The Penang Fire of JANUARY 1846

PINANG. The Fire (From the Pinang Gazette, Jany. 24.) On Wednesday a little before 1 p.m. a fire broke out in an Attap building situated on a piece of ground in George Town bounded on the east by Pitt Street, on the west by Love Lane, on the north by Stewart's Lane and on the south by Chooliah Road. This spot of ground comprises between four and five orlongs. Previous to the fire it was covered with Native houses made of wood and attaps: these were either united in rows, or only a few feet apart from each other, and the intervening spaces were filled up with growing Cocoanut and Betelnut trees. The Streets and Lanes bounding the ground were lined on each side with houses, many of which - especially in the Lanes - were constructed of the same inflammable materials. There had been no rain for several days; the sun was very powerful; the wind was blowing fresh from the north and every circumstance was in favour of the fire. Very soon after the alarm was given, Mr. Lewis the superintendent of Police, a number of the European Residents, the Police Constables and a body of Police peons with two fire engines were on the spot; Captain Ferrier the Superintendent of Province Wellesley, Captain Macpherson and several Artillerymen from the Fort followed; every exertion was made to check the progress of the fire but for a while to no purpose. The wind was then strong; the stream from the engines - often interrupted from the want of good supply of water and apparently also from some defect in the engines themselves - had no effect whatever in quenching the violence of the flames which spread with great rapidity. House after house was consumed and in less than 20 minutes a mass of buildings occuplying a space of at least 200 yards square were burnt to the ground, and most of the trees were all in flames being rapidly consumed. The fire had then reached Choolia Road, two or three attap shops on the north side of which were already burned, and the fire had spread over to the south side of the street where the attap roof of a shop caught fire. At that instant the wind fortunately changed and blew from the southward, and the burning attp roof was then extinguished by one of the engines, and the progress of the fire was thus stopped in that direction. The wind was however still strong and the flames from the burning trees stretched northward and set fire to the adjoining attap houses. The fire again rages with great fury; the engines were again perfectly useless; there were no hooks or parangs by which houses could be cut and pulled down, and the fire thus spread uncontrouled with fearful strides and force to the sides of Stewart's Lane. The wooden and attap houses on the opposite side of the Lane were then in great danger - behind which is the Protestant Free School - and the Chinese Temple only escaped from having been built of solid masonry. At the critical moment the wind calmed and veered backwards and forwards; Captain Rochfort the commanding officer, and a number of sepoys of the 27th Regiment arrived; Captain Cook of the Schooner Aligator also came with a number of her crew, and fire hooks and parangs were obtained from the Fort. Better order was then maintained; a more plentiful supply of water kept up and the stream from the engines now made some impression upon the fire which was burning with less force. The fire was got under about 3 o'clock, through the exertions of the Seamen and Sepoys, who broke off the communication of combustible articles by cutting and pulling down trees and houses in the direction the fire took; but it was not until 10 o'clock at night that the embers were finally extinguished. It was curious to observe the effect the fire had upon the minds of those present. Af first all was confusion. There was no one to take a general management and direction, and the different Native classes seemed altogether unwilling to afford any assistance. Those who had property at state were busily engaged removing such articles of furniture &c. as they desired to save from destruction; those who had nothing to lose stood and looked on at a distance with apparend indifference; others again stood like statues stupified and confounded. One man in this condition was suddenly awoke from his reverie by observing a palankeen bursting into flames (which might easily have been removed before hand) and striking his breast he exclaimed "Allah! behold, my carriage is on fire." Some were almost frantic from fear of the fire extending, and from danger of thieves gaining an extrance to their houses during the confusion that prevailed; they had parties stationed at their windows, doors and gate ways with drawn swords and spears guarding their property against the latter, and messengers going and returning to report on the progress of the fire. The natural reluctance which those people had to allow strangers and especially convicts to enter their premises occasioned an obstacle to obtaining a good supply of water for the engines. A few there were who came from curiosity alone and expressed admiration of the beautyof the flame running up the slender stems of the Betelnut-trees, and of the splendour of the conflagration. Almost every European Resident was present giving all the aid he personally could and endeavouring by his example and solicitation to induce the native community to assist to extinguish the fire. Some of those deserve the thanks of the public for their unsparing exertions. The Superintendent of Police was on the spot almost immediately the fire took place, and he was observed throughout the whole period exerting himself to the utmost of his power. We must particularly notice the invaluable assistance afforded by the Superintendent of Province Wellesley, the Registrar of the Court of Judicature, Captain Macpherson of the Fort, and Captain Cook of the schooner Alligator. The latter discharged three alarm guns from his vessel, and with a praise worthy humanity, immediately hastened on shore to the site of the fire where he and his crew were very conspicuous in helping to pull down a house by which means the fire was got under. We hope the Assessment department will not allow the services of the crew to be passed over unrewarded. A detachment of the 27th Regiment also arrived from the cantonments and not only joined in the general aid but afforded protection against pillage. The Commander and crew of the Gunboat did essential service in preventing the extension of the fire to a house on the north side of Stewart's Lane of which there ws at one time very great danger. We would fail in our duty if we omitted to mention the great want of implements at command. There were neither water buckets, parangs nor fire hooks available until after the fire had committed great ravages. We would suggest that a complete supply of these be kept in readiness at every Police Tannah within the limits of the Town. The fire engines also were wretched and ought to be replaced by good and efficient ones. Those at present kept for use might afterwards be sold; they would be found very useful to Spice planters for sprinkling water over fruit trees - the only useful purpose they could seerve; assuredly they are utterly useless for the work they are kept for and occasionally put