Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1845-08-02
THE NEW YORK MEHCuANT,
An Incident of the Fire.

Saturday that hls Store III NeW 1urk Was III
danger from the fire, FASTENED TO the scene OF
destruction. On arriving at his store he found
that the fire had already made considerable
progress in his building. lie hesitated but for /
memcnt. and was about to spring up the /
burning stairway when he was seized by two or |
three bvstanderS, and asked if he was mad
man thus to meet certain death so rashly. Hold |
me not back, gentlemen he said, Im not !
mad bu, must and will save my iron chest |
though perish in the attempt. Then with
sudden eTor, he released himself from those,
| who, in kindness would have held him back,
and in moment more he had passed the burn.
| ing staircase, and was next seen running from
room to room despite the blaze and smoke of
the burning building The key OF the safe, il
appears, was not to be found in the usual place,
and disappointed in not being able TO obtain the
contents, he made an effort to remove the safe
! itself: falling in this, he left the building, and
wildly en,rea;ed some otthe bystanders to aid
him. All refused. for destruction seemed Ger
tain. Again did he plunge amidst the destruc-
tive element: lie had scarcely reached the spot
where stood the safe, when two men, who had
witnessed his previous efforts, stood beside him
and vowed they would stick by him to the last.
Il The crowd thinking the men had follow ed for
the purpose of rescuing the desperate man from
his dangerous purpose, shouted "Knock him
down"-.drag him ou,"-"hc'll be killed"
With the assistance of the two men, the safe
wns dragged close TO the hatchway, and the
fall was about to be made fast to lower
ii down, when at the moment the rear Of the
store fell inward. A hugh mass of smoke and
flame assembled on high, and the hois,ing APP
paratu- fell, some part Of the wood work having
: been burned away. \ cry OF horror broke from
the witnesses Of the scene as the three men
were envrlupcd in smoke auG fire and hid from
their view. Presently the two strangers c.
merged from the building, and were greeted
with chrcrs by the crowd The merchant, ii
was thought, vas irrcdeemably lost bnt not so
He had fallen down in a stupor; but quickly
recovering. however he was sccn-whcn the
: smoke consequent upon the falling in Of the
II " rear wall, had cleared somewhat away-by the
chest, striving with all his might to tumble it
: rouud, we're amazed and thought him crazy
u and luvulnc-ablc. The fire was above, below,
and all around him, and how the merchant
y stood there alive and seemingly unhurt, was a
mystery no one could explain. On witnessing
his cxcrtons at the chest, every one held hi'
- brca'h--und save the cracking of the timbcr
aud the distant shouts "t the hrcmcn, not I
: sound or w,pcr could be heard. See Ia
- chest moves and now comes tumbing down tn
- hatchwav, amid the applause Of the crowd.
rolled out OF the door aud fell into the eniranc
, of the basement. The merchant was lost sigh
-. Of for moment, bat soon he stood on the SD
walk, bIackcncd aud burnt with smoke an
flame, and again asked for aid to remove hi
chest from It's then position Inc answer wa
-'cotne ir"m ocnea'h-'he Whoie fo''' Is 'a'
i, ing--you will perish lie excla'mcd--'he
shall II c"rcr me- Tor the safe VIII rescue G
be buried with 1t, aud then again fnshe' ln'
the burning pile. The feelings " those WI
bcheld hIm cannot be described
lie proceeded toa place IN MS ONCE wher
he knew was placed small ha'che'' took
-, clmed 10 the third story with astonishing az
lity and severed The rope ifom the burning dru
~ To which it had been secured, but was not "
"a burnt oil, and down he sprang again. AT tune
he was hid from the eyes OF those assemble
cp outside aud again he would be seen fitting