Manchester Courier – Saturday 18 February 1865
That portion of the railway and general printing works of Messrs. McCorquodale and Co., known as the old Legh Arms Hotel, Newton-le-Willows, and close to the Newton Station, was destroyed by fire on Thursday. Fortunately, the fire, though most destructive, did not reach the adjoining building, so well known in past years as the Old Conservative Hall, in which and adjoining is carried on a most extensive printing, binding, and stereotyping business, employing nearly 300 hands.
The fire was discovered at about forty-five minutes past two o’clock on Thursday morning, by a woman who resides in a cottage connected with the works, and she at once alarmed the railway porters, and in a short time the bell at the works and the town and school bells awoke the whole village and brought hundreds of willing hands to the scene. With most praise worthy promptitude the inspector at the station telegraphed on his own account to Warrington, and in less than an hour Superintendent Woods and his men with one engine arrived, and commenced to play upon the fire, which had by that time begun to make way with fearful rapidity. Soon after the Earlestown engine was also at work.
A very few minutes after the alarm was given Colonel McCorquodale, his son, Captain McCorquodale, the managers of the various departments, and the workmen were on the spot, and instant steps were taken to cut off the communication between the two buildings already named. This was effected with considerable difficulty, the gas being turned off as a matter of precaution, by destroying the gangway connecting the two establishments, and barricading the doorways with reams of paper. Happily these effort, and the powerful streams of water from the two engines, enabled the fire to be got under control by six o’clock, although the engines had to continue playing on the smouldering ruins up to noon.
The only machines destroyed are those used in the envelope room, where the fire began, and the ruling machines. The heavy stock of paper filling the other parts of the large building is entirely destroyed, the building gutted, and the walls tottering and ready to fall. The building and stock are insured for £24,000, and the damage will not reach that amount by a considerable sum.
