“In the early hours, Dover was awakened by a dreadful blaze at the Lord Nelson lodging house near Flying Horse Lane. The poorest of town found themselves engulfed in flames, the community rallying in desperate efforts to quench the inferno and save lives amidst chaos.”
A fire broke out shortly before one o’clock in the morning in a lodging house at Dover known as the “Lord Nelson situated near the Flying Horse Lane a very close thoroughfare at the Market Place. The house had a large number of inmates of the poorest class and upon the alarm being raised a scene of great excitement and disorder ensued among them one unfortunate man rushing to the attic and throwing himself into the street. The town fire escape and some ladders were quickly brought to the spot and most of the other inmates were rescued without serious injury. Although owing to the smallness of the apertures by which alone they could make their escape from the burning premises and the number of people the house contained several persons were more or less injured by crushing. The man who rashly leaped from the window was taken up fearfully mangled and conveyed to the hospital where he died shortly afterwards.
One other life was lost, one of the lodgers Eliza Clough 39 years of age being exceedingly deaf and not being awakened until to late to rescue her from the burning building. The occupiers of the adjoining premises were much alarmed and had to save themselves in their nightdresses but the local fire brigade, which consists in Dover of the Borough Police and under the direction of Superintendent Sanders, aided by several men. The Coastguard Service that was on duty at the sea front when the alarm was given used such prompt and efficient exertions that the fire was subdued in about an hour after it was first discovered. Although the neighbourhood is closely packed with buildings the disaster was confined to the premises in which it broke out and two small shops adjoining. Nothing is actually known as to the cause of the conflagration but it is believed to have originated in the taproom.
The niece of the landlord, a young woman, who was first to become conscious of the disaster perceiving flames coming from the direction of the taproom on descending the stairs.
Upon the young woman rushing out into the street and raising the alarm having previously apprised of the disaster the inmates of the house, Mr. G. H. Parks builder, who happened to be passing through Bench Street at the time, ran to her assistance.
Having communicated the alarm to the police straight away procured a ladder and rendered the most valuable and timely help to the inmates in their endeavours to escape.
The ladders that Mr. Parks had obtained were hardly long enough to reach the roof but by an almost super human effort he supported it upon his shoulders while eight of the unfortunate inmates descended. As the last of the inmates got down the fire escape and the extinguishing apparatus arrived. There was fortunately a copious supply of water and it was so effectively used by the borough police under the direction of Superintendent Sanders than in an hour after the alarm had been first raised the fire was completely extinguished.
Every effort was made to rescue the poor unfortunate woman Clough. One of the inmates occupying the top-most room who knew that the woman was sleeping on the same floor was seen upon the roof desperately tearing of the tiles in order to reach the apartment where she was sleeping but all was useless.
After the fire had been extinguished the charred remains of the woman was found under a bedstead. The persons who were injured were taken to hospital but there were no causes of serious importance.
Some damages were done to the premises on either side of the Lord Nelson one being the Dye House by Mr. Scott and the other by Mr. White a tailor. But by the prompt and efficient exertions of the fire brigade it did not become very serious and the whole of the surrounding property in very close contiguity to the premises in which the fire broke out is happily uninjure
The Lord Nelson is insured in the Kent Fire Office and the effects of the landlord Mr. Matson in the Phoenix. Mr Scott’s premises are insured in the Union but the stock of Mr. White who sustained a loss about £50 is totally uninsured.
The Mayor (R. Dickeson Esq.) and the Deputy Mayor (Councillor Brown) were both in attendance together with the Borough Surveyor (Mr. Hanvey) soon after the fire broke out and by their advice and assistance rendered valuable service to those engaged in extinguishing the flames.
The Deputy Mayor sends the following description of what he saw.
Being awake about one on Monday morning and hearing a voice cry “fire,” I turned out at once into the street. The streets were empty and silent, not anybody to be seen in the Market Square. The police where at the time getting the escape and fire apparatus out but not in my sight and I describe only what I saw. The Lane where the fire was was empty. While I ran the volume of the lurid smoke and burning sparks covering a great part of the sky, told me at once that I was coming on a fire with great magnitude. One that had burst out fully, developed without alarm previously given and at the first glance told that worse was the case.
