was Nichols murdered where found?

[Monty]

Hi Lechmere,

Thought this may be of some use.

Which Gas companies supplied Whitechapel/London

THE PRICE OF GAS.- The board of Trade, upon application of the Gaslight and Coke Company, under the provisions of the City of London Gas Act, 1868, for a revision of the scale of illuminating power and price of the gas supplied by the company, have appointed Mr. Francis Savage Reilly, barrister-at-law, Mr. William Odling F.R.S, and Mr. William Pollard Pattison, actuary, to be commissioners for the purposes of such revision. - The Morning Post 13 February 1873

‘In response to a requisition from the Paddington vestry to oppose the Imperial Gas Company demand for increased rates, the board of works has instructed its gas examiner to report on the price and illuminating power of the various kinds of gas supplied to the metropolis’ - The London Standard 20 December 1873

The City of London Gas Act 1868 might be worth a look, there was an attempt to pass another act in 1875 which would have fixed the gas price at 3s 9d per 1000 foot at 16 candle power, which may have been as a result of these types of inquiries above.

-----------

Locations of the Gas Works,

Stanford’s library map of London 1872, shows several gas works that appear to be close enough to supply Buck’s row with gas in regard to the 1873 Map, including ;-

1) East of Kingsland Road and south of the canal, ‘Independent gas works’

2) East of Great Cambridge street and south of the canal, a large ‘Imperial Gas Works’

3) East of Emma street, and south of the canal, another ‘Imperial Gas Works’

4) East of Ben Johnson fields, - a ‘Commercial Gas Works’

5) North of Pear tree street, - a ‘Chartered Gas Works’

----------------

General quality of lights in Whitechapel 1888

An unnamed police inspector claimed -

‘Again and again appeal was made that something should be done for their greater safety, and the general anxiety and sense of insecurity must unquestionably have been greatly intensified by the unsatisfactory lighting of the streets. “When this public-house is shut up,” said the police inspector, “how could I possibly make out anything going on a few yards off.” The Lamps, it may be, are not too far apart, but they are feeble flickering things wholly behind the times.’ - Daily News 6th Oct 1888

Sir Charles Warren -

‘I have to request and call upon your Board, as popular representatives, to do all in your power to dissuade the unfortunate women about Whitechapel from going into lonely places in the dark with any persons, whether acquaintances or strangers. I have to point out that the purlieus about Whitechapel are most imperfectly lighted, and the darkness is an important assistant to crime’ - Charles Warren, 3 October 1888, in reply to a letter from the Clerk for the Board of works, Whitechapel district

Best Wishes

The unnamed Police Inspector was Chief Inspector West.

Monty

[Mr Lucky]

The unnamed Police Inspector was Chief Inspector West.

Monty

Hi Monty

Thanks. The article (street lighting in the East End, page 3, Daily News 6 Oct 1888) does mention Chief Inspector West earlier on and quotes him in answer to a question “that if your division was generally better lighted it would tend materially to render many forms of crime more difficult and the capture of criminals more easy?”

However, the article then states ‘Last night as a small party of inspection moved about the neighbourhood’ shortly after this, the police inspector quote appears, so I assumed it was a member of the inspection party being quoted rather than West.

[Mr Lucky]

THE PRICE OF GAS.- The board of Trade, upon application of the Gaslight and Coke Company, under the provisions of the City of London Gas Act, 1868, for a revision of the scale of illuminating power and price of the gas supplied by the company, have appointed Mr. Francis Savage Reilly, barrister-at-law, Mr. William Odling F.R.S, and Mr. William Pollard Pattison, actuary, to be commissioners for the purposes of such revision. - The Morning Post 13 February 1873

‘In response to a requisition from the Paddington vestry to oppose the Imperial Gas Company demand for increased rates, the board of works has instructed its gas examiner to report on the price and illuminating power of the various kinds of gas supplied to the metropolis’ - The London Standard 20 December 1873

The City of London Gas Act 1868 might be worth a look, there was an attempt to pass another act in 1875 which would have fixed the gas price at 3s 9d per 1000 foot at 16 candle power, which may have been as a result of these types of inquiries above.

