Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1852-06-18
The Great Fire i'm Montreal.


City, on Sunday the 9th inst
Our citizens were startled at an early hour
on Sunday morning, by the alarm of fire and
1t turned out upon inquiry that one of the most
serious contlagrations with which the city has
ever been visited, was raging III the heart of
the business part Of the town. 1t appears that
tins sad calamity originated in st. Peter Street,
at the corner Of Lcmone Street, in u Carpen-
tcrs shop occupied by Mr.. Martin. Various
rumors are ailoat as to the proXlmatc cause of
the lire; but TT present it is very difficult to as
certain the fact. Whatever may be the truth,
the llames soon spread rapidly; for brisk
breeze was blowing from the south west, and
afterwards from due wcst which rapidly dis
trlbuted the burning flakes over the most COM
mcrclal part Of the city. One of the first sac
riccs to the dcvourlng element was old IT.
Andrews Church,-onC Of the most ancient, If
not the most ancient Protestant Church in the
city. From theLce the flames speedily exten
dcd across st. Peter Street, which is very mar
row, to the immense square block Of CONNER
clal buildings erected by the late Hon. A.
CuVllllcr. heSe buildings are now oc cupied
by several merchants lis warehouses; Mr. Thos.
Ryan, Mr.. Henry Chapman, and Mr. A. Cuvll-
llcr, had all col, siderable stocks of goods in
warehouse there, and all were cons, ,derable
looscrs. Mcssrs. Ryan and Cuviier have, we
believe, lost their entire stock; Mr.. Chapman
has lost all the goods that were in his bounded
warehouse. But the greater part o the ware
house, was though not withcut great difficulty,
preserved. The flames were here brought to
check by the activity of the tirenen hut it
was OF course impossible to prevent the sparks
from being carried away by the wind. Owing
to this circumstance, several considerable ware
hon 1. I
Among these we may notice the warehouse of
Messrs. Harris, Law a. Co.. that OF Mr.. ii.
Fraser; that of NIcssrs. Tory, Clarke &, Co.;
Fcrrer g. Co.: and Gilbert Scott-al being
comprised withl the area between Saint Pc
ter and st. Nuvicr Streets, from east to west
aud between st. Sacrament and Saint Paul
Streets, from ncrth to south. In Saint Eloi
Street, where the store of Mcssrs. iorry Clarke
* company are situated, grcat danger was ap-
pretended from the presence of Il stable ward
containing a quantity Of straw and many wood
en- sheds ;and tbs circumstance also threatened
The stores OF NcsSrS. FCrrler, the back Of which
Is just on the other side CT the lane only sut-
ticlently wide for the passage of Il cart. With
the exception Ct the uvlicr buildings how-
ever, no considerable damage was done in any
of these streets. ] he derournr elements ap-
pcarCd to have leapt from thence t, st. Paul
street, near the Custom House Square: only
destroying IN It's passage the roof and upper
stories of two houses bc!cngingto Mr. De " lit
III : Francois Navlcr street. 1t is impossible
to say what might IlrvC happened under other
circumstances; but it is Worth rcmarking that
the two houses which were damaged there had
single roofs and 1t is certainly poss, ,brty
at least, that if these roofs had been of tin the
flames might have been arrested by this street,
l,t.h ,l.,
kind of barrier to their prorress. However
tins may haze been whether sparks t.om the
buildings westward Of It. F4ucos NayiCr Street
were carried sufficiently far eastward to COM
lnuncate the evil to t. Paul Street, or whether
the fire was renewed in St. Francois Navier
Street, and trcm thence spread the cotaglon-
1t IS too certain that the CONFEDERATION broke
out again at considerable distance in the
back stores o. rockingham and " orlman St
Paul Street. These stores contained u very
extensive assortment OF hardware, Just arrived
by the spring fleet, and for long tine they
appeared to be in Imminent danger of total
destruction. Mr.. Perry, whose cXcrt!ons as
| fireman have often deserved the thanks of his
fellow citizens. was, we understand, very CON
spcuous, IL company with other meritoriou5
/ comradcs, at this point The main body of
the stores were preserved but the back stores,
| together With AN extensive stock of goods III
them were destroyed. SkIrtIng these extensive
premises and the ad dloinlng stores Of Mr.. I ut
tie, the enemy showed Itself again in full force
upon It. Paul Street, iii the midst Of some OF
the largest repositories Of goods which the city
contains, at tins time stored with whole cargocs
OF merchandise, ust brought out by the spring
fleet.
| The old Commercial llctcl, recently occupied
i'll part by Mossrs. " Worhnan, in part by the
Imperial Customs Department, and in part used
as offices by several business men, was spcedi-
! ly III ruins. IEen it spread across the street,
embracing in It's red folds the whole of the
Northern aud Southern fronts of St Paul ST.
both sides Of the little lane known as Capital
Street; and the handsome row of commercial
building III commissioners Street, which front
the port and the river. The danger now ap--
/ pcarod t) be extreme. I he Parish Church,
commonly called by strangers the French
Cathedral, and the Hotel Dieu, or Black Nun
merry, with It's church, and the shipping in the
port, were all threatened. 1t was now about
8 O'clock, the fire having broken cut about half