There was the house on fire top to bottom. Flames coming through doors and windows, making everything bright as day, and there lay in the middle of the street on his back straight ahead a man nearly naked moaning and unconscious. Three or four poor creatures in their night shirts were cowering on the roof and in the midst of the smoke and threatening forks of flame some three or four others were in the street with bleeding faces and hands which with almost nakedness told of the haste and difficulty of their escape. All this with one brave man to help them all Mr. Joseph Parks, who deserves well of the town. Most providently he passed that way at just the right time and with great adjustment obtained a ladder from Mr. Middleton (just opposite) and had half the people off the roof in the time he would have taken to get the fire escape and had done this by the time I one of the first spectators arrived.
Down the ladder the remainder came with ease and quickness. Poor souls there were some old and some ill yet fear made them agile enough to hold on to the slanting roof and descended a ladder they could not have faced in cold blood. But to my astonishment one man at the top of the house where was attacking the tiles on the roof pulling them off with frenzy and throwing them anywhere into the street many in the midst of the descending people (cutting one of them) and their helpers. He knew what I did not know then, that there was a woman still in the room below suffocating or burning and he was making a vain attempt to pierce the roof with his hands and aid her. Mr. Parks made him come away. We in the street could see that what he was doing was useless and out of the question. All this took no more than a minute or two from the time I got there.
Meanwhile the poor groaning man at our feet was to be attended to. He still wanted saving and providence and the Doctor alone could help him. Going to the station for a stretcher showed the force there was in great numbers. The fire escape was being got out – no fault of theirs that the marvellous rapidity of the affair rendered it useless, but when we got across the road again with the stretcher the police had got the cart, hose, and hydrants and where about to play on the burning property. Alas! They could not save the life that had been burnt away in that “nebuchadnezzar’s furnace.”
Helpers were now numerous Mr. Henry Harris, Mr. John Judge, and Mr. Edwin Bolton assisted us in putting the young man on a stretcher, and he was then taken to the hospital. How had he received such an awful gash on his head? – A hole into which you might get two fingers. By jumping, or falling off the house instead of coming down the ladder, which saved the others, some old and very infirm, and for his rashness or want of nerve would have saved him-young-athletic-and hearty.
Mr. Parks says that he begged him to stop but he jumped and came on his head. Mr. Parks having to drag him from the falling tiles. No human organisation could have prevented a catastrophe. The fire brigade was on the spot with no loss of time water was in the mains immediately, everything was satisfactory to me as a witness I took no account of the time but it seemed well managed.
Our excellent Mayor arrived at the very first and by his encouragement stimulated all.
The fire was fierce the contiguous property old and inflammable. The Mayor and surveyor took at once the wise plan of letting the house on fire burn out, and devoted all their strength to cut it off and save the surrounding houses. The Mayor made two visits during the night to the hospital to see how the sufferer’s where; as Dr. Gill explained to us all at three o’clock the case of the man with the crushed head was utterly hopeless. At four o’clock we went again and while we were there the poor fellow breathed his last having been insensible from the first. An excellent institution is the Dover Hospital. The man was poor, unknown, and friendless but if he had been the son of the Duke no one could have done more for him.
The Inquest.
On Monday afternoon the Borough Coroner W. H. Payne Esq. held an inquest at the Flying Horse Inn, King Street on the bodies of the poor unfortunate man and woman who met their death at the fire. Mr. Samuel Jacob’s, Mr. George Wells, Mr. Thomas Sewell, Mr. William Overden, Mr. John Rowe Adams, Mr. Edward Worger, Mr. Alfred Browning, Mr. Alfred Lipsham, Mr. Joseph Palfrey, Mr. Edward James Bourner, Mr. Henry Smith, Mr. John Stokes and Mr. James Ball of whom Mr. Alfred Brown was chosen foreman.
The two bodies, one lying at the hospital and the other at the Dead House, having been viewed the Coroner took the following positions.