The 1868 Act included the power to test the quality of the gas.

‘The gas referees appointed under the City of London Gas Act of last session have issued instructions to be observed by the gas examiners in testing and recording the illuminating power and purity of gas. The jurisdiction of the referees extends not only to the city of London, but also to the entire area of the Chartered Gas Company, whether in or out of the City. The referees are Mr J.S. Peirce, Mr F. J. Evans, and Mr R.G Patterson.

The stations at which the gas is to be tested are as follows:- For the City of London Gaslight and Coke company, at 108, Cannon-street; for the Great Central Ga(sic) Consumers’ Company, at 7 Friendly-place, Bancroft-road, Mile-End; for the Gaslight and Coke Company( the Chartered) at 17 Arundel-street, Haymarket; at 98, Leadenhall-street; and at 43, Gray’s-inn-lane.’ - London standard, 25 December 1868

[Mr Lucky]

This article compares the lighting on Bucks row with Winthrop street, however the Cross and Mann brewery is actually on Bath Street.

This morning, at one o'clock, two reporters commenced a watch in Buck's-row, which terminated at eleven o'clock, and from what they then observed, coupled with the evidence already given, they came to the conclusion that the police are altogether wrong in their assumption that the murder was committed on the spot where the body was found. This seems to be absolutely impossible, for the following reasons. In the first place, Buck's-row is a decently wide thoroughfare, running at right angles from Baker's-row to Brady-street. Buck's-row is in every sense thoroughly respectable, every tenant being an old inhabitant, and of good class. In addition to well-to-do artisans, the row contains a mission hall, the factor of Messrs. Schneider and Sons, and the factories and warehouses of Messrs. Torr, and Browne and Eagle, together with the private residence of the Rev. Henry North Hall, the curate of St. Mary, Whitechapel. There are watchmen at night at these factories, and many of the private residents were awake at the time the deceased was murdered, but none heard any cries for help on Friday morning.
It has been stated that the street is a dark one, but this is altogether wrong, for it is well lighted at all hours of the night by the great lamps outside the brewery of Messrs. Mann and Crossman, in addition to the ordinary street lamps, and it seems inconceivable that such a well-lighted street would be selected for the crime.
WINTHROP STREET.
Winthrop-street, on the other hand, is very narrow and very dark, and tenanted by many of the worst characters in London, and there seems to be no doubt whatever that the murder was committed there, and the body brought round the corner and left a few yards up Buck's-row. The extensive nature of the injuries and the absence of blood in Buck's-row, as proved by the police, also goes to show that the murder was not committed there, and if this be so there was probably a second party cognisant of the murder, if not a participator in it. It may be stated that a thorough search of the houses in Winthrop-street, has not been made by the police yet, and there is good reason to believe that had this been done at the outset a clue to the murder and the actual spot where it took place would have been discovered. - Evening News 7 Sept. 1888

[Monty]

Hi Monty

Thanks. The article (street lighting in the East End, page 3, Daily News 6 Oct 1888) does mention Chief Inspector West earlier on and quotes him in answer to a question “that if your division was generally better lighted it would tend materially to render many forms of crime more difficult and the capture of criminals more easy?”

However, the article then states ‘Last night as a small party of inspection moved about the neighbourhood’ shortly after this, the police inspector quote appears, so I assumed it was a member of the inspection party being quoted rather than West.

Hi Mr Lucky,

The article is actually in the Daily News of the 5th of October 1888, not the 6th.

The relevant passage reads -


STREET LIGHTING IN THE EAST END

"Resolved, that this Board regards with horror and alarm the several atrocious murders recently perpetrated within the district of Whitechapel and its vicinity, and calls upon Sir Charles Warren so to regulate and strengthen the police force in the neighbourhood as to guard against any repetition of such atrocities."

