, 1859-11-12

One Of the must terrific fires We have eyer
witnessed occurred yesterday afternoon in the
Fourth District, and for tine the flames look
cd US if they could not be stopped short Of the
npper limits Of the city The fire occurred
about two o'clock or little after in the stables
Of - Fitch, street contractor. Hho resides
near ;;,c corner Of Chippewa aud Washington
Avenue {or Fifth st). The flames spread rapid
", and soon the whole three sides OF this block,
consisting Of rather small houses, we're on fire.
The course Of tho wind drove The flames up.
aud portion Of 1Le houses on Washington and
those Oh tue -innunciation street side Of this
SqItafe were sayeG.
The ilaues spread across Sixth street, the
next above Washington street, and went round
the whole squire bounded by Sixth, Chippewa,
Seventh, aud Aununciation streets, and laid il
in n,ass Of ruins. Ill this time, and up to tho
close Of This disastrous tirc, 10 wafer was 10
be had. The wind increased 20 that the caicu-
impossible, for no sonner had the graphing
hooks bccu placed on u house supposed To be
sufficiently ahead Of the flames, when they
came roaring like pra1ic on fire, aud were
upon the tirellen before they imagined it could
br so near. Crossing Seventh street, the fumes
llshed aud roared, aud demolished the frame
buildings as if they we're playthings, running
completely around the square, and destroying
this as they had done the Squire below.
When The Gre reached tile corner of Eighth
street, it wns supposed for 4 time that the fiue
residence Of Alr. Goodall, with highly cultivated
grounds, Oh the corner opposite, would be de-
stroyed, but by pulling Gown fences it was saved
and the fire checked here, aud there being noth-
ing but IN open green at the other end Of the
square, corner Of Auuunciatien, running
through the whule block, tue fire stopped
there. But further below tie fire hud spread
more than aborc. From the corner Of Sixth
and Anunnciation the fumes went across to the
1rpf1 rf nm md I'm
wind BLOWN. m little more just then, the
half Uf the blocks between Annuuciaiion and
Laurel, up as far us Ninth street, were Destroy
ed. 1t would be impossible for the reader,
from the description, TO form m idca Of tlle
immense amount Of ground trayersed by tic
fire, unless he shou1d visit the spot.
Tie wind at one time was exceedingly high,
and c1oud4 of cinders and dust flied the ai:,
and prevented almost every body from standing
bcfure it. An idea can be formed Of the rapidly
Of the fire when we say that this reporter ak
unable TO obtain the names Of the occupants Of
the houses inst enough TO keep ahead of the
fire, eycn on one side Of the square alone, and
on one or two occasions he was Obliged to run
the gauntlet Of heat and s.ntke. Tbs class Of
people occupying the houses burned were most
lr butchers, cattle dealers and others, and there
was scarcely any Of them That could be called
aprcclty residence, and two-story ones few
aud far between. One puor widow woman rG-
moved nil her clothing and furniture long be-
fore the tire reached Ler, into an open green on
Eighth street. where 1he fire stopped; but eren
there the burning cindcrs fel! SO last and heary
that she WAS obliged to huddle her poor LITTLE
| children up and run OF where she could look
back and sec all her worldly effects burn.
1t,sousd be impossible to tell about the in,
surance 80 soon, but NC fear that most OF the
loss viii! fall upon the Merchants Insurance
Office, who hare an agency in Lafayette, with
whom this class Of people generally insure,
There was no water, mud the flames had il ai
their own way. The Chief Engineer sent en-
gincs down The rircr, but they were unable
from the steep nature Of the bank, 10 obtair
| rnfer