, 1865-07-17
BURNING OF BARNUM'S MUSEUM
TWENTY OTHER BUILDINGS
PARTIALLY DESTROYED,
LOSS sI,500,o00 to $4,000, 600.
THRILLING AND TERRIBLE
SCENES.
Carnival Of Slaughter-.-Fearful
C0mbats Of the Beasts.
Lions, Tigers, Whales, and Boa Constsitters
Perish In the Flames.


Lions, Tigers, Whales, and Boa Coustritto
Perish In The Flames.
Immense nnd Excited Crowds.
Wholesale Plumber and
Pocket-Ptclklng.
From the New York Tribune, 14,h.1
About III O'Clock the City Hall bell struck t.
alarm. The 6re companies turned ont prompt
spu fstk TOW a1H Broadway we're socu thronzt
With excited thousands. attracted to Ire spot
the rapidly spreading report thnt D.num's ii
scum was On fire. Ia q brief while eyery Of
could see the flames bursting ont fron the Nus
the time; n thee had been, number Of liz.
nut s4;se h.se 5ee9 io: rapidly d1 tue eonassr
have learned, escaped uuInjused.
TIE SCENE
waa picturesque end exciting; the hames spres
With great 1spaltJ, rushing out Of tbs window
ena 60o aba s behind he huge
cd BY the hooks OF The fremen. J.:
EXPLOSION Or no111n. .. =
As the fire Increased tho heat became Irteu.t
me crowd Of erectstors steadily inerea.ed an
liz. Rhen boiler inside the ] building bu1s,. 9s s esu
'nE the vast thfcn9 10 run to ali points Of ID
compass. 1sny men, women md ch,ldren wef
on his back, while dozen others stumbled owe
HIN. a!mcet killing him. Finding hin
re;!ln darcerons pfedicsment. and not btin
able 10 e1t1lcate hlmeeif, be commenced kirktnE
a. Though he Was swtmn.ns tat Ibis tjue he vi
ainrsf sw1mlDg In mud), compelling those uro1
him and around him TO seek rome otaer tlar,ing
nsa az ~ gszE e s ss ase sx 10 to
about for hts hat, which WIS no. TO bt found
THIS vas The case with about one bunard o,nrt.
cred tha, In the rush nearly every ma had lo.1
his heat-plece.
oR1ota or TIE FIRE.
Barnrmi fon: :!n-iaw md he Superintendent Of
The Aueeum, thst the Gre ssas frst discovered ia
,,n.' a,mal room neg. sas Ann street entrance The
formed OF It BY one Of the empt0eee, and At once
directed every energy tow1ri exiting utshinc Ii,
The hose, which VA 1t all tnes Kept la rea5i:
Gins Gaa co~pan,ss a No.. ana q o md Hose Com:
y.a;st ~ = Eh1eh 80 ,s.nandsa iosaisd n tie
isst t. was :oon sPp,fent tnst ths hs'tas e..
tire tuildire was dooped.. aaVtDg seen tee dre.
e oss I'd e
nspe,s. d'epl.ehcd II Eessenges With them to the
broadway Bank. e then locked the s.hr, md II
!er e:r.tninE Ut no bnc was left In the bu!id.
leg, he in turn LEI. -
Loss on 7zs HueEux AND coxrsyrs,
cover The loe on tho contents 81 The Mu:enn ~
building, whth eost'oveF s1,etu,ooo.
coxaAr Or IH1 HsAsrs. . ;:
Soon aftf the breaking out Of the couaagra-
moars, poceedinR from th. large apartment in
the THU story II the Museum, corner Of Ann
erect sd R1oadwsy- startled 1hs lhron4s that
| and Nho were n dFet uudeE thc Impression that
/ TIC eoanaa NUT proceed from human beings M
ableto effect their escape. Their anxiety Was
l xnyrRV Fa1jfVAh this t~fH%n h+yt4 halr
tt4tnaiion Tas oJ no meazs decrca' ed ppuu hesr-
| lSE that The room IN question WIS the principal
thsmetr q ths mens2er1e, conr ected with tho
MnteuD, aLd that there Wa5 imminent danger Of
| action Of the flames. -"
our REPoRrkR's yIs1oK or L9E AND pKA1u.
onr reporter fortnnate'y oceupt d = room On
the windows Of which look immediately tnto lh;s
compartment; md 10 sooner WAS hs apprised pf
ne nfe tnan he tepaiEed there, contruni Of dad.
ing "ltemt" IN at undance. Luckily The windows
ol the Museum were unclosed, rad he had q pcr-,
feet view OF almost tho entits Interior OF tno
apaftMErt. The following Is his statement Of
Whist followed, IN his Owl langu9ge:
CONFUSION AND sTRUdd11 In TIE xENAugRn,
Protecting la{seH from the intense heat a. we'll
IS could BY takrg the mistress from the bed and
eseettnE It as bnlHark before tho window, with
Only !enou9h tpsce reserved on The top ~ alook.
out, an1ioasly observed the snina a!s 10 the op-
through which gazed, VA. alsfee cage. contain.
three stored cage, contlfnlnR monkeys at The
tcp, two EaDgasoos IN tho second story, and q
HAPPY family Of rase, case, addera raooite, esc.
To the left Of the l,on'a cage was tho tsnk coz
nfMnK ihe tWo v1st ailigatote, aud sll sRrt1et to
the lets: pistia.lI hladen from my stEht, was The
2raEd tank containing the great white whale,
which has created 1uch fuFora In our s'ghr aso.
