Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1866-03-28
THREE CENTS.
CORRESPONDENCE.
Correspondence of the Baltimore Daily oru,o-,;,,
llINELN-N- q

correspondence of the Baltimore Daily Commercial
CINCINNATI, o.. March "a. 1866.
Inc great topic of conversation in This or III
ely oy AT present the late destructive fire Il Is the
sIeaest calamity; Pecuniarily that has ever visitJ
the queen City Of the West In less Than ono b
upwards OF too million dollars tcorth of w , %
Shoulderlh5 IN ashes. The greatest sufferer bt ~
fire is Mr. Pike, the owner and manaeer nF Bi,9 tle
Lonce magnltcCnt) Opera House and he Ls:r, -
heaVlest loser, a lew words personally may not be
aInlsS to your numerous readers. 'O
MIR. Pike came to this city from New York in 1S49
and engaged in the bQesale dry goods business Nof
hndlng the business as lucrative as he wished he dis
continued the selling of fabrics and turned his atten
tion to the distery business and from his profits in
that channei made himself one Of the weaithiest c-
zens of Cincinnati.
After being possessed of sufficient amount of this
worlds goods" he conceived the idea of ercctin9
an Opera House. an institution long needed here but
an undertaking which none of the capitalists of
the city had the hardhoOd to engage in. In
n short timo his magnificent temple to Drama
landed as the 0redt benefactor of public good So
secret did he work in the erection of the building
hat before the public was aware of his intentions
me m mmGst superb dramatic temple in the West was
ELra,{ L{ i2r occupancy 1t cost him upwards of three
uQn Gas always been among the first objects Of inter
t5 asked Tor by strangers. But tits gone and nothing
WheTc once stood the bride of Cincinnati
Whle the confagrati0n was at its height Mr. Pike
49, StIo lIe win Ine Saneindiherenc as an i'm
Many theories have been advanced as to the origin
Oh the 1e hnt as yet no definite conclusion has been
ne catastrophe was caused by the leakage of cas
The force OF the explosion great that the rea
portion of the Opera House cut and thrown com
Hleely across Baker street. demOlishing in its way
several stores.
Politics in this section of the world have but oro
way, and that IS decidedly JohnsOnian. The peonio
heartily endorse the policy of President Johnson and
Bureau bill. 'I- o
business us n general thing is dull. This is owino
IN great measure to the fact that many capitalists
nave gone South and engaged in cotton planting
anu ierS arc being entertained that the crop will nGf
ray, great trouble being experienced on the plapta-
uohS IN securing labor the freedmen being chary Of
engaging their services unless at exorbitanf wage.
Many OF your readers will. no doubt remember ~,
eAcurS on made IRON your city upwards Of tyo wears
ago, by the City Council and Board of Fradn 70
GmcInnat', Chicago, and other points IN the West
nile N tnlS city several members of he Baiti-
more city Council were the guests of Col lew Row,
man. mmc host 1T Brighton, and incident unon his
hospitality and genIglity enjoyed themselves To tbnT
utmost. The Colonel is located on Fourth street
attending TO the wants of the inner man and aIwo~s
Indulges IN hearty smile when Baltimoreans cross
his threshold. 0AoaS
At the Burnet House, Mr.. Silas F. NIilIey r-onrio
tor, was pleased to find Col. William Wikibsap
wen known IN your city, in the capacity of rbinf
clerk Friend Billy is a great favorite with the traT
cling public, and understands the wants Of fhe e a aD
derer with singular nicely. WA
Ny next noti0gs will probably be from Cbicaro
Illinois, StHVa