Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1815-07-22

busy multitude would issue, as bees from
hive, in the pursuit of their various avo-
cations upon which their proud lords
woutd gaze, and triumphantly boast their
solid and substantial notwithstanding the
clements, in their worst fury, TO deprive
them Of ? Alas The curlingsmoke, which
watts their destruction to the Heavens
the tumbling walls, the heaps of ashes---the
groups OF miserable beings, houseless and
wretched, tell where they ONCE have stood
IA melancholy wreck I
Let those feelings be excuscd--they
spring from the heart We, too, have
had our share of calamity-we too have
known what it was to be thrown upon the
charity of our friends, without home to
shelter us Yet our portion was but ii
drop in the vast ocean OF sorrow, whose
troubled wares overwhelm and destroy
the fondest hopes, arfl blight the fairest
prospect, OF our friends and lellow-towns
men.
Last Ssnday night, about half past nine
O'Clock, the cry of fire was heard in our
Streets volume Of dame having burst
through the roof of an old wooden build
Ing, in 4 cluster of lumber-houses, kitch-
ems, stables, &c. of the same materials, be-
tween Bollin3bro0k and Back Streets
communicating instantly, the fire rose to
an awful height, and spread with the ra-
pidity of lighting. simultaneously pend
ing It's destructive fury north, east and
west, the whole of BOllinsbrook and the
north side of Back street were entirely
consumed, from the inter. actiou of Syca-
more to the lane below DIR. DAVID Ro
BEnTsoN's, which crosses from Boiling
brook To Back street and from thence 70
the late residence of Mrs. Many BoLL-
ING. Having reached the head of Boiling
brook, 1T was hoped that the blowing up of
both the cornerhouses would impede its
progress. T'Tfs was most efectualy done ::
but so far from smotlicfing, it seemed to
aggravate the fury ofthe potent element.
Rising with renewed yisor, in spite of eve
ry effort, the corner of the row OF build
ings on. the west side of Sycamore and
fronting the head of Hollngbrook street.
one OF which was occupied as the Office of
the PETERSBURG INTELLIGENcER. was
soon in blaze. The new and elegant
building of MIR. FRANc1s LYNCH next
caught, and in few minutes the Whale Of
the commercial part of Sycamore Street
from Bark TO Oldstreet, presented one SD
Id mass OF fire Every effort was now
made to preye..t its taking hold on Old
street. The two corner houses, on oDpo-
site sides, at the foot of Sycamore, were
blown up, and their fragments levelled
with the earth. But all would not do
seiZing north and south at the same time.
the flame ran parallel as far as the new
brick building of Mr.. JoHN 3. READ Oh
the south side, and the wooden tencmen'
exactly opposite, in the occupancy of Mr.
+. SIMPSON. Here, with unparalleled exer-
ton, it was at length got under; having
ragged with destructive fury nearly nine
hours and half. About FIVE HUN
DRIED HOUSES, principally stores and
shops, are calculated to have been destroy
ed-among them the Market-House and
Theatre. The loss olproperty estima,-
ed at THREE MILLIONS Of DOL
LARS
Many lives were lost; their bones are to
be seen among the ruins, but it is not
known who the sufferers were. Three
persons are said to have been blown up in
the explosion at the foot Of Sycamore, one
of them young man by the name of My
FRS, late in the employment of Mr.. THo-
MAS WALLACE, 4; two or three Children.
were burnt to death in the lower part of
Bollingbrook, and the bleach-burnt bones
oil one unfortunate victim were to be seen
at the back door of the tenement lately oc-
cuPied as our office. Many more have
doubtless perished-for it was with the NJ
most difficulty that great number of the
citizens, animated by a noble zeal to save
the property OF their iriendsand neighbors,
could be restrained from entering the hou-
ses even after matches had been fixed to
blow them to atoms.
The citizens generally manifested a
disposition TO save the town But all was
confusion and dismay from the commence
ment. No Qpe seemed willing to assume
responsibility, or to take leading part
1t was the opinion Of many, THAT if one or
two houses on either side of the building
which first took fire on Bolingbrook had
been blown up, its ravages would have
spread no further. But, from the impossi.
bllity OF procuring sufficient quantity OF
powder, from any place nearer than the
MAGAZINE, to which messengers were i'm
mediasely dispatched but returned toe
late, this plan was found to be Impractical.
BILE.
Several Engines appeared upon tie
gTound-but they rad as well have beek
suffered to remain i'm their houses. Chnv