all exhibit towards our fellow men. Let, therefore, the various companies set about devising the most efficient means for averting the horribly destructive accidents that almost daily occur on the various railroads.*

In the humble hope of drawing more efficient pens to the subject, I now offer the following hints :

1. When a person is in danger of being run over by a train, if he had the

*These introductory remarks of our correspondent might well have been spared. It has been proved by incontestable evidence, that travelling by railway is incomparably safer than by any other means of conveyance. Take any number of passengers travelling a given number of miles by railway-and a like number of passengers travelling a like number of miles by horse-coach-and it will be found that the proportion of accidents is fifty to one in favour of the former.-ED. M. M.

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presence of mind to get into either of the outside spaces it would be safer than in the middle one (a presumed reason for which will be seen in the 5th article.).

2. Whether the individual be in the middle space, or in either of the lines, he should immediately fall flat on the ground; it would, in the former case prevent the commotion of air, consequent on the rapid motion of the train, from drawing any portion of his dress towards the carriages; and in the latter case, the entire train would roll over him without doing him the slightest injury, as was exemplified in the case of a Pole, an officer on the Great Western Railroad, who, some time ago, escaped unhurt, with the exception of a hot cinder falling from the furnace and slightly scorching his face it is consequently preferable to lie on the face, the hat should also be thrown off, as there might otherwise be a chance of it coming in contact with some projecting point of the train.

3. It is therefore safest, when the individual cannot get to either of the outside spaces (which is undoubtedly the best) to throw himself flat on the ground in the middle space, or in either of the lines.

4. It is consequently an obvious duty which the various companies owe to humanity, to have their carriages so constructed, that there would be suffi cient space from the bottom of each (in-cluding cross beam or iron work) to the bottom or bed of the lines that a man of the largest dimensions might lie there unhurt.

5. The middle space is particularly unsafe for any one to stand on, when there are two trains going in contrary directions and pass ng each other at the same instant in proof of which, a poor man about a fortnight ago, going to his daily labour, and having to cross the railroad at Kinton near Harrow, whilst a train was approaching from the Euston Square Terminus, instantly ran to the middle space, thinking no doubt, that there he would be perfectly safe-but another train at almost the same instant of time coming up in a contrary direction, caused such a commotion of air, first from being agitated by the one train from east to west, and next this agitated air being met by the other train going from west to east, that the poor man must have been, as it were, in the midst of a powerf whirlwind and entirely under its im