Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-07-17
AWFUL CONFEDERATION IN MONTREAL.

AWFUL CONFEDERATION IN MONTREAL.
FROM THE MONTREAL HERALD JULY 8.
Yesterday had lament one of the most awful con-
fagatons which has probably ever occurred in this city
IL took place early in the morning in shop the st.
Lawrence, Main street, according some accounts in
that street ITSELF according to Others in St. Dominique
street BE that as 1t may, the dreadful element speedily
communicated to the premises and by noon the
whole Of the st. Louis suburb was in flames The con-
hagraton by four o'clock in the afternoon had DESTROYED
nearly half of the side Of St. Lawrence street
the whole of ST. Dominique, St. Constant ST. Elizabeth
Sangunet and ST. Denis Streets all running parallel To
each other from north to south. 1t had also cleared
the whole of Mignonne, Dorchester and great part Of
Lagauchetere streets running from west At this
time, say half past Z. NJ we had made very accurate
survey of the and extent of the and
by comparing this with the books Of the Corporation we
found, rough calculation that something like FIVE
hundred houses had been destroyed comprising almost
the whole Of the st. Louis suburb Upon again going
the burnt district to verify account ascertaned
that great part OF Lagauchetere street had also fallen
victim to the dreadful element which had also swept St.
Denis street from end to end BY p M, the bishops
church and the late residence well as the newly
palace Of the bishop, in fames The fire had also
extended along ST. Catharine street. to destroy
every thing the north side far the Asye and
the south side as far Mr. Collins, the prothonoary
We then prepared to make up full as pos
sble OF the whole occurrence but had hardly left the
of the disaster for half hour when we were again
recalled to the streets by the alarm of the Hays House be-
ing on fire. The report but too true. BY 9P M.
that magnificent pile of buildings in blaze as high
as the cupoa and continued to burn till one story after
another fell in This did not happen however, until it
had spread ruin each side Of it. On the south side Of
the street block Of houses with end fronting on Dali
housie square, and dividing Nore Dame from St. Paul
street. took fire. while the sparks communicated the con-
tagon right across the square 1.-THE whole Of which
burnt to the ground the west end Of St Mary street.
from whence the flames continued to be propagated by
the sparks, to indefinite extent till we went to press
What part of the Quebec suburbs will be ultimately saved
is hard to The timber yard and mills Of Mesrs
Sims Coleman went early the afternoon long before
the flames had reached them in a body, the fire being
communicated by the sparks. We had hoped to give
fuller of this fearful calamity but the constant
ygrowng character of the evil quite in of
powers; add to which the fact that almost all Of
positors residents of the burnt quarter and of
course obliged to be looking after their property We
must plead the universally of the calamity the
for shortcomings We have already prepared list
Of about five hundred houses which destroyed by
o'clock We fear that the list may be extended to six
eight hundred and there be little doubt that between
hve thousand and eight thousand persons last night
without shelter The relief Of the necessities Of these
poor persons is the most pressing call upon the
nifty at this juncture Their suerngs mentally and boz
dily have been extreme during the heat anxiety of
the last twentyfour hours and hope that viii
be taken speedily to relieve them.
Another Montreal paper after describing the ravages
| of the first fire. says:
Over six hundred houses have been destroyed and the
loss of the real property win be probably from hun
bred and twenty thousand to hundred and fifty
thousand pounds sterling The loss of personal property
it is impossible to estimate Many poor working mocha
mics and laborers have lost their little all From
to 100000 think moderate valuation of these losses
exclusive of what has been lost in the church and palace
the w0odyards and the shops, which will probably be
10000 Upwards of three thousand persons must have
been homeless last night and many of them have to-day
no means wherewith to procure new shelter for
themselves.
1t mournful drove along the site
ron. The large vacant field extending from the main
street to St. Denis street. lying just under the Cote
filled with groups Of men, women and children and their
little piles of furniture and goods while all around and
below them smoking wilderness covered with Chin
red trees and the Champ de Mars and Vger square
/ similarly occupied with heaps of goods
While on the route witnessed the commencement OF
another conhagration. The wooden buildings in the
Of Hayess House having been gnted by sparks from the
other fire. the flames worked their way to that building
which was consumed and all the houses Dalhousie
square, including the Hon. Mr. Mofats residence and
the houses Of the Royal Artillery and Of the TWEEN
tieth regiment and the Military Secretarys Office
The fire is sti raging at the hour write God only
knows where II will stop II has crossed Amherst
its through the quebec suburbs and ii does
as any power could any portion of that popu
lous ward Montreal seems to be doomed.
Telegraphic despatch dated Montreal on Saturday
says That part of the city known the Quebec and
St Lawrence suburbs is destroyed almost entirely max
ing clear sweep of mile and half length and three
fourhs in width principally dwellings The Hayes House
is also burnt" The whole number of buildings ensured
is stated to be twelve or fifteen hundred.
A