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West View of the Royal Carton Printing Office:

Previous to its Destruction by Fire, Jan? 29 & 30. 1821.

Drawn & Engraved by I. Disen.

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Destruction of the Caxton Printing-office.

and, happily, it did not blow with any considerable degree of violence. Issuing from any other quarter, the flames must have been driven immediately on some contiguous houses; in which case their destruction would have been inevitable. But although it was sufficiently strong to carry the flame through the broken wall on the eastern side of the building, as no houses were on the opposite side of the street in that direction, their energies were spent without communicating with any other combustible matter.

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though somewhat inclined to the west; | cles, which had been deposited in a store room on the bottom floor, the men rescued at the risk of their lives. In this room they continued while the floors and roof above them successively gave way, and until the melted type descending through the crevices of the chambers, dropped, like rain, upon their clothes, and the paper they were preserving. Being thus compelled to retreat, the remaining mass of this vast property, amounting to an enormous sum, of which, at present, no accurate estimate can be formed, was involved in the common destruction. The account books, which were in a detached building, have been preserved. The vestiges of this vast property still lie buried in the heaps of rubbish that involve the remains of Caxton Buildings, which was one of the largest publishing establishments in this kingdom, and perhaps in the world.

The light which the flames emitted was so strong, as to resemble day; and even to render the most diminutive objects visible. The room in which a man, living in Tranmere, slept, was so illuminated, that he got up to discover its source; and from its brilliancy he was enabled distinctly to discern by his watch the hour of the night. The place in which he lived, is in Cheshire, on the opposite side of the harbour, about two miles distant from the conflagration.

The heat also was too intense to be borne, except at a considerable distance. Many panes of glass in houses adjacent were broken with its excessive violence; and from the upper parts of the flaming ruins, the molten lead streamed around, and lodged in shining spangles on the clothes of several who approached near the fire to rescue from its destructive power such articles as could be secured."

The flames continued to rage with undiminished violence from the moment they gained the ascendancy, until nearly five o'clock, when, having exhausted the combustible matter which lay within their reach, they gradually declined, and occasionally became mixed with smoke that arose from a bed of fire distributed over the bottom of the building, surrounded by cracked and broken fragments of walls, that only gave variety to the forms of desolation.

From this vast pile of buildings, filled with type, printing-presses, numbers, books bound and in boards, together with stereotype, engravers' tools, copperplate-presses, paper, and stores of various kinds connected with the extensive trade carried on by Mr. Henry Fisher, the proprietor; the only articles of consequence that have been preserved are, the copper-plates, and about a thousand reams of paper. These arti

The property rescued from the flames, and taken from the contiguous buildings which were thought to be in imminent danger, was partly carried into the houses of the neighbouring inhabitants, who readily opened their doors on this disastrous occasion, and partly piled in the streets, protected by a guard of soldiers until a place of safety could be found, to secure it from the depredations of any who might have mingled with the vast crowds of people assembled to witness the catastrophe.

The fire continued burning during the whole day, and on the ensuing night occasionally blazed with renewed violence. Both by night and by day the soldiers were continued, to guard the ruins, and to prevent the thoughtless from approaching too near to the hanging walls, until Thursday the 8th of February. The fire, though apparently nearly smothered, still continues to burn; and on the attempts that have been made to remove the rubbish, the heat has been too intolerable to be borne; and fire still begins to glow in many places as soon as the air is admitted.

The occasion of this calamity we have no means of tracing in a decisive manner. The various rooms having been warmed with steam from a boiler without the building, no fire was known to exist in the parts where it began. The men quitted their work about seven in the evening, and left every thing secure; and about eight, a man appointed for the purpose, went

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Destruction of the Caxton Printing-office.

through the premises to see that every thing was safe; the whole of which he found and left secure.

The day preceding that on which the accident happened, being the anniversary of His Majesty's accession to the throne, numerous sky-rockets were thrown into the air on the occasion, many of which were near the building, on the roof of which several globules of fire, when the rockets burst, were seen to descend. The most probable conjecture therefore that can be formed is, that a flying globule must have made its way through some window, and have thus lighted up this awful torch. The rockets were seen flying at various times, from about half past nine until eleven, not more than two hours before the flames attracted public attention.

One gentleman, indeed, has declared, that he perceived a dubious light in that end of the building where the fire originated, long before any alarm was given; and that its undulatory appearance so far excited his attention, that he watched its doubtful aspect some time before he retired to bed, which was about half past eleven o'clock. After this, one of the family got out of bed, and again observed it through his window, when he called some others of the family, who continued to notice it nearly half an hour, its red appearance at this time bearing some resemblance to the mouth of an oven, shining only through one window of the building. But the gentleman to whom we allude, having no anticipation of the melancholy event which followed, and no interest in the consequences, declined making any exertion; especially as on a former occasion he had nearly lost his life while attempting to extinguish the flames which were consuming the premises of another. At this eventful crisis, if timely information had been given, the premises might have been saved, since many would have risked their lives in attempting to preserve the building, and the vast property which it contained. It is however, but just to observe, that since the occurrence of the awful event, he has expressed his sincere regret, that he had not instantly made known those ominous presages, which led to the melancholy catastrophe.

