, 1865-09-23

Tw0-thirds Of the Business Quar-
ter Destroyed.
Loss s5o0,00O-List Of suQercrs. :


Loss s5o0,oOO-List of su1ercrs. :
[Frum the Ms,na Farner-Extra, 19th.I a..
It Ii our painful duty TO record tho details
Of disastrous contlagrntion which occurred
In Augusta On Sunday morning last, laying
waste at least t#o-thirds Of the business por-
tion ofthe city, md involving the destruction
Of property to not 1ess than half q million Of
dollars. The alarm WAS given about 4 o'clock
A. H., dfe being discovered and proceeding
from an unfinished wooden building on the
east side Of Water street, nearly midWaJ be-
tween Bridge and Winthrop streets, the prop
crty Of Dr.. Il. H. Hill. Tie summons was
promptly responded to by the firencn and
citizens, but In spite OF every e1ertlon the
flames speedily communicated with the con.
tiguous wooden buildings, ant, lerccly sweep
Ing III every direction, threatened the most
appalling devastation. The new steam, flrc
engine Cushnoc hnd, however, been stationed
upon the wharf In the rear Of the burning
buildings, md was throwing two powerful
streams upon the davouring element, With ev-
err hope Of checking Its destructive progress.
In the meantime the 1rc had reached the
unfinished, new depot Of tllc Portland and
Kennchec kailroad, rebuilt npon the site Of the
ter, and In few minutes nothing remained OF
1t but an immense bed Of fiery cmbcrs. Hope
less now OF Intervening any ellectual barrier
to the advance Of the suIging ware OF fire in
any direction, the owners and occupants of
the stores ana DINER oullolnss 10 INC vicinity
commenced the work Of Eemor1ng their goods,
in which they were aided with generous and
1nttrhs zeal b our citizens, md many Of the
people Of Ha1lowcll and Gardiner, which the
knowledge Of the coniagration had attracted
to the spot. The scene completely begsars
description. The lurid progress Of the angry
of tho falling walls, tie desperate energy Of
the f1Eemcn as they still lsrayely but inetiectu-
ally struggled to arrest t!lc. fiery footsteps Of
the destroyer, again and again returning to the
. attack, only 10 bc defeated and driven back
mast cs Of half fran.ic humanity rushing hiih-
r and thlthsr engaged IN ths sager ~, Tut t Hc'
Ing aud threatened buildings Of their contents,
md dcpositing them sometimes With little re-
gard to safely ur the likelihood Of future
1lt utilization and recovery by their lawful
owners. Sucll q scene OF wild confusion, OK
element and terror Nc hope never again 10
witnoss.
About six o'clock IN engine arrived from
Hnuowell, and soon after three others from
Gardiner and Piitston, messengers h. wing been
despatched to our sister towns for MD. The
two hand engines Of this city. the Atlantic
and l'acitIc, had also been set to work. Not
wtthstauding the Important accessions Of force
and 1he constant and well directed discharge
Of water dom the steamer, the flames stlll
l.cpt the mastery. All The buildings On each
side OF Water street from the FEteulan's Bank
to Market Square were nass Of crumbles1
ruins, including Pnl1cu's marble mauu.actory
md tile livery stable Of e. Il. g.. II. b. Cony
oh Bridge street, the stable Of Mr. Charles
Sawyer, and the livery stable Of Mr. John
D'Arthenay on Oak street, The dwelling houses
Of Mr.. Willard kimball. Mrs. kitll,lll and the
late Capt. Ebcnezer Smith, md the brick paint
thop OF FaInham & Bealc, b:twcen Oak and
Winthrop streets, and the brick stores north
of the bank were on fire, tho flames extend
is:s, nsross Bridge street TO Bridges Block, and
threatening 10 sweep norlhwnr1 10 the rail-
rcsd bridge. The iiso lad alsu reached tho
lost o1iirc, tho elegant and extensive brick
block recently ereeted by the heirs Of the
late 0ou. Rucl Williams on tho east Edo of,
the street, only brief spacs interrcn-
Iug between it mud the kennebcc bridge.
