New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-12-12
DESTRUCTIVE C0NFLAGRATJOy
Earpers' Establishment in Ruins
SIXTEEN BUILDINGS coNsunr,
LOSS OF Sl,6OO,OOO.
Several Persons Isjurcd-NaTrOVs Escape ofs,.,
500 <cmalcs-2.ooo Working Pcopl. On,
OF Empl0Yment

The most alarming hre mat has Visited our Ctr ss,. a.
terrific coufagraton of 1873 oocurod on Sa.ari,y -
noon in Cliff and Pcarsts and Franklin slusr, a.a -.
in few hours the immense Book PubIshia, In,
Messrs Harper Brothers together with other bulE,..
were mass Of smoudering ruins Within the am, -
about two thousand artisans and worSmen Ell gl-e IN ~.
lor,able OCCUPATIONS robbed Of employns, a.,
thrown idle upon the world
In al tie conaGgra,ions that We have wipes.es,.,
Their name is legion-we have sen any.hnr ..,
this in grandeur The great fire Of IS was more a.,.
i've more alarming more terrific for was in the nI,A !,
cold night that had but few idle spectators tho cha
left their beds left them work there was no ns f an
curiosity The great fire Of So Ike his happened A, ma
DAY and Ike this drew hundreds Of thousands Of soec.
tors who could do nothing but look on ba, they ala M,
look Oh as they did Saturday in en; adm aOa Of tia
extraordinary beauty OF the grand pyrosachnc display
They looked on then in agony Of alarm a. tie
idea not yet seltled-that saltpeter will expoie9--
that it or something else did explode, scattering FRA
and death before the raging wind to sa,h an sr
tent that TO one with heart feel could look on exep,h
acony Not yesterday when there
has been u hered any fire since ihoi &c aud Or hoan
,ey stood itching the progress OF tbs flames Qaeayu
we have often witnessed the same element OF terrific is
struot.n sweeping before tonknot breeze thrOughhs
dry Grass over some hundred miles wide Of western prae
Attimes we have seen, from Quebec to New 0isass A
forest fires such as DO other county equal sE1
ing furousy through the woods sometimes burang tea
feet deep in swGmps sometimes running moan;ansde
melting tie vely rocks in Their course and IN alm>sev sy
cit, in the Mon we have CHANGED be present a, es
fire but have never anything to equal that which has
lust swept awoy million and half OF property-svsp.
away the complete works OF years Of mental labor-is
slroycd tie hores Of rising authorsior they had hope
b.o tolin fha broad ont Al
mony a mouth; for ESQ workmen directly emp5yd
in Harpcrs buildings arc ont OF work have nowhere
TO 20 fer employment this day have consolation to
oftr their families, such %" never mind the rise OF
four | have a good job for the winter Oilers
know not how many, from tn smaller establishments Dc
stroyed are mourning this day than those who looked
so calmly on the destruction Of their great wealth two
Cnys ago
Then there are the poor omgrants 50 suddenly thrust
into the street from the Old Walton House which was
once an out oftown residence Of one Of the most arso
cratic families in New York.
Think too Of al the guests Of a six story hotel hnrreiy
obliged TO pack up and be of without time pay the bill
Think too, OF the many poor families though not burn.
out driven by fear to fly for lie each one getting load Of
something to save and running into the street without
tho ht Of what TO be doue with It or where was TO
be stored for safety In these emergencies succor was al
day was the hearty good viii with which it rendered
by The Police who were there in full force their hsndsoms
bne caps and silver letters shining through and above the
crowd making them conspicuous giving them character
that must make the uniform popular while many Of the
acts of those who IT, toward the poor and helpless
viii 90 far to mike the popular than they
have eyerbecn before Tears t. eyes more than
once at acts OF kindness from the blue coas toward
fCne poor child. In one we were pirlicuary
interested Between aud oclOck. the crowd in Frank
lin square was beyond conception All the loading
into had become packed with human beings aud the ey
ful Leat Of the last of the Harper buildings and the odWa
ton House and Hotel had driven back the front ranks ofhe
crowd, ill they were shut into those behind Ike
tie case Of q telescope Fortunately we got poahon
between an engine and broken down cart where the vsw
of both sides Of the street and down the square and through
Pearst, under an arch of fire magnificent In rapid
succession The fronts Of the tall buildings had gone dows
crash after crash a. the beams gave way with the weight
Of thirty three power presses while the burning contents
Of all those rooms glowed up like sea of melted lava
while north and south the flames pouring out Of the
windows Of five story buildings from basement to anc
reaching their ored tongues the wide street. and ever
and again nieocng with those from the roof and upper
Window Of the tall hotel opposite while the smoke rolled
I'D in dense black from the pine materials o. inc
unfinished building with just wind enough 10 wan his1y
away toward the East river From the basement OF mosS
buildings first in ruins whore there enormous qisn
tty Of paper stored there came up pale yeo" "n'sS
with suphureous blue tinge archng over the 'ee1 unoef
the tongues of fame which shot out Of the black sn'As
above while the sun, directly the street. g's
the whole golden tinge, never before equaed' anu
we hope never to be equaled again This vas me gf'n''
fre.pcuIe we have This ift could 30 Han'e'
to canvas, would exceed anything ever pan'ea In"
scene was only witnessed from Franklnsqaafe ana ''
hight OF It's glory only lasted for about quarter Oh an n'l
1t was just the point OF time when the sun "sv'
Pear 81. when the tall buildings pouring out 'ns1
smoke and flames; when the smoke and steam from inc
burning paper had oil the appearance Of the VINE ""
Of the theater when the spray Of water IRON '.e
es It fell in pearly showers formed in the sun rays '
reinboys with all the prsnaic colors that came a0l "0''
Ike flashes; while the partly fallen walls STOOD !" w"
aud fragments Ike the ruined bl,iemsns Of some oD
tie While other walls were going down crash a'f u''s
deafenng thundrs while from every house Top lns -
cars end rcd shirts Of the fremen gave evidence I" -
who filed every foot Of standing IN the sree'' ~
they woo born to conquer that iercey as the hre
enq could 20 no farther tina, they had drawn 0"N
Of an opposite element around H. and babe denaae
was az this point Of time when The ar |asa sea -,
tie earth sea Of human beings, that the sket ''a
been taken Il was at histme when the genera
teen souIded-wben the bells from CITY ieh " c..
lad said 10 all tie fremcn, Come Come qacAy 80
with wiling hearts and strong hands! II was
one oiiheu town en- gnes came thunderng down
compactly Blocked that we had found il difficult % "".
way through the crowd Of haman beings nov ~ -.
shout Way, there way, there ." Give way 'o' ~
"fremenw Ilurrahr Another engine-'re'h H'.
Way, therew the fremen shout and the cro'a
How can such mess give way yet they must 10, 'DN
CINE is ordered to pas through Franknsglsre' do"1 =.
- .. vro.ers. 10 send M its oop.ou5 streams upon ~