The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1848-09-20
rhe craat Firs in Rrooklyn.

The brief telegraphic dispatch Of the awful con-
fiagration laying waste large and fair portion
of the city of Brooklyn, NY, excites interest for
farther particulars 1t originated, it appears, about
half-past IL O'Clock on the night Of the 9th-one
account says from the explosion of camphine lamp
in the crockery store of Mr.. Riley and another in
a feather store, occupied by Mr.. Drew, near the
junction of Henry and Fulton streets, and in most
inhammable neighborhood, the buildings being
mostly built of wood.
Widely varying estimates, both of the number OF
buildings destroyed and the aggregate loss made
though the houses most generally are stated al
about 200, and the value from one to two millions.
A letter of the 10th Sunday to the Philadelphia
Inquirer says:
The supply of water was so deficient that all the
efforts of the firemen were futile and looked like
mockery. By hitching the Brooklyn hose TO that
of the Newly firemen, who went over there IN
large numbers, good stream or two Of water was
procured from the river, but the effect nothing
The flames appeared to put human exertiOns at de-
fance. Nearly one thousand families have been
deprived of all they possessed in the world by this
calamity, and it is thought that many of our in
surance companies have been rendered insolvent
The spectacle which Brook Yn presented this morn
ing was deploring and heart-rending Women
were running hther and thither, looking for their
children children were screaming for their lost
parents the friends of a NewYork fireman, who
lost his life by the falling of some walls, were
searching for his body; pile upon pile of furniture,
broken and smashed in pieces, were heaped at every
corner. 1t presented the appearance of a sacked
| CITY in every respect. There can be no question
that the fire in Brooklyn could have been confined
10 the house in which it originated, if there had
! been an adequate supply Of water at hand. Many
| of the engines were useless on this account, and
the members, finding it SO, exerted themselves to
| save as much property as thew could.
forgot to mention that two houses were blown
up by gunpowder, by order of the Mayor and under
! the direction of Capt. Sands, of the Navy Yard,
with the view of preventing the fire extending to
neighborhoOd thickly covered with wooden build
| ings. The experiment attended with perfect
success for if the flames had progressed in that dl
recton hundred at least more edifices would have
| been destroyed.
From some dispatches in the Philadelphia papers
we take the following additional items
Among the most valuable buildings are three
| churches-the Universalist, corner of Fulton and
Pineapple streets, Mr.. Thayer, pastor; the Baptist
| Church, corner of Nassau and Liberty; and the
! Methodist Episcopal Church in Sands street, the
| oldest Methodist church in Brooklyn, of which
nothing but the bare walls are standing. Back of
| this last church, | travelled over some hundred
graves covered with the burning ashes and charred
| remnants of the church-the marble slabs, many
of them of beautiful workmanship, cracked and
blackened by the devOuring element, still uplifting
their heads, as if to add to the melancholy spec
tacle Beside these are the large Franklin block,
owned by Mr. Crary, containing about thirty stores
| the American Mechanics Lodge, and the Office OF
the Long Island Star. The new Free Soil paper,
| the Barnburner, in the same office. Halls
Exchange Buildings, corner of Cranberry and Full
ton streets, occupied hardware stores below, and
above by temperance and religious societies for
their meetings; large livery stable on Henry
street, owned by Whitsell Powell; and many
| nfh / have not hpPO able enOmprate. were
also burnt The most melancholy of all other
events is the loss of two valuable lives.
A detachment of marines and sailors was sent
from the Navy Yard, which rendered most effective
| service. The names of two hundred occupants OF
stores and dwellings have been ascertained. 4
number of thieves have been arrested and impris-
oned for stealing at the fire. OF course there is nc
telling the amount of damage done, or the insurance
upon it. To-day being Sunday, there is no access
to the public records to ascertain either.