The Sun.
London, England, 1842-05-12 00:00:00

DESTRUCTION OF THE
CITY OF HAMBURGH.

FRIGHTFUL LOSS OF LIFE AN
PROPERTY.

HAMZURGII, MAT 6, EIGHT A.M....A great part of this
rich and flourishing town has fallen a prey to a fearful and
widely-spreading fire, which hourly sweeps in volumes through
street upon street, with merciless fury. It burst forth at
about twelve o'clock on Wednesday night, and has so gained
up to this time, aided by high winds, in the midst of misdi-
rected efforts to extinguish it or arrest its progress, that it rages
now with inereasedviolence, over a space so wide that I believe
it will yet require the sacrifice of nearly one half the remainder
of the town to place a sufficient gap to bar its continuance to the
destruction of the whole of this ancient city.
But I will proceed to as detailed an account as it is possible to
give-you at present, in the midst of the confusion, alarm, ex-
citement, and danger of this frightful conflagration—men, wo-
men, and children flying in all directions from the burning
masses which have now driven them, with such of their fur-
niture and property as they have saved from the flames, for
32 beers, from point to point. All yesterday carts and carriages
loaded with persons and things have been proceeding to the
eeoun ry, the more distant and larger streets being also encum-
bered by furniture and bales of goods; this, however, does not
now, Suffice, as these streets are gradually embraced by the vo-
lumes of fire, and now the fields in the neighbourhood of the
town begin to be selected as the only secure deposits. God
only knows when and where this will end. It surpasses hu-
man calculation.
In the midst of the ten thousand reports as to the origin of
this conflagation, I will only. mention to you the fact of its
having commenced in the Deichootrasse, one of the narrowest
streets of the oldest part of the city. The old houses of this
town are nearly as much built of wood as brick, the former of
which is as dry arid inflammable as touchweod, from the effect
of centuries' use. The easterly winds which have chiefly pre-
vailed for the last three weeks and more, with the total absence
of rain, have also been prejudicial, not alone in the general dry-
ness of all materials, but in the actual diminution of the water
in the canals to an unusual degree: It is said that the tire
commenced in a tobacconist's shop, by others in a public-house ;
but be the origin what it may, it quickly spread to the next
house, and from thence, by one o'clock, embraced nearly a
tlezen houses, having penetrated to a square court of large
warehouses, forming a cul-de-sac utterly unapproachable from
the street itself, partly in flames; thus, no efforts to extinguish
these were possible. Mr. Ross's and Mr. Young's warehouses
are named as those which first caught, and were chiefly the
means of spreading the fire beyond. Presently an immense
warehouse, full of spirits, was in flames, these rising far above and
sweeping tar wider in their devastating effect than those of any
establishment then reached. It became by this time (between
three and four o'clock) quite evident that no effort could cir-
cumscribe the fire to its immediate locality, except by the de-
strUction of the neighbouring builtlings yet unscathed.
The Senate had been called together by tha, terrific accounts
brought to its members from every quarter, to take such mea-
surto-as- were, requited for the public safety. It is said that it
ores proposed -to them by many individuals to pull down the
ne.ghbouring houses in the direction of the fire, but that this
was declined as an unnecessary and useless sacrifice of pro-
perty. The fact, however, is certain, that although the whole
the engine department and the entire burgher guard (upwards
of 20,000 men) were ordered for service, the value of such a
force became utterly unavailable towards the necessities of the
emergency, from the petty means, the really ridiculous attempts 1
which were ordered to extin,guish and arrest the fire. Instead
of a wide sweep of houses pulled down in the direction of the
fire, but one or two buildings immediately adjoining those ac-
tually in flames were ordered for destruction. Ere these were
well Unroofed the fire gained with em and beyond, while again
the same system continued, as copious a use of water as
the wretched engines would allow. This went on till about
• three o'clock on Thursday afternoon, giving as a result the de-
struetion of nearly a hundred houses, pretty nearly in one con-
secutive line.
The rapid progress of the flames aas for a time partly ar-
rested here by the interposition of a wider space—the Hoffen-
market, when on a sudden smoke was seen to proceed from the
steeple of the Nicolai Church, upwards of 200 feet high. A
spark had flown upwards, and must have been for some time
smouldering in the capital above one of the columns, about half
way up the steeple. Before many minutes a number of fire-
men were hard at work in attempts to cut out the burning
part,"and to cool the heated timber with water. They several
timet succeeded in extinguishing flame, but the heat from the
burning houses below and around was reflected so intensely
against the roof within the columned basis of the beautiful spire,
that all their efforts proved vain—smoke again became flame.
