Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1860-11-16
The Columbus ConfIagratIon-BurnI
of the Neil House.



of the Neil House.
From the Gin. Enquirer.
The public have already been furnished
with meager accounts of the terrific con-
iagration which occurred at Columbus on
the night of the 9th, and morning of the
7th, destroying the Neil House and the
block of buildings adjoining on the south,
known as the Odeon Row. Early yester-
day morning we dispatched one of our
corps Of reporters TO the scene of destruc-
ton, and we have below a detailed state
ment of the disaster.
The fire was first discovered between sew
en- and eight o'clock, in one of the rear rooms
in the fifth story of the Neil House, occu-
pied by a female servant. 1t must have
been burning some length Of time, for'when
parties rushed in the apartment, the rafters
supporting the roof were ablaze. The
alarm was Immediately sounded, and as
the dread tocsins pealed forth their tones, the
news that the Neil House was on fire
spread rapidly through the city. The en-
gnes, Of which one was steam, were quickly
playing on the room in which the fire orig
mated; but the hose kept bursting section
after section, and the delay thus occasioned
gave the fire every opportunity to increase
in ferocity. Then came the dreadful cry,
"the waters out" and the little hope that
may have been entertained of staying the
flames now vanished. The gathered throng
that blockaded the Streets surged back
wards and forwards, gazing upon the burn
ing building with almost stolid indifference,
until an order went forth to remove the
goods, when they rushed almost to man
into the premises, and bore away articles of
furniture, piece by piece, until it was nearly
all removed in safety and piled upon the
State House grounds.
I At twelve o'clock, Gov. Dennisou, fearing
that the entire square would be destroyed
unless aid was had, telegraphed to the chief
engineer of this city, for quantity of hose,
and subsequently telegraphed for steam
engine, in obedience to which Mr.. Megrue
ordered detachment of men to take the
engine "E, G. Megrue" and proceed to Co.
lumbus and tender such assistance as they
could. Two thousand feet of new hose
was sent; and under the immediate drec-
tion of Lewis Wisby, Assistant Chief En-
gineer, the engine and men left for Colum-
bus at ten minutes of four o'clock, on a train
specially provided for the occasion. The
engine and men arrived in Columbus at
halfpast seven, having accomplished the
distance of one hundred and twenty miles
| in less than three hours running time. At
, the depot the Cincinnati firemen were met
r by the Mayor and several City Councilmen,
who informed that the conflagration had at
tanned its height, and was at the time under
complete subjugation. The ruins we're still
, belching forth huge masses of flame, but
, the danger which threatened the square was
{ over, and the engine was not consequently
taken from the platform car until after the
men had partaken Of their breakfast.
Six hours after the Neil House was dis
covered to be on fire, it was complete
wreck. The flames spread slowly, gather
, ing in their devastating arms, story after
story until the whole building was encrcled.
The scene was beautiful, terribly grand, the
, lurid glare shining athwart the heavens with
dazzling luster, and lighting the country
, around for miles and miles, the seeth-
, ing cauldron emitting sparks that glittered
through the uprising columns of smoke like
r so many diamonds.
e Efforts were made to prevent the flames
, from communicating to the Odeon Building
n but without avail; the roof ignited, and ia
little while it shared destruction. Very
| fortunately the night was calm, scarcely q
a breath of wind was stirring, a fact which
# only saved the entire square from being
: leveled. Between the Odeon and tho
|, premises adjoining, there was thick, solic
S wall, through which the fire did not pass.
The loss so far as ascertaned, will mo-
fall much short of $150,OOO, including the
, buildings, contents, and the loss to the sew
S eral occupants. The buildings were owned
/ by the heirs of VIM. Neil, and on them
f there was $4,000 insurance in the Home
and Hartford offices, which will of course
come far from covering the loss.
, Mr.. Failing, the lessee of the hotel, has
insurance to the amount of ten thousand
dollars in tie Phenix; his loss over insur-
f ance, will as he informs be about twenty
, thousand dollars. VIM. Blynn, jeweler,
| who occupied one of the lower stores, has
an insurance in the Franklin and Spring
field offices, to the amount of three ihous-
and dollars, enough to cover his loss.
VIM. Richards, dry goods merchant, suf-
fers some, but is fully indomnifod by insur-
S ance.
, Henry Keeley, barber shop, loss three
hundred dollars. No insurance.
} Peter Rose, tailor, loss three hundred
dollars. No insurance.
This is the largest cohagration that has
t ever occurred in Columbus, and il will form
S subject matter for conversation for some
t time. The citizens generally do not feel
: satisfied with the performance of their fire
department. They insist that the los,
: would have been but trihing, had the hose
been.in proper condition to withstand tho
! pressure of the water.
I. DRT.-Old DR.. Cooper of South Carroll
ma, used to say to bis students, "Don't b,
\ \ afraid of little dirt, young gentleman
q What is dirtf Why, nothing at all often
siye. when chemically viewed Ruh n l;ttl