The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-10-18

/ OF 1h8 IhSlhUUflOn OF buiLDlha5 &y GUN
POwDEE, DURING TnB GREAT FIRE or DECEMBER,
| less.
/ FOURTH pav
The s9mcrirdn FrInf Works C0rriesus W. Laurence
Mr. Davies opened this this mors,ng the part Of
Mr. Lswiencs, the defendant in very long, .lsborste
and sole addre 9 TO the Court and jury lie went nj
lsra,h into The law Of the and proceeded Gus
tar ID his arpuments and deductions with aud
Smsresn Ills ~hSr sdds.s wns rms aaa
able tor the knowledge d. played, and the thorough
acquaintance IL manifested Of all the subject mstter OF
tina remarkable care winch has for such length of
time occup the attention Of the judges and lawyers
this city The address most lucid In its detas and
Whole the most argumcnta,ive and eio-
autpt sodiess eT,r delivered before New Jersey jury
We will eDa'avor 10 give seac" for portion Of il In
TutSdsy's BIRAID MIR Davies called the frat wtaess
Charles King sxsmined by Mr. Davies-Reides In New
Yuk; am President Of Colombia college; resided in
December. SIS; sm resident Of The city forty
y,ais; 1t the time Of the Ere was living in Beecksr
street. bad tome hiends In my house went 10 bid
cen ciCus Of fiie aroused about hour by
ycUpg relative who said there great FIRE in Wal
street; 'hen ecitor Of the New York .amcic i'm
M cisseiy roe and went down end reached my Offices
am Ger ain 10 the hour it could not have been less
tfsn tsifpsst twelve clock the exchange dre
when got TO all street; found my printers aud work
mtp eI0eavorirg to all they cclid; in and
Wois'd until the r,of Of my building took fire, am
deco hal and left myself In quarter an hour It
al contDu ed; looked on with excocding terror
confess; never sa~ any thing 80 ofmlabc there
bose On the ground was frozen so,id ice; walked
down all tti.et to Pearl street; the FIRE spread rapidly
emo It occurred Go that the tim. had arrived when
oitsr power must be uted beides water; sought
10 hrd 'hr Mayor meaning TO suggest this to hun;
found him in Garden street in front Of the church,
'bipE the fire bad not then reached Garden str,et
,lfD said TO The Mayor that IL oca.ion la which
he should exercne discretionary power In blowing up
there vas ne otb'r means to save the city tho Mayor
SCENE hverfe To the measure lest it might bs dcemed
hey ora HIS Io~er: there other gentlemen round
The Mayor sad where will get the powder? replied
thai there powder In the navy yard Mr. Lawrence
would an 20 nao o Ss
Mr. Lawrence then vent into stole in Garden street
with and wrote order to the commanding officer
Of the navy yard king his assistance to stay the fire.
went H Ded0tey TO he foot Of Fulton East river
as fact as coulo. where found boatnen who knew
me, sDo who Iowed me up to the navy yard about
nile distant; wished TO go there direct believed the
state Of The tide allowed IL the river frozen got
beard the rgste Hudson the frgate in charge Of
Captain MIX, who lived with his family on board: his
derry called him, AID he came out / told him my
buiiDets; he eaid would have to 70 TO the Comma.
cores; Captain Mix said he would have his men out
and in rcad,Dese when would get back with the DER
found The Commodore awake suffering terribly from
The gout he had very fine fire In bis room; he mmc-
diaiey sent for his Lieutenant, Taylor think and
ordered him to GIT ready all the marines, and all the
barge vas sent to Red Hook Long Island where the
poTdhr kept sat in the Commodore till all
The officers marines and saorr that could be spared,
Capt Mix Leading; We crossed the Fulton ferry and
lsLoed at Fulton street my Impression is went up
towards Broadway said previously to MIR La~rence,
If those men should come they would not act with
be lost, would with to appoint place where could
find b IN on my return. Mr. Lawrance arranged, that
he would be on the pavement in front of Wall sire t
cEnicb Broad street therca bouts We went i'm
meos.ey TO that spot think that there portion
OF powder either sent before wit apprehepd that
The powder was there before US the Mayor not there
when arrived l told them ii they would remain
would seek the Mayor went down Broad street Grce1
stIest aud found him there surrounded by crowd OF
terrified people all The place being fire L think 5a-
den street chuIch was then on fire announced 10 him
10 gentle or low voice that tue officers and had
Gene with the powder ard awaiting orde.s Mr..
