The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1854-01-26
Another Terrible CoLfagratiCn.

Tile Ncao City Hall IN Ruins.-Loss cf
Orcr One Hundred Thousand Dollars
uonh Of Pioperty-- The Library Sared.
&c.
We are again called upon to record
another terrible fire with which our city
has been visited. There seems to be a
special fatility, at the present time, resting
upon the metropolis, for no sooner is the
record of one conaagration completed
than another takes place, and before the
smoke has died away from the ruins Of
Metropolitan Hall. the public Buildings
of the Park are clothed in fame.
About four o'clock yesterday afternoon
the new City Hall was discovered to be
on fire, and tho alarm was Immediately
sounded throughout the city. The orig
in of the fire was from the fues in the up
per stories of the building, in the Com
missoners of Central Park Committees
room, over the Superior Court rooms
When two or three of the reserved force
of police form the Chiefs Office first ar
rived on the spot, the fire was breaking
through the ceiling over the Superior
Court room, in the southeast corner, and
was also coming through the caves of the
building. The spot then burning was not
more than ten feet square, but the wood
work was SO dry that the flames ignited
like fash of powder, and soon enveloped
the entire court room.
During the fire the scene from the top
of the city Hall was truly grand. Within
the space of half an hour from the time of
the first discovery of the flames, the en-
tire roof of the new City Hall was in a
blaze. Being of wood, the flames ran "a
long it with surprising quickness. Soon
the Park was crowded with fire companies
and spectators. From Broadway on one
side to Park row on the other and between
the burning building and the City Hall
itself, there was one mass of human be-
ings. Hundreds rushed for the roof OF
the City Hall, from which view could
be had of the entire affair. Thousands
who made their way to the scene Of con-
dagration expected to find the City Hall
itself on fire, or the store of Messrs, A.
I. Stewart e. Co. From distance, the
City Hall clock seemed to be enveloped
in the volumes of flames and smoke, which
led to the above con lecture. The atnos-
phere being very dense, the smoke strug-
gled upward through it with great diff
6culty, and strong wind carried it in
clouds over the City Hall before it as
cended. The fire burned from the roof
downwards. First the entire roof was
blazing beyond the effective control of the
fremen, on account of its height aud ex-
tent, the length of it being about three
hundred feet. Then the flames enwraped
the story below, and when it had extend
ed to the first story from the basement, the
fremen we're enabled to reach it with their
streams, and compel it to yield to their
efforts. The new fire proof building late
ly erected at the east end of this range Of
buildings was not at all damaged. The
police were stationed at each window of
this building with buckets Of water and
by the aid of strong wind blowing from
it they were enabled to keep the flames
from entering it.
The fremen were untiring in their Ia
bours until the flames were subdued. At
about six o'clock they gained the mastery
over the "Devouring element" and before
seven o'clock it had done it's work, and
now only rolled up its dense clouds of
black smoke from the smoulderng pile
Among the 6remen from the distant dis
tricts on hand, doing all that could be
done to save property, we noticed James
foreman of the Harlem Hook
and Ladder Company. Perceiving the
dames to be wrapping themselves appar-
entity around the belfry and clock of the
Jlty Hall, the confagration was knowp
o be disastrous one and needing the as
'istance of every member of the depart
York Herald.