The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1865-12-09

Slz.sf<s
ssSpst Portion OF the city, including many ele-
giant stores, private residences, mills. ware
houses and public buildings became the prey
of the fire, and Richmond presented a scene If
desolation and ruin to which no description
can do justice. From the old State Armory, On
the west, down Cary street to n point below
Fourteenth. and down Main nearly to Fiji
teenth on the south side and TO Thirteenth en-
the north: up Ninth, Tenth. Eleventh and
Twelfth. destroying every building on Bank
street from Ninth to Twelfth, except the C,u,-
tom. House; burning the Mechanics Institute
building. the United Presbyterian Churcl,
Goddins Hall, The State Court House. tie
American Hotel, the Petersburg Railroad
buildings and bridge, the Danville depot
and bridge, and Mayos bridge: swecpfg
away that immense structure known IS
the Gallego Mills, leaving all this extended
area scarcely building aud III rendering hui
dreds of persons houseless. Such Is a brief de-
scription of the ravages of the terrible fire on
the Sd of April last. But the destruction did
not stop here. The torch was also applied 20
( Dibrell's warehouse on Cary. between Tween
" first and Twenty second streets consumilg
that and the County Court House adjacent.
Several hundred buildings We're thus de-
strOyed. To add TO the excitement of tie
scene. from early morning until long after mid
day the air resounded With the rapid eNplo
sions of bomb shells. of which there wcrY
great number in the laboratories of the Con
federate Government. BY the active eXer lions
of ihH Federal troops, who entered The city
e. While the cOnfiagra ton was At lis height, the
progress of tho flalncS was stayed, and the sun
Went down upon smoking RUNS, naked CHM
neys and tottering walls. which alon" marked
the places where few hours before stood
many stately eGiiice.
! IAN these sad details are we'll known 10 or
city readers; but the Dispatch has never b.
fore noticed them and i'll bridging over the
space of time between that dark day, when I,
too. sunk amidst the rains, and this bright
morning OF lis re-appearanee, IT deems IL
proper 10 make this hurried sketch.
For some days the streets over which tie
fire swept were almost impa sslble. The debris
Distracted the thoroughfares while the
SmOuldering ruins continued 10 send mp yo-
lumes OF smoke, and citizens and visitors gaZ"d
upon the scene with sort Of strange inter
est. Naturally. Il disaster of such formidable
character paralyZed, to som" extent, the en-
ergies of our people. But not many months
elapsed before Il change was visible and we
record il as an instance of enterprise almost
miraculous, that in nine months after the oc-
currence of this terrible fire Richmond has
sprung up to new life, and renewed her cner-
gies with all the vigOr OF youth. The har3
mcr and the trowel are heard on every hand ::
many fine buildings, occupying the sites of
those destroyed, are now approaching com
pletlon: some are already occupied, and nt,li
beers more either commenced or contracted
j for.
/ On Main street, Il noticeable difference be-
( tween the houses being erected and the Old
ones is, that while the latter, i'll most i'll
stances, We're SO constructed as TO he used Tor
private residences, the new ones are TO be USE q
for business purposes exclusively. brief no.
/ tice OF some of the more prominent buildings
! in progress of construction or completed may
not be out of place, as illustrating more fully
The enterprise Of our people. Mr. Lewis -.
Crenshaw is putting up very fine tOur-story
brick building the south side of Main
street, between Ninth and Tenth Opposite,
on the north side of Main, Mr.. :. &. Robinson
has commenced the construction of Il five
story double brick tenement, with iron front
all the way up, which, it is said, will be among
on the same square stands the elegant m'iST Il
establishment Of !. ". Davies x Sons. On tie
south side OF Main, between Zenith and
Eleventh streets, the foundation for Il Jour
story brick house has been laid for Mr.. Bcnja-
min Hart of New York Adjoining this, and
immediately Oh the site OF the Old Farmers
Bank of Virginia, Mr.. Franklin Stearns is
commencing the instruction of Il splendid
four story building, iron front, to contain four
tencments. On parr of the spot formerly occn-
pied by the American Hotel the Virginia Fire
and Marine Insurance Company are about
erecting a handsome four-story brick build
ing. with iron front. On the opposite side Of
Main street, below the pos Office Il fine build
ing * IN course OF cona4ruoton Tor the National
Bank of Virginia, and, Immediately ad]Oiu-
ing, one for Mr. John Wicllham. On The cor
ner of Thirteenth and Main streets stands the
magnificent four story double tenement, with
brOWnstonc front, erected by {. w. Purcell
one tenement for himself and one for Messrs
Purcell, Ladd Co. The rear tenement of this
building is now occupied us the puhlica ton Of
flee OF the DisaH,A. On the southeast corner
of Twelfth and Main streets, Mr.. John Greene
has a fine four-story building, of four spacious
tcntHI'ptS. rapidly approaching cOmpiellOH.
On the same SQUARE il the new three story
building owned and occupied by Messrs. Steen-
book j. Co. These are DllI few OF the evil
denccs OF enterprise and Improvement visible
on Main street. Eleven stores have been COM
pleted Oh this street. thirty five are in course
of construction. many OF which are nearly
completed, and forty-1ive vacant lots remain
to be improved.
On Cary street, nine buildings are completed
ak are nearly finished, seventeen more have
been commenced. and there are sixty seven
vacant lots. Among the most prominent OF
the buildings are those of Habliston Brother,
Asa Snyder, (foundry,) Dunlop, Moncure
Co., Major Beckham, Harvey Williams, +.
Brauer and +. Is. Borst. The last named is
one Of the finest in the whole city, comprising
four tenements Of four stories high elegant
brick, with ornamental cast Iron fronts. Near
Gary street, and fronting the basin, the
foundations have been laid for the rebuilding
of the Gallego Mills, which will be one of the
most extensive and complete establishments
Of the kind in the world. The corn mill has
been rebuilt and is in opera ton.
/ On Fourteenth street, south of Main several
! fine buildings aye progressing 10 completion,
conspicuous among which arr. those of Mr.. Is.
Becher and Mr.. James II. Gardner and
/ the SOUTH side of Cary street. between Ihir-
. teenth and Fourteenth streets, Messrs. Viii
liam b. Jones and Alfred Moses are building
two spacious stores upon the site formerly oc
cupied by five tenement
Surveying the whole burnt district, we think
/ ii is not an cNtraNaganI anticipation that lit
will be entirely rebuilt by the fall Of lo66. In
, aildlnS 10 the buildings IN progress, II IL next
to impossible to state all of their rentorS and
the naming of some is not intended to NC IN
vidous-it is rather accidental To give q
more accura idea of what is done and doing.
we state that, the principal streets in the
burnt district, there are about one hundred
and twenty buildings either completed or in
progress.
These remarkable evidences of enterprise
and energy reflect the highest credit upon the
people of this city. They show vitality I'M
der years OF war, and the browning disaster of
fire, which speaks we'll for the future CONNER
cial prosperity of Richmond.
THE YoVSG MkS.s CHRISTIAN Assoc1ATIoS.-
This associa ton has been one Of the best
safeguards to our young men, i'll furnishing
them with a proper place Of resort for instruc
ton and improvement OF which our city could
boast. Its library was destroyed by the great
fire of April last. To enable the society to
procure new books. and TO re engage in those
works of charity which have made It's name Il
household word in many a sorrOWlng family,
a course Of lectures will be delivered this sea
son. the proceeds of which will be applied to
tx>ft ~, A,.taS &c