Providentially, both the premises and the property were insured to a considerable amount in various offices; but

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the whole will be insufficient to cover the aggregate loss. In addition to this, the extensive trade which was carried on by the proprietor, has be come so deranged, in consequence of this disaster, that some time must elapse before the stock can be replaced, to cause things to flow in their wonted channel, and furnish the regular supplies. Of this complicated calamity the disastrous effects will be felt by him for years to come.

In the meanwhile, nearly a hundred persons in Liverpool are thrown out of employment which they had calculated on as permanent. Most of those employed in the Caxton Printing Office, have been there from their youth, and some ten, fifteen, and twenty years. The long period in which they have been thus employed is a strong evidence in favour of their sobriety and good conduct; and perhaps, taking them together, a more orderly, steady, industrious, and worthy set of men, could not be found in any printing-office throughout the united kingdom. This testimony in favour of their general character, their uniform conduct demands from Mr. Fisher the proprietor, who has been twenty-two years in the establishment.

It is a tribute of respectful acknowledgment, which is due from the proprietor to several gentlemen belonging to the trade in Liverpool, to say, that on hearing of the disaster, they kindly offered their assistance, in furnishing what types and presses they could conveniently spare, to assist in completing such works as demanded immediate attention. Others also, who had vacant premises, have, from true sympathetic feelings, voluntary offered them on the present occasion. To all these he finds himself bound in gratitude to return his public thanks, and thus to connect with the disaster in this memorial, a testimony of their kindness, and an acknowledgment of his own obligations.

During the day on which the fire took place, several fragments of the tottering walls continued to fall, with out the application of any external force; but many portions still remained standing, together with the lofty chimney, which, stripped of the adjoining buildings, exhibited a monument of desolation. This chimney, from its base to its summit, was about eighty feet, which, together with the correspondent walls, rendered it exceed

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ingly dangerous for any person either | the earliest alarm, and with a degree to pass through those parts of the streets of speed and foresight which were near which they stood, to tread on the scarcely their own, sheltered themruins, or to remain in the houses that selves in places of safety until the awful were within the range of their fall. crisis was past. One man on this Attempts were therefore made to bring occasion suffered a slight contusion in them to the ground. To accomplish his leg, but all besides escaped unhurt. the demolition of the chimney, a rope On the morning of the fire, another was wrapped round it, at the extremi- man dislocated his ancle, and several ties of which many men exerted all received cuts, wounds, and bruises, but their strength. Nearly twelve hours it no personal accidents occured of greater resisted all their efforts, although it moment than those which have been rocked from side to side like the mast mentioned. This wall in its descent of a ship when put in motion by the crushed to the ground an adjoining waves. The rope broke several times. building, that was contiguous to its It, however, at length gave way near base; and its more elevated parts the middle, and, in awful majesty, de- totally demolished a cottage which scended on the funeral pile of Caxton. stood at a greater distance. The Some of the remaining walls, which chimney of another cottage had also were deemed sufficiently strong to jus- been struck down, and its roof broken tify the attempt, were scaled, and the in, on a preceding part of the day. bricks thrown down one after another; but others, that were more hazardous, were either encompassed by ropes, or perforated to admit them, and by muscular exertion mingled with the common heap.

On surveying this calamity it is pleasing to reflect, that, notwithstanding the imminent danger to which many were exposed, no life was lost. For a short period during the fire, a report prevailed, that one man had been seen to enter the building, who had not returned, and painful apprehensions were entertained for his safety. Happily, however, the report proved without foundation; and after a little while the sensation subsided.

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Since the preceding paragraphs were written, it has been ascertained, that, independently of the building, the stock amounted to £42,000, out of which, in copperplates, paper, &c. about £5000 have been preserved. Of this loss, the public will be able to form some conception, on perusing the following list of articles, known, among others, to have perished in the flames.-Thirteen printing-presses; ten copperplate presses, and steam apparatus for heating the plates; four hundred original drawings; about five hundred reams of paper; ten thousand six hundred pages of stereotype plates; sixteen thousand pounds weight of types; two patent hydraulic presses; and three millions and a half of folio, quarto, and octavo numbers. The remains of the printing-presses, being of cast-iron, have lately been taken from the ruins: but all are rendered useless; the finer parts being either bent or broken, and the whole so corroded with the action of the fire, as to appear only as heavy and unprofitable lumber. Few things have been rescued from the rubbish, that can either be used, or that are worth repairing.

But although no life was lost, ten men, on the day which followed that of the fire, had the most narrow escape from death, that it is possible to conceive. A huge portion of the wall standing contiguous to the yard, near the counting-house, which, no doubt, had been shaken by the falling chimney, and was severely pressed by the vast accumulation of rubbish within, was thought to portend danger, on which account it was deemed expedient to take it down. But as the large boiler, But notwithstanding the vast confrom which the building had been sup-sumption of books, &c. in the flames, aplied with steam, stood very near its stated above, we can inform our numebase, and which the falling materials rous subscribers to the various periodwould inevitably have crushed, an ef- ical works publishing at the Caxton fort was made to preserve it. In doing press, that about one million five hunthis, the men were busily at work, re- dred thousand numbers still remain in moving some loose rubbish, when on a London, and with the different agents sudden the wall above them gave way, in the various parts of the United and in an instant came thundering to the Kingdom, from which a continuation of ground. The men in a moment took their regular supplies may be expected, No. 25.-VOL. III. R

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