"Go to," adroitly replies Sir Charles Warren. "Look to your lamps. The purlieus about Whitechapel are very imperfectly lighted, and the darkness is an important assistant to crime." There can be no doubt in the mind of anybody who knows the purlieus of Whitechapel that the Commissioner has fairly scored one against the Whitechapel District Board of Works. "You are decidedly of opinion, then," was a question addressed to Chief Inspector West, "that if your division were generally better lighted it would tend materially to render many forms of crime more difficult and the capture of criminals more easy?" "Most certainly," was the ready rejoinder. "Look even at this Commercial street. It has always appeared to me to be very insufficiently lighted - a broad and important thoroughfare like this. It is none too brilliant now. Lying just off it there are some of the lowest of lodging houses, and you can see how easy it must be for rough characters to snatch from the persons passing along and rush off into their dens in the darkness with very little chance of their being identified or followed. But wait until the few shops are closed, and the public house lights are put out, and see then how wretchedly the street is lighted, and what opportunities there are for all sorts of mischief to go on."

Looking up this main thoroughfare it is impossible to deny that there is much force in what the officer says, and turning into the minor streets and lanes in the neighbourhood the opportunities afforded by the murky condition of the streets for the perpetration of crimes of violence are very apparent. Put out the public house lamps at twelve o'clock, and shut up one or two little shops, and you have - for instance, in Fleur de Lys street - a dismal little lane suggestive of almost anything bad. Obscure thoroughfares like Elder street, Quaker street, Blossom street are all of them open to the same criticism, and a very little exploration will convince anybody that that in most of them there are deeper depths of gloom, affording really startling facilities for vice and crime. "Look here, sir," said an anxious and despondent woman to the officer who was looking round one of these murky lanes last evening. "We may all be murdered here any night. This door's open all night long. People may get down in the cellar or out in the back yard, or up the staircases, and none of us can prevent 'em." The house passage widened out into a sort of washhouse, and behind this was a very nasty yard, all in utter darkness. The District Board of Works saw, and reasonably enough of course, that they cannot be held responsible for this. It is the landlord's affair. But as a matter of notorious fact, in all the poorer quarters of London, the landlords do not look to the security of their tenement passages and back yards, and cannot be made to do so. And it is a fact which certainly seems to afford a strong reason why at least the actual streets should be well lighted. In many cases, however, not only is the lighting of the streets very insufficient either for comfort or security, but yards for which the authorities are certainly responsible are entirely neglected. Take as an illustration of this Pope's Head court in Quaker street. It opens from the street by a public passage, and the yard itself is in utter darkness. The lodgers in an adjacent public house have a way to it by a back gate. Seen at any rate by night it has the appearance of a place specially planned for deeds of crime and vice; and the unfortunate people who have to grope their way to their rooms through the dirt and darkness are loud in their complaints. "Been here six years," said a rough looking occupant of a room in the court, "and never had no key, and never had the front door locked. Look at that staircase leading up to that place there - anybody may get up them, and do just what they like. I have begged the landlord to give us a lock on the door, and a key. But not he; he takes no notice of us, and don't care a curse whether we gets murdered or not." The lighting and cleansing at least of this court seem to be the work of the District Board, and the circumstances under which this nasty little retreat was found - quite incidentally in the course of an inspection of the street - certainly suggested the probability that many others of a similar character might have been found by further search in the same neighbourhood. Some of the courts and streets inspected in this poor neighbourhood are very fairly lighted, but every here and there one was found in which apparently the greatest economy of lamp lighting had been practised, in consideration of the fact that the flaring lights of public houses sufficiently supplemented the street lamps up till midnight. After midnight, however, such streets are terribly gloomy. Let any one go down Spital street, for instance, after twelve o'clock at night and say whether throat cutting and "snatching" and general vice are not suggested by the murky darkness of the locality. From there go on to Buxton street and thence into Code street - not only wretchedly lighted, but ankle deep in mud, by the way. These are in the immediate neighbourhood of Hanbury street, which is itself for the most part very poorly lighted. In this street, it will be remembered, it has already been shown that large numbers of the houses are let out tenements, and the street doors and passages are open all night long. The terror of many of the people at the time that murder was found out in one of these houses was intense. Said one woman, "There are unlocked cellars down under these houses, and the yards are all open, and we may any of us be murdered in our beds." Last night as a small party of inspectors moved about the neighbourhood there were abundant indications that this terror had by no means subsided. Again and again appeal was made that something should be done for their greater safety, and the general anxiety and sense of insecurity must unquestionably have been greatly intensified by the unsatisfactory lighting in the streets. "When this public house is shut up, " said the police inspector, "how could I possibly make out anything going on a few yards off." The lamps, it may be, are not too far apart, but they are feeble flickerings wholly behind the times.

