The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1850-07-13
Terrible Fire in PHILADELPHIA.

lh'ee Hundred and Fifty Houses B,rnf- Erplo-
4 sion and loss Of L;Je--L.oss 1iro Millions Of
Z Dollars.
The fire which broke out in Philadel-
& phia on Tuesday afternoon between four
| and five O'Clock, ragged with terrible fury
! until about Q o'clock the following morn
! ling, carrying death and destruction IN IT'S
tram, reducing to ashes about $50 build
singS; leaving some 1900 persons without
houses: causing the loss of number OF
lives: and involving pecuniarv loss esti-
4timated at two millions Of dollars.-From
the Philadelph papers OF Wednesday,
we CLEAN the subjoineI details OF this aw-
sful calamity:
The fire originated about "A O'Clock in
he afternoon, in the uppr: part OF the
large double store house en- the south side
sof Water street, below Vine, owned hv J.
Brock, Grocery. and Commission merchant
Fhe building runs all the way 10 Della.
ware avenue, and is occupied in the dit
terent apartments and stories by Gordon
& Burgess, hay merchants, Jacob lowering
= moasses dealer; Whampolr s, Shannon,
sail makers; John Keller, hotel and bow
ling saloon; and by John Brock, for the
storage OF satpe,re.
The fire ragged with great fury, and tho
J firemen, who We're promptly on the spot,
: Notwithstanding the narrowness OF Water
street, which rendered 1t difficult to reach
6the immediate scene OF confagratlon,
would have succeeded in mastering it but
4 for terrible explosion which occurred
about half an hour after the fire began.
: 10 give an idea of the scene that followed
his calamity is impossible. As soon as
E'he flames had reached thu sal'petre III the
store room OF Nj. Brock, several success
! sIve reports We're heard, and finally trr-
mendous explosion took place, spreading
terror and destruction around. The force
ct the explosion was lateral, SCATTERING the
walls of The building, but it spent itself
principally IN an upward direction, carry
fling with It INTO the air, to the height Of
6three hundred feet, large burning masses
OF comhusibles; with brick, jols's, etc.
The force OF the explosion, and the in
= tense heat and fury Of the fire, as it burst
out on all sides, were attended with la
mentahle loss of life. Several men, women
and children were instantly killed, num-
bcrs trlghttully scorchpd, and dreadfuly
burned and mangled; while many others
were hurled into the docks, some of whom
2were drowned On Delaware avenue
kthere was a very large crowd of specta-
! tors, and when the panic seized this por-
ton of the multitude, great number Of
Ethem sprang into the river utterly uncon-
scious of what they We're dong.
y Pen fails TO dppic, the scene that sue
ceeded. The dead and dying were born
10 the nearest drug stores and police sta
tiony or to the Hospital. The wind
being fresh from the southeast, the flames
spread III Il north. western direction and
before the fremen had recovered from
h. bewiderment occasion-d by the ex-
pIoson. they obtained fearful headway.
The buildings were nearly all old and
Ecombustibr, with shingle roofs. The
fire, in spite Of almost superhuman exer-
tiens on the part OF the fremen, contin.
Rued to make the most alarming progress,
fand for six hours ii bafled all attempts
& to check ii.
A, ten o'clock, the hour at which we
commenced penning this report, nearly
8 the whole ofthe properties embraced
within the boundaries Of the Delaware
erver, east, the east side Of Second street,
Swest, the north side Of CallowhlIl street,
enorth, and the south side OF New street,
south including Delaware avenue, Wa
Kter, Front, Vine and New Market streets
2wiih the Intermediate small streets and
valleys are involved in destruction.
The area contains about four squares
kand some twelve blocks in which there
Swere perhaps three hundred buildings.
SThe locality was one of the most dense
sly populated in the city, and large mum
{ Der OF the residents being poor people,
! the amount Of suffering is immense. The
houses generally were the oldest in Phil
kadclphia, yet there were many valuable
business stands and some of the finest Of
4 our Anticipated Quaker mansions
b The fire extended north on Water
street and the wharf about half square
Eabove CallowhIll street On Front street
4nor,h to CallowhlIl, up south side of
sCaIowhill 10 New Market street, and
Feast side New Market street to within
four or five houses Of Sccoud street, and
Eand on the east side Of Second to within
three OF four houses Of the south east cor
! ner of Callowhlll. The rear of these
4 few houses, as well as those on the south
! side OF Callowhill street, just below Sec
Fond, are all more or less burned. In the
sdrstruction OF property north Of Vine
I street on Wat, r street and the wharf,
is the extensive establishment of Wright
s& Nephew, salt merchants, and the lum-
| Der yard Of Wayne g. Simmons.
4 The wind was from the southeast du-
= rim, the confederation but from the north