The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1863-08-26


B., in Dabin. some time -incr will De
10 the recollection of MANY OF your ltisii res-
ders. circumstance happened to me ou the
night of that event, which, ~ believe 10 20 b-
altogether unprecedented, | will nos relate.
am a medica. man residing Ia Dublin and. On
the night "a question, was returning about hali
past eleven O'Clock from the nrishbDrhoOd IF
Harold Cross, where I had been 10 -uperintend
the administers OF "A hot bath O. % patient.
when the reflection Of the fire ou Ice sky To the
northeast attracted ms attention. ard drew me
20 the spot Mr. B-'s dstillerv consisted
principally of one long aad lofty building, the
western end OF which wa contacted with con
siderable pile 81 stores and offices t4s5 abutIed
on it at right angles, Nith large addition. near
y similarly situated at Ois eastern end, which
vas just then ia progress OF erection. When /
arrived Oh tie spot, the court yard presented a
very animated spectacle. Three cueines pOurd
their streams OH the centre pile 'l suildings
while tgo others played on the cross and win
dow lattices OF the adjoining stores, which 81 re
mOmentariy catching fire, and rs fast exiingui-h-
ed The court yard was in d swim with water,
which flashed back the light with an unsteady
but dazzling reflection, a. the hremen splsshed
through il ankle deep. The captains Of the
several gangs, mounted on their respective en-
gincs, stood over the heads of The labOring
crowd, cheering Oh the exeitions OF the pump
crs below or shouting their directions to the fire.
men alOit, where they were applying hatchets
At an immense height among the smoke and en-
bers. Excited by the animation OF the scene, |
took aH active part in the exertiOns of those
around me and soon became thoroughly heated,
a. well as wetted, in the service. Among other
duties undertaken by the volunteers with
whom | had associated myself, was the re-
mOvai OF 4 number OF casks, to sot at which il
was necessary TO cross a platform "i masonry
bulls round large copper boiler 90 the unhniSh-
ed end oi ihe building Over this platform
there was a scailOld resting at one side on the
party wall which separated the new portion OF
the works from that which was already on fre ;
and, through the holes in this party vail in
which the ends OF the beams were inserted, the
flames were now communicating | had crossed
twice in safety, and was abont to venture a third
time when one of the bystanders, who had wit
messed nay exeFtious, directed my attention to the
dangerous condition OF these tmbeTs, several OF
their points of support being already burned
away, So thar the scaffolting being smOuldering
and half suspended from the new brick work,
aud threatened 10 pull down a great part Of the
the walls on each side In It's descent, which could
not now b., Tar distant | thanked my friendly
warner for his advice, aud had taken it so far a
TO retire few steps from the incOnvenient neigh
borhood OF the flames, when one OF the hremen
of the " Insurance Company got up or the
opposite side OF the platform, aud signed for
some one 20 come 10 his assistance gave a
look AT the noddng tiubers above; they seem
ed stll too deeply bedded in the masonry OF the
one building 10 give me any apprehension oi i'm
mediate danger. | ran up the ladder that led To
the platform or that side; bGt, just as | gained
the top, "A heavy fall Of masonry took place from
the angle OF the pile nearly overhead / escap-
ed by the merest chance, but the ladder was
dashed in fra .ments, and the rush OF smoke and
flame that followed through the breach thus
opened completely hid the prospect ou the side
from which | had ascendcd. | became confused
aud rushed forward, hardly knowing where
ran but had scarcely taken three steps in ad-
vance when heard the prolonged tearing crash
Of the tinbeTs overhead, and next moment saw
the beams topple, and the bricks and dust rise
about their cnds--in another instant | must have
been crushed to pieces, pushed perhaps with the
red end of a beam, for they were already de-
scending before me-when the mouth of the
open vessel, which, as I have mentioned, wa>
bedded in the masonry at my feet, caugh, my
eve It was not more than three feet across
the chances Nere that the long timbers wold
fall athwart lDt int0 IL. There Was an ample
cOncave below, a. app. ared by the broad reaec
ton OF light OF the new copper of rs siders
Without bestowing thought on how l Was tC
get out, dropped at once TO the bottom of the
hollow chamber Th, metal reverbefated and
the echoing sphere runs round me tor a moment
with n hrazen cian--lAen crash, crash, with the
din Of ttulder. d0Nu came che blazing timber.
driving rolling -r-bOnnding smashing AL
before tkemi | thought the copper would be
crushed fat, bat the masonry ia which il va:
bedded prot, ,cicd C. OAc besn pitched END
foremost on the exposed neck Of The vessel th,
metal yielded and dreS out a. before the frst
strike ct huge puneh - the whole cOncave
grOaned, and / thought it vas all over with me
lnstiacuvely .,rove to cling io ,he side at the
vessel-there WIS nothing 10 hold on by, aud
reeed back 20 the little spot Of level footing II
the bottom, coucionS tor the first time. hat
lcds an trap oat of ,cbicb there l0ds 20 escape
| had 10 time iof reflection, ;ot shower OF rub
/ bish patter d.. on tne head Of the vessel aal
falling in through it- mouth, dfoSe me again {,
seek for shelter at one side How I clung se
long cannot tel. but did succeed in fastening
4 myself 10 the OveFhaBging concase. until con
siderat ie quantity Of bricks and mortar had fal
len IN. Immediately aiter the main wall of Tn,
burning buildins-the only barrier between th,
| space Immediately above NE and the hamcs-
/ gave a crack and tumbled over 10 the % er side
tar leap off the floor in a cloud of dust. that
for time, obscured everything around me
Expecting each moment 10 be nv last, with tn