Monmouth weekly herald. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1854-1860, 1858-10-07
CRYSTAL PALACE IN RUINS.
LOSS $I.7s6.00O!I

lne Lfystal Falace, Tue scene OF SO many OF
the great public demonstrations which have Ia
kes place in New York of late years, was to-
tally destroyed by fire on Tuesday evening, aud
the site is now a mass Of smoking ruins. Not
only the Palace itself, but everything that it
contained. was burnt up. The FIRE when FIRST
discovered, appeared to proceed from the room
used as q lumber room, andin which were stor
ed . large quantity OF old patterns, left from
the Worlds Fair.
The managers of the Fair state that there
is bat little doubt that the FIRE vas the work
Of an incendiary. The blaze was discovered
almost immediately. and al attempt was made
to extinguish it by the hose on the premises
but the water not flowing freely, the flames
spread to the ceiling, .or under part Of the bal
Cosy floor. when the combnstible character Of
the yellow pine flooring fed the devouring ele-
ment, and almos. Immediately enyeloped the
dome in q mass Of fame, when, in from twelve
to fifteen minutes frem the first discovery 81
the fire, the doom fell in with a tremendous
crash, and at the expiration of twenty minutes
the entire building and it's contents were a mass
Of ruins. When the fire was first discovered
there we're about 1000 persons in the building,
and on the alarm being given CONSERVATION
and fright seized upon the visitors, who rushed
wildly in the direction Of the exits, crying and
screaming in the most pitiful manner. All-
dren were separated from their parents, and
friend from friend. Many were knocked down
and trampled under foot, and sustained serious
bodily injary. 1t is feared, from the rapid
frrrna1 nf fho cpoaHa I-l <ho Ek%fo fr-1-1I-.
the visitors had of the means of exit, that sew
eral lives have been lost. The persons in the
gallery were in great jeopardy, as in three min
utes from the first discovery Of the fire the np-
per part Of the building was SO filed with
smoke that it would have been impossible fr
q human being to have existed o minute.
It seems almost incredible that a structure
like the Palace, made of iron, should in the
I space of twenty minutes be totally destroyed,
| but such was the case. The appearance o.
the burning was grand and sublime, presenting
the most magnificent spectacle ever witnessed
in this city. The Crystal Palace was insured
in ten or twelve insurance companies for S.,
| 600 each. esi
laWea,a WORKS OF ART DESTROYED. 3
All the statuary and paintings in the palace
were, of course, destroyed. Some of the stat
ues were very fine, and ranked high as works
of art.
Kiss equestrian statue of the Amazon at
tackled by a Lion, attracted very general at
%tention, and was usually surrounded by a gronF
Of. persons. 1t was a splendid work of art, anc
its loss will be regretted. a
An equestrian statue of Washington, life
size, by Baron Marochetti. An imposing GROUP
and much admired colossal statue of DAME
Webster, in marble, by Caven, of London.
Lion and a boa constructor in q death strug
gle. The group of the Lovers going to {
Well. In addition to these were alarge mum
Der of life sized busts of O'Connell, Moore
Father Matthew, and Washington, in marble
and plaster qr.
INCIDENTS.