Burlington hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1845-185?, 1849-05-24
AINX

DIUHINIlJu lIUUO
relesraphed for the BurIins,on n.wi.s,.s~
From our Extras Of Saturday and Mopd.. ~
Dreadful Calamity.-Awful Conflsgr.t,...
of Life
BuRLIsoros, Saturday Morning, M, -
The Telegraph through TO St Lu,;.
was put in operation for the first time 4.
several weeks, yesterday morning. n.
first news was melancholy enough. IN.
costlisst portion Of St Louis, with n,o,.
of its movable steam palaces, are in ,,h
es. There was 90 much excitement al
such crowd Of business on the lin.
that we could not obtain particulars mil
an early hour this morning. One Of ON,
hands was in the Telegraphery All n;eh
The report commenced coming aboui 70
o'clock, but il was not all received u,,;r
after 2 o'clock this morning. W. =.
much indebted to Mr. GAMBLE. the o,,;.
ing operator at Quincy, and Mr. Cr,',
p. RossER,the enterprising operator at hi,
place, for their exertions in furnisb;nc !.
with the news. The despatch confirm,
the worst fears indicated by our extra Il
last evening.
ST Lous, Friday Mayp
About ten O'Clock last night the steam.
boat White Cloud, lying near the Leyee ~.
discovered 10 be on fire. There wa.
stiff breeze blowing from the north-ea.,
which soon carried The flames 10 the Fl
ward Bates the next boat below. The -,
from these set fire 10 the Eudora lv;nc .
bove them. The Belle Isle next beI.,.
the Bates then caught freely hi. time n.
or two boats below were dropped down
leaving vacancy between those ON A..
and boats below them. AT this time M
Bates being about half consumed. va. emf
loose and floated down the Leyee. sett;n.
fire TO those boats still lying At The Levee
as she approached them in the followinc
order; the Julia which was next, was I'M
slightly in the uncomfortable Uncle San
also, but slightly injured, she barely touch.
ed these boats. those being below her
The steam boats, with large number Of
wood boats, barges, &c. were entirely con-
sumed, viz: the Martha, Sarah, Tarlioni.
Montank, Red Wing, Alex. Hamil.on, Bo.
reas, No. 3, Timour. Mandan. st Peters.
Kit Carson, Mameluke, Prairie State
This does not comprise all the boats des-
troyed, but are all The names We were d
bic to get hold Of. The following boat.
were saved: the Autocrat, South Ameri-
lea, Danube, Embassy, New Uncle sam,
Old Uncle Sam and Marshal New.
SO intense was the heat arising from
this great conflagration which extended,
with short intervals, from the head Of
the levee TO the head Of Duncan's Is
land, that il set fire to buildings at va
rlous points along the Levee, all Of which
above Vine, were extinguished, bu, row
OF shanties extending from the south, To-
wards Vine street was destroyed, and now
while we are writing this morning, The
entire block bounded by Levee, Main, o.
i've and Locust SIS is enwrapped in flames,
also burning the square fronting Leyes
between Pine and Olive, and various hon.
ses on west OF Main street from Gamers
Simons, at the corner Of Locust and
Main below. Mr. J. Mader's large coop
sr shop, at southeast corner Of second i.
On Levee and Elm, and also, a large two
story brick house on west side Of Main
below Elm. The flames are rapidly
spreading, when they may be .tsid. man
cannot tell. II is the most awful catastro-
,hr ft,.f FILL L. IL. r.
city west of the Allegheny monniains.--
In addition to property enumerated, there
was considerable amount of grain in
sacks, Hemp, Bacon, &c., on The Leyee,
which caugh, fire and was destro, ed. In
fortunately one pile of hemp, which was
covered by tarpaulin, under which it j.
said four persons were sleeping, was de-
not known.
We saw the body Of one which was
carried in the Police office. There were
a number Of kegs Of powder on board Of
The boats, which as soon as the fire reach
ed them, exploded with terrific report,
scattering the burning fragments into Tho
air. BY this explosion one man standing
on the levee was killed by being struck
by fragment, blown from the burning
wreck Of the Martha. Another was shock.
lngly lacerated in different parts Of bis
body. But how many poor wretches havefal-
len victims in this way mo man can tell. One
Of the widest and most heart rending spec
lacles ever witnessed, was exhibited. From
Duncan's Island, extending three quarters
Of mile in continued line up the river,
The burning wreck of boat met boat, send
ing their lurid flames in wild combine
ments up in the air, and the lofty range Of
stores fronting the river sent up dense
clouds of sparks, and shot lightning flames
which sent into the air a red and glaring
light away in the darkness of night. Here
and there was seen half frantic men in
running from point 10 point
not knowing where TO 60. Others were
seen rushing from their burning houses,
bearing off their most precious articles,
followed by their weeping wives and ten
der babes.
Since writing the above we have been
taking another walk through The burnIne
district which now, quarter before three
o'clock, extended from lcvee west 70 s.
cond street, and from Locus, south Of Eln.
This entire space has not burned ossr. pua
the most Of il Is. and more will he before
the flames are extincni>hed. We caana
particn|arize the buildings burnt, but WIZ