George Matson landlord of the Lord Nelson deposed; the deceased Eliza Clough was a servant at my house and the deceased man (unknown) was a lodger. I think he had been staying at my house about four days before the fire took place. I retired to bed last night between five and ten minutes to twelve having closed the house, all the other people in the house went to bed at the same time. There were I think about a dozen lodger’s altogether. It is my custom to go round every night before going to bed to see if the lights are out, I did not go last night. I heard an alarm of fire about twenty minutes to one. A young person in the house sung out that she thought something was the matter and then shouted “fire” I jumped up immediately and on opening my bedroom door I found that the house was on fire. My bedroom is situated on the first floor at the corner of the house; I immediately alarmed the inmates, as I could not get out of my room, by shouting loudly. The fire was flaming up the stairs to my landing. There were four lodgers sleeping on the same floor as I. The deceased Eliza Clough slept above me at the top of all in the garret.
By Mr. Sewell; the partition of the floor underneath seemed to be alight. Witness continuing; There were six or seven sleeping above the floor on which I slept. The deceased Eliza Clough was very deaf. Two lodgers came into my room I assisted them out of the window. Those two came out of the room on the same floor. I jumped down into the street as I did also as the two men who got out before me. The flames prevented any one from either going up above or coming down to my bedroom. The flames appeared to me to proceed from the kitchen. The house contained a good deal of woodwork that was very old. There was no one down below when I went to bed. The lodgers generally stirred all the fire out of the grate and lay down wood in its place ready to light the fire in the morning. I do not know whether there was any wood left in the grate last night. There was no escape of gas in my house that I was aware of. The deceased Eliza Clough was 29 years of age.
By Mr. Sewell; I believe the gas was turned off at the meter last night. The witness continuing; to the best of my belief I turned it off last night. I did not see the deceased man jump off the top of the house. There were a number of people collected outside the house when I got out. Mr. Parks was there and he told us particularly not to jump but we were obliged to do so, as the fire was so close to us. I injured myself by jumping out. The windows all faced the front of the house. I believe the ladder was brought about four minutes after I got out. The ladder almost reached to the top of the gutter of my house, I saw two people come down from the roof by ladder. The deceased man had jumped out before I got out I found him lying down on the stones. He must have jumped from the roof I don’t think it could have been more than twenty minutes from the time I first heard the alarm that the roof of the house fell in. The deceased man I think had been working for Mr. Stiff making the new Hythe and Sandwich railroad. I think his age was twenty-five years.
By Mr. Worger; I do not generally ask my lodgers their names.
By Mr. Sewell; I do not quite know how many lodgers I had in my house- eleven or twelve.
By the Foreman; Mr. J. Parks did a very good service in rescuing lodgers from the house and endeavouring to extinguish the fire.
John Rose deposed;
I am a labourer and lodged at the Lord Nelson public house. I had been lodging at the Lord Nelson public house. I had been lodging there little more than a fortnight – when the fire took place. The deceased man was lodging at the Lord Nelson and slept in the same room with me. We slept in a room at the top of the house. At about half past twelve last night I heard some shouting of “fire” in the house. The deceased and I tried to break the windows to get out.
We subsequently broke the window altogether. I got out on the sill and broke away some tiles. While I was holding the rafters he got hold of my feet. He was hanging over the side of the house. He asked me to pull him up but I could not do so. The flames reached him there and he was obliged to leave go and fell down into the street. The fire had reached the room from whence we had escaped when the deceased let go of my feet.
I do not know how the other people escaped from the roof.
There were seven up there altogether, Mr. Parks brought a ladder for some of us to get down or we must have been burnt. The fire engine was not brought until we all got of the roof. I retired to bed last night at ten minutes to ten.
By Mr. Lipcombe; the water was not playing on the house when we got down from the roof.
Witness continuing; It was almost a quarter of an hour after we were all down before the fire engine was brought.
Police Sergeant James Johnson deposed;
I attended the fire at the Lord Nelson at about a quarter to three. I made search by direction of the police superintendent and the Mayor for a body that was missing.
