Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1831-06-07

ing on bo,h sides as far eastwardly as a few door
below Liberty Point, including the store Of Mr.. VIM.
Mcintyre, situate on the opposite point formed by the
junction Of Person street aud Cool Spring Alley, ex.
tending back moth wardly as far as the edge OF the creek,
the Presbyterian church, Ca hoiie Chapel
aid all the other buildings with The exception Of the
ling house, mill. and warehouses Of NJ. Jas. n
ii op-', all II which were saved with much exer,ion)
inc udins tie luitinss on both ,idss OF Bow stree.
Atng Gillespie sreet. the flames extended as lar a. !
he ) A- Bslk building, on he righ, hand side. which
being n-a,iy hre PROT, enabled the ci izsns to contend
successfully wih he flames at that point, and TO cav.
bat ~hn'lti,g. On The eastern side OF the sree', ,h-y
q, strvyed every bu ldipg 10 a p 1T opposite the State
Bank buildi x, and extending eastws'dly 80 as to in
eIuie all bu, three of The tu Idings on DIX 'teeet be-
tween Person and Mumford streets.
Ii is impossible 10 fern any cor, eel estimate Of the
eu' ire loss in real e,tate. There ~prossbly is no Instance
in his'o y OF 80 large a or, on ct a town b-ing con.
suiDed, wh.rc " was not The result OF voluntary humsn
agsney. The fire cnn'inu.d TO rage viii unaba'rd
fury until abou, SIX o'cIo' K, " hen. by the blowing Up
OF bous-s. and the o'h-r means vsus ! on such occa ions
It wa, sudcsBiy-deprived OF food for its ray ing arpe tie
The public buildings DESTROYED were, the Town
House, the Cape Fear b INK, The Catholic Chapel, hr
Presbyterian and Z ,iscopai Churches. an Acaie ny, A..
lafayette and NJ ,nsicn Hste,s. The building 10 which
he U 5 ates Bank did business, and he office of IN,
Agency OF The : ate Bank, wers aIso destroyed, bu a
they were merely rented for IN 1t purpose, hey are no
put down as public buildings. The D i,a'e b,iidi z
destroyed, in number abou, SIX HUNDRED, wouid
require a long caiaiosus 20 -numsra'e pa, ticu'sr'y.
But, besides the buildings, immense quantities Of
BOOKS, valuable papers, money, household fur ni,ure.
goods, wares, merchandise and produce, were Destroyed.
Where the lire hrst broke out, persons near the scene
would remove such things 10 what were then sunposeJ
places OF safety ; but, by the time they would get them
fairly deposited, they would dis over the flames in hot
pursuit OF them, and would be driven to farther efforts
for the security of their v~aluables, until driven from
place 10 place, and completely worn down with their
exeruons, they would at last be compelled 10 abandon
them to The power OF the merciless fames-a very
small portion oil any OF these articles was saved. The
amount destroyed ii is difficult 10 estimate. We cannot,
undertake 10 oiier a correct listot the houses or even
point out the principal sufferers. 1t would be infinitely
more easy, TO make a catalogue OF those OF our citizens who
have not suffered. Language is entirely Inadequate 10
the description Of the sublime and awful scene of Sur.
day, or to convey an adequate idea of the appearance OF
ruin and drso'atiol which our town now presents If
pity was wrung from the iron heart of the stern Ma
rius, a disinterested foreigner, amid the ruins of Car
thsge, what must be the feelings of every warm-hear,.
ed citizen OF the United States, and especi, lv nj our
own State, when he shall look upon the meiancbolv
wreck OF our late fourishing village. But il is bv de-.
scendiDg TO an inquiry into individual losses and dis
resses' mat our true condition can be best understood.
Many who, on the morning of that day, were In The full
enjoyment OF all the ordinary blessings of life, have
now nothing left TO them but the single suit of clothes
which they then wore, not a morsel IN store, either of
bread or OF meat, TO meet the common demands of ma.
ture-destitute even OF the shelter of the rudes howell.
from the inclem ency Of the climate. Nor il this STATE
oil privaton confined TO man, in the full enioyms mt of
his natural strength and Independence, but includes all
conditions OF life,--the widowed mother bending be-
meath the weight of years and surrounded by her fam.
ishing babes,-the helpless and unprotected female =
wv SNN wv '"iic, a" tHc dGeu. MANY who were in
a state OF prosperity. now find themselves entirely de
nuded OF property, and burdened with tebts o! immense
magnitude. But we forbear.
