On the 10th March 1888, late on the Saturday night a fire was discovered in the smallpox hospital, it is supposed to have been the work of an incendiary. The nurse Miss Briggs was startled by hearing the sound of glass breaking in one of the apartments about half past eleven in the evening. She concluded that someone had forced an entrance to the premises. She immediately called the caretaker, Mr. John Bridge, who on making an investigation, found that the beds and mattresses in the women’s (south) ward were in flames. The alarm was raised at once and with the assistance of three of the patients who were convalescing named Shentall, Bunting and Baker helped extinguish the flames. The cost of the damage to the beds was about £5 they were quite new and were almost totally destroyed.
Mr. J. W. Barham, the police inspector, stated that on examining the premises he found that one of the windows had been broken, apparently from the outside. There was no trace of footsteps, and, as far as he could ascertain nobody had been seen about the premises. The danger the inmates were in caused them first to think of their own safety, therefore they did not look outside. The caretaker was on the ward about 10 p.m. to see to the gas mattles and everything seemed quite safe. The water to the hospital was not plentiful and this had led to a delay in putting the fire out. The building had been insured in the Northern Office. The Corporation issued a notice of a £5 reward to any person giving such information that would lead to the apprehension and conviction of the offender.
It is unclear if anyone was later charged with the attempted arson.
© Neil and Janet Croft 2005