Democratic banner., 1849-05-21

Tie OOOV Oh 0AIG N buSm7 o. IVY 4AS
ed into The Police Office There were=a-uuus
Der of kegs Of powder on beard the vsri6us boats
and rs the fire reached them they caught aid ex-
'ploded with q terrific crash, scattering the burning
fragments In wild epnfusion into the upper cir.
By one Of these explosions one man standing
lon the levee was killed BY being stack with 9
fragment blown from the burning wreck Of Toe
Martha; another was ~shockingly Acerated m diis
|Eerent parts Of biz body; butt how many poor
|wretches have fallen victims to these deyq1Sing
flames as they hare zone sweeping m Wild gran
|dure from boat to boat, and from house 70 house,
and from street to street, no man can ever tell.
One Of theswildest and most .hPart-repdering
|spectacies ever witnessed in our city was ex-
Inhibited last night. From Duncan's Island, ex.
perhapsa halle or three fourths Of n mile in
e continuous linsnp the river, the burning wreck
Of boat met boat, and rolled their united clouds
ofdeep black smoke, and lurid flame in wild con-
fusion into upper air; on the other hand the long
lofty range Of stores fronting the river, sent up a
cloud Of sparks and sheets Of dazzling flames,
which threw AIRED and glazing light Gar away into
the darkness Of night which hung upon our IVES
tern borders. Here and there were seen half
frantic men, running in bewildernent from point
to point, scarce knowing where, or staggering
from their burning homes under . load Of their
iuOSS pIcCiOus pIOpcItyS IOlIOWcU Ny . WccpioS
wife and her tender babe.
Since writing the above, we have taken anoth.
Ter walk Through the burning district, which noas
at a quarter before three o'clock already&xtends
from The levee, west to Second street, and from
Locust, south Of Elm street. This entire space il
not now burned over, but mu:h Of it IL, and much
more will be before the flames are extinguished.
We cannot pretend to particularize the buid-
|ings burnt, but will mention the Telegraph Oace
The United States Hotel, the Reville Ofiee, Re-
publican Office, the Organ Office and IRE New
Era Office. These comprise all the English
daily papers in The city, except our own; we
being on the north side Of Locust above Main
street, have, fortunately, escaped. We can form
mo estimate ofthe loss BY this fret may pro-
|hably be put bown at five millions of doIlaFs. :
In our evening edition WI will give al the
particulars that can possibly be relative to This
awful catastrophe. At this time, half past feuy,
the flames are nearly ~extinguished aad though
our gallant firemen are almost exhausted, yet We
hope but little more damage will be done.
Fr"m the 81. Louis Union, (Eren;ng Ediio..1
In our morning edition, we gave what Of in
terest we were able to collect, relative TO he
which has hid in ashes . hses
portion Of ST. Louis. We also promised togiSe
I0ur readers. in our evening issue, a. detailed an
account as it was possible to collect; but to gee
e aauAAiss ike q full and accurate stafezperk Of
the amount Of property destroyed, OF number
oflives lost, is not within the range Of possibil-
ity. We can only follow the general range Of
the fire, without going into details. We 6eein
|Ly ss-.;-e sh-t ti'S PVi"s as ~hi~i, LIe nYe hfst
started on shore, was at the corner Of Locust
street and the Levee-the corner house, and three
above it, fronting the Lsvee, were des-
the flames then crossed Locust, and swept
every house with one exception,) in the block
fronting the Levee and Main street, and extead-
ing from Locust street southwark 10 Che.
nut street, q distance OF three squares. At
|Chesnut street, it turned up and crossed over &c
The next block south, at the junction Of Commer-
'eiai Alley with this street, and from the alley 10
Main, and down to Market street, burning an
except two buildings at the corner Of Market
street and Com. Alley. At the junction Of Mar
ket and Main street. the flames crossed diagonal
ly to the Market Street House, and followed bolh
sides Of Market street, up to Second sireeA.-
Then crossing Main street, the flames seain swep,
every building from Locust to Market except a
row Of four iour-story FIRE proof brick buildings,
just below Locust street. TX
Passing up Pine, Chestnut and Market streets,
the deVouIing element consumed every house in
The two blocks intervening between the streets
mentioned, and main and Second streets, and
those on nearly half ofthe block north Of Olive.
Here its ravages were stayed in this part Of
the city. Before the progress Of the James could
be arrested It was found necessary to blow up
one or two houses near the cornes Of Market
and Second streets, and in doing 50 IL least three
persons were killed. The fragments of one Of
their bodies were found on the opposite eide Of
the street, one near Walnut, on Second direct and
the thigh bone and a foot belonging to another,
near the foot Of Walnut street, some two Or
three squares from where the houses were blown
up. These With the body of the boy burnt on
the ievee, make four that are now at the police
office. The military, fremsn, and ~citizens, are
TO form a procession, and bury them sometime
during the day. ID = S-
We will now go farther south, to the foot of
Lin street, where the FIRE made another lo3re-
ment, and spreading disgonal5 through rs.
block, 1t swept up to Main, and down 70 Suruc.
street, q distance north and south Oftws SQUARES.
and crossing Main, It carried nearly eyerv thinc
before 1t, up very nearly to Third street, three
squares to the west Of its starting point. Az
Main street, the flames crossed Elm and oon.
aV,nn ~ o~A 1900 -HAl