Furnished with the foregoing outline, Imagination
can, from Its own resources, fill out this picture OF
Indebtedness, with more truth than by adopting the
cold suggestions oil any recital. 1t seems that those
VINO were pest aoie 10 lose, were most successful in sa-
wing. The Banks were all so fortunate as to secure the
whole oil the r money, books, and valuable papers.
a,though 'heir losses must be great in the destruction
oil real estate, an the entire and part al prostra,ion of O
| manX of their dehtnra II ia n IL
that some money and many valuable papers, left in The
vaults OF the two Banks. were taken out alter the fire
uninjured.
Ii is due TO all the citizens to say, that their exer,ions
were unremiting while their strength lasted, wberever
there was a prospect Of eiiecting any thing, and al.
though many were ready TO faint under their labors,
and some were partially burnt, il is a great deviation
TO our sorrows TO be able TO say that no lives were
lost.
The slaves and other colored population, deserve
! great credit tor their conduct on that evep,fnI Jay ,haro
was nothing like riot or disorder among them. int ,bay
all seemed to work with a zeal and intrepidity which
manifested a hearty sympathy in the common cause
and that devotion 10 the interests OF their masters, g re-.
markable in the African character. before a s;ckIy and
false humanity had instiIied into his bosom the roison
o. u,,coh'eh' ana aiienated his feelings from those whom
God hath appointed him to serve. Acts ot bero;sm and
disinterestedness were done by them on that dav vh;oh
may De proper on some future occasion more particular.
ly TO mention.
Many oil our fellow-ci'izens from the country, at.
tracted by the smoke and fragments of burning na,eri
ais, (some oil which il is said were borne TO the distanc
Of twenty-six miles) came in during the nrooreSs =
the hre, and rendered us real, hearty and useful aid.
but a variety oil causes combined to render all their Of
forts Tor a long time unavailing, and the last remnan, y
streng II and resolution was nearly expended before ,bo
enemy was subdued.
The day on which it occurred was unpropi;ious The
cit Zens had just returned TO their bon.es I nm ,bs;,
several places oi worship, in that s'a,e of mental calm
and eomposure, which The day and thai late emrIov.
ment were 80 well calculated 10 insnir.. a, 4 ,I ~,
however p%ropi'iOus 10 The at'ainm-n nj OF spir,uai
strength, Is peth Fps not he mosi favorsbIe state nj i.si.
iag LOT Suuuehiy s"d unexpectedly eng .g'ng in any
temporal sliife or Labor. Be Hdes his. benz n, ,hsi
private residences instead Of their places of bnsins,,
hey were further removed from The scene Of sc,ion
and me enemy mad gained much streig b befre itey
could bring themselves in conhic, with il. Csn,, av n
all expectation, the supply Of wa err was found IN he !,
sufficieat from thu water works, probably owing 10 IN.
lmproviIen,ly taking out soms e the ucpst pIuys ard
hus In a rneasure cutting IL O the nre..u,.
oil The n e, the sudden eonfus on, ard The anxious sol
cluuue oil eaen one 10 save he own property, i, was no,
'ound practicable to form a continued line of commu.
nicstion with the creek, and indeed the eDgi,es ,b,n.
selves, so far even az by were suppli, ID ii n Ca,
refused TO periotm their functions.
The great heat OF The weather was also VERY un,yo-
rable, the suns rays had heated he roofs Of tn. h .".s.
aimo't to inflammation, aud rendered n EN- II, In n
igniled by The ENABLES, sperk; added TO Thu. wa, lie r.
isxIng and oppressive effect upon those engaged IN an.
deaVering 10 e~xtinguish he fire and thus diminish, r.
their ability nesriy en,-half A very large propor,ioS
OF uo'e who were engaged in this service were tbos.
who had already been worn down with ,xet,io,s -
save their own chaitvls. But OF all the uni, yo ,bI, ri,
cums'ances, none contrib u'ed IN sreeIy 10 the ,pread
oil ihs hfe as the absence OF any W nd Of gu fl .i.tt to,cs
10 impet the II stnes in airy ons certain cours. wbi.h
wouli have c1ncen'ra,ed the exsr:ivnsof IN. eli z,n,
TO Que po.nt, and prevented the 6,e f. om snteaJn, 4.
other directions. "
We have thus laid before our readers a very imn.r.
,ect account oil THIS awful catastrophe. Many parlicu.
lars doubtless have not yet reached us, and i'm the nre.
sent excited state of feeling, II il difficult IN fr,,s, 80.