Some two or three yards from where I was standing I saw an iron bedstead. Something seemed to be suspended from underneath the bed, I called for assistance and having removed the bed I felt a substance of a burnt mass and it was soft. From the smell, which proceeded from it, I was almost certain it was the body. It had no legs or arms it was almost burnt to a cinder but still flesh was discernible on some parts of the back. I had a stretcher fetched and the body removed on to the Dead House. Dr. Gill was sent for and he examined the body.
In reply to Mr. Sewell this witness could not tell whether the statements of the last witness as to the fire escape not having been brought until all the people except the deceased woman were rescued was true, as he did not arrive at the scene of the fire until it was there. John Beadnell Gill a surgeon residing and practising in Dover deposed; near four o’clock this morning I was called to examine something that had been picked up from the ruins of the Lord Nelson Inn, which had been burnt. I went immediately and saw the remains of a human body lying on a stretcher. I found it to be one female. It was fearfully burnt everywhere and had neither arms nor legs on it.
Clement Walker a surgeon residing in Dover deposed.
I was called about a quarter to two this morning to go to the hospital to see a man who was said to have fallen off the roof of a house. I attended immediately and found a man lying there whom on examination I found to be very seriously injured. He had a cut right eye and a very large scalp wound with a fracture of the skull. He was quite insensible and he remained in that condition right up to his death, which took, place about four o’clock. I remained with him till past three. The injuries he received were quite sufficient to cause his death.
John Henry Parks deposed;
I was coming along Bench Street this morning about ten minutes to one when I smelt fire. I was looking about to see where it could be when I heard a smash of glass down St. James Lane and someone shouting “fire.” I ran to the corner of Queen Street and gave the alarm to a constable at the station house. I then went down the lane and saw the Lord Nelson on fire. The door was wide open there was a girl belonging to the house standing outside and someone inside threw me out a cash box which I handed to the girl.
I ran to Mr. Middleton the painter opposite and knocked on his door. A policeman came down St. James Lane and I told him to get the fire brigade. Mr. Middleton came down in his nightdress and gave me the key to the shop. I immediately went and got the ladder and while I was getting it someone had jumped out of one of the windows. I saw Mr. Matson, his housekeeper and another woman just rising from the ground.
I looked up to the roof and saw a number of people standing there. The house by this time appeared to be all in flames. I placed the ladder I had fetched up to the roof and one man came down first. I heard a noise at the time and on looking round saw the deceased man lying on the ground. Another man came and assisted me to raise the ladder up to the roof, as it did not quite touch the spot where the other people were. The people then came down and as the last man was stepping on the ground the fire escape reached the top of the lane. All the people except the deceased.
Eliza Clough was then out of the house. The fire brigade came about five minutes after I told the constable to see about it.
The fire brigade arrived at the spot at the same time. The water was on before the engine was ready and the hose began playing in about ten minutes after the arrival of the engine but the house was then a complete wreck. I first saw the fire issuing from the lower room at the back of the house. The staircase leading upstairs was also alight.
The Coroner then summed up and the foreman of the jury said that before they could give there verdict he should like to know if there was not more primary evidence that could be brought before them. Superintendent Sanders said that the niece of the housekeeper who had given the alarm was present and could if desired be put under examination. The jury all seemed to think it necessary that this witness should be heard so the Coroner there upon called her.
Eliza Sedgewick deposed;
I am the niece of the housekeeper that was at the Lord Nelson. I was staying there when the fire took place. I was sitting in my room that is in the front of the house on the second storey plaiting up my hair at about half past twelve when I heard a cracking noise. I called to Mr. Matson and when he opened the door and saw the fire that procured from the taproom.
The staircase was not on fire then. I ran down the stairs and came out into the street by the front door. I afterwards saw my aunt and Mr. Matson get out of the window. My aunt and I went to bed last night about twenty minutes past twelve. We had been out during the whole of the previous evening and when we got home we went straight to bed. We did not smell any fire when we first went home. The house was not closed then.
By Mr. Ovenden;
Mr. Matson was upstairs when we got home last evening but he came down and let us in and then fastened the door after us.
By the Foreman;
I know it is the custom of Mr. Matson to go round every evening before going to bed to see that all is safe.
After hearing this evidence the jury returned a verdict to the following effect. That the deceased Eliza Glover was accidentally burnt to death and that the deceased man (unknown) died from injuries received from his falling accidentally from the roof of the burning house.
