Destructive Fire in Ock Street in March 1879

Extracts from the Abingdon and Reading Herald
Last Saturday evening, shortly after seven o’clock, a fire broke out in a furniture warehouse in Ock-street, belonging to Mr. George Harris of Bath-street, and before it could be subdued, the structure, together with a large quantity of furniture, was destroyed. The fire also spread to the premises of Mr. T. B. Kendall, on the left of the warehouse, and destroyed a number of sheds, and nearly the whole of Mr. Kendall’s stock consisting of hides, dressed leather, oils, and other commodities used in the business. On the right of Mr. Harris’s premises, the fire damaged slightly Mr. Kent’s warehouses, and almost entirely demolished a shed at the extreme rear of the premises owned by Mr. Kent, but rented by Mr. Kendall, in which a quantity of bark was stored. The building facing the street is occupied on the one side as a shop by Mr. Harris, and on the other as the private residence of Mr. Williams, Mr. Harris’s business manager. In close proximity to the furniture warehouse on the left of Mr. Harris’ passage, were situated the business premises of Mr. T. B. Kendall, and these were connected with that gentleman’s private residence, which faces the street.

On Saturday night, then, about a quarter past seven o’clock, one of Mr. Williams’ boys had occasion to go to the pump at the rear of the premises, and he had scarcely left the house before he returned in great haste, and exclaimed that the premises were all on fire. Mrs. Williams, snatched up her little child, ran into the yard, and there beheld volumes of flame and smoke bursting forth from the interior of the warehouse. She immediately gave an alarm at the house of Mr. Kendall, who was unfortunately from home. Mr. R. Kendall, however, hastened to the rear of his brother’s premises, and found that the devastating element was already penetrating the warehouse from the adjacent structure, which was now burning furiously. After a few vain endeavours to stop the progress of the fire, he raised a general alarm, and messengers were promptly dispatched for the Abingdon Volunteer Fire Brigad

By a singular coincidence the members of this useful organisation had just returned from a fire at Appleford, a report of which appears elsewhere. Suffice it that they had been at work since eleven in the morning, and only rounded the corner of Bridge-street, thoroughly tired, at 7.30, little dreaming of the additional tax which was about to be put upon their powers of endurance. On reaching the engine house, the horses were unharnessed, the engine was put back in its place, and it was arranged through the kindness of the Brigade Superintendent, Mr. J. T. Morland that they should adjourn to the Lion Hotel and partake of a hot supper which Host Coombs had been instructed to provide. This repast was so keenly enjoyed by anticipation that one of the hungry fireman is said to have suggested that they should go at once, and leave the work of re-adjusting the engine gear until after supper. This suggestion was, fortunately, met by an almost prophetically inspired reminder that they might be called out again in the night, and, the wise councels[sic] prevailing, the jaded workers set to with a will, and the engine was soon ready for any contingency, near or remote. At this moment a messenger arrived in breathless haste with the shout of “Fire!” The engine was brought out once more, the labours of the day at Appleford were speedily forgotten, and in twenty minutes from the time of their return, the Brigade were playing vigorously upon the conflagration, which even in this brief interval had reached alarming proportions.