Now it must not be supposed that we are singling out the Whitechapel district for especial censure. Much of the evil character of Whitechapel as a region of slums and filth and squalor is purely a matter of tradition. It may have been true of it a generation ago, but it is true no longer, as regards by far the greater part of the district at least. In lighting and cleansing and general management Whitechapel is at least on an equality with localities in the south and north, and even in may parts of the west. But there are 70,000 people here, and among them a police sergeant observed last night that he had in the district assigned to him no less than 6,000 residents in common lodging houses. Of course they will include a serious proportion of the criminal and cadger class, and lighting and patrolling that might be sufficient elsewhere may very well be wholly insufficient among a population like this. Having regard to the character of the population, Sir Charles Warren says unequivocally that the neighbourhood is imperfectly lighted, and that the darkness is an important assistant to crime. The District Board of Works will we understand shortly have the Commissioner's letter under consideration, and the reply they may be expected to make is that they do not increase their lamps for precisely the same reason that Sir Charles Warren does not increase the number of his men. Lamps, like policemen, cost money, and the lighting of Whitechapel cannot be rendered more brilliant without a serious addition to the rates. Roughly speaking, every street lamp represents a hundred pounds capitalised. That is to say, the annual maintenance of a lamp costs about the interest of £100, and altogether the lighting of the entire district costs in round figures £5,000 a year. It is a good round sum no doubt but if it is really true that an increase of light would tend decidedly to the suppression of crime it seems very probable that the addition of even another £5,000 and the doubling of the light would be a good investment. But a good deal less then this would effect a great improvement in the safety and comfort of thousands of people, and very much the same may be said of many other large districts of London. At no very distant date it may be science and public spirit may combine to banish darkness altogether. Science, indeed, is quite ready to undertake the business offhand, and to pour over any section of London such a blaze of light that slums and passages and back yards can no longer give shelter to deeds of darkness. But funds, alas, are not yet forthcoming. As yet we prefer to spend our money in providing plunder for thieves, and in maintaining them when we have caught them in spite of all the difficulties of darkness. No doubt we shall be wiser some day, but an intelligent comprehension of these matters is like the revolution of electric lighting - a matter of slow and gradual progress





To go over Wests words he states that -

"You are decidedly of opinion, then," was a question addressed to Chief Inspector West, "that if your division were generally better lighted it would tend materially to render many forms of crime more difficult and the capture of criminals more easy?" "Most certainly," was the ready rejoinder. "Look even at this Commercial street. It has always appeared to me to be very insufficiently lighted - a broad and important thoroughfare like this. It is none too brilliant now. Lying just off it there are some of the lowest of lodging houses, and you can see how easy it must be for rough characters to snatch from the persons passing along and rush off into their dens in the darkness with very little chance of their being identified or followed. But wait until the few shops are closed, and the public house lights are put out, and see then how wretchedly the street is lighted, and what opportunities there are for all sorts of mischief to go on."

