Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1861-12-17
The Creature ut Char lesion.
From the Charleston Mercury i2th.l

s1s7 ming Of q fire, which, in the subsequent
tent and rapidity Of its ruinous sweep. will
compare with the most terrible conhagra-
tons which have ever Waited the American
continent The wild work Of the flames,
and the immense destruction Of property
which has thus far taken place, is chiefly
- attributable to the sudden and unfortunate
change in the weather, which occurred al
~ most simultaneously with the breaking out
---- of the FIRE. The mild and spring-like calm
ness Of the atmosphere during the last
- fortnight was broken by heavy gusts of
wind, which swept the dust and smoke and
- sparks hither andthither in binding clouds
Great flaming bits Of wood were borne IN
dense showers for distance of nearly q
mile in southwest direction, and the whole
city Was brightly lit up BY the dreadful and
90 widening glare. s-~
----BefOre ten o'clock, the fire had begun
90 raging in several different points in the low
--er part of the city.-The buildings IN the
stricken neighborhoods were mostly Of wood,
old, closely built and surrounded by small
out-buildngs of exceedingly infanma-
% > BILE character. As tenement after tenement
was first licked by and then enyeloped In
go the fast spreading flames, the panic became
AWFUL. The fierce and roaring march of the
% FIRE indeed a hofrid scene; but far
more heart-rending the sight of hun
dreds-we ought, perhaps, to say thousands
% : of poor and bewildered families, driven
suddenly from their homes. destitute
90 . of their scanty effects All the available
carts, drays, handcarts and wheelbarrows,
10 were Immediately brought into requisition;
- but these were altogether inadequate to
1.-THE of the moYables beyond
- . the reach of the devouring element.
- go Towards midnight the fire had assumed
proportions of appalling magnitude The
90 : circumference which it embraced was such
- 3 as to render the most desperate efforts of
~ our entire fire brigade of comparative insig-
nifcance. The regiments from the Race
Course came down at double quick to the
burning Wards, and cooperated most
go nestly and indefatigably in the labors Of our
undaunted fremen. But still the northeast
- Il ern gale famed the fire with its desolsting
~ = breath, and the PEG pie began almest TO de-
spair of checking The progress OF the dsas-
ter. From the precincts Of Market, East
ssz Bay and State streets, the conf grstion had
-sssrss now reached Meeting and Queen streets
The terror Of the families lin many cases
without their usual protectors, owing to the
military exigeneie5 of the times) was conta-
gious, and much farther up into the city
the work of packing up valuables and get
ting ready to desert their bomesteads be-
.--.---came general ------------ .
Ia Is To give anything like full account of
the results, of what will hereafter be known
The Great Fire of 1861, in the confusion
and general CONSERVATION that prevails
while write, is manifestly impossible
Many portions of the burned district
quite unapproaehable, and it is exceedingly
difficult, at this time, to glesn any accurate
Information whatever in regard to the enor-
losses which have occurred. We
~ must content ourselves, therefore, with
-n-4 giving our scanty notes jotted down at
various hours during the night.
Ten o'clncE.-The fire began In Russell &
- Co.'S Sash md Blind Factory, at the foot of
Haeell street, and the report-thouQh
.zi@14 vague one-is, that it appeared in three
- places at the sametime. Crossing to the other
. ~ side of Hasell street, has burned Came
-sT ron + Co.'S immense Machine Shops and,
under the impulse acquired at that point
- and the stiff breeze from the northeast,
without sufficient supply Of water-for it
is dead low tide-it has become totally un-
manageable, and RACES without the hope of
- being able to arrest it, except at certain
strategic points. upon which extraordinary
interests depend.
e:ssl5 Eleven o'clocE-The out buildings in the
rear of Institute Hall have been set on fire
ri by the sparks. The attention of the fire.
men is directed thither and they strain
- ing every nerve to save Meeting street.
fe9, The frame buildings on Queen street are
80 60 smoking and will presently blaze forth
49, -5'.a Twefpe o'cEoek.--Meeting street. from
: 20 Marketto Queen, is one of flame. The
sSlssesz Circular Church and Institute Hall are
~ burning. The Mills House is thought in
Imminent danger, while the fire seems
= stretching its red arms around the Charles
ton Hotel lPhere has been q general de-
sertion of both hotels by the GUSTS, under
TAB the impression that they cannot be saved.
10 s,sss One o'clock-The track Of the confagra-
ssq - tion begins to be clearly defined. Leaping
sChurch-stree ION which block excepting
that next to Market, has been burned), the
-.z FIRE is steadily burning its southwesterly
course towards the corner Of Archdale and
Queen-streets. About half hour ago.
zzsszs light drizzling rain began falling, which
may perhaps, be beneficial in keeping damp
80 !. the tops of wooden houses exposed to danger
- from the sparks. The people under
stand that the fire has unchecked sway, and
- furniture is being removed as far up as
Nazyck-street. - 5
Tioo o'clck-At this hour the fire is still
raging with violence scarcely abated. a
'@s-s@ splendid effort was made by the fire COM
- panies to save the house Of L. W. Sprott,
--zr Esq, on East Bay -street, which was sue
-cessful; and with it was saved, the fine line
of buildings on Hasell- street, the fate of
49, which depended upon that result. Passing
-, to the south, westward, the fire has swept
asss the entire to the of The Charleston
-, Hotel, and to the end of the Hayne-street
ranges There 10 buildings north of