The Sun.
London, England, 1853-12-29 00:00:00

GREAT FIRE AT NEW YORK.

On the 10th inst. the most extensive conflagration that
has happened in New York, since the great fire of 1846,
broke out in the premises of Messrs Harper and Brothers
the celebrated American publishers. The accident was
occasioned by a plumber, who was at work in one of
the lower storeys, and who, after lighting his pipe, threw
the burning paper into a vessel of camphine which ho
had mistaken for water. Instantly the place was in flames.
Fed with combustible materials on every side, they soon
raged with volcanic fury. There was scarcely time for the
occupants of the, vast building to escape with their lives.
Out of the 650 employes within its walls, some 400
had not returned from dinner, those who remained
being chiefly the young women employed in the press-
rooms and bindery. Thanks to the daring efforts of the
firemen, whose first efforts were directed to saving life,
these were all rescued from a dreadful fate, though one
of the number was so much injured that she died on the
way to the hospital. Several other persons were more
or less injured. No fewer than 2,000 men, women, and
children have been thrown out of employment by this
catastrophe. The ravages of the fire were not con-
fined to Messrs. Harper's e-tablishment, but extended
to the neighbouring premises. The Walton Hotel, an
extensive edifice, built a hundred years ago by a gentle.
man of that name, but which has of late been an emi-
grants' house, was also completely destroyed.
The following is the estimate of the property of the
Harpers, lost and saved :—Property in the buildings—
The bindery establishment, estimated to be worth about
60,000 dole. ; 34 Adams presses, valued at 75,000 dols. ;
9 hydraulic presses, 15,000 dols. ; materials in the com-
posing room, 15,000 dols. ; the stereotype foundry and
electrotype apparatus, 5,000 dole. ; printed sheets of the
Pictorial Bible, half of which was owned by J. G. Adams,
30,000 dole. ; steam-engine and boiler, 5,000 dole.; stock
of books and printed sheets, estimated in the inventory to
be worth not far from 800,000 dols.; woodcuts, estimated at
50,000 dols.; 10 buildings, wol th probably 150,000 dols.;
stereotype plates, valued at 400,000 dols.; total property,
1,655,000 dols. Property saved—Stereotype plates,
400,000 dols. ; wood-cuts (probably), 40,000 dole. ; books,
papers, and miscellaneous, 10,000 dols. ; total saved,
450,000 dols.—total loss, 1,205,000 dols. On this
amount the insurance does not exceed 250,000 dollars,
distributed among a large number of companies, only
one company, an English one, in Boston, having over
5,000 dols. Ten buildings were occupied by the estab-
lishment of the Harpers, five storeys high, and extend-
ing through the entire block, from Franklin-square to
Cliff-street, five fronting on each side. They were also
all of recent erection.
The New York Daily Times gives the following
sketch of the operations of this enterprising firm : -
" The establishment of the Harpers was founded by
James Harper, the eldest of the four brothers who
now constitute the firm. He came to this city in
1801, a lad 15 years old, and served an apprenticeship
of six years to Paul and Thomas, the leading printers
of that day. His brother John soon followed him, and
learned his trade of Mr. Seymour, a printer, in John-
street. In 1817, with the small capital James had
saved, the brothers opened a small book and job
office in Dover-street. The first book they printed was
" Seneca's Morals ;" the second was an edition of the
" Methodist Catechism." The first book they pub-
lished on their own account was " Locke's Essay on
the Human Understanding." They toiled with unre-
mitting industry, and maintained the highest character
for enterprise and integrity. In 1820, the third brother,
Joseph Wesley, joined them, and six years later Fletcher
became a member of the firm. From that time until now
they have carried on the publishing business with a degree
of well directed energy which has few parallels. They
removed to Cliff-street about 1820, and have added one
building after another to their establishment, as the
demands of their business required. The amount of
books they have issued is almost incalculable. For the
last few years they have published, on an average,
25,000 volumes a minute for ten hours a day ; and from
three to four thousand persons have obtained a livelihood
from their employment."

THE PARSES.—His Royal Highness the Ranger of
Hyde Park has recently caused fresh notices to be
affixed to the various gates of the Park, in lieu of the
former ones, on the subject of the use to which the car-
riage drives and rides are to be appropriated. The ad-
mission of hackney carriages of all kinds is prohibited,
and no laden carts or other vehicles of the kind are to
be allowed to pass through the Park. No horses ridden
by stablemen and others, for the purpose of exercise
only, are to be admitted for that purposr.
THE WINDBOUND. —Easterly and baffling winds have
now prevailed for some time, and it is therefore certain
that a large fleet of homeward-bound vessels must be
detained in the chops of the Channel, unable to make
a port. It, therefore, seems desirable that the Govern-
ment should despatch two or more vessels to their as-
sistance. Many are doubtless in want of provisions and
stores of one kind or another,
LIABILITY OF THE PILOT SERVICE.—IMPORTANT IN-
QUIRY.—An inquiry was held on Tuesday before Joseph
Pollock, Esq., judge of the county court at Liverpool,
at the suit of the Liverpool Dock Trust against Messrs.
Brown, Shipley, and Co., owners or agents of the Collins
line of American steam-vessels, to recover damages for
injuries sustained by the Bell Buoy, situate at the
mouth of the Mersey, which was struck by the steamer
Baltic, while entering that river on the 14th April
last. It appeared that on the morning of the above
date, the vessel was coining in at the rate of 12
knots an hour, in charge of a pilot, who mistook the
lights, and although a proper look-out had been kept,
the buoy was not discovered until too close to avoid
a collision. Several parties connected with the port
were examined for the purpose of showing that the ves-
sel was going too quick, and that the captain should
have interfered with the pilot when he must have known
be was acting wrongfully, For the defence it was urged
that the owners could not be considered responsible, as
the law compelled them to take a pilot, and defined very
clearly the duties of both the pilot and of the captain.
The accident had arisen from a want of judgment on
the part of the pilot, who stated in his affidavit that he
mistook the lights and considered he had passed the
buoy, until he heard the man sing out, when it was too
' late to avert a collision. The speed was not greater
than usual on a clear evening, and the captain stated in
evidence, that during his last voyage lie went at the
same speed, and under the same circumstances. De-
cision was deferred until the 9th of January.