In the meantime P. C. Barnard of the Borough Police had already arrived, and Supt. Brabner, with his constables, followed immediately upon the brigade, took possession of each entrance to the premises, and superintended the removal of the goods and articles of furniture from Mr. Harris’ shop and front premises, and also from Mr. Williams’ private residence, across to Mrs. Peyman’s yard, and into Mr. Paulin Martin’s stable, coachhouse, and garden. While busy workers were exerting themselves to the utmost in this direction, Mr. Holloway and the other employees of Messrs. Coxeter and Sons, who generously closed their establishment immediately the outbreak was discovered, commenced the removal of Mr. T. B. Kendall’s household goods and valuables to Messrs. Coxeter’s shop, while a large quantity of leather was taken to their warehouses. The Abingdon brigade engine was stationed in the sheep market, and its water supply was procured from the well in the centre, but as it was known this would be insufficient, it was augmented by buckets of water brought by twenty pumpers, engaged on the premises of Host Emmens, Mr. Councillor Dickey, and others. The engine being at such a distance from the scene of the fire, it was necessary to use some three hundred yards of hose, but, as already indicated the preliminaries were speedily arranged, and a powerful stream of water was sent into the burning building. Fanned by a slight wind from the south west, the flames leaped with surprising swiftness along the roof and floors of the furniture warehouse, and soon the whole structure collapsed, burning chairs, tables, beds and bedsteads, crockery, glass, and ironmongery of every description being jumbled together in a blazing mass. Showers of sparks whirled into the air, and wafted to a considerable distance, while the flames obtained a yet firmer hold upon Mr. Kendall’s premises, which it was felt must inevitably succumb. The efforts of the Abingdon brigade were now directed to the saving of the street front, and with this end in view Mr. George Thatcher gallantly clambered to the roof of Mr. Harris’ premises, removed a number of tiles, and obtained a foothold from which he was able, by skilful manipulation of the hose, to deluge the out buildings connecting that house and Mr. Kendall’s with the burning shed. In the meantime the Culham Fire brigade, under the very able direction of Mr. J. S. Phillips, having been summoned by messenger on horseback, had promptly arrived about twenty minutes past eight, and commenced working from a supply of water in the Eagle Brewery Yard, which proved ample, and enabled them to do effective service. To these skilled brigades, the Abbey Brewery engine, stationed in the British School yard, under the energetic command of Mr. Edward Morland, and the “County” office engine, planted in Mr. Kent’s yard, and worked by a team under the direction of Mr. Buckland, proved admirable auxiliaries. The exertions of the men manning the “County” engine were directed to the preservation of Mr. Kent’s premises which are insured in that office. When it was discovered that the warehouses, both in Mr. Harris’s and Mr. Kendall’s premises, were well within the grasp of the fire, no further effort was put forth to arrest the progress of the devouring element. The most strenuous exertions were, however, made to isolate the buildings facing the street. The direction of the wind, which carried the fire towards the park road, away from the street, was most favourable to the accomplishment of this purpose, and as the evening wore on it became evident that the efforts of the firemen, supplemented by the endeavours of scores of non-official workers, were being crowned with success. The back bedroom of the house occupied by Mr. Williams was indeed partially destroyed, and the floor fell through to the kitchen, while the beam ends at the corner of Mr. Kendall’s dwelling were much burnt, and for a very long time the fate of the edifice trembled in the balance. When this danger had been, as it was believed, averted, the further removal of goods from the street front buildings was stopped, and had not this step been taken a large quantity of property would have been abstracted.

Indeed, one precocious youth was detected with about five shillings worth of knives and forks, and spoons secreted under his jacket and others, both boys and men “helped themselves” to a not inconsiderable extent. The boy who was captured was immediately locked up at the Police-station, and was dealt with by the Borough Bench on Tuesday, as will be seen by reference to our report elsewhere. While the gallant members of the fire brigade teams were working manfully with a view to the salvage of the street front, together with the British schools on the one hand, and Mr. Kent’s premises on the other, the fire in the rear, unchecked by the copious deluges of water which at first subdued its advances, blazed and roared most furiously. The remains of the furniture warehouse, and its contents, formed a huge bonfire, continued within the foundation walls of the structure, the enclosure being about three feet below the ground level. This burning mass extended over an area about 150 feet in length, and from 20 to 30 in width, and the heat which proceeded from it was most intense. A high wall divided this burning debris from Mr. Kendall’s premises, where the greasy raw hides, and other inflammable material proved admirable fuel to feed the fire. In a cellar was stored, in vats, about three or four hogs-heads of cod and linseed oil, and eight or nine hundred weight of tallow, and when the flames reached these combustibles, a mass of fire shot into the air to the height of forty or fifty feet, presenting an alarming spectacle to onlookers at a distance. Streams of water were now directed to the sheds and stabling on the other side of Mr. Kendall’s yard, and immediately adjacent to the British schools, a work which was materially assisted by friends of the schools, among whom Mr. Charles Coxeter and Mr. Councillor Parsons rendered conspicuous service. By the indefatigable exertions thus put forth on all hands, the fire was prevented from spreading beyond Mr. Kendall’s premises in this direction, and on the other side of Mr. Harris’ warehouse its progress was arrested after the partial destruction of a disused skeleton warehouse, the greater portion of which fell down some months since, at Mr. Kent’s buildings, which were but slightly damaged. A shed at the extreme end of Mr. Harris’ premises, the property of Mr. Kent, was reduced to a wreck, and its contents, about fourteen tons of bark, mostly destroyed. The bark, which belonged to Mr. Kendall, was on fire underneath, and all the water poured upon the mass ran off again without touching the imprisoned fire. When this was discovered to be the case an attempt was made to inject the water from the hose into the heart of the burning pile, but although this expedient proved partially successful, the fire ? under until five o’clock on Sunday morning. During the whole of Sunday the greasy materials which formed the stock in trade of Mr. Kendall’s business burned furiously, and workmen were engaged till Monday evening in endeavouring to smother the flames.

