The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1861-12-20
corfnsrntion. In Great Ctic..


The partial destruction Of Charleston rocll'
The numerous historical exImllss Of q similar
Fate visited upan othcrcitiss III the fierce AID
aanguinAry conflicts Of the ollcu time, burning
cities aud towns were among lbo ordinary nni
most common incidents Of war. How many
timcs did Jerusalem suffer from the fumes, and
bow numerous arc the cities which moro mol
ern timos have seen destroy cd in tho embiteiel
border fsuds Of tho middle agcs7 We have hal
but little Of this in our present strife, and II is
q fact which cannot escape comment, that tho
first marked irstanco is that city OF the South
which has been 90 ready to condemn TO tho
Hamos our northern homes.
The extent Of tho confligra'ion at Charleston,
though comparatively great for city OF its size,
was uiliDg in comparison with the destruction
which has visited other cities. But six or Sow
on millions Of dollars worth Of property vas dc
struyod, while our own great fire OF 1885 swept
away Si8, 200, 600 The number Of houses de-
stroytd wa nearly "a great, however which
shows that many Of those at Charleston were OF
inferior value.
Now York has suffered from other fires OF
fearful magnitude, but It's history in hi, re-
spsct falls far behind that OF European cipital,
Of which mary examples are cited in an article
on "Firo Doomed Cities, in B,dwolls Eclccti
Magazine for january, lsG2.
Moscow, tn Russia, Is the mo9t hnplcsS Of
thoso fire-doorcd cities having a history Of
conhapaticus without precedent in ancicnt or
modern days. Two thousand persons pcr-hcd
In tho flames Of It's burning dwellings IN 1886
and still more fearful cal unity visited it in
1911, when 1t was bcsicgud by tho Turks, who
set fire 10 tho town, from which itr inhal,itan
could not escape except to die by the sword.
The streets were paved with great llf trees, oily
and rcsinou', and the houses, of tho stnlo ma
terL, furnished no obstacle 70 the hlmes,
which, aided Ivy the furious winl swept like a
storm Of FIRE over iho city. Two hundred thou
sand psrons were reported 60 have pcrished,
but this is al evident eNa,gcration. Yet thou.
sands of the country-peoplo had taken refuge in
tho city from tho public enemy, and the poo
CREATURES tan into tho market-p place and Wcr,
te-n 1900 49,, = - si,.s 'aTrfsI
man seemed but child 40 much had IN, fir,
contracted their lmbs--a thing moro hidoDus
and frightlul than any can imagine
A still more fearful conhagra'ion visited Mos.
COW in 1912, whom its 800, 900 inhabitants wsr,
ordered to quit the city, which was tired by the
Russian authorities. go 600 houses 1000
principal offices and 4, 900 inf Iior struc, ares,
were roduc,d 10 ashes Tho private loss is sup
posed 10 have exceeded C30, 100000 sterling
Palaces and tcmples,' writes KAR\MsIN, the
Russian historian, monuments Of art and mira
cles Of luxury the remaining Of past ages, AM
those which bad been the creation Of yesterday
the tombs Of ancestors and the cradles Of the pre-,
sent generation WAS indiscriminatcly destroyed.
London, too, hAs been the especial mark for
tho flames from the DAYS Of the great fire in 1865
down 10 the fro Of last June, in Tooley street,
which Was ono of the most destructive Of mod
ern timos
COnstAntinoplo has also prominent place in
tho list Of fro doomed cities. In 1920 were
consumed 1900 houses and 900 persons; and
In l745, 5000 lives were lost. Other destruc-
tive fros occurred in 1851 and 1856, while ano-
ther in 1921 destroyed 10000 dwellings and
nearly 5000 people.
In the present century Hamburg and Copcnha.
gen, In Europe, and Quebec, in Canada have
suffered most severely from the flames.
Let us hope that the old blrhlric spectacle Of
ctiss given 70 DO burnt may not be added to other
horrors which are inseparahlo from civil conflict.
II tho ChaIlostonians must consgn what IL LETT
Of thsir city 10 the flames few will regret its sci
imposed doom, even though, as at Moscow,
where aspen plants sprang up everywhere among
the ruins Of tho place, the winds should bring
the seeding of forest to forever hide tho sp Il
where once had stood the city whose prid,
wat its ruin.