Litchfield enquirer., 1845-07-31

A chest of drawers thrown from house in Greenwich street, just above Morris, fell upon the he'd he'd ui iuG, crushing his skul' and killing him Warner state explicitly, that there was no gum powder in their store and there is no good reason to doubt their declaration for there is no evidence of any gunpowder having been put m the store al any time. There was large quantity of sal!petre there. The building was strongly enclosed by iron shutters, but before any explosion took place, there were brilliant flames issuing from the crevI- ces, and so filling the air to alarm people on the neiehboring roofs The first motion was the bursting open of one of the iron window shutters, and the pouring out of an unusual smoke, which alarmed the fremen and other m the ne!ghOor- hood. This was soon followed by rumbling ex- plosion within the building which caused the cry of 's gunpowder!" to be raised, and all hands fled up and down the street. One gentleman came out of an adjoining store, and ran half way to Wal-st, perhaps a hundred and fifty steps, before the ex- plosion took place. Some persons report several preliminary explosions. These kind premonitions saved hundreds of lives; for when the grand ex- plosion took place, the stores for two or three numbers each way from Crocker & Warmers were instantly prostraed and the flames passed like the blaze of cannon across the whole breadth of Broad street, and in an instant the buildings on the
  will no doubt, be had, and it will perhaps be found, that the heat had prepared gases and other materials, which, by their own combinations, pro- duced the terrific result. l The efforts yesterday to recover goods from the ruins were quite successful. The Croton was of great efficiency in this york; for it could be appli- ed to any extent without the intervention of en- zines, which in 1885 made the extinguishment l very great A large quantity of goods were re- covered from the cellar of Bearings Halls store, some of them very little damaged.
 The Etna Fire Insurance Company state that
 they had before the fire $200 Ooo capital, and $25,- | GOO surplus, and that their loss will not absorb more than half this aggregate. They continue to do business.
 | The North American Company announces that
 they have $15O,oOO of their capital remaining, and are taking measures to supply the defciency.- | They continue business.
 l The East River Insurance Company count their
 The following Insurance Companies have resolv- ed to wind up They refuse to issue more policies, and ask that all policies now out may be cancel
 led, though they will be able to pay nearly quite all the losses by the late disaster, viz;
 The American Mutual.
 Merchants Fire.
 Guardian. ...
 The rates of premium demanded by offices which go on, are double the rates of last week, and our citizens are rapidly paying the rates.
 INCIDENTS | The sight around the environs of the fire, as we'll as within the space burnt over, was heart sickening The families of at least fifty houses on Broadway, both sides of Greenwich street, on tery Place, had been turned into the street, with their furniture, through dread of their houses be- ing burned over their heads. Broadway, at that part where both sides were burning, is at least. one hundred and fifty feet wide, yet so intense was the heat in the middle of the street, that for a | hundred yards. not even the daring firemen could venture upon the burning pavement.
 | The panic among the merchants on William, Pearl, and the lower part of Exchange Place, on the east side of the confagration, was equally great and we suppose that one hundred stores were emptied of their goods. at prodigious expense and ! lose. which were not reached by the fire. Vast amounts of valuable goods were lost by being del- uged with water. =. | The stench of the city was so great, caused by the burning of spirits, oil, and every combustible natter thai it was offensive to those approaching the city for many miles before they reached the fire | The terror and alarm was so great. that the boarders and many of the females, half-dressed, fled in fright from the Waverly House, the moment that pile of buildings took fire. Many of them sought shelter in the City and Croton Hotels. and other places. All escaped in safety some, how ever, lost their luggage.
  headed off at the very point where stood Nos. 50 and g, occupied at the great fire of 1s35, by MT. Lord, and where that fire also stopped in that direction, by the blowing up, at the time, of those 1 buildings
 The harbor for ten miles below the city was cov- | cred with floating fragments. Several pieces of burnt goods were picked up on Staten Island.
 The utility of iron safes will be more fully than ever tested. Citizens by taking warning in 1895, have much more generally resorted to them for safety than heretofore One of these. in the store the ruins, and the books and papers contained in it were but slightly injured. We hope we shall hear equally favorable results from others. The doors of Livingston & Wells, and Harnden l & Co. were forced open Ouf,cardiy by the explo. sion. The doors of several of the banks were al- so forced open. Livingston & Wells, Harnden & Co.,, and Adams & Co.,. gave the work of their wagons, horses and men, from the beginning until the close of the fire The conduct of Messrs. Col man & Stetson. of the Astor House deserves com mendaton. They were seen in the midst of the fire, with their servants. carrying profMsion ot coffee and refreshments to the exhausted 6remen. They also opened their house, and gave breakfast | to some four hundred.
 | The Fire cf 1s35.-Dreadful as has been this fire. its importance is limited compared with that of the fire of 1885, both in extent and value of property destoyed. This fire will not prove to have destroyed more than one-third to one-half of
 the same value of buildings aud property then con- sumed. Much more property in proportion has been saved from the stores than was saved at that time. The sufferers too hadto contend with all the severity of winter, which rendered all efforts useless that depended on the strength of man. The suffering from cold and Hunger on the part ot the poor then was great but now the weather