The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-10-06
Serious Losses and Sufferings Of
the Exhibitors.
Scenes Of Excitement and Alarm Among the
Women and Children.
THE CRASH OF THE BIG DOME
ONE MAN KILLED.
--.t>-ye-+>>-ee
OTHERS SUPPOSED 10 be UNDER THE RUINS,
&C., &C., &c,


The Crystal Palace scene Of many Of the great
public demonstrations which have taken place in this city
Of years totally destroyed last evening by ire,
the site u mass Of smoking ruins. Not only
tho Palace Itself but everything that IL contained,
burned up, and the exhibitors at the Great Fair Of tho
American institute, which being held there for two
weeks past, have lost all they had in the building.
There is every reason believe ,ha, the are the
work Of an nccndiary as il originated part Of the
building in which no hre used but which was nlcd
with innammablc material the debris OF the Palace, which
pat out OF the way place, for fear Of accidents
The fret discovered shortly before i've O'Clock in
the afternoon the northeast ofhe building about
two hundred fee, from where the machinery on ex
hibuion At this time there were about three
thousand persons in the building mostly women and
children who viewing the actces on ex
hibiton The building was so large that il proved
difficult TO spread alarm, and il some time before
the vsers could be warned Of their danger; and the
danger all in the palace most imminent, for tho
flames, when they got under headway, spread with
fearful rapdiiy and f by magic the vast cdncc
one mass q glowing Dire and fame. There eight
hydrants in the building but the suddenness with which
the Ore spread gave the employees OF the American lns
tu,c no time 10 them; and almost before the hose
could be screwed the conGagraton had made such
hsadway that all attempts TO anything exhibition,
much lcss the building, entirely useless.
The scene In the Palace during the progress of the
namos one Of indcscribable confusion. panic
seemed 10 seize every one, and the bcwdercd visitors
scarcely understood their dangerous position wcA
enough 10 provide for their safety Tho children
screamed, tainted, and their distracted male
attendants with difficulty found their way 10
the doors Al the time write there Is
NO certainty TO whether any lives arc lost but
II all who the palace escaped is little less than
ra~t h.x. haan n nio
and the managers estimate that a least 10000 persons
would have been present Had tho rc therefore, taken
place three hours later, there scarcely doubt bu,
that thousands OF lives would have been ost all could
mot have passed the doors before The dome fell
The pitch Pine which formed tho flooring, stairs and
framework of the entire rascc, afforded most nfamma
bile pabulum the ccnagraton feed upon, aud this
explains the reason Of is rapid swcad Nc scene when
the fire is height q fearful magndccncc
Tho huge dome like ball Of nrc and the flames
,eapcd up is sides IN great waves Of inrd light AZ one
time the whole palace glowing like burning coal
and vomiting up hrc that would have done credit
90 vesuyius All who witnessed The spectacle declare
that was Of those things rarely in lifetime.
About twenty .hvc minutes after the hrc Grsi dis
covered the fell with fearful crash and the flames
made enc ana leap upwards, and sank 70 rise
In forty minutes from the breaking out % the Ore the
Palace aud a contained were totally destroyed aud all
that mark Tho s,o % this once proud building Gcw
standing towers aud a smoking heap Of ruins.
The destruction Of this building VIII recall wildly to
the public mind The various demonstrations of which s
the score Commenced shortly after the brilliant
q the London Crystal Palace its projectors In
dugcd in all sorts of golden visions respecting s future
stock subscribed or with sydity, aud ran a eroat
ways above par. Il opened Ia 1853 with great
flourish q rumpcts, aud tho President of the Unacl
States the members of his Cabinet aud the chcG state
and city dguataries assisted the occasion But the
great exhibition turned out 20 bo a failure, as il va.
wrctchcdy msmanagcd from the start To resuctasc ih
concern the stock bad fallen long ways below par
Barnum was employed and he got up bogus dcnouslra.
ton that excited some curiosity and much mirh al The
time il took place. But Barnum, whose genius Away,
fails him when be gets beyond dwarf wooly horse,
failed ingoriousy his efforts 70 put the Palace 10
lcgs again aud the stock finally went down 10 nothngi
The finally the hands Of receiver AMI
thc city has lately into possession Of H. the cond
,cn Of tho lease given the company had not been
piled with by them
For years past n has been used for various public de-
monstraonsfor Julien concerts for tho fairs of the
American institute balls (or which the dsgraccu one
81 the Hunter Woods Association was tho most notablc)
and lastly the great civic cable dcmonstraton which TOOK
place on tho 1st Of September last
II II wi be remembered that the ratsing Observatory.
which was erected along with The Crystal Palace has also
been destroyed ny Gre
ANOTHER ACCOUNT or rHR FIRE
Al about five O'Clock last evening arc was discovered
II the north Of the Chrysai Palace. on Nc Forty.
eecopd street side When ars seen 10 appeared 70 pro