And the Police Inspectors also stated -

"When this public house is shut up, " said the police inspector, "how could I possibly make out anything going on a few yards off." The lamps, it may be, are not too far apart, but they are feeble flickerings wholly behind the times".

Essentially stating the same thing as West, therefore its logical to assume the one in the same were making the same point.

The streets names in this article come under West juresdiction. West also says "Look even at this Commercial street.", an indication he was out in the street (and again looking at the names of Fleur de lys Street and Elder Street, all along with Commercial Street surrounding Commercial Street station) when making this comment.

Finally, The Daily News states it was a small party of Inspectors, not Inspection.

Therefore it is most likely West made these comments in my opinion.


Kind regards,

Monty

[Bridewell]

It has been stated that the street is a dark one, but this is altogether wrong, for it is well lighted at all hours of the night by the great lamps outside the brewery of Messrs. Mann and Crossman, in addition to the ordinary street lamps, and it seems inconceivable that such a well-lighted street would be selected for the crime.

I wonder if a few defective lights had been reinstated in the week since the Nichols murder?

Regards, Bridewell.

[Mr Lucky]

Hi Mr Lucky,

The article is actually in the Daily News of the 5th of October 1888, not the 6th.

Hi Monty

It is in the 5th on Casebook press section, but in the newspaper archive site the article is in the Saturday 6th October edition, I have looked in the Daily News for the 5th but can't find it, just in case it was printed on both days.

I have tried to clip and paste it the article from the 6th, but it's beyond me technically. Perhaps someone else could have a look into this.

Also, in the original paper its definitely 'inspection' not 'inspectors' possibly a substitution copy error in the Casebook version? Again, perhaps some one else could look into this.

Essentially stating the same thing as West, therefore its logical to assume the one in the same were making the same point.

Yes, they are essentially saying the same thing, But West could just be repeating what the inspection party told him. Isn't West a bit high ranking to be personally checking lights in night-time Whitechapel, would he not just delegate some else to do this?

Best Wishes

[Monty]

Ok Mr Lucky, thanks.

It seems the tour was a literal walk around Commercial Police Station, so as I say, its his manor. It also seems Warren and West wished to highlight the poor lighting conditions, a deflection of attention for the Police and who better than a senior ranker within the Division of where the murders had so far occured.

Of course, who said what is moot. The point is,and one which you are correctly highlighting, is that the area was poorly lit at night.

That is something we both agree on.

Monty

[Mr Lucky]

I wonder if a few defective lights had been reinstated in the week since the Nichols murder?

Regards, Bridewell.

If they did, Bucks row was back too being in 'darkness' by the 27th

'A little way down out of the public-house glare, and Buck's-row looks to be a singularly desolate out-of-the region. But there is a piano organ grinding out the "Men of Harlech" over the spot where the murdered woman was found; women and girls are freely coming and going through the darkness' - Daily News 27th Sept. 1888.

Incidently, in case anyone considered carbide lamps as a possible source of illumation it appears that they weren't used untill the 1890's

[Cogidubnus]

Hi Mr Lucky

'A little way down out of the public-house glare, and Buck's-row looks to be a singularly desolate out-of-the region. But there is a piano organ grinding out the "Men of Harlech" over the spot where the murdered woman was found; women and girls are freely coming and going through the darkness' - Daily News 27th Sept. 1888.

So that's the original source! There is a very lengthy quotation from "Littell's Living Age" of 3rd November 1888, which includes this sentence, quoted in Paul Rowland's "The crimes of Jack the Ripper"...I thought it was unusually detailed for an American piece....

