Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1812-01-04
RICHMOND, Dec. 81.
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persons so cool and selt-coilcctcd as W dc
curately paint any part of the mass OF woes.
which fell In moment upon us. Some
scenes are so fraught with horror, that de-
licate pencil would have to skip them
Besides, time enough has not been had to
bring together an accurate group OF woes.
3 tits painful to touch upon the catastrophe
ofthose who have gone forever. Their ashes
are III the grave--but their memories are en-
tombedsin our hearts.
The Generous and worthy Smith, who but
few days since was crowned with one OF
the highest honors which Virginia can bes-
tow, is snatched from his country, his distract
ed family, his children and his friends! s! 1t
IS not certainly known, whether he hade fect-
ed his escape from the building and rushed
again into the flames to save his child 49,
There is confusion in the story, and per-
haps it is as we'll if IT never were cleared up!
abraham B. Venable, the president of the
Bank of Virginia man who has filled our
public stations with very high gspute; who
has been In the II. of r. and in the Senate
of the u. States during the most interesting
pcriods--hc too is gone! He has lett no
wife or children: but a long tram OF rela-
fives and friends to weep his loss.-Iie was
IN the box with ladies he begged them not
70 be precipitate or impatient; but was at
length driven towards window lii the lobby,
win a crowd Of others. The suffocating
smoke came rolling on. Mr.. V and some
who were with ism were thrown down. Mr..
holland fell towards the window and was saw
ed: Mr., v fell the other way and persisted
In the smoke
\ Many doubtless persisted In the same way.
y The volume of smoke, which could not at
6,st escape through the roof was bent down
wards black, dense, almost saturated with
oilv vapours Many were SsuHecated by it,
rho MIGHT have had strength enough 10 leap
the windows Several we're saved by the
fresh air which they inhaled at the windows
---or even at Granny
Poor Bottsl man of astonishing assiduity
and attainments at the bar, has persisted with
his wife and her neice-he fell perhaps a
v;ct;m TO his hopes. He thought it more
prudent to sit stiIl@with his wife, while the
crowd passed by; but her sister-in-law Mrs
Pace, Welding to the SYMPATHETIC impulse OF
her fears, rushed forward and is saved What
seal .as death set upon his family At
one fell swoop, FIVE helpless children are
converted into Orphans,
How heavily has the hand of death fallen
\, upon the family of the Harvies Poor mourn
ers. deeply indeed have We drunk OF the cup
&c afiiction Within 5 short years We had
numbered among the dead, the venerable
John Harvie, the distinguished Lewis Harvle
the arniable Mrs. McCraw the interesting lit
\ tie boy of DR.. Brokenbrough But by one
blow, the distressed mother, Mrs. Harvie, has
lost her noble and high-souled daughter, Ju-
llama. her excellent son +. J harvle, and that
sweet little girl, Mary Whitlock, her beloved
i Granddaughter Reader, conceive you
can, wha, you never can have feit
Lieut.. James Gibbon, of the United States
NAVY, has gone with the rest Young as he
was. he had tasted of the cup OF aflllctlon.
RE was taken captive in the Philadelphia,
and immured In the prisons OF lripo!i--On
this sfatainght, he and Mr.. John Lynch were
In the same box with Mrs. Gallego, Miss
Conyers, Mr.. Venable and others-when the
alarm was first given, they endeayored to quiz
Of the approximations OF the ladies, bat when
fhe front scene was In flames, they reached
over for Miss Conyers who had sunk notion
less bsiow-they took her over ; they held
her between them, in state OF insensbillty,
her head falling over Mr. Lynch's left arm.
In this manner they proceeded towards the
beSd Of the stairs, when Glbbon said /" Lynch,
leave Sally to me. an strong enough to
carry her she is light and you can save
somebody else" Mr.. L, replied, " God bless
you, Gibbon, there is the stair," and then
turned round to seek some OF the other ladies.
poor Gibbon and MS lovely and interesting
companion, sunk together
We must drop this recltat-We have al
ready stated the deaths OF Mrs Gerardin and
her sweet boy--of Mrs Gibson, whose hus-
bana is perhaps now on his way from Europe;
what blow upon his heart LOT the venera-
bic Mrs. Page; of Mrs. Leslie; ofthe lovely
Nancy Green, the daughter OF Mr. Green,the
~, Ana .r,sahla Mrs Robert Green.