New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1860-05-09
NUMBER So
gufaI SnteIIiaeJtfs.


beaux scattered around, band Of music, and an
ample supply Of fireworks, gave the square its old
| political appearance, and rendered it pleasant
place to all those who interest themselves III the
Affairs Of the nation and love to snuff the various
odors OF coming events, and reveI in the shadows
| before.
| Inc object OF the meeting. as Published was to
| give the endorsers of Douglas an opportunity Of
taking counsel together, and Of protesting against
the accession Of the Louisiana and other delegates
| from the Charleston Convention, as an act com
| mitting or tending to commit the people Of this
State to a measure destructive of the Union.
Messrs. Isaac Il. Morse, Michael Hahn, and
Judge Hiestand, severally addressed the meeting,
| making spirited Union and Douglas speeches,
which drew forth considerable amount Of vocife-
rous appreciation from portion of the multitude
present.
Our inability to be present all the while must be
our excuse for not giving more extended article,
to which the meeting is fairly entitled.
RETURN or THE DELEGArEs.-The cannonade at
Jackson Square, yesternoon, was given in honor
OF the delegates from the Charleston Convention,
who had just arrived on the steamer CoatzacoaIcos.
DESTRUCTIVE FIRE IN THE SECOND DIsTRIcr.-
Between and 10 o'clock yesterday morning a.
fire broke out in the store of Antonio Corso, or
Coureche, in an old one-story brick house on the
south side Of st. Philip street, between Chartres
and Old Levee, several doors from the corner Of
Chartres. The fire was said to have originated
accidentally from a candle which had been care
lessly left burning in combustible place. The
store was sort of dry grocery, where rice beans,
hominy, meal, ETC., sold, the proprietor keep
ing large stall for such supplies in the adjacent
Vegetable Market.
Though stiff wind was blowing from the river,
| the fire made slow headway, and was nearly got
under BY the fire companies which arrived first J;
but here iuterposed the obstacle which has SO long
been, and is at once the and the disgrace of
New Orleans, the usual failure Of water. Had the
engines at work had even half supply for five
| minutes longer, they would have stopped the fire
where it started.
As it was, the flames from the rear communi-
Gated to the cluster of very old and combustible
wooden shanties which fronted on both st. Philip
and Chartres streets, extending from the corner.
Next to the grocery went little old charcoal
shop; next to this the shoe store on the corner,
formerly Roueche's; then up Cartres, the whole
ancient row of shanties, including secondhand
furniture shop, with carpenter shop in the rear;
cigar mandatory, which the free colored propri-
etor had occupied for thirty years or more;
Azg's wine bottling establishment; tin-shop and
| a milliner's shop.
The fire could hardly be deplored, had it rested
with the destruction Of these comparatively worth
less old shantes, the existence of which, ground
| SO valuable has for years been disgrace to the
| street; but the immense volume of flame, favored
| by the wind, communicated to the buildings on
the west side of Charres street, and rendered the
business very serious one indeed. The fremen,
by this time, the ground in full force, but
the scarcity of water compelled most Of them to
remain idle, unless they felt like assisting people
in the removal Of their property
| The only water obtained was from the cutters Of
st. Philip street, supplied by the steam fire en-
| gines, (the John Adams and the Louisiana Hose
machine) which were stationed on the levee and
i sucked from the river.
/ The row on the west side of Chartres street con-
sisted OFF. Cusach & Brothers. drug store, on the
| corner; double brick building, used by the same
firm for the storage of wines, liquors, ETC.. several
| small houses, occupied by Mr.. Boso, tailor, and
| others and the old and well-known bakery estab-
| lshment of Mrs. Widow Bouny. The wagon yard
| of the bakery prevented the confagration from
| extending to the more valuable property above,
| on Ghartres street.
| The firemen, in combating the flames with their
weak supply of water, worked like demons rather
| than men, going almost into the fire in order to
| get at it, and recklessly defying the crumblng
walls which menaced them on all sides. With the
water furnished by the steam engines, they at last
checked the flames within the bounds above
named; preventing their extension through to
Royal street only "by the skin of their teeth"
Toward the latter stage Of the fire the propeller
tug boat Union, which is provided with powerful
pump, and employed by the Underwriters to help
at fires ON or near the river, landed outside the
ships at the foot of ST. Philip street, and, hose of
different sizes being connected by wrapping of
sail cloth and cord, sent perfect deluge of water
over the levee. This enabled the John Adams to
go close to the fire and do good work, to the great
relief of the firemen who had been so desperately
at work. 1t was this conjunction Of steam power
alone which prevented the fire from going through
to Royal street; for without water, what could the
| firemen have done?
Antonio's grocery, in which she fire started, be-
longed to Mrs. Widow Gillet, now in France, and
was insured for s1600 The row of old wooden
/ shanties belonged to @. Bneau and to Louis Gaig-
nard, f. m. C. they were worth little or nothing,
intrinsically, though valuable for the rent they
paid Most Of the contents Of the different shops
| were saved.
Mrs. Bounys bakery was entirely destroyed,
with nearly everything in it. We have not the loss,
but it mnstbe heavy. Mrs. B. owned the building
and ALL The other properties on this side of Char
tres street belonged to g. P. Blancand Mrs. Widow
A. Landreaux and Charles Chauyiere. The prop
erty of the latter consisted of the drug store and
warehouses of Cusaehs Brother. Only the upper
story of the drug store was destroyed the drugs
| below, valued at $1,000 and insured, escaped the
fire, but must have been much damaged by water.
with the warehouses was totally destroyed a stock
of wines, liquors and fancy groceries worth sls,-
| O0o-al insured.
We estimate the loss in buildings at about $780,
| 600, and the loss in goods at about $40 ,000-the
| greater part of which falls on the insurance COM
panes.
As an oddity, in connection with this fire, We
may mention that one of the shopkeepers, young
Frenchman, was arrested the night before fol
drunkenness. Yesterday morning he was finet
five dollars. Not having the money, he was locke
up again, and whilst thus confined, his place va
destroyed by fire. Recorder Benit, finding thi
out, released him without payment, and he tray
eled, only to find his place of business a pile o
ashes.