Ing 1nidst for tho past few weeks- Upon t6n floor
wss csEed the bos.eonstEicsors, anaeondas and
1tse utn.csngly through the top or the cage. ID
the extreme llght WIZ the cage entirely ehut from
~ yieT at arst. containing The Bengal tger end
the Polar Lear, whose terr1ded Trowls could be
distinctly heard from behind the partition.
PRooR1se OF THE TLAx2s.
The eonasgration was, - yet, conflned to tho
nppes part Of the building: The lower walls,
aeW,eseT , Ts1e becoming rapidly hss!ea and Al
meas. The whiie or et1ver fox ran up aud down
his eaEe; ,waintpg ptteously. and erdelvortug to
Gns ss9 sn p and
fettsd tlmifat nneasuess. The ssrpclts stuck
sheir ncads up aooyc the I'LL Ct Tho window, and
Witthed about in stfacGe tontortions.
When tne nre bag satsn It's ssltt way down to
the third door, snd the lurid glare burst though
ne tta1soma Of The door,, the panic among the
against thar iroa bsra md sTrovr to rend thcm
savsge snd frightened ertes which were almost
sss ea.t @ te4cuTh TOP Of ths soor
mtIeed to nek tbe tops Of The cages, the tamn1t
reached IL height Ytlls. ros1., hoais and
wire heard 10 the dlatance Of half mile. =
snF-EhAKc1PA11oso or THE HONS. u
With asnuit1neous bound, the lion AMI bis |
mate tp!apE sga!n.t theis bars, Whien. gave way
beasts, which for a monent, apparentiy au1azed |
at thelr spdo& liberty, st cd In Tic mldlle Of The
door lsshine the1 sides With their tails and roar.
Y1ERT DE1IvkRAScE or ANNALS
Almost at As came moulcnt The upper part og |
The tsseet1nEied cage, co1snmsd bT the flames |
fel! forward. letting the reds drop to the d oot |
and many other auima.s were thus set free, :.
Just at this time the door lell through aud the |
flames md smoke rolled in like whlflmind from |
the Hsdean E1ver Cccytus.-
TIE LION AND r1GER IN c1.psK CONTEST,
4 horrible howl to the right hand corue, Of the |
roou,, 1cl1 Of t1dtscrbahle avony. and crash
Ing, grating sound iEdicated that the Tiger aud |
po:sr beas Te5s stirred up to The hlebe,t p:ch of
tho glsfng wsy Of the bars Of their cage. Tbs !
DANES ard momehtartly rolled hack, and ior afew
a1a h e e ns va
t,Esr aId the lion locked together In close COM
PARTICIPATION or rn1 sEnPzS1s.
The hsse Of therods Of the eerpents' cage had
also ctumhltd. and tho 1argest boa.eonstlctor-l
about twenty feet long and as thick a. mans |
hoe3-whs also engaceatn in deadly struggle win
the 1ionesE.
TIE roLAh pkAa IN wAnn P1ApE.
The polar hear had thrunk 70 the coolest cor
ler, with hs!F his fur burnt from his snowy cost
.nd there eas woneeringly gazing upon the aeene
tith only he wa1as and ths se.i IN the cid 6ins
Katers Of the Arctic regions, ha was evidently
alarmed at the excessively torr1d |
|eeue, which Was blazing throu9h the room. Un-
ter the circumstances he found It impossible to
AXE It cool1y. .-
THE saAx1s AND HoNKxTs IN 7noUnLR.
The nonkeye we're pe5ehed around the win
lows, thIvefing With dread and afraid to Jump out.
ff&sa-A Akna RhY TpF1 fh1rfF rInJ
'lietered By The heat, ,Gsrt'n9 ont .hetr forked
oneues and expressing then rage and fea1 in tho
most tibilan1 Of hisees.
TIE u1Fpr FAMILY BAP71zD wrrH FIRE,
The "Happy Family" were e1periapcjno an
mount Of beattude which was evidently too
ordssl for phiio: ophiesl eojoyment. A long
oueue OF fame had ctapt Under the cage, CON.
The talicitous atdeE vas slowly burning ia two'
Jetem with his own venom Tbs joyfni IA: had
idc rabbit pesforsted By red hot nail, looked a.
o1ne. In rome E:qulnaux farm yard. Tho mem.
lied toeether In the bottom OF their cage, With |
nddenly gave way, 2Eecspitatins them out Of
jew INTO The Depths heoW, which b. this time
fete also blazing like tbs lsbted Tuphct
CONTINUATION OF THE s1Rroa1x,
Meanwhile the lion md the tiger were conttnu,
pg their contcst now With the advantage IN ma
tde, ncw on the other; and tho boa Was eiowjy |
ighte1i1g. Bis f.taI coils round The pant,nE BODY
seeratlog ite sl1,pet ek1n Of lts adyer.sS1 IT,.
ihly. The foor was already crimson with their
e od, while the comnaspgnnR hissca, howis, Jelts
I'd rosrs utterly sufpasseo all Efforts ut desc,ip-
7nB wHALxs AsD AI11aA1ons n 1ozxrsr
At this moment the flames rolled apaIn fntn tba
oo1. and then again retisea. Tho wh,le a1d Il.
orr1ents. The wafer ia which ths1 sgsm W..
lte1atlJ boiling. The allRntoFs dashed trrceY