to. It struck us as being an extremely injudicious act to call the convicts from the Lines to assist in putting out the fire. It might easily have been apprehended that the Overseers could exercise little surveillane over them amidst so much confusion, and that the Convicts, as soon as they escaped observation and felt their movements unconctouled, would busy themselves in matters which did not belong to honest men. This is in fact what happened; and it was a long time before the Overseer could collect the banditti who were any where but where they ought to have been. We have heard of several robberies alleged to have been committed by them. They doubtless considered it fine sport and were by no means desirous to put a stop to it. On another occasion we would not callfor convicts unless we were bent on mischief and incendiariam. We are happy to state that the only lives sacrificed were those of a few pigs, goats, dogs, fowls, rats and other vermin. A poor unfortunate rat, was seen running across the roof of a burning house, evidently much surprised and discomposed at the increase of tempreature - he perished in the flames. We believe the number of houses and huts consumed are estimated at about one hundred. The amount of moveable and fixed property destroyed at from six to ten thousand dollars. During yesterday a number of petitions for relief from different of the sufferers were going the usual rounds. In case of imposture, it would be advisable for parties to reserve their assistance until the police have had time to investigate the matter, and a general subscription, under the management of it or of parties appointed for the purpose, is called for to afford assistance where it is really required. The fire ought to be a caution to the local authorities which they should no soon forget. We saw the Resident Councillor there, and, we think, that after having personally witnessed the great extent of property destroyed in so short a period, he must now be fully impressed with the danger of Attap buildings or of Attap roofs within the limits of the Town. He will now bow to the wisdom of his predecessors who in July 1817 made a regulation prohibiting such building in Town; he will feel some qualms of conscience that he and his subordinates should have so long permitted so salutary a regulation to be so negligently observed; and he will blush with shame at the Government itself having for upwards of a year past infringed its own order. The spot of ground on which the fire happened is marked out in the Plan of 1817 as being within the limits of the Town, and therefore all houses built thereon were subject to the Regulation alluded to; yet, it is a fact, there were not three houses, within the square, roofed with tiles, and very many of those lining the streets in the neighbourhood were made of wood and Attaps or of Attaps alone. That the fire did not extend to more important parts of the Town is solely to be attributed to the very providential circumstance of the wind changing at a very critical moment, and of a calm succeeding at another perilous instant. Had it not been for these changes there is no estimating what the destruction might have been both south and north. In the former direction it is not improbable that all what is termed the native Town - comprehending Chulia Road, Acheen street, Malaya street even as far as Soonghy Prangin - would have been lost; this part of the Town consists mostly of wooden shops filled with timber, dammer, oil and all sorts of combustibles, and there would have been much difficulty in saving any portion of it. In a north direction again there is the Protestant Free School which was in some danger, the English Church, the Court house and several houses belonging to and occupied by English Residents. Had the fire extended either south or north we think the proprietors of houses built of proper materials would have hsd a very good claim against the Government or its Official for damage sustained on account of their having permitted, in the face of a regulation to the contrary, combusitble materials to remain in the neighbourhood. The Grand Jury have on two successive Criminal Sessions represented to the Court the great danger of the Attap roof on the government buildings. We do not think the Court on either occasion gave the complaint the attention which the subject required. The Recorder in reply to the first presentation said the circumstance "must, he concluded, be a mere temporary meadure, consequent perhaps on the necessity of a reference to Bengal for the sanction of a more expensive roofing." Now if his supposition was correct which we believe it is, still we hold that was no excuse or reason why a wealthy Government should for a paltry saving to its Treasury be allowed to endanger the lives and property of its subjects even for a short period and far less for months. Would the present local authority be content for the same reason to submit the Government Offices to similar danger from the act of any of the private residents in the vicinity? We venture to say he would not - nor would we blame him, but we weould have him do unto others as he would be done to. Again to the second, the Recorder was understood to reply "the Court could not originate any suit to act to prevent it, but if a case was brought against the Government the court would treat it just in the same manner as if it were one brought against a private individual." Now we think the Court could interfere A formal complaint was made to it. The Recorder admitted the Attap roof to be a buisance and that the Court at Quarter Sessions had the power to order its removal. The Recorder therefore might have and we think should have, issued an order at Quarter Session directed to the person who put the attaps where they are, or directed it to be done, or to the Superintendent of Police, to remove them. It is absurd to speak of indicting the E.I. Company. If such was tried and if they were found guilty what can be done? A Corporation cannot be imprisoned - if fined the Charter directs the Court to pay the fine back to the Government. - We regret to notice that two attempts were made to set fire to certain attap shops in Chulia Street and an attp house in Hutton's Lane night before last, which unfortunately were timely discovered, between 7 and 8 o'c.lock - a large quantity of China joss paper with oiled rags having been found at the extremity of one of the shops situated in the former Street, while a lighted dammer and some dry cocoanut husks were placed against the lower wall or partition of an attap house occupied by a relation of the late Rajah of Queda reported to be possessed of some property. The Chinese new year is approaching, and we caution all the community to be on their guard against those miscreants who are prowling about in every direction to gratify their gambling and other licentious propensities. The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1835-1869), 12 February 1846, Page 2 Tags: #HistoryOfPenang #1846 #12February1846 #PinangGazette #GeorgeTown #ProvinceWellesley #PittStreet #LoveLane #ChooliahRoad #Stewart'sLane Hutton'Lane #FortCornwallis #PenangFreeSchool #Lewis #Ferrier #Rochfort #Cook #Fire #Arson #AttapBuildings #NativeHouses #EastIndiaCompany #EIC