True American. [volume] (Steubenville [Ohio]) 1855-1861, 1858-10-13
Destruction of the Crystal Palace
Further Particulars.

The telegraph has already announced
in brief the destruction bv fire, of the
Crystal Palace New York. The New
York papers are filled with details, some
of which we extract as matter of interest
to our readers -
The fire broke out few minutes after
FIVE o'clock, on the afternoon Of Tuesday
when the Fair Of the American Institute
was being held. The flames spread so
rapidly that in twelve minutes the dome
fell, and in twenty one minutes almost the
whole structure was burned to the ground.
One of the minarets still stands, and
small portions of the wall are still erect.
The fremen were on the ground in fifteen
minutes after the first alarm, and worked
manfully, but they were too late to be of
service. They kept playing on the ruins
all the evening; hoping to save some Of
the machinery. A crowd collected about
the Palace-such crowd as has not COL
lected there before, since the grand open
ing-and The most contradictory rumors
prevailed as to the origin Of the fire and
its effects. Many of the visitors inside
leaped from the windows, and climbed
down the pillows of The Piazza, and for a
long time it was thought that some must
have perished in the flames, but at MIDI
night we could no, learn that any lives
had been lost.
The value of the property destroyed
can scarcely be estimated with any degree
of accuracy. The Palace was valued by
the American institute, when they essayed
to buy it, at $l25,O0 The goods on
exhibition at the Fair and the statnary
which had been left at the Worlds Fair,
at low estimate, must have been $225,.
900, making a Total Of $3.50, 600.
From the sum known 10 have been ia.
ken at the entrance, as well as from other
means Of determining the fact, no less
than 1000 persons are estimated 10 have
been in the building when the cry Of fire
arose. OF course there was some confu
sion and the screams Of the timid eagerly
endeavoring to get into the open air
we're heard on the stair cases and neal
each point of egress. Half blinded and
stifed by the smoke, every effort was
made to assist those who in The confusion
Of the moment hardly knew the direction
of escape. Of this immense crowd
there is as yet no positive evidence thai
any lives were lost. There was rumol
that female and her child we're among
The ruins, but the story was not well au
thenticated. A statement also prevailed
that young man named Smith, employed
on the jewelry department, was missing
One person stated tina, he saw him endea
vor to remove some valuable jewelry, ant
at the time the flames had made such head
way that he was barely able 10 escape
AS the stairway fell Immediately after hi
passage over it, he presumed that Smitl
was unable to descend and get ont of tn,
] ""hui"S' Auio otdIeiHtHU CT6dt6u lot
time good deal Of excitement, but for
tunately the supposed missing individua
afterwards turned up safe he had crep
through the smoke on bis hands ant
knees, and SO emerged from the buildin,
bringing with him a box containing abou
$4,000 worth of watches and jewelry.
Ex-Capt. Maynard, of the Nineteentl
Ward, was officiating when the fire brok
out, as doorman at the entrance from
Forty second street. He says that h
saw the flames bursting out underneath
the stairway, but had no idea other thai
that it would be speedily extinguished
no such idea was entertained 6y him
that the safety Of the building was seri
ously endangered. The managers ha,
Just risen from dinner He saw. seyera
of lhem. They, at once announced 4
the visitor, 10 the building that d fire ha