Thanks

Dave

[Mr Lucky]

Here's a couple of Press clippings relating to the construction of the railways-

‘SEVERAL EXCITING SCENES occurred on Monday, opposite the London Hospital, owing to the endeavours of Mr. Walker’s navvies, employed for the Metropolitan Railway Company, to break into the works, and the efforts of the District Railway men, employed under Messrs. Aird, to frustrate these attempts. The underground railway system is extended from Aldgate up the Whitechapel-road, communicating with the South-Eastern Railway and through the Thames Tunnel, by a junction with the East London Railway, where it crosses the road near the hospital. The ostensible object of making the entrance into the roadway is to remedy a stoppage in the sewage, but the District Railway Company is under the impression that its rivals wish to make a “bell-mouth” or embouchure from the line, where it turns off to the Thames Tunnel, to continue a line of their own to the main road, through Mile End to Bow. The District Railway have, at the same point(where the joint system authorised by Parliament extends), completed a loop-line, with side-yards and sidings, between the Pavilion Theatre and the Whitechapel East London Company’s Station. As the attempt of the Metropolitan Company was supposed to be to “countermarch” this progress, great excitement prevailed, and many persons watched the conflict of the navvies. Twice a wooden hoarding was erected by Walker’s men, and twice pulled down by Aird’s navvies, over 100 men being engaged in the struggle.’ - The Leeds Times, 16 August 1884

and, with an interesting reference to gas pipes -

‘SUBWAYS FOR LONDON STREETS. - Our remarks of three weeks ago, concerning a general subway for London streets, have been endorsed by a number of our contemporaries, and we are moreover pleased to record that Mr C.H. Brodie took up the question at a meeting of the Architectural Association on Friday evening, as will be seen from our report in this issue. Mr Brodie pointed out that “although the Whitechapel High-street, from Aldgate-station to the London Hospital, has been excavated for a junction between the Metropolitan and East London Railways, no provision of a subway has been made for the reception of the gas and water pipes. Telegraph-wires, &c.; these, as well as sewers, being simply pushed on one side clear of the railway-tunnel.” Mr Brodie remarked that he had not seen the plans, but spoke simply from observation; but he has since the meeting paid a visit to the office of the surveyor to the Whitechapel Board of works, and found that his statement regarding the absence of a subway was perfectly correct. Such an opportunity of forming a subway ought certainly not to have been lost, but is it too late even now to remedy the omission? Sooner or later, as we have said before, a subway of this character will have to be provided in all the principal streets of London, and it would certainly be wise of local authorities to take steps to provide such a subway when it would cost the least to carry out the work, as in the instances referred to by Mr Brodie. - Building and Engineering Times.’ - The Exeter and Plymouth Gazette Daily Telegram, 28 Feb 1884

@Cog, that's a 'Lucky' find!

[Roy Corduroy]

Good morning Mr Lucky,

Which Gas companies supplied Whitechapel/London

Stepney Gasworks furnished the gas which powered the street lamps, businesses and residences in the service area of the murders, including Bucks Row.



It was located on Regents Canal, seen across from Mile End Park.

Happy New Years - Roy

[Mr Lucky]

Stepney Gasworks furnished the gas which powered the street lamps, businesses and residences in the service area of the murders, including Bucks Row.

It was located on Regents Canal, seen across from Mile End Park.

Hi Roy,

Thanks for the information, judging by the bend in the canal it appears to be the same site as this gas works from Stanford's library map of London 1872

4) East of Ben Johnson fields, - a ‘Commercial Gas Works’

Happy New Year

[Mr Lucky]

4) East of Ben Johnson fields, - a ‘Commercial Gas Works’

Ben Johnson fields had become Harford Street by 1878.

Incidently, in case anyone considered carbide lamps as a possible source of illumation it appears that they weren't used untill the 1890's

'Carbide' was actually Calcium Carbide and was manufactured at gas works from Coke and Limestone.

[Cogidubnus]

Glowing well....

Oh dear

We're clearly back with the cat that ate the carbide and had a set a lean kittens...

Sorry but they do say (probably falsely) that the old ones's are the best!

Dave