New-York daily tribune., 1853-12-28
THE GREAT COpFlAGSATION!
TOTAL pEsTRUcTICM
OF The
CLIPPER GREAT REPUBLIC,
ALSU IiE
SHIPS JOSEPH WALKER AND WHITE SQUAlI

We announced in our morning edition Of yesteEdgy th
breaking out a a: early hour Tuesday morning Of
destructive fire in FrOns with the total ssr- ion Of th
monster clipper ship Great Republic. We give de
tailed account this disaster with particulars Of the losses
AT l2I O'Clock Tuesday morning fire broke out in th,
large building No pa Fronts occupied by Treadw we'll
Son as an extensive ship bread bakery which, with IL
teDts entirely consumed Thefame- spread rapidly in
every direction owing to heavy north wind blowing
al the time communicating the five story building No
24a. occupied by Jones Rowland s. Co as -four store
This building with the greater portion Of It's
also destroyed The adjoining building No 2isk occupied
BY David II. Manwarng Importer Of Russia mats bags
&c next took fire and in short time heap OF ruins
Thence the flames communicated to the building No 24i,
occupied By Davidson & Young a ship bread bakery,
which with the stock contained completely destroyed
30 2i6 occupied By c. G.. d SANFORD naval store
damaged by water No 24s on the opposite side OF the
street occupied by Reynolds & Co. fsur store par.
tally destroyed the roof and upper stories being burned or
No 24e occupied by Edward Owens -four store was
sdrsbly damaged also the building No PAS occu.
pied by George c. Newman, boat builder
No 2i3, occupied by J. Kinney. slightly damaged
No 24O, occupied by Harris s. Co. pork and provision
dealers took fire but saved from destruction by the
orgeic action Of the fremen.
The large building Nos 2s and 263 Water st. Joining
the bakery in the rear. occupied by Ois lie Roy & Co.
dealers in tin plated lead pipe alec took fire and
deraby damaged before the flames could be extngushed
The parts of the buildings No. PCS and No. 267
Water and Of the Irish Volunteer Fourth Ward House
the street much damaged but their fronts
unnjured
These premises are occupied respectively by T. Dussn
bury copper smith and bell founder W. Hit coiher and
Michael Doody, tavern keeper
While the FIRE raging in the above named locality
the sparks thick in the vicinity as to the
appearance of raining fire The streets and docks along
tie East River literally alive with burning Goals The
pier at the foot Of Doverst time covered the
depth Of inches with cinders and the rigging and
ofhe vessels lying in the stream
petey enveloped in flying sparks The sesmen and others
senuouy e1ered themselves prevent the from
ignng but most instances the high wind rendered their
efforts useless
About O'Clock the rigging Of the supendous ship
Great Republic took fire Owing the immense hight Of
her impossible for the engines play upon the
flames and the consequence that the falling spar
set her deck in blaze At o'clock her forenass fell
knocking her mainyard out Of the sings apd shortly after
the mainmast came down the dock Her mzzen
mast followed, carrying with it her spankcrmast The
sci perfect wreck being one Of flame aban
the mainmast.
II said that impossible to tow her into the stream
owing TO the owness Of the tide and for the reason
is said that although she was scued the OBSTRUCTION OF ne
gre ater part OF the hull could be prevented with
her keel touching the bottom
From the Great Republic the fire communicated to the
ship Joseph Walker lying in the slip, and in short
time her upper works enveloped in flames She be-
longed to the Black Star Line and may be considered
total loss
The clipper ship White Squall lying next to the Great
Republic caught fire in the rigging and was soon in
blaze from stem to stem.
She Yves towed into the stream by ofthe Fulton Ferry
boats and dred up the river opposite the Navy Yard
where she burned to the waters edge
In addition TO the above several other vessels-nosly
schooners and soopshad their spars and rigging burned
The majority of them however escaped total destruction by
slipping their cables and drawing out into the stream.
The following is list Of the cargo on board tho Great
Republic: