The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-10-12
Thursday Morning, Oct 12, 1866.
The oonhagration in Stamboul.
PEsTILENcE AND FIRE.
Correspondence of the New YOrk lTy,bu,ne,

Correspondence of the New York Tribune.
CoNsTANTNoPLE, Sept. 9, 1S65.-Ther,
seems to be some mysterious connection be
tween pestilence and fire. The great plague
in London was followed by the great fire. In
1882, when the cholera first visited CONSTANT
nople, it was followed by great confagration
which destroyed the whole of the foreign qsiar.
ter Of Pera. = The Turkish astrologers have
been predicting that the present visitation oi
cholera would be followed by the burning oi
the half of Stamboul. Not two weeks ago, as
am informed, one of these men was actually
imprisoned because his predictions were Gre
ating disturbance among the Turks. And
now this calamity has actually come. Stam-
boul has been desolated by a confagration
which, even in this city of fires, stands out BY
itself as the most terrible of the present CEN
tury. a1-.sf.e
On Tuesday evening, Sept. s, d fire broke
out In the Turkish quarter, near the custom
house, on the Golden Horn. 1t Is said to have
originated either in the shop of candy mer-
chant or in the adjoining coffee house. The
wind was blowing gale from the north, and
within an hour 900 houses were in fames.-
The spectacle was awful. The whole hillside.
from the bridge to the seraglio grounds, SEEM
ed tobe a single mass ofsfire, vomiting ont
flames and smoke like an immense Volcano
Every one was paralyzed, and nothing could
be done to stay the progress Of the DESTROYER.
Nothing but fortunate change of the wind
saved the public buildings of the Porte and St.
Sophia itself from destruction. The fire swept
on to the summit of the HILL reaching the
Burned Column" on one side and the Hippo
drome on the other. 80 {,
Wednesday was terrible day. The wind
increased in fury, and the fire seemed likely to
destroy the whole city. The bazaars and che
shops ofStamboul were closed. Heavy clouds
of black smoke hung over the city like pail,
and the fire swept on, with front. of about
half anlile in width, increasing in extent and
fury as 1t went Hundreds of houses were
torn down to stop its progress, but it Ieaped
these barriers and sent such storm of burn
ing Goals before ii that it kindled fires half
mile in advance. About noon on Wednesday
another slight change in the wind turned the
current of fire toward the Sea of Marmora and
saved the rest of the city. By Wednesday
evening it reached the sea; the wind suddenly
went down and the progress Of the fire along
the shore was stopped.
No absolutely accurate statement of the re-
suits of this confagrati0n can be made, but it
is now estimated that from 5000 TO 5000 houses
were burned, including more than hundred
palaces or konaks, eight mosques, two church
es, five khans, and many public baths. 1t is
estimated that the sufferers by the fire number
dDOuO tO5OOO, 1nC cptIG DuIucQ over ID dDOuL
two miles in length and half mile in width,
including some of the wealthiest and some Of
poorest quarters in Stamboul The Turks are
the heaviest sufferers. All the palaces burn
ed belonged tc them, and / suppose seven
tenths of the houses and shops. Iwalked to-
day for an hour over the ruins of these Turk
ish quarters, and such scene of absolute des-
Olation have never seen in any inhabited
city. But for the sTuOke and the heat still re-
manning might have fancied myself among
the ruins of some ancient and deserted city.
OF most of the houses hardly vestige re-
mains except the chimneys. But passing out
of these wealthy quarters, into those of the
poor, the scene changed at once. The ruins
were peopled by the starving families of those
whose only homes had suddenly vanished
Some were searching In the ashes in the vain
hope of finding some relic there of their lost
property. Ono can hardly realize how sad the
sight Of such misery is until he has seen it.
The terrible raYages Of the cholera had re-
duced the poorer classes and many Of the mid
die classes to absolute want. The city was full
of widows and orphans. No work had been
done for six weeks, and those who had de-
pended upon their daily labor for their daily
bread were starving. Many had sold even
their clothing to purchase medicines and pay
physicians, who too often did more harm than
good. Those who saw the distress of the peo-
pie were appalled, at the magnitude of their
wants and at a loss to know how to aid them,
And now in addition to all this, we have an
almost incaiculable loss of property by this
conAagragation, which will long be remem-
bered as the great fire at Constdntinople. One
cannot help asking, among these $4,000 suffer-
ers, how many will starve before spring? We
must look abroad for aid; but even II all we
can hope for is received it win do but little to-
wards restoring to comfortable circumstances
the thousands who have suffered from cholera
and from fire.