An inquiry into a recent accident was held yesterday. Mr.
Payne, one of the City Coroners, and a Jury, inquired into the cause of the death of four persons killed by the falling of the house in Little Swan Alley. The result of a long investigation showed that the tenants had complained to the landlord of the dangerous state of the house. It was a very old house ; and the cause of its fall was the decay of the ends of the ratters. It ap- pears that unless there be external indications of danger the district sur- veyor has no authority to enter premises and survey them. The verdict was "Accidental death " ; with an earnest recommendation to " the Com- missioners of Sewers that they would authorize a special survey forthwith to be made of all buildings in the City of London that from age or other causes may be supposed to be out of substantial repair."
As the Ocean Home, bound from Rotterdam to New York, and having on board 105 persons, crew and passengers, was proceeding yesterday morning ont of the Channel, the Cherubim, a ship of 2000 tons, from New York to I,ondon, ran into the Ocean Home. She sank in twenty minutes ; and all her living freight, except the master, mate, ten of the crew, and ten passen- gers, were lost. This occurred at two in the morning, and the passengers were nearly all in bed. The captain of the Ocean Home, endeavouring to rouse the passengers, went down with the ship ; but, rising to the surface, he seised a piece of wood and thus was saved.
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