Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1865-10-21
SATURDAY, OCTOBER q, 1866.


mass of flames. The freight offices, to-
gether with all their contents, early fell a
prey to the devouring element, and the
! fire became "master of the situation y
The upper portion of the building, being
entirely of wood, burned like tinder, and
the fire spread eastward, rapidly licking up
everything in its path. The easterly end
Of the building was occupied as offices by
the Great Western Railway Company,
and was entirely destroyed. The wood
work in the interior burned away, and the
massive wall crumbled TO pieces and fell
into the streets.
At the front the heat was intense, and
it was with the greatest difficulty that the
passenger depot, proper, could be saved.
1t was on fire, almost the entire length.
While this part of the building was burn
ing, the fire spread westward along the
dock, destroying everything in its way.
At the further end of the freight depot,
there was wooden shed, probably 200
feet in length, stored with cotton, tobacco
and flour, all of which were destroyed
The loss Of this freight alone is estimated
at over $500, coo.
Several trains of cars, which were being
made up and loaded, and others that had
been run into the depot to be unloaded,
were burned, together with all the freight
in or about them The freight depot,
proper, was an immense brick. struc-
ture, rabout; 2 five hundred feet in
length, but all that now remains is the
bare walls-everything else being in
ruins. The heat was intense along the
whole length of the building s,.rtl-t tiry=
sheds, shops, etc, on the opposite side of
the track were only preserved from ruin
by being kept constantly drenched with |
water. Indeed, atone time, it was feared |
that the car, carpenter and paint shops |
would be destroyed. The round house,
with its high shingled roof, narrowly es-
capped destruction, and the great heat
caused by the burning cotton in the shed
at the westerly eud of the dock at one
time seriously threatened the safety of the
smallest elevator. About this time, how
ever, two steamers were ordered there and
did excellent service.
THE CROWD.
The crowd in attendance must have ex-
ceeded 10000 people, including men, wo-
men and children, from all classes Of our
citizens, and all sections of the town. 1t
filed all vacant space in our vicinity, was
|
ings, or was kept busy in the transporta-
tien of great quantities of merchandise
from point to point. Some of the features
of the fire were peculiarly striking. The
cupolas and lofty chimneys of the various
buildings caught fire first and burned with
a singularly striking effect. The tall flag
staff was slowly consumed, and for a
time the flames seemed to ascend its slen-
dor pole in beautiful spirals. As the
flames burned away the doors of the brick
shed, the view of theinterior thus afforded
was fairly dazzling. 1t seemed one solid
mass of fire with here some charred OBJ
ect breaking through its translucent bril-
liancy. Cars, piles of freight of all kinds,
and the massive timbers of the building
could all be seen rapidly changing into
an indiscriminate cinder. Immense guam
titles Of freight rolled into the river,
Dr. fell in after the wharf had been burned
through, and for miles down the stream,
burning bales of cotton, barrels, packages,
stc., could be seen floating along, no at
empt being made to save the property,
although there were imumerable small
boats fully manned in the vicinity.
LOSSES, ETC.
A fair estimate puts the aggregate loss
1t about 81 100000. One of the employees
If the road informs us that there was not
/ great amount stored in the brick part of
lepot, the bulk or nearly all being in the
,ars which were in the building.
Besides the Central Railroad Company,
he Crank Trunk Road is a large sufferer
The freight and business offices of this
were wholly destroyed, and lit
lie or nothing saved.
G. w. Bissel's produce and commission
ice was among those destroyed, and near
y all its contents are entirely destroyed,
lnless his papers may be secure in his
afe
The American Express Company saved
III the property consigned to their care,
Except few frl1ins of butter.
All the books, papers, etc, of the vari-
Jus departments of the Central Railroad,
which were in offices over the passenger
lepot, were carried out, but these offices
we're not injured.
The freight depot, proper, was 500 feet
ong, and the shed at the farther end about
700 feet. The wharf, running the entire
ength of the above, is also destroyed the
blanks and piles being burned through