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set on fire. Some have said, that about
ten in the evening they saw several per-
sons who appeared in liquor, coming over
the bridge with a torch, and endeavouring
to get it from him who held it, while he
strove, in play, to defend himself by burn-
ing them, at last threw it over the
boarded fence of the bridge, when the
light disappeared, till the timber below
burst into a flame. On the other hand,
the watchmen on the Customhouse key on
the east side, and at the Steel-yard on the
west, with many others, are said to have
observed about eleven, some lights un-
der the bridge, which appeared in several
places like candles in lanthorns; and that
soon after, the bridge, from one end to the
other, burst into flames: but those who
first saw the progress of the fire, observe,
that it began in one spot, and extended it-
self both ways progressively.
At this disaster the citizens were filled
with consternation, imagining that the
communication between the city and bo-
rough of Southwark would for a long
time be in a great measure cut off; and
every body naturally concluded, that this
dreadful disaster was occasioned by some
vile incendiaries. The Lord Mayor, who
had attended almost the whole time of the
conflagration, and did his utmost to stop
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it, waited in the morning on Mr. Pitt
with the dreadful account; and having
immediately obtained his Majesty's par-
don for any person who would discover
the authors of the calamity, except the
identical perpetrators of it, called a court
of Common Council, who came to the
resolution to offer a reward of 200l. for
discovering the base and villainous incen-
diaries. But though a considerable time
is elapsed, no discovery has yet been
made.
This prudent step being first taken, the
builders of the bridge were asked, how
soon they could possibly render it passable
for carriages; when they promised to
complete it within three weeks, on con-
dition of being allowed to work on Sun-
days, and to employ a sufficient number
of men. This news filled the people
with equal joy and surprize; but this sur-
prize was greatly increased, when they
found that by keeping men constantly at
work day and night, this great work was
completed and the old bridge opened again
in less than a fortnight; and that in this
short time those arches that had been tak-
en down, and the deep cavities in all the
piers lately used for cellars, were covered
over; the piers which had been demo-
lished had stages formed of large beams
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