The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-01-09
|lNOTHtR AWFUL COSFL ,GRATiON.
~>~~@~>~~~>o~>~~~~~~~~~~~
The Details Of the Destruction # AetrO-
p0litan Hall and Lafarge House.
The Loss Estimated at Over Half Nil
lion of Dollars.
Scenes--Insurance--.A Accidenls---InCidents,
&C., &C., &c.

Another of the fearful oouassra'iors ~hich have of
atS visited city occurr tue ngh oso'o ls7t about
Zoe o'clock, 81 mentioned 10 yestsrds,s HgsMo While
Darkness rested upon tho metropolis ana midnight sum
Der held oor citixsns In it's am snor.oe, tne solemn
axsvy onss of the Hall bell booKi g the city,
srousirg its Inhabitants to wltneas fearful spectacle
rne whole island VAS lighted up by Ole tremendous
isme which feeding up o. its notest struo
lures and finest architectural ornaments. Metropolitan
Hall and Lfarge aouss envel,pso in sheet OF
are. In the space Of few mnmenS thousinda rushed
10 the scene OF disaster and the gallant hremsn
almost in anty at their post hing every
|stay the furious flames Bot ever effort their part
was Of Avs as far as conotrnsd the Metr ppohtan
Hall and Lsfarge House. Within the space of hour
these noble bull, inss transformed into smnuaerog
knokIg ruinsa sad contrast with the Rtstey appear
ALce they presented few moments before.
There yesterday various in circulation in
regard to the origin of tse nre seemed to
be generally understood however, that ths 6re caught
om one Of the hotel undr ths orchestra oex
Of the concert ROOM The smoke and aAmes we're first
issuing from this spot which strengthens the ooa
lecture that it caught from the furnace.
n TIE lpresd Of the danes was with tho rapidlty Of
fahtpipg The frst cry of fire, nre, given when
tho smoke was frss issuiDg out OF Metropolitan
Hail. ON the Mercer street side and its echo had hardly
sysry part of the Inflated buildings. "witsu fifteen
uainutss"-says . fireman who was one of the
first on the ground and the last to leave 1t
s'within fifteen minutes from the tms the frs js of
oks mingled with the midnight air, the whole city
Illuminated by . burning piis-two OF the first buildings
in the city wasting away like mist before tbs morning
sun" The tenent throughout the city at the time
pe the catastrophe most Intense and narrowing to
feelings inAsmuch many dxed the dre 1t the Me-
tropoltan ST. Nicholas Hotel and fsnced the lives Of
hundreds would be sacrificed to ths Fire King. Many
hreathed rser when 1t nlunced that Metropolitan
Han and the Lsfs-se House burning although this
news not without reglet But SO long a lives
in jeopardy many felt what they said-shst "ths
catastrophe not bad might be-" rns tpecta.
certainly of the grand and terrific that
has been presented for long tims The burning build
ngs covered Of about ten lots Of grouud clothed
with garment Of 6re swsling, foAmng aad rolling bill
lows Of asms threatening to swallow up blocks around
It. After thu 6re had been raging about hour gen.
erl alarm rung for the engines from all parts Of the
city To rspar to the spot; bat this useless parou
lAriy far - COZ cerned the down town fremen
who were AL on the ground IT early hour.
This u the third general alarm which has
been rung during the last month-arst the fall o.
HArpsrs establishment then the burning Of the build
ang Front street, together with ,hs Great Republic
extraordinary for noting down in the diary OF the
~ oldest inhabitant.n
The Arsmen compelled to work under many cii
noulties The rect side, (Msrcer street, wss
errow and the walls OF the baEng buildings run high
beyond the mach OF the water and constantly threAn
ing TO fall AID bury all beneath Moreover, there
scms alarm account tf the steam boilers fo heating
Il buildings, led under Mercer street, and at the
time OF the coDfagrstion with . high pressure OF
steam them. 1t rumored that there was danger
from the sxposioa of these boilers which rep. IT for
while retarded the efforts Of the heroic arsmsn In
short time, however, 1t aimed there WAS NO
to apprehend danger from explosion of any kind
when the hremen went to work with redoublei vigor
Some idea be formed OF the mannsr in which the
nremsn did their duty, fro the statement that T. r.
Goodwin foreman OF Hose Company 35 directsd
Of the upon the nsmss had the nozs
OF the hose burned and charred to cinder in his
hand, aud had his boots actually burned q crisp on
his feet. Where man go and and deeds Of greater
hsrotsm than In the history Of the New York dremens
With other incentive than merely to save perty
and roll back the Of FIRE, this man entering
the very jaws Of DEATH and standing thsrsdong battle
till the enemy he'd bunsd his weapon from his hands
and his garments fro n his body
We understand that Er gne No in Mercer street.
under tbs wah Of the Metropolitan whom they gave in.
save themselves and their engine they were compelled
20 chop o the hose they using They did tIis and
withdrew themselves aad their machine from the danger
ous situation just in time when the wall fell With trs
msndous crash, and buried everything in the street
beneath It, TO the extent Of the building The carpenter
shop o HAlssy, adjoining the Metropolitan, in Mercer
street. was completely hid beneath the ruins.
Az room - all hopes Of saving the LAfarge and the
Mstropohtan had been given up the attention Of ths
6rsnen directed to conhnng the flames to those 70
buildings On Mercer street the pipes we're dre,tsd TO the
opposite Gds Of the street from the nre to prevent
fAs nrs taking hold there Notwithstanding the arsmen
efforts some damage done that side of the street
Nos 2o7, 2oe and 2lb were somewhat damaged and No
2s, grocery and liquor store, known as the "Golien
Eagle" .omewhat damaged BY ars and water On
tie Broadway side there greater OF the sxten
sion Of the flames the wind blowing furously In
esssrly direction carrying large chunks Of live
aIoCg way on. Several streams OF water turned
upou houses in Bond street. and in that direction and By
great sxerton all OF them saved The Bond Street
House great peril at tins but was fortunately
saved with little damage Toe FIRE bounded by this
hotel one side, and BY . building upon ths
other, which In AL probability prevented the fame,
from extending through 10 Ami'y street
As soon ~ the Ere comm -ncsd large force Of poscs
and nremen Immediately set to work In carrying ont
~-~ es'nB sh Inv pfOpsIty tney cOule. "A
great amount OF the furniture Of the Lsargs was thus
preserved large force OF police wsrs on ths ground
Attended By the chief Mr. Natse and the captains Of
the various wards ALI did that could bs DONE
In saving property and staying the flames.
The LAfarge ives new hotel and ore Of the finest in
the city. II was built in the moss superb and oo.tly
manner, and perhaps second only to the st. Nicho
las not the equal Of that hotel The frort OF It VAS
built Of white marble and had just been nnt he'd and
was TO have been opened for the reception OF the public
ahs nrst Of next month. II furnihed In the most
sunptuous sy.e bat, luckily for the proprietor, ths
silver ware smounI to sixteen thsussnd dollars had
not yet been carried into the building but to bs
taken In to day Hundreds had engaged in this
grand hotel and great preparations were mailing fer an
opening festival It an early d,y.
The appearances Of tae ruins yesterday we're tuy sad
OF theas stately edihce, nothing rem aimed but few
bsokeDsd wells, and hills OF brick and mortar The Me-
tropolitsn Hal which hss bean ths ~ - -.