The Coroner said that in the course of the evidence brought before them by the police the Jury could not have failed to notice the valuable services rendered by Mr. Joseph Thomas Parks son of their respected townsman Mr. G. T. Parks in the saving of life and property.
He (the coroner) thought his conduct was most gallant and praiseworthy. Had it not been for his prompt exertions in fetching a ladder to enable the unfortunate inmates to escape the results might have been far more shocking than they were.
He thought everyone in the room would concur with him when he said that Mr. Parks had acted in a truly manly and courageous manner. (Hear hear) He thought it only a duty to the public and himself that he should thank him for the prompt efficient and kind exertions he had used at the scene of the fire. (Hear hear)
The proceedings before the Coroner then terminated.
The following is the official report presented by the superintendent of the fire brigade at the meeting of the Local Board yesterday.
Dover Fire Brigade. Chief Office June 27th 1872.
Gentlemen, I beg to report that at 12. 30 a.m. the 24th inst. Police Sergeant Barton reported that a fire had broken out in the “Lord Nelson” public house St. James Lane occupied by Mr. George Matson. The brigade immediately conveyed the fire escape and apparatus to the spot where the house was found to be in flames from the top to the bottom. The engine was then sent for a good supply of water was instantly procured from the Waterworks and the hose of the fire apparatus was got to work in about ten minutes. On the arrival of the brigade Mr. Joseph Parks had with the assistance of a man named Read rescued seven persons from the roof of the building by means of a ladder obtained from Mr. Middleton, painter, St. James Lane.
A man name unknown fell from the roof while endeavouring to escape from the burning building. He was very severely injured about the head and was conveyed to the Hospital where he died at 4 a.m. A woman named Eliza Clough servant to Mr. Matson was unable to make her escape and perished in the flames. Her remains were recovered about 3 a.m. and conveyed to the Dead House. An inquest was held on the bodies at the “Flying Horse” Inn at 3 p.m. the same day when a verdict of “accidental death” was returned.
Great assistance was rendered by Messrs Fagg and William’s (superintendents) and the crews from the Coastguard Stations at the casements and townsend. Also by a large number of gentlemen present amongst who were his Worship the Mayor the Deputy Mayor, Mr. Alderman Claris, Mr. Councillor Wilson, Mr. Ayers, Mr. Parks and a gentleman named Hill owner of a yacht lying in the harbour. The fire was extinguished about 3 a.m. The hydrants were brought into requisition, one in St. James Street from which water was thrown on the front of the building and the other in Fishmonger’s Lane, from which water was thrown on the rear. The engine was placed by the brook in front of Mr. Leney’s brewery by means of which quantity of water was thrown on the building from Flying Horse Lane and also on to the stables of the Flying Horse and the other buildings at the rear of the burning premises. Origin of the fire unknown.
Brigade in attendance Superintendent and 13 firemen.
Damage.
The Lord Nelson entirely destroyed. Building insured in the Kentish Fire Office, stock and furniture in the Phoenix Fire Office.
House adjoining occupied by Mr. White in Flying Horse Lane entirely destroyed. Building insured in the Kentish Fire Office. Furniture and stock not insured.
House belonging to Mr Scott, Dyer of Snargate Street adjoining the Lord Nelson in St. James Lane. Roof and back portion of premises very much damaged by fire and water. Insured in the Union Fire Office. Stables and coach house occupied by Mr. H. E. Pankhurst, fly proprietor, slightly damaged by fire and roof injured by falling wall, which was removed for the safety of the public. The premises remain in charge of the brigade. I am gentlemen your obedient servant. T. O. Sanders. December 1872.
The Local Board of Health.
The Mayor said he was sorry to find that there was a current report in the town that there was some delay in the arrival of the fire engine and in the supply of water. He did not know how this report originated, but everyone present at the fire would give it the most unqualified denial. He had been present at many fires but he had never observed greater efficiency or promptitude on the part of the officials and it was justly remarked at the time if Mr. Sanders had had a weeks notice his arrangements could have not been more complete. (Hear hear.)