The origin of the fire is enshrouded in mystery and the slightest clue to the cause of the outbreak being obtainable.


INCIDENTS AND CASUALTIES

The fire was not without its numerous incidents. A couple of stalwart workers lifted a chest of drawers out of a second floor window, and let it drop on to the pavement below, and one of them, in an injured tone, asked a fellow-worker standing almost immediately under the window, “why he didn’t catch it.” A number of Grammar School boys, who crossed to Mr. Kendall’s premises from the Park-road managed in tumble into the dressing pits, which were filled with various compositions in which skins were being converted into leather. The pits being divided by a single brick partition only, one unfortunate youth escaping by an undignified scramble from the Scylla of one pit, fell headlong into the charybdis of another, containing a very savoury liquor, from which he emerged in pitiable plight.

A valuable talking parrot, the property of Mr. Kendall was removed during the fire to Coxeter and Son’s shop, and afterwards to the residence of one of the employees in Lombard-street, where it commenced screaming “Fire,” and continued to do so at intervals during the night, to the no small annoyance of the inmates of the house.

During the progress of the fire an accident which was thought to be of a serious character, happened to a man named Bandy, an employer at Mr. Sharp’s mill. He was engaged in sawing and cutting away the rafters on the roof of Mr. Kent’s shed, which it was necessary to isolate from the other premises, when he slipped and fell to the ground, a distance of nine or ten feet. He was placed on the Police station stretcher, and conveyed to his home, where he was attended by Dr. Gossett, who expressed surprise that his injuries were so slight considering the extent of the fall. On Tuesday morning he was able to resume work. The poor man is subject to fits, and it is supposed that the excitement induced a seizure, depriving him of consciousness at the moment of the accident.


SCENES AT AND AFTER THE FIRE.

The scene in Ock-street, opposite the fire, was one to be remembered. The progress of the conflagration was so swift that hundreds of persons were unaware of its existence until tongues of flames were seen leaping high into the air, casting a lurid and weird glare of light over the housetops. The moon shone brilliantly during the whole evening, and the sky was cloudless, otherwise the fire might sooner have been discovered, and its ravages stayed. As it was, the apparent suddenness of the outbreak, in a locality thickly populated, caused the greatest consternation and excitement, almost amounting to panic. The thrilling cry of “fire!” speedily passed from lip to lip, and echoed from end to end of the town. Sight seers of both sexes, of all ages and stations in life, hurried to the scene of the disaster, before which a crowd, numbered by thousands, had congregated. Strong men and lusty lads joined readily in the work of supplying the engines with water, others ran into the burning premises at the risk of their lives, and rescued valuable property from destruction, while others again, equally active, and quite as heavily laden, conveyed the salvage to hiding places of their own, and – forgot to return it.