The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1849-05-25
THE FIRE AT ST. LOUIS.

details of the great fire in that city The loss, it
will be by The following account, is estimated
at five millions of dollars:
| About ten O'Clock last night, the steamer White
Cloud, lying near the head of the levee, was dis
covered to be on fire. At the time, there was a
| stiff breeze blowing from the northeast, which
soon carried the flames across TO the Edward Bates,
the next boat below her; the heat from these set
fire to the EudOra, lying above them the Belle
| Isle next below the Bates, then caught fire. By
this time, one or two boats below were dropped
down, leaving vacancy between those on fire
| and the boats below them.
At this time the Edward Bates, being about half
I btfnt up, was cast loose, and went floating down
the levee, setting fire to those boats still lying at
the levee, as she approached them, in the follow
| ing orders the Julia, but slightly injured; the I'm
Gle Sam, also but slightly injured. The Bates but
barely touched these boats, being those Immediately
below her. The following steamboats,. with large
| number of wood Boats, barges, &C., were entirely
consumed /: the Martha, Sarah, Taglioni, Montauk,
| Red Wing, St Peters, Alexander Hamilton, b.
reas No 3, limour, Mandan, Kit Carson, Name
| luke, Prairie State.
We do not presume that this comprises all the
boats destroyed, but these are all the names We
| were able to get hold of.
The following boats were saved: the Autocrat,
DE Wit Clinton, Danube, Embassy, South Ameri.
ca, new Uncle Sam, Julia, old Uncle Sam, Mar
| shall Ney.
So intense was the heat arising from this great
condagration, which extended with short intervals
from the head of the levee TO the head of Duncans
Island that it set fire to the buildings at various
points along the levee, all of which above Vine
street were extnguished, but row of shanties ex-
tending from Locust up towards Vine street, was
destroyed, and now while we are writing, O'Clock
in the morning, the entire block bounded by the
levee, Main, Locust, and Olive streets, is wrapped
in flames those houses in the square fronting
the levee between Pine and Olive streets And
various houses nthe west side of Main street, from
Canters & Simons, at the corner of Locust and
Main streets Olive. Mr.. John Mader's large
cooper shop at the southwest corner of the levee
and Elm street, and, also, large two-story brick
house on the west side OF Main blow Elm street,
and the flames are rapidly spreading, and where
they may be stayed man cannot tell
In addition to the property enumerated, there was
vast amount grain in sacks, hemp, bacon, etc.,
on the levee, which caught by the heat sent off by
the boats, and was destroyed and unfortunately,
on one pile of hemp, which was covered by a tar
paulin, it is said four persons were sleeping, and
all were destroyed. We saw the body of one of
them, boy, which was carried into the Police
office. There were number of kegs of powder on
board the various boats, and as the fire reached
them they caught and exploded with a terrific
crash, scattering the burning fragments in wild
confusion into the upper air.
BY one of these explosions, one man standing on
the levee was killed by being struck with frag.
ment blown from the burning wreck of the Martha
another was shockngly lacerated in different parts
OF his body; but how many poor wretches have
fallen victims to these devouring flames as they
have gone sweeping in wild grandeur from boat to
boat, and from house to house, and from street to
street, no man can ever tell.
Since writing the above we have taken another |
walk through the burning district, which now, at |
quarter before O'clock already extends from |
the levee, west, to Second street, and from Locust
south of Elm street. This entire space is not |
burned over, but much of it is and much more will
be, before the flames are extinguished.
We cannot pretend to particulariZe the buildings !
burnt but will mention the Telegraph office, the |
United States Hotel, the Reveille Office the Re-
publican office, the Organ office, and the New Era
office. These comprise all the English daily pa
pers In the city, except our own; we being on the
north side of Locust above Main street, have for
tunatey escaped. We can form no estimate of the |
loss by this fret may probably be put down at |
five millions of dollars. |
The fire first started on Shore at the corner of Lo-
Gust street and the Levee-the corner house and !
three buildings above it, fronting the leyee, were
destroyed, the flames then crossed Locust. and
swept every house, with one exception, on the |
blocks fronting the levee and Main street, and ex-
tending from Locust street southwark 10 Chestnut
street, distance of three squares. At Chestnut
street II turned up and crossed over to the next
block south, at the junction of Commercial Ally
with this street, and from the alley to Main, and
down to Market, burning all except two buildings
at the corner of Market and Commercial Alley
AT the junction of Market and Main the flames
crossed diagonally to the Market Street House, and
followed both sides Of Market street up to Second
street. Then crossing Main, the flames again
swept every building from Locust to Market, ex-
cept a row of four-story proof brick buildings,
just below Locust
Passing up Pine, Chestnut and Market streets,
the devourlng element consumed every house in |
the two blocks intervening between the streets
and Main and Second streets and those |
on nearly half of the block north of Olive. Here
IFS GIN in &c tI,o |
Before The progress of the flames could be arrested
1t was found necessary to blow up one or two houses
near the corner of Market and Second streets, and
10 dong so, at least three persons were killed. The
fragments of one of the bodies were found on the
opposite side of the street, one near Walnut, on
Second street, and the thigh bone and the foot be-
longing to another, near the foot of Walnut, some |
WVo or three squares from where the houses We're
blown up. These, with the body of a boy burnt on
he levee, make four that are now at the police | .
office. We will now 90 further south, to the foot of
Elm street, where the fire made another Judgment,
md spreading dlagonally through the block it
wept up Main and down to Spruce,~a distance,
lorth and south, OF two squares, and crossing MAN,
carried II, nearly everything before it,, up very G
nearly to Third street. three squares to the west of
rs starting point. AT Main the flames crossed Elm,
md consumed one-fourth Of the block north of n
Elm and west of Main. From the foot of Elm, up
is southern side to Second street, distance of two
quares, not house is standing By this dire ca
nd many who were in affluence are reduced to y
overty. South Market and the Town Hall were
N fire once, but by great exertions of the few per-
ons present, they Were saved Nearly every pane {
t glass in the windows for half square distan
rom the corner of Market and Second streets, a
we're broken by the conclusion at the time of the
lowing up of the building at that point. The r
ollce arrested and confined in the Jail and Gala. r
Dose nearly fifty persons for stealing at the fire.
There are various rumors afloat relative to the =
'ss OF different persons. Two or three of our old
nd valued citizens We believe TO have lost their
yes. And no doubt many are lost who will never
e inquired after, orthought o-strangers, of whom
lere were many on the boats and in our city, = =
The extent of the confagration, from its begin Il
lg to Its termination, takes in almost the whole of
NO blocks, which would be about one mile in \
myth by two in width. The stress of our city, "
rlgnally laid out very narrow ARE literally choaked
with fallen walls of houses, and DESTROYED pro. I
erty of various kinds We did not see either b
ewY ork of Ptsburg after the great CONGREGATIONS
ere, but we are informed that our city presents :.
atord hon, o;tI &C. O.