The Sun.
London, England, 1868-03-24 00:00:00

DESTRUCTION OF BARNUM'S MUSEUM B}

FIRE.

At twelve o'clock on the night of Monday last an alarm
of fire was given on Broadway, and in a few minutes it
was evident that Barnum's Museum was on fire and
doomed to destruction. A stiff gale blew from the north--
west, and rapidly fanned the flames into greater volume
and intensity. The steam-engines were quickly on the
ground, and with the speed of magic opened constant
and powerful streams of water upon the building, but
without avail. The flames had gained resistless headway,
and were only to be subdued when they had exhausted
their fury on the unlucky Museum. The beautiful Cir-
cassian Zuleima, who was wrapped in slumber and cotton
sheets, was awakened from her rest, and, blushing a
flaming scarlet to find her boudoir invaded by the hardy
fire 'addles, submitted to be tenderly but hastily wrapped
in a blanket and carried out of the devouring element to
a place of safety. An intrepid police captain wreathed
himself with:agar/and of glory by a gallant attempt to get
away with the Fat -Woman, but failing in the effort, she
was rolled down four flights and across Broadway into
an eating-house opposite. She regards the gallant
guardian of the public safety as her preserver. The
Nova-Scotia Giantess, scorning assistance from ordinary
humanity, thoughtfully scooped up a couple of preserved
alligators under one arm and a stuffed elephant under
the other, as a mark of her respect and esteem for her
manager, Barnum, and majestically emerged from the
fiery furnace into the awe-struck crowd, which fell back
tremblingly but admiringly before her resistless tread
The conduct of the Gorilla, when he found himself threat-
ened with a realization of the future of bad men, was said
by Lieutenant Hill to have been singular, but rational, in
the extreme. The mighty monarch of African forests
hastily seized a small penknife within reach, ripped off his
skin, tore off his tail, and taking a key from his pouch un-
locked a padlock fastening the door of his cage, and fled
silently into Mercer-street, saying it was getting too hot for
comfort. The lieutenant interrogated a number of ladies,
who surveyed the blazing splendour of the scene from
the neighbouring convents and soup-houses, to know if
they had seen a skinned gorilla emerge from the building,
but the question was greeted with derisive laughter. The
roaring of the beasts would have been terrible in the ex-
treme if they had roared, but they wouldn't roar, although
Lieutenant Hill stood, pencil in hand, ready to record each
roar. At the height of the excitement a splendid sensa-
tion was created by the appearance of a frightfully singed
but living wild beast at one of the main-floor windows.
A cry of horror or delight (we couldn't tell which in
the melee) broke from the surging crowd, and the
poor scorched, suffering brute, burnt out of all resem-
blance to his Royal Bengal tiger self, dropped helplessly
to the street beneath. Hero was a chalice —tiger hunt-
ing in Broadway. Forty revolvers flashed in the lurid
air. But it was reserved for Policeman Blank to finish
the King of the Jungle. Holding a long fire-ladder be-
tween himself and the dying tiger, he filled him as full
of holes as a cue-rack. -The tiger was avenged, how-
ever, by the giraffe, who vindictively kicked Officer Hud-
son in the eye as that devoted boy in blue attempted to
secure the ungrateful beast.

Among the singular episodes of the conflagration was the
miraculous escape of the little terrier who resided with
the Happy Family, and was favourably known to all visi-
tors as " Tan," and a large black bear. " Tan" was found
by a fireman on Tuesday, clinging, unharmed, to a ledge
of wood in one of the burnt rooms. How he escaped is
not known. Tho story of the bear is strange and inte-
resting. About five o'clock on Tuesday afternoon the
bear made his appearance at a second-story window, and
seemed to be meditating the chancel of the reception he