Iicrc tho p.osrcss Of the contlagraliou was
stayed, A band of bra7c and devoted ultn
from the beginning Of the danger, under the
direction Of MF. Alexander hincafd, had been
posted upop the roof Of the bridge, and with
buckets Of water had kept 1t SO thoroughly
saturated that the showers OF b1az1u. cinlcrs
fell harmless upon the otherwise iutlammable
surface. Tho Hire engine from the Insane
Hospital was aiso stationed at the eastern end
Of the l1fdec and conveyed constant stream
OF y atrr uron It, materially aiding In It's pre-
srrstinn. Hal the hr,Il.re takcii fire m hu-
man newer could have prevented m cytcn-
siyc destruction Of property on the eastern
Eftfa Mt The rirfr. EUt Tim HNtOnl had ntstr1T
spent s + Their furs. md ty lie ~ concentrated and
Wisely Iircctef5 cyertIons Of The f]rcnen ,yc7c
now nnder cnrnnIete rnninoI. stream from
thc fIn1iorrc1I rroinc was hron~ht tn hear
nnon fhe store Of Ki1burn 4 Barton With ex-
cfll,nt efject. and fhe nrocress of the ire in
vii, ennal cfilc,cy. the steamer was nlayina
a doub1e strea.n inon the Williams BlocE'
mud soon the thron1 Of weary. anxious work.
ers anil lnnkers-o,i wcrn a{jie to tlank God
sna 1oEe rnm,ara that ali further f1a1lger Wa
| oysr> @ s-''0 <@N'' '''' - '~
Rnt alas xrb.t a scaoc If deso1,+;on xoe t,re,
a,, nut hths ~, ~Ma' ~ ~ VI nnr 1;at neot1
WI.a, q cn,'tras, -. .sc,n tl,s nrosneritg of
nna. LII H. S;so TO- - tpSor r,,n
f,s5te,n s;,sa+ @ - IT, -, s1,'nra tf;.tsnce or
..a1fr .,,n-+n =, r. rn;le aTohrnc;ne1 I'll onr
a.ast nna ,nost snhstsntiaiiv cnEstTncted
- a.7;anos ia conItnes; and nr,1Ir nf
o,,r cI,v In nnc bricf hour s,Scpt 0rcr With d
gurr ~ +n,,neet ~ ~ erd now m,ts af I,nlissrn.
n..;sshnIi:. rnIsr
s11,"t ar Iradp,s ot distance n,ay realize
e,n,c,ShaI ,i,r cy1ent and naturc Of The Treat
| ca:astrnnhe which has visited nj and ms.
da H. t;,1'oe1v h-icf 451nc ~ trnst
fnsnr1r H.. mi ;rt business f,ner, iuus If our
cft% ~ I'M eI".c fhaf nj The hanl.inr rooms.
! f,s:, l., -n1..,1,or xrcrc dcsfrnved I'm 1,,,{
nf1ice The crnress and 'teleeranl, Offices; ali
thc tjour and rain stores. eit11er burned Of
i'"a,v Isma"cd: Mi tho ,1ry FOODS deaIrrs.
..;,h,'r Turned ant or comip!sed to remove
fitir stncks: iii tlc ciothin. dealers AID
! fattnrs burned put: nil the meat. fish and rto-
xis;on ] markets: m M hi the shoe stores; wi:h
fl.-cc cr four exceptions, oil the grocery
storcs; three Of the iiye apotLccazy establish
Incnts /: Two hotels, the Stanley and franklin
;Io,,ees. The ncw ds.,ot nf iii, Portiand and
4 Esrneisc i,aiIroal: lie tlaruerrrotypc e.
,pi,lj,hments. ali. .thn lawyern7 offices a,l the
! hii5iartl roo1ns. and a m.io.ity Of ull the
drinking saloons and liquor shops Of this city.
| II viii he seen that the condagsntion has
| made a nretty clear sweep from tle bridge 10
| yfarkct souafc.
Il is n 1nalter Of sincere consrat u1ation that
! m eerinus loss will accrue to nay Of the
| LauEs Of tho clty. although all their banking
rooms were burned. Tic contents of the
safes Of the Freeman's and Granite Banks
w1.rc carefully removed ut an early stage oi
he he ire re- ali ihc money and other property ot
the Savings Bank were sared by the fore,
thouEb, md cxertlous OF Mt. J. j. Eyeletli,
the Treasurer OF the institution. The vaults
+ II the First National md the Au9usta Bank
have been since opened and the contents
found uninfutcd-
The origin Of The fire Is not precisely known.
It Is, however supposed to have been the
work OF m lnccndiary. We learn that Il pile
Of shnyinEs in the rear Of the unfinished
building ct Dr.. Hull was seen to be on fire
some 9h1utes before the al1rm was given.
md soon communicating with the wooden
buildings resulted in the dreadful conflaEra
tion whose rayagcs We have attempted to
describe.
rtcn suddenly the hose collapsed under the
tremendous pressure, leariny the lrc1nen ior
SONG minutes completely helpless against the
terrible enemy with which they Wcro &c
bsnvely contcnding. The time which elapsed
before the hose could be replaced permitted
lie ssney s io i1onse a eppose oshe'