Worcester daily spy., 1861-12-23
dNOreester Dailg Spg,
FIRE-D00MED CITIES.

Ilat nest OF treason ana reDelllOn, Cl tIttsUUtl.
The great fire OF London-that Of 1866 arose
from the overheating of Il bakers oven, and
other extensive contlagratons have been the
result of apparently trifimg causes But there
is little reason to doubt that the Charleston
fire was lighted by the torch of insutrectunary
slaves who thought by this dreadful means 10
free themselves from the tyranny Of tie men
who claimed TO own them as they did their
horses and cattle. The best part of Charles
ton is in ashes, and the dread OF the incen-
diary is added to the impending horrors OF
war. For time it seemed that the very
stronghold Of rebellion was to pass through
our great national struggle unscalhcd but
more fearful retribution than even our armies
and navies could inh,ct has appalled, them in
their fancied security, and they find that in
slavery they have nursed viper which has
turned upon and stung them at the most crti
cal moment.
In connection with the burning OF Charles
ton an article on "fre-doomed cities" copied
into Bidwell's Electric from the Leisure
Hour, is just now particularly timely. Itap.
pears that of all cities, ancient and modern,
Moscow has suffered the most ieartully from
fire. In 1886 it was nearly consumed, and
two thousand persons persisted. But this
calamity was triGing to the dismal catastrophe
OF 1871 when beleaguered by the rartars.
''They fired the suburbs, and furious wind
carried the flames into The heart OF the capital,
which the inhabitants could not quit except to
die by the sword. A Dutch merchant who
was present at tie scene, and whose account
is preserved in the Harleian MSS, speaks Of
the event as like a storm of fire, owing not
only to the wind, but to the streets being paved
with great fir trees set close together, oily and
rosInous, while the houses were of ;he same
material Thousands of country people had
taken refuge in the city from the public enc
my. The poor creatures ran into the market
place, and where all roasted there, in such
sort hat The talest man seemed but child,
so much had the fire contracted their limbs
a thing more hideous and lrightul than any
can imagine. The persons he adds, that were
burned i'll this fire were above two hundred
thousand--an exaggeration doubtless, bat an
indication OF horrible incident
A still more stupendous conhagration was
the burning of Moscow in 1872, owing 20 its
increased extent. II attended with fewer hor-
rors, they were sufficiently rile, for ali who
could not fly--the sick, intirmed and wound
ed.--nevitably perished. Upon the approach
OF the French invaders, and the loss OF the
great battle OF Borodino, it was determined to
abandon the old capital of the Cars /; and on
Sunday, Sept. 18Th, its three hundred thou
sand inhabitants were suddenly aroused from
Il sense of security by a peremptory order to
quit their houses, while the Russian army of
defence filed through the midst Of them i'll tull
retreat. On the morrow the officers OF the
government and the police withdrew the
PlIsViis "eiV '''.l ''''-s Left
but the incapable and those who remained to
execute the secret orders of the authorities
In the evening the enemy entered. Not
Muscovite was to he seen. The city was de-
serted.
Scarcely were the French established in
their new quarters when smoke and flames
were observed issuing from houses closely
shut up i'll different districts. BY Tuesday
evening, the 10Th, the fires had assumed
menacng aspect, dstractng by their number
the efforts made to quench them, while high
wind rapidly connected item with each other,
and wrapped Moscow in vast sheet OF flame.
Midnight was rendered bright as day, for
at that hour, at the distance OF nearly a league,
Dumas could read the dispatches forwarded to
him by the light of the burning metropolis.
Thirty thousand houses, seven thousand
principal editices and fourteen thousand lnier.
ior structures were reduced 10 ashes. The
private loss is supposed to have exceeded thir-
ty millions sterling. Palaces ana temples,
writes Karamsin, the Russian historian, mon
umens OF art and miracles Of luxury the re-
manning of past ages and those " hich had been
)
tors and the nursery cradles oI the present
generation were indiscriminately destroy ed "
CoNsTANTINOPLE.
a prominent place belongs 10 the city Of the
sultan among the list OF tire-doomed cities.
There was c0nhagratlon in 1929, which
consumed 1900 houses and 1000 persons :;
at another, IN 1745, six thousand lives were
lost. Other destructive fires occurred in 1851
and 1856, while another, in l7Ol. destroyed
thirty thousand dwellings, and nearly eight
thousand people.
COPENHAGEN
has suffered greatly by fire. 1t was three
times burnt almost TO the ground, and during
the bombardment of 1907 fire broke out by
which four thousand lives were lost. Indeed
at the present day there are not more than
dozen ancient houses in the Danish capital.
HAMBURG
enjoys the melancholy notoriety of being the
greatest sufferer by fire in the present century
In the IRE of 1912 three hundred persons and
property to the value OF forty million dollars
were consumed. But Hamburg has been re-
built since then, and her great calamity has
proved her greatest blessing.
NEW YORK
has many a fearful conhagration inscribed on
its annals. The greatest was that of 1885,
which many of our citizens yet vvidlY re
member 1t broke out on bitter December
night, and ragged three days before it could be
stayed, completely laying waste the business
part OF the city, consuming six hundred and
for, weight houses and stores, with SIS 200, 900
worth Of property; nor was it stopped until
buildings were, by order of the mayor blown
up with gunpowder. In l845 occurred another
great fire, which, though happily inferior in
extent to that of 1885, yet did immense dam
age, laying waste the entire district between
the eastern side of Broad street and Broad.
way.
LONDON,
as the largest city in the world has afforded
material Tor some tremendous couhagrations.
OF all the London fires, that of 1666-the great
fire, as it is termed in hstory-is the most eel
ebrated -
at broke out early in the morning of Sun
dav, Sept. 2, 1866, close to the present monu-
ment and ragged for four days and four nights
with unabaied fury. Every thing favored the
progress of the devouring element The
dwellings were generally of wood, pitched ON
the outside the roofs were matched the
streets were narrow the upper stories OF the
houses on opposite sides projected so as nearly
to touch each other; the wood work was dry
and combustible owing to the heat and drought
of the preceding month; and at the same
time the wind blew turiously from the east.
Thus aided, the fire king marched victorious
ly from east to west, and took possession OF
more than four hundred acres OF ground. lie
made his meal of four Hundred streets and
lanes, thirteen thousand houses, eighty church
es, besides chapels and public buildings, and
gormandized from ten to fifteen millions worth
OF private property. His course was only ar
rested when the wind abated, and an immense
gap was made by the blowing up OF the build
ings in the path of the flames"