Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-10-12
FROM NEW YORK.
Correspondence Of ,hs Richmond Eaf4ire-
Nrw YORK Oc.. e 1855

thousand ] s>t;OTS- "a "'"
incidents BIZ one mhO ,cas 0t nc spot
Tn. Crvr;a. P,iuc, !i"' Ia rmin' Tn E,'r"' Il
American Institute has been brough; 10 jr"f'i0'
c,ox,. The articles on exhibition are totally destroy
-, A million of dollars ara estimated TO he utterly
lost. About S O'Clock last evening the fire bells rang
,ha alarm. and an immense cloud Of smoke was sesh
Issuing up town. The alarm soon spread that The
rrvstal Palace was on FIRE. Immediately started
for the scene Of con1sgration. The alarm caoseo
much surprise down town, and many. at hre'' haFuty
credited the report. In the Eeishborhood OF tne
Palace the fact created great confederation, ano iheh'
women and children were greatly aiarmeu, .,
The fire originated in II lumber room III 'he Nol.n
nave. ON Forty second street, ana III iess 'nat -!
minutes the splendid structure WAS Il mass u ru.hs'
~. Sc na,,ran;as were soon on the ground, playing
900 atr.nms of water, but without any Vlslble ei
t.cf. They worked ally for 4 long trme' 10 NOPE OF
wing so,ne of the valuable machinery III tn. East-
80, ,or,ion OF the building, but without avail. me
W. did sn.cimens Of skill and invention were DE-
stroyed by the fearful flames. Upon tile most re'iaoi7
authority we learn that the fire burst out at ten min
utes past five o'clock, and in Twelve minutes uus' Hy
the watch, the whoie edihca was III names' anu 'he
donna isll in with an awful crash.
THE VISITORS NsIpE-MIRAcuLou5 ESCAPE.
II is estimated that 2,00D people were inside the
palace at the moment the elarm OF fre was giver:
nut, strange and providential, ali escaped with their
lives, with the exception OF one man, whose body was
taken from the ruins last midnight. Various rumors
have been shoat; some OF them making out tnat MY
~ more persons have perished. THESE are untrue
End vet il il almost q miracle that hundreds did not
fall into the devouring jaws of Deaths most horrible
torn. Some confusion, 1t is true, prevailed when the
people saw the fame and smoke lssu'ng iorth' out
they hastened to the d%oorways, and, by the efforts OF
| men TO keep them from tumbIing over each other aud
DOWN the steps, they succeeded 10 gettin g into the
open air. Some were almost blinded by the smoke
and stihed before they could get out; others scream
I'd and shouted, creating intense and painful excite
ment.
IA aeon a. the ohicers and employees in charge ofthe
building saw that it wac useless 10 attempt to save the
building they immediately et about looking alter peo'
,e who might be straying abou. the corners and hooks
~ the galleries and lower Hoor. Some Of these men
hs. a,y escaped with their lives. One young insn
named Smith III charge of the iewelry department, al.
tempted 10 save 4 CAGE OF watches valued AT several
Thousand dollars, and succeeded in getting them on
the door Just az the dome fell IN. He Mas nearly sui
located, and was of opinion that he WAS the last man
in the building. Many, peraone, most Of them eIhibi'
tors, remained till thu last moment i'll order 10 save,
II possible, their property. One woman who had got
Out. attempted to return for soms effects, but was
prevented by an officer, and thus her HE was saPec'
Tor in a minute after all egress wae ended.
THE ORIGIN AND SPREAD OF THE FIRE,
One theory is that some of the gas pipes exploded
in the corner of tine room, wheucs the flames issued
but this ia quite discretitsd, as there are circumstances
| almost proving the work oi AL incendiary. a man
.ts,es. positively. that he cav some boys running
sway from the l2ad street entrance just before The
fire was discovered. Another was seen running acrots
the street rapidly, Is if he wished to avoid being re
c~ognissd. Others declare they saw a msn hurrying
away, in q very suspicious MANNER, with his Cloak
collsr turned over his head, &c. II believe be has
been arreeted. .
Tie spread Of the flames wss unprecedented. Ii
had alwsys been understood that the building YVES
fire. proof. The result has shown that no building
could have been more contustible. True, II wss
composed of iron ~andIglas., hut the wood work was Of
Southern yellow pins, and It blezed turiously, and al
most AZ instantaneous s a 6ash OF powder. The lsths.
