The Cleveland leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1865-1865, 1865-07-17
Il GREAT FIRE.
The Burning of BaTnum's Museum--
Scenes and Incidents Of she Con-
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The New York papers of Friday are
filed with descriptions of the great fire in
New York, which destroyed Barnum's
Museum and many adjacent buildings.
We extract some of the more interesting
details:
The ghasGiness of the scene partook of
the horribly-ludierous, when the human
curiosities appeared at the portal amid the
boots and hRiloos of men. The giantess
came first, scared out Of half her
growth, and holding ,sloft her
dabbled skirts to the exposure of q foot
like one of brakes Plantation rocks, and
In her tremendous fist clasping 3 crown of
glass diamonds and emerslds. Her huge
eyes were almost colorless with terror;
she went down Ann street like one Of the
chimneys promeDRding.
The fat woman next appeared, for this
time only without appetite. Her figure
was not adapted for locomotioD, and her
dress, bare at the neck, showed q breadth
and depth of shoulder upon which the Gin
ders were bound to strike if they fell any
where. her retreat, in care of policeman,
was a splendid example Of size making
time; her golden ~ crown glittersd as
she went, and she took refuge in s news
paper office, where we Jaw her ~lsmenting
the loss of her wardrobe. The loss Of one
dress must have ruined her /; her girth was
tn t of the great California pine, around
which no four men could clasp their united
arms, She reminded US of Rubens' Flsm-
ish beauties pursued by satyrs.
When this lady took her seat in the
Office, she modestly tainted, but wisely did
not fall. Who could have picked her up Z
She awoke with an extensive blush and
said:
h"Plesse give me ONE water u
aBring her q tank n said 3 pert clerk.
Itseemed to US that this lady felt not
SO much abashed as melancholy. Every
man who looked at her was taking TWEEN
ty-fve cents from her pocket.
The little Circsssisn girl had not time to
smooth down her hair, and rushed from the
Museum with her faxen wool all flaming,
and wen into a clothing store in her
slippers.
While these we're going at large, the
miserable brutes, so long Gagged in their
suffocsting dens, we're perishing of heat
and smoke; they ran here and there, CT
Juggling at their red hot chains, or fellupon
the floor with fright, snddisd unconsciously.
The squariums melted in the fervent
heat, and the goldfish spilled their treasure
upon the floor, Tapped up the nextm moment
by the revolted fire, while the water around
them went up to the ceilings in Kissing
steam; aid the flames blistered the skins
of the stuffed specimens, while all the wax
works tumbled to-wax.
Shortly Afterthe breaking out the fire, the
large tank containing the whales was cut
to let the water flow, leaving these mon
sters on the dry floor, when, the fire almost
Immediately reaching them, their founder
ing WIZ T6ffIDIe. W1Th the exception of n
few birds, and the lessned seal Ned, all of
the n ce happy family persisted. Ned
was caught at the last moment by Mr.. II.
@. Pearson, of Hose IL, of Brooklyn, and
dragged to the street, where, placing him
in 8 basket he wa taken to Eultcn Mar
ket, and cared for. One little incident in
his descent caused some mirth amid this
scene of destruction: a gentleman, one,
probably, who had never seer the celebrity
before, in making sn attempt to handle
him, wa laid hold of by the animal, and
completely stripped of a leg of his psnta-
looms.