Lawrence cure with and put him IN conimunc tton
with Capt Nix after that iemsined with tbs sailors
ia AIdiu n short WACO ivgu n
them 10 follow their leader with the ponder; the
Tary Of sailors took up three or four kegs Of pow.
oer and I!oceeosd down Broad street; i remained
With tbom; as we went along was CONSERVED, for
he ground was frozen ana covered with ice, aud
coyr.d The kegs of powder 1ith then prevent them
lom exploding We went into Exchange place; saw
those 70 10 work they dove iD.o cellar; did not
fellow them bseve my step to ask tue Mayor
TO give rowing commission TO blow up; went back TO
the church, where left of the marines aud it
before got bsck the explosion took place; believe
hing more there after that the time very
psn ,S suJ IN IRE ,
Garden sire ct TO Wall street. church; think not
more than iio or 200 yards; the Mayer presume was
street with The po~der; Captain Mix i dead.
To the Ccurs-Don't remember any houses blown up
betw eu Exchange place in the OF the buildings
n DAD street; THINKS there was
joseph G swift examined by Mr.. Davles-T 1es edu-
Gated military engineer; General IN Chief Of the
Corps az Engineers of the Uni ed States army during the
ysars 1872 ana 1915; colonel general; edu-
ca; ed tIgin have been familiar wirh the
ton Of iortfcsors; fanliar with the prncipes of
sayping ard mil ipg In the city Of New York the
morning of the l7h OF December 1885, presen. at
the FIRE auripg the night and uiorpiog came to the Gre
from TIE residence OF Mr. Gouverncur; my arrival in
Wall street found the fire 10 be raging fucou-ly ani
to great extent tho right severely Geld and OBJ
served great dependency among the psopc at cona
ton of things fearing that the fro would be 20.
der in reference to the severity Of the night Iobserved
that the water thrown from the engines do IN like
hail somewhere bet ween two and three o'clock Mr..
Schwert to and said that the Mayor wanted to
went with him to the Mayor think some
where between Nassau and Wall streets conversation
positive who they tho Mayor asked me IL could
give the mode of blowing up po ~der replied that
could he asked me il, by blowing up the houses. the
fire could be stopped replied thai believed i could
he then requested mo to give directions for placing pow
dor in proper place IN store in Garden street for the
purpo.c of blowing It up then considered what yuan
iity powder would produces sufficient bast destroy
building without rca.terins the fragments toe FAR
thought hundred one hundred and nifty pounds OF
powder would do for four story building and al used
that that quantity should be placed in the building my
sdyec followed, and the building 10. As Exchange
place was hlosn up in the blast little put
than nscCssary, for 1t injured NO 90 No % wss
zoo on Gre 1t was then determined to bow up No 80
which conc and the building tumblei in on itself
without scattering much and the fire was thereby ar
rested buildings blown up In other places, With
similar effect am not certain that No. ~ vas on Hre
when it was blown up my impression Is that it was
thinks that ten fifteen minutes elapsed from the pow
mayor the order for blowing up AZ IL was matter
Of assisement ard the mayor approved about ton mi
there question Of 81 being blown before As
blown up because thst No SO was on ire and 80
DAT III wA5 ascncu neceEfnF III Ot1ef
to atop the progress of the Rarots my impression IS
that " time had been given 10 remove the goods all
would ba fire. ard t would have reached " eli street
the effect would have been 10 burn up The whole block
To Nj. Whitehead Believes the whole lower psrt of
tie city would have been destroy ed the means CT bior
ing rp had been Iesortsd the engines had ceased
playing previous to blowing up such Gsniay never
existed n the public mind az at that time.
70 Juror-There on the ground.
To another Jutor-The snow was not very deep " was
very slippery
10 Mr. whitebead--ln fifteen twenty minute, No
~ h.r. hEau nufa hp WI had not
been put into it. Excepted % by plaintiff counsel
Rul, out BY the court
MIR. EgbeIt Benson examined by Mt Davie%-Resdes
In the city Of New York elected adcrmsn of tho
city in 1895 was alderman OF the Third ward at the
time Of the fire at the FIRE short time after
menced the FIRE commenced in Merchant street, IN
building r.nnng back to Pcerl street that street Is
eince al cred.
To Chief Justice Jones- Merchant street ran bslow
Das1l furaa n he'd there fha