Ike hoor was food for the element, and the ~draughts
OF cir, coming up through the interstices, tanned the
flames. which rushed along the boards up the stair
cases, flashing through chemicals, devouring furnl-
rurs, cotton goods, silks, oil cloths, carpets, csolns!
ware. bedding, wooden and fancy articles Of every
variety and descriptions; sweeping onw ard aud up
ward towsrd the dome, cracking and swapping, ia
though upearthy flames mad broken FROM their con.
hnee, until the dome and the whole vast and splendid
structure was enveloped in the red and rolling oiiiows
of fire. 1t WAS q scene awful and fearful! 10 behold.
SCENES AROUND, &C.
The brilliant light shone far away and brough;
thousands OF spectators 10 ,he sp"'. No such gath
ering had been, perhaps, in the vicinity before, sioce
he Palace was iDsugurated. Every face oehe.d ;ht
spectacle with anxiety aud Interest. IL was supposed
that msuy hal lost their lives, and this added 10 The
CONSERVATION. People Kept coming in from al di
rec,iops. For nearly a mile the Sixth Avenus ap
peared blockaded with care, omnibusses and people
on top Of them. The windows OF the fremont House
on 40th etreet, were full Of people, Upon top m
buildings, sheds, awnings, and in the windowe, or q"
sides. were immense througs. The vac, and lmrC
aing dimensions of the eGiics, now encircied in h sea
of fame, it's dome brilliantly illuminated. nad ia
ulnarets shooting up strcalls vi tains N The c.v.-
evening air, and The shouting. excitement, and ia
tense intereet manifested by he J~sbo,ters, was -
impressive. exciting aud fearful spectacle.
The PROPERTY DESTROYED.
The nCst valuable collection TA. tbs i-welry.--
Robert Roll & Co.. lopt welry TO The amount {"
$lO,OuO Tiffany & Co, several thousand dohar'
worth, b-eicvs a great quantity of Atlantic cch!r
Ofher exhibitors lost valuable ws;chcs, brooches
pine and diamonds 10 the value OF inany ;hOusari
dollars. +. Il. Bigeiow, ut Brooklyn, los, 81 ,5Oi
worth Of hats and furs. The keeper OF the Saloon
Mr.. Treadweil, lost $l,50O-all he bad. Sewing ma
, chiues agricultural! implements, pianos and paint
ings, bed %spresda, and crinoline, wine and women
weaving apparel, sta,uary and steam engines. ar,i
ci.s Of fancy aud implements at Use, all shsred
common fats in ms great conhagratlon. Very ieW
Thugs were saved, hardly enough worth naming, anr
these were rescued by the exhibitors At the risk o
their livee.
INCIDENTS. &C.
Whom the alarm was given The galleries were ful
of visitors. Among them Tas the Rev. a. ID. vi!
l-,te. -. D., PASTOR of the Calvary Baptist Church
On hearing the alarm. he and others looked over ti'
railing and saw wheuea the FIRE was coming. AT ths
instant a lady near him sprang over the railing e
throw herself to the floor below. ba; the Reveren'
Doctor caught her with both HANDS. and, By maj
strength, Rescued her from the slmoat certain fate u
death. Others were almost az frantic, but we're cor
trolled, and made TO go out the wide doors. DR.. Gil
lette had bis whiskers singed off, and the side OF tN
face a little burned. 1t is only OF slight injury, how
ever.
Almost every body in the building wanted TO tel
of his miraculous escape 20 some other body. TIT
exhibitors mourned over their goods. and tod how
they sbuld have rescued them, il they only had
little more tins. Ten thousand questions were sske'
and ten Thousand unsatisfactory a'ia~ere we're given
The owners Of the property feel themselves martyrs
and talk of suing acme body for The value OF thei
goods. They all think some body get fire to the pa
lace in order ~ stsai vsluables, and some say they
have suspicious people lurking around all day. Ev
cry body ia talking and telling about the fire. anJ al
agree that i: wHs strange and unaccountsble. il i
the theme of CONVEX sation 10 day all over the city
aud probably will DO for weeks TO come. The pa
lace has been a mcs' unfortunate affair from the begin
uing to lie splendid illumination and finale last night
II.