The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1853-01-19

sing ularly curious" There was literally not in the
whole place an expression OF symptom Of regret lamen
lahon, detection or woe The people took the matter as
eooy as aundress when her clothes have been blown
OF the line They had been burnt out, and build
Otherwise, exhilarating Though less than As hours
had elapsed since the fire the site oil the principal
street was so crowded with carts horses, and work
men 10 be .'almost mpassable" and all other sounds
were rendered inaudbIe by the incessant din of ham
Iner. Iowel, and saw q How are you l--all your
buildings gone lleis have drak-youIl build IN brick
owr'-were the phrases OF saluiaton poured forth
in single breath and assured that within the
space OF ten days extempore Sacramento had risen
from the ashes, that the shops were opened with full
stocks OF goods, and that "businesshat true end OF
American life =" had been resumed with infinite spirit
Certainly all history may be searched in vain for such
description as this An incident OF characteristic ELECT
completes the story While the fire actually al lis
height the acnleness OF Californian wit had deserted the
impending rise in The price Of building materials. and
steamer was presently chartered by two or three specaa
tors Tor the neghboDg city of San Francisco As con-
sequence il crowded with passengers intent on the
same object hut the original charerers caused them
selves to be put privately shore, and orders that
the steamer should beat about in the bay for few hours
while they awaited themselves OF the chance to operate
at leisure The trick, however was thought under the
circumstances to be TOO smart" and an indignation
meeting was held by candelght the ashes OF Sacra
menlo 10 protest against the proceedings.
Extraordinary such conlagrations undoubtedly are,
must be recoeced that these occurrences generally
lar more common in America than in England. The or
binary average fires OF steady going town in the
Union would scare an English population out OF its
we remember tnat TdvelIeT--We tnnk II
was Captain Basil hall-inquired once OF American
what could be the origin OF such incessan mishaps and
received for answer that they partly accidental aud
partly caused by the insurance Offices TO keep people
to the proper mark OF apprehension. In California
such ingenuity OF explanation is required. "A wooden
town. as our correspondent sensibly observes, :" in
climate OF which eight months OF the year dry and
several windy must burn = and when 10 this liability
add the notorious recklessness Of gold hunters, shall
have said as much will be looked for The most sim
gular circumstance the is, that with SOIL is
now stated, admirably adapted for the manufacture OF
bricks the materials actually employed should have been
so exclusively timber. The truth is however that eve
rythlng has proceeded on the Ego Ahead principle alone
BRICK making took up time, and wooden house
could be run up and inhabited before clay could be fairly
baked Instead OF guarding against confagraons by the
construction OF their houses, the Californans to
prefer taking the risk il comes and maintaining some
machinery to encounter il. Most towns n the United
States have their volunteer fire brgades raised trained
and mustered something like our militia and the prac-
spirit which no free communities without Still, the
periodical absorption By fire Of entire Cities with their
property, must eventually prove contingency too seri
GUS 10 be sighed and shall be prepared 10 hear tha,
some precautionary conditions OF building receive the
force OF law. Meantime conhagraton more or less
rope such calamity would have been bewaed n the
sympahes, and relieved by the subscriptions OF whole
continent; but in America the damage is repaired and
the event forgotten almost before the event has been
made public: by this time, in all human probability,
new city OF Sacramento is substantially completed OF
magnificent proportions, more durable material and
greater riches than the which persisted six weeks
ago 1t is certainly great thing to say but American
towns are built almost as rapidly they burnt and
the Kings oil Palestine who constructed eighty or hun
ded cities IN lifetime. seem to be surpassed by Anglo
Saxon coonists, who create almost many in year.