Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1861-12-20


BRANoHvILLB, s. O., December ~, 1881
About nine o'clock last night the alarm rang
out calling upon the citizens Of Charleston to
quell the beginning Of fire, which, in the sub
stquent extent snd rapidity Of i@ ruinous
sweep, win compare with the most terrible con-
Migration which ever visited the American
Continent. Before ten o'clock the fire was
raging at different points in the lower part Of
the city. The bulldogs in the neighborhood
were mostly Of wood, old and closely built,
ard surrounded by small Outbuildings, exceed
| ipgly inhammable in their character. Astene
ment after tenement was enveloped la the fast
| spreading flames the paOio became awful.
| Thousands of poor bewildered families were
driven suddenly from their homes, destitute
| even Of their scanty effects.
Toward midnight the FIRE had assumed pro-
| portions Of an appalling magnitude. The
| regiments at the racs course came down at
| double quick 10 the burning wards, and CO.
operated most earnestly in the labors of the
| iremen,
From the precincts of Market, east Of Bay
| and State. streets, the conf lgration had now
reached Meeting and Qdeen. streets.
| The terror Of families, in many cases, with
ont their protectors, owing to the military ext.
| gencies of the times, was very great.
Contiguous to the Gre, and even much fur
tber up into the city, the work of packing up
vsluables and getting ready to desert their
homesteads became general, and it is imposai-
BILE to give any thing like full account Of the
| results of what will hereafter be known as the
| great fire of 1861"
The fire began in Russell's old Sash and
Blind Factory, at the foot of Hazel street, and
| there are reports that il occurred in three
places at the same time. Crossing to the ether
side Of Hazel street, il has burned Cameron q
Co.'s immense Machine Shops, and under the
impulse acquired at that poi1t, aud the stuff
breeze from the north east, without a sufficient
supply of water, it has become totally unuau-
sgeable, and rsges without the hope of being
able TO arrest it except a. cert in points.
Eleven o'clock.-The ou.buildings in the rear
of Institute Hall have been set on fire by the
sparks OF fakes of fire. The attention Of the
firemen has been directed thither, aud they are
s'raibiDg every nerve to save Meeting street.
The frame buildings on Queen street are smOk.
ing, and will presently blaze forth.
TtOelve o'cIock.-Mesting street, from Mar
ket to Queen streets, is obs mass of flame. The
Circular Church and Institute Hall are burn
ing. The Mills House is thought to be 10 i'm
minent danger, while the FIRE seems stretching
around the Charleston Hotel. There has been
general desertion of both hotels by the
guests, under the impression that they can not
be saved.
One o'clock.-Tbs track of the conflagration
begins to be clearly defined. LeAviug Church
street, on which no block excepting that next
to Market bas been hurned the FIRE is steadily
pursuing its southwark course toward the cor
J ger of Archdale and Queen streets. About
half an hour ago drizzlipg rain began fall
ing, which may, perhaps, dampsn the tops of
wooden houses exposed to damage from the
sparks. The people nov understand how far
the fire has extended. Furniture is bsing re-
moved from buildings as far up ss Massie.
! street.
; Tioo o'clock AT this hour the Gre is still
= = ! raging with violence, and has scarcely been
abated. A splendid effort was made by the fire
companies 10 save the house Of L. " Sprsts,
Esq. on East Bay, which was successful, and
with it were saved the fbe lines Of buildings
= = on Hazel street, the fate Of which depended
D upon that result. Passing to the south ives T.
ward, the fire has swept the entire track to the
rear of the Charleston Hotel aud to the eud ol
the Hayne street range. There are no build
y ings north of Market street. None of the
!. Hayne street stores are still standing, excsDt
~ perhaps, those of Henry Gerdes and the Misses
Pinokney.
Crossing Market street, the FIRE has extended
: down East Bay to Cumbetland street, aud
. thence across to the Mills House, taking in il
y way the Circular Church, institute Hall, th'
Charleston Hotel, and all the buildings upoI
! King street, from Clifford street to within
u few doors of Broad street. Crossing King
u street, the flames are approaching the rear o
: the Cathedral, the Unitarian and the Englisl
Lutheran Churches. Whether it will cross tn
. area covered by these churches or pass tn
\ |
y y certain. The Fire Department is making in
= credible exertions, and the men are APPARENT,
. near exhausted, but are spriuging to each Occa
= sion with renewed vigor, and such exhibition
y of courage and endurance have rarely bee
70 witnessed.
Three oclook.-The stseple of the Circula
i i Church has just tOpped and fallen with
, heavy crash.
o General Ripley, who is moving to and fr
. superintendiDg the movements of the troop
y with characteristic energy, has ordered, sewers
u u hours ago. that several buildings 10 the trac
. of the coDhsgration be blown up. Ths execu
tion Of this order, delayed at first, has at lengt
e been accomplished. Ever aud anon, durin
= % the past hour, the explosions have rent the al
= in the lower part of the city.
u The fire has done its work in thorough style
= It's path Is not1 burned out, and nothing n
~ mains to mark tohere il has passed but smolderir
- piles Of cinders and gGunt and smoking toatls an
y chimneys.
"a N Tho Charleston Hotel is safe, and Hayn'
II street also. The wind has swept the danger O
u further to the south, although the FIRE rag
u u on three sides of the Mills House. That fn
~ structure has not caught.
- The Theater, Lloyd's coach factory (opposi
o. the Express ofice), the old Executive buiIdta
g and all the houses between that point ar
~ Queen street, have been burnt.
~ The FIRE seems to be making advances towal
NC the jail. Companies of the Reserves have bee
g ordered out to Iepress any possible disturbSn
u among the prisoners cOnfBed in that buildin
The wind has abated somewhat.
us us -Four o'clock.-A change in the course of 4
ne wind has bent somewhat the course of the q
e toward Broad street. The Lutheran aud Un
tartan Churches are now considered safe. tt
Cathedral seems now to be in exceeding dal
eu 3 ger. The buildings on the west side of Freut
" street, near the corner of Qpaen. street, a
". burning fercely. st. Andrews Hall is on fr
~ and the noble spire Of st. Finebar glistens vi
u' a Fplendor of portentous import. TIE occ
pants Of houses on Broad street, beyond Kin
are moving their effects.
Quarter. past FiVe o'cLock.-As the clock Of
It,, MicbaePs tells the quarter, the Cathedral steel
he has fallen with tremendous crash, aud {
,v Cathedral is burning furiOusly, likewise
?" Andrews Helm fact the whole of BrOe
street Is on fire, from Gadsden's residence
I'm Mszyck street. The residences Of Messrs. Gt
er- M. Coffin, James L. Pstdgree and others ne
tn. by, are consumed. The flames have now cross
ne. Broad street, and the wind has not Iulled.
nd is impossible to say where they will stop shl
yill of the river. There does not appear to be q
imminent danger of the FIRE again maxi
700 beadway, either TO the right or to the left of
Pc funOwj it has cloven through the city, frt
yill East Bay to hlng street. But the head of I
condAgrBtion is still fearful to look upon, a
var Is pushing forward with great strides now.
in Great, indeed, has been the calamity VIII
XII. has fallen upon our noble city; but let us, "