It is impossible too highly to praise the gallantry of these
men in their persevering and incessant efforts up to the very
last second, in their dangerous position. Upwards of 150 feet
from the ground, exposed to the fall of burning rafters from
withlit the steeple, and to the still greater risk, perhaps, of the
bottom of the tower, on which the whole superstructure rests,
catching fire, and thus rendering their retreat hopeless, did
these brave fellows continue to labour. At length the flame,
circling upwards in beautiful and graceful bend, evidenced,
from its momentarily increasing volume, that even could human
frame (endured to such oppression) bear the heat, that all
labour there was labour in vain. Not ten minutes after these
men had descended, the lower part of the steeple, and the tower
itself proved themselves on fire.
To convey anything like an idea of the magnificent, the
singular, and striking effect of the burning of the tower and
steeple of the Nicolai Church, is beyond possibility. The effect
was the more striking from its admirable build, of some centu-
ries' date, defying the whole power of the flames tearing it
within to find any outlet, except through the columned inter-
stice above. The steeple, which had appeared made of wooden
materials, was soon seen to be sheathed in copper, which be-
startle nearly red-hot for a height of about sixty feet, beneath
it's columned portion, which proved of stone. Presently the
red-hot copper peeled off as the volume of flame, which was
gutting its wooden interior, gained strength. A large red-hot
ball of copper fell from above one of the columns, the fire en-
eirelieg and playing around and up the whole extent, drawn
clearly against the sky for a considerable height; then the
sipper portion, over the encolnmned space, began slightly to
wave, majestically inclining from the perpendicular, till its
descending weight hurled it down with impetuous violence
towards the roof of the Church, through which it broke with
a loud crash.
Adjoining the Nicolai Church were several old buildings,
and another part of the town, yet tree from danger, which now
became menaced, and soon actually commenced burning with a
dreadful and astonishing rapidity. The buildings were, if
Iv°ssible' of more inflammable materials than the others, and
•
there was a freer current of air. The loss of property along
this line, which blazed consecutively for nearly a quarter of a
mile, is incalculable. The whole of the buildings, consisting
of large warehouses, were all loaded with merchandise. These
lay on each side of the Catherinen Canal. Let it be borne in
/Mod that the warehousing or bond-system does not exist in
this free city; that on the arrival of an expected cargo, the ship,
or a barge laden with its contents, immediately:proceeds op-
posite the merchant's warehouse, where the goods are dis-
charged, The warehouse of one merchant alone (whose name
I cannot remember at this moment) had British manufac-
tures to the value of 120,0001., which I learn were insured in
London insurance offices.
I may as well mention here that it is supposed the loss of
pttmerty up to this time is so great that the Harnburgh insur-
ance houses cannot meet their liabilities. The Phmnix, Sun,
and Gisibe seem to be the chief English houses concerned. A
great extent of property is, however, uninsured.
But to ceentinue. It now became known that Messrs.
Thompson and leindley, the latter gentleman here from Lon-
don, for the opening of a railway to run eight miles from this,
had been by the Senilte entrusted as engineers, with the direc-
tion of the concentrated means of the towns of Hambnrgh and
Altona, the latter as well as the country having supplied their
engines and every disposable means. it was resolved by these
gentlemen to abandon the whole of that portion of the town in
the direction of the wind to the flames, and to cut off their
contact with the other parts of the town, by the destruction of
a long line of buildings adjoining the part given up. This
plan then was attempted about six in the afternoon, and an-
nounced to the inhabitants by explosion succeeding to explo-
sion, as well as here and there by the sight of hundreds of
workmen unroofing house upon house ; but the wind changed
at about eleven or twelve at night, and from that hour the
town became evidently doomed.
The Senate and the engineers seem equally to have lost
their heads; instead of at once proceeding to pu:l down several
hundreds of houses in the direction of the wind, so as to leave
a clear space beyond the reach of the flames, within a given
period, the whole night has ,been lost in useless waste of time
and labour by confining these operations to a few houses, close
to the burning buildings, which they ordered to be pulled down.
Before this, however, could be effected, the flames reached
them, and stretching beyond were thus rather- facilitated in
their spread. Such has been the system pursued up to this
moment. The fire is now approaching fast to the new Bor-
senhalle, a magnificent exchange, containing also a library of
WOOO volumes, many of which are rare and valuable works.
'Att Englishman this morning, at about five o'clock, went up to
the Senate and informed them that unless they at once made
up their minds to sacrifice several hundred houses, by pulling
them eiown, so as to arrest the flames at a given point, the
whole Of the town within the wind's direction, then towards the
Jungferstieg, would be consumed, as well as the valuable li-
brary. lie was, lam told, informed that Messrs. Lindley and
Thomson were authorised so to do if they thought fit, but no-
thing of the sort had been attempted up to seven o'clock, when
there had reached within 20 houses of the Borsenhalle, which
wilt Thus, I fear, most certainly perish. The Jungferstieg and
the theeetcadjoining it are the handsomest and newest portions
eetheitoswin 'The loss by their destruction, should it be the
result dt the futuity and imbecility which guides present opera-
s iens, will tell most largely in the immense items of loss.
FRIDAY NIGHT. Eleven o'clock.
The 'pubh'e btifOings'destroyed last night were the Town-
Ileuse (Rats ihaus) ana the Old Borsenhalle •' the Bank has
fortunately bo's'n sived,l must say more by the change of wind
thin the skill epeisitiont. The Town-House' was blown up
to aye the [ladle, which adjoins. to it.
I have but a for minutes ere I must close this letter. At ten
eciOck this mornika; the streets towards the Jungferstieg com-
menced burning ; th'e Post-office, the Stadt House, and other
in this portion of the town are burnt to the
ftiblic' bit:Ming 9
and at two o'clock only, did the en-
.
'e'ilnac!o'nsequence of a meeting
.o'f the Senate
'ggririopeourds.
citAtistsozaiodo
at eleven, to consult on the continuance of so frightful a cala-
mity) commenoe.the destruction of buildings some distance off
the fire, so as to meet it in its advance with a clear space. They
had to commence by Strm
it's Hotel, in the Jungferatieg, and
M. Heine's house, the grea-t banker's, adjoining to it. These
were blown up, the whole of the finer portion of the Jungferstieg
being already, up to the. London Hotel, in flames. At three
the London Hotel was burntto the ground.
The wind has again changed ; it has been south-west, east,
north, and it is now agaits east. A new portion of the town
is
in `flames, and is burning ieapidly. I fear this will not cease till
scarce i vestige of what eves once the great,
loorishing city of Hamburgb remains. the free, and
I cannot Conclude without: one word of the people ; their
conduct is 'Most admirable, reiost praiseworthy ; quiet, docile,
andeirderly, but with deep despeir and agony on many a coun-
tenance, • as their whole existence -vanishes before them in flame.
The lastthodays have witnesse d continual departures to the
eountry of carts, carriages, harrows-0 people loaded with furiii-
lure, and • all they could save of their property. The whole
town is now emptying its "population. The fields around liam-
burgh are eoVered with furniture and household ware. Whole
families; old and delicate women, little children, and the sick,
have no cover but the canopy of heaven. They are sleeping
thus in the fields—rain is at length ,some—but now only to add
to their afflictions. There is no jotking now to be had any
where for love or money. •
( A NOTIIRR ACCOUNT. )
On. the sth inst., at one a. ni., aft re broke out in the
Deichstrasse, which continues up to the p-esent moment (the
evening of the 6th) with unabated fury, having. now completed
the destructiew of at-least one quarter, of the' whole town; end
the loos of property. it is thought, may be estimated, at the
least, at ream 2,000,0001. to 2,600,0001, of s British money.
. One ()Mee principal= churches hart fallen, and others are each
moneentexpeeted. All the gunpowder in the-place has been
\F.WS > > / eije,:peoded in Mowing up the different hou sec and
to arrestdPertsofst hretetes
engineer's think may in any way
• mArO progress. o! the-fire. Everythin is at a stela-still ;
everytgaly's attentiotr is engrossed by this -fearful disaster. It
vriPi many a day eret Hamburgh, the ear 'tal of the Hanseatic
Pfdgrnices, rears herself from the ashes an d ruin which cur.
/-It` roittiber.'
Gluckstadt and